Choice Hotels reveals top-10 travel trends

A survey released by Choice Hotels International reveals the top-10 most interesting travel trends for US travellers in the coming year.
?Without a doubt, 2016 is going to bring new and inventive ways for consumers to travel,? said?Patrick Pacious, executive vice president, and chief operating officer at Choice Hotels. ?From the blending of business and leisure travel to the growing consumer demand for stronger loyalty programmes, it?s important that we keep a pulse check on travellers around the country.?
The 2016 Travel Trend Outlook:
* Price Check, Please:?40% of travellers decided to defer a trip in 2015 due to airfare being way too high;
* Close, but No Cigar:?If the travel embargo to?Cuba?were lifted, 52% of Americans say they would consider visiting?Cuba;
* Where’s Your Loyalty??33% of travellers are not members of a travel loyalty or rewards programme, yet 42% check for loyalty programme special promotions when booking a hotel stay;
* The Price We’d Pay:?When asked what they would give up for a free night stay at a hotel, travellers quipped everything from their first born child to chocolate to ?anything? as what they’d be willing to sacrifice;
* Work Hard, Play Hard:?31% of travellers say that they have plans of booking a ?bleisure? trip, meaning adding a leisure trip onto the beginning or end of a business trip, in 2016;
* Let’s Set This Straight:?Men are 112% more likely to want their hotel room equipped with an iron/ironing board than women;
* It’s all about the Amenities:?Free WiFi (60%) followed by cable TV (52%) and complimentary toiletries (28%) were the three amenities Americans can?t live without in a hotel room;
* So Much Work and So Little Time: 36% of Americans typically do not use all of their paid vacation time;
* Show me the Money: 65% of travellers say that they would prefer an end-of-year bonus instead of additional paid vacation time;
* Time to Disconnect:?While 8% of Americans say they wouldn?t last more than a day without technology, 38% say that they would absolutely love to take a vacation that is totally technology-free.