Would you work remotely on vacation?

Is the “hush workcation” the new vacation trend? Nearly a third of Americans admitted they’ve worked remotely on vacation without telling their bosses.

The poll of 2,000 employed Americans — split evenly among travelers and hotel workers — found 52% of them would use their vacation travels as a chance to work remotely and 29% have done so without notifying anyone at work.

Close to four in 10 (39%) explained it was simply because they like what they do for work. Meanwhile, others would work on vacation to hit an important work deadline that overlapped with their vacation time (28%) or to save on their PTO (26%).

And for many others, traveling for work opens the door to other opportunities: nearly half (48%) have extended their work trips into vacations at their destination.

Commissioned by Mews, a hospitality cloud system, and conducted by OnePoll, the study reveals that four in five working Americans would be willing to work remotely from their hotel.

While working from the comfort of one’s hotel room is the top preference (69%), a quarter of respondents said they would prefer to work remotely from the hotel pool or spa, and nearly 25% chose a hotel bar or restaurant.

Three in four travelers (74%) and hotel workers (75%) agree that Americans are prioritizing travel more this year than last.

Seventy-nine percent are planning all their travels for the year “as soon as they possibly can” and estimate they’ll take a total of 11 trips in 2024.

Among the trips planned are three vacations and three family trips; alongside three work trips and two “bleisure” trips — combining business with leisure — for employed respondents.

Hotel workers are prepared — they claimed guests traveling for work or bleisure are the easiest to cater to (83% and 76%, respectively). They anticipate the guests will tip more (39%), extend their stay more frequently (38%), and use hotel amenities more (31%) in the year ahead.

Nearly a third of guests stated a perfect hotel would have keyless room entry (34%) and in-room smart home devices (43%) and nearly one-fourth would prefer mobile room entry (27%) and digital ordering (24%).

The study also found that hotel workers anticipate guests to use technology more in 2024, with a fourth expecting them to check in more frequently via a hotel website, app or digital kiosk compared to previous years.

More than 40% of travelers stated they prefer to check in via a hotel’s website, app or digital kiosk, and nearly 80% said they would be willing to stay at a hotel that had a completely automated front desk or self-service kiosk.

A third (36%) admitted they have turned to AI for recommendations while booking travel.

“Technology enables our teams to gather robust guest information before they arrive at one of our locations, which empowers our customer service teams to create unique 'excite and delight' opportunities for guests, resulting in powerful moments and lifelong memories for our guests,” commented Ryan Krukar, VP sales & marketing at Gravity Haus. “Identifying and understanding a guest's needs before they arrive at one of our locations and going above and beyond for guests is key in delivering authentic hospitality and provides additional value and comfort while simultaneously immersing a guest in the unique culture of the destination they are visiting.”

The study also found that a large majority of hotel staff surveyed (85%) saw locals come to their hotel to use the amenities, often to get access to the hotel pool (47%), restaurants (43%), lobby (39%), gym (31%) and parking (26%).

Local amenities appear to go both ways — 79% of hotel workers said guests “always” or “often” ask for local recommendations.

“The most innovative hotels are moving away from a room-centric vision of hospitality into one which embraces experiences, communities and lifetime brand relationships,” said Richard Valtr, founder of Mews. “They offer different spaces and amenities, from coworking to yoga classes and bike rental, paying close attention to what each guest needs.”

“We love it when hotels use technology to solve their operational pain points and create immersive and truly remarkable guest experiences.”

ACCORDING TO TRAVELERS IN THE US, WHAT SHOULD “PERFECT” HOTELS OFFER?
1. Fast Wi-Fi - 70%
2. A king-sized bed - 55%
3. Having a smart TV - 54%
4. Being near attractions - 48%
5. An in-building restaurant - 47%
6. A fitness center/gym - 38%
7. Online or self-service check-in/check-out - 37%
8. A personal hot tub - 37%
9. A personal bathtub - 37%
10. A spa - 36%

Survey methodology:
This random double-opt-in survey of 1,000 American travelers and 1,000 American hotel workers was commissioned by Mews Systems, Inc. between January 30 and February 8, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).