A new business traveler survey conducted by Deloitte's Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure (THL) practice indicates that many are anticipating an increase in corporate travel for 2011, which would be a welcome boost in customer demand for the hospitality and travel sectors.

In 2011, do you anticipate that you will take more, fewer, or the same number of business trips as you did in 2010?

By the end of 2011, 80 percent of business travelers surveyed predict they will take more or the same number of business trips than they did in 2010, with a similar number (79 percent) of respondents indicating that they will also spend the same or more.

Travel Expenses Closely Watched

Due to the recession, 72 percent of survey respondents had monitored their business travel expenses in various ways this past year. In particular, these business travelers said they had cut back on overall travel costs (37 percent), stayed away for fewer days (33 percent), or spent less on food/restaurants (32 percent). More than one in five (21 percent) had booked less expensive hotel rooms.

Thinking of the business trips you have taken over the past year, which of the following have you done, either because your company has asked you to, or because you decided on your own to do it?

Additionally, nearly three out of five, 59 percent, of respondents whose companies had corporate travel policies felt the guidelines were now more strictly enforced.

Among the top five guidelines noted by respondents, pre-trip approval for business travel (50 percent) was the top company guideline mentioned.

Amenities and Technology Key Differentiators

Regarding the hotels you stay at for business, how much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

The Deloitte survey found that the overall hotel experience is important to a majority of business travelers.

Roughly two-thirds of respondents agreed that they often work in their room (68 percent) and that they expect a lot more from a hotel than just a clean room and comfortable bed (65 percent).

Further, almost four out of five respondents felt that high-speed Internet (79 percent) and free parking (77 percent) were important amenities to them when staying at a hotel for business.

Full report available, via PDF:

www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/Consumer%20Business/us_thl_businesstravelers_110210.pdf

About the Survey

The survey was commissioned by Deloitte and conducted online by an independent research company between September 10 and September 14, 2010. The survey polled a nationally representative sample of 1,001 business travelers and has a margin of error of +/- three percentage points.

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.