Westin Hotels Captures a
Snapshot of Travelers Health on the Road
- First-of-its-kind Research Study Explores Travels
Impact on the Body, Mind and Spirit
- Results Guide Westins Efforts to Help Guests Renew and
Be Their Best Selves
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.| Westin Hotels & Resorts
today revealed the results of an attitudinal research study on the
physiological and psychological effects of travel. The Travel-Related Responses
in Passengers: TRIP Study was developed in collaboration with International Communications
Research, a full-service research firm. The study revealed that travelers are
often stressed and lonely, feeling out of control and even sick on the road.
The study examined the experiences of frequent business travelers to better
understand what physiological changes occur and how travelers feel when they
arrive at their destinations. To leverage these valuable insights, Westin
partnered with editors from Prevention magazine, the countrys largest healthy
lifestyle publication, to create a new Travelers Renewal program, designed to
help guests renew their bodies, minds and spirits during their stays.
The study found that
travelers experience physical effects like sleep deprivation (55%), and sleep
disruption or insomnia (22%), and psychological effects like feeling their
lives are in the hands of others (77%), and loneliness (34%). Despite the
negatives, the news about traveling isnt all bad. Surprisingly, nearly half of
the studys respondents feel rejuvenated by flying, and many even report
feeling more spiritual and closer to God when above the clouds (42%).
Westin commissioned this
study to better understand what we can do to create a renewing environment,
designed to alleviate our guests stress and discomfort, said Sue Brush, Senior
Vice President, Westin Hotels & Resorts. The studys results demonstrate
that there is much we can and should do to make our guests feel their best away
from home.
Among the studys key
findings:
Travel takes a toll on
the body.
- Nearly one in four frequent business travelers
experiences physical stress while flying.
- 79% of frequent travelers have taken flights while
feeling sick, and nearly one-third regret their decision. Up to 5% have
actually required emergency medical care at their final destinations.
- 71% of respondents believe that the average traveler is
dehydrated, and 45% of frequent business travelers claim to feel
dehydrated after a flight.
- One-fifth of those who have traveled sick report that
their flight exacerbated their symptoms.
- 33% report having an acute illness diagnosed by a
doctor which requires ongoing care, such as diabetes, asthma or
depression.
- 934 Westin guests each month contact the hotel staff to
seek medical attention.
- One in ten respondents has developed a musculo-skeletal injury while traveling (such as one
caused by tripping in the aisle or falling baggage).
The weary traveler isnt
just a stereotype.
- 55% of frequent travelers experience significant shifts
in their sleep habits away from home.
- Sleep disruption affects travelers well into their
trips, for at least 2 days after a long flight for over 60% of
respondents. This pattern remains strong even among those who fall asleep
easily at home.
- More than 9 in 10 respondents believe that the average
traveler is jet-lagged.
Many travelers feel
lonely on the road.
- Loneliness is a common emotional response to traveling.
- About one-third of travelers report feeling more lonely
while traveling, while only 8% feel less lonely.
- Men (36%) are more likely than women (29%) to
experience loneliness on the road, and married travelers (39%) feel lonely
more often than their single counterparts (19%).
- Management-level executives (43%) feel more lonely than
travelers at other occupation levels.
Feeling out of control
makes travelers stressed out.
- Over three-fourths of respondents feel that their lives
rest in the hands of others when traveling.
- 57% of frequent travelers feel trapped or restricted
while flying.
- Just over one quarter of respondents report worrying
about being less organized.
- 16% worry about their home finances in the air.
- Senior executives report being much more worried about
falling behind in office work than other respondents (58% vs. 38%).
- Two-thirds of respondents do something to alleviate
their sense of lost control or stress while traveling. Women are much more
likely to turn to food than men, with 11% of female respondents eating
snacks to regain a sense of control.
- Conversely, travelers feel soothed by more stringent
security measures. Only 22% of respondents are annoyed by more
time-consuming security procedures, while 44% find them comforting.
Traveling can free the
mind.
- Nearly half of respondents feel rejuvenated by flying.
- Many travelers view travel as an escape from their
routines, both at home (47%) and at the office (55%).
- Over half of respondents see time away from their
normal daily routines as one of the key benefits of business trips.
- Over three-quarters of respondents report feeling
serene and relaxed while flying, and 61% report feeling a sense of
freedom.
- 42% of frequent travelers feel closer to God while
traveling, because they are above the clouds.
- 54% of respondents are able to think more clearly in
the air.
- 54% percent of frequent travelers are open to meeting
new people on a flight.
Westin Develops Programs
to Respond to Studys Insights on Wellbeing
In response to the studys
results, Westin will pilot a three-pronged Travelers Renewal program in more
than 20 hotels worldwide, which will feature a Travelers Renewal Menu, Station
and Kit. The menu will offer remedies for common travel ailments developed with
input from editors at Prevention magazine, such as green tea to reenergize,
aloe and pineapple sorbet to sooth sore throats and hot chicken soup to quell
stomach upset. Travelers Renewal Stations will provide fruit, hand purifier
and water in Westins lobbies to help keep guests hydrated and healthy when
they arrive and when they leave the hotels doors. The Travelers Renewal Kit
will be available for purchase, offering tools to make traveling easier,
offering everything from a refreshing hand purifier to mind-sharpening Sudoku games. For more information on the Travelers
Renewal products visit www.westin.com/travelersrenewal.
In response to the studys
findings on travelers loneliness, Westin is unveiling Unwind, an evening event
where guests can socialize and learn about their destinations. The Unwind
ritual is designed to minimize loneliness and emotional discomfort for guests
while they are away from home. Local flavor and interactive activities will be
key parts of the Unwind experience, from indulging in oysters and champagne at
the Westin Dragonara Resort in Malta to
teaching guests how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness at the Westin Dublin.
Methodology
| The survey
instrument was designed by ICR in cooperation with Westin Hotels & Resorts.
A sample of business travelers was provided by Survey Sampling International
and was screened randomly by ICR. Interviews averaged 20 minutes in length and
were completed from December 7 to December 30, 2005. The analysis of the data
took several additional months. The margin of error on the totals was plus or
minus 4.36%. Subgroups had a larger margin of error. Telephone interviews were
completed by ICR with 505 business travelers, of whom 302 were male and 203
female. Participants were screened to ensure recent and frequent travel by air.
The average number of domestic trips taken in the past two years by survey
participants was 21, and the average number of international trips in the same
period was 3.
Westin
Hotels & Resorts,
with 127 hotels and resorts in 31 countries and territories, is owned by Starwood
Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world
with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000
employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully
integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the
following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection,
Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W, Le Mridien
and the recently announced AloftSM. Starwood Hotels
also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and
operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more
information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
** Please
contact Starwood's new, toll-free media hotline at (866) 4-STAR-PR (866-478-2777)
for a complete copy of the Study, or additional information.**
(Note: This
press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal
securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties and other factors
that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those
anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks
and uncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give
no assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results and events
will not materially differ. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or
revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.)
CONTACT
Gena Egelston
Phone: 415-774-0118
Email: gena.egelston@westin.com
ORGANIZATION
Starwood
Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
http://www.starwoodhotels.com
1111 Westchester Ave.
Phone: 914-640-8100
Fax: 914-696-1138
