From earning rewards to racking up likes, new Hotels.com research reveals younger business travelers are pros at getting more out of every work trip 

Hotels.com research reveals that for younger professionals, business travel is far more than a job requirement — it’s a chance to elevate their everyday experiences. According to a new Hotels.com Business Trip Report released today, 85%¹ of Gen Z and 88% of Millennials say work trips are a chance to upgrade their lifestyles. The chance to stay in a nicer hotel, score a coveted restaurant reservation or earn rewards, makes traveling for business a pleasure — especially when they can share it all on their social feeds. 

The survey polled 2,000 U.S. adults who travel for work and found younger road warriors are pros at making their work trips work harder. Key findings from the research include: 

• More likely to pay for an upgrade: 73% of Gen Z and 77% of Millennial business travelers have paid out of pocket to upgrade to a nicer hotel, compared to just 48% of older colleagues. 

• #WorkTrip Content Creators: Younger generations are keen to document their work journeys on social media, posting 3-5 times more per day than older colleagues while on the road. 75% say they’ll even self-fund high end dinners and entertainment to get better content for their feeds.  

• The opportunists: Millennials are the most likely to arrive early and stay late — 40% have taken a redeye to gain more personal time in the destination, and 54% say they’d like to extend a work trip to explore solo. 

• Going the distance: Tokyo tops the list of dream business trip destinations for Gen Zers and Millennials, while London ranks highly for older generations. Gen Z professionals are 5 times more likely to want to go to Seoul than their Baby Boomer counterparts. 

• Loyalty perks: 58% of business travelers say they make work travel choices based on maximizing rewards. Nearly half (49%) have used those rewards for leisure travel. 

“Our research found that the number one reason Gen Z professionals like work trips is that it benefits their careers, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t enjoy them, too,” said Melanie Fish, vice president of global public relations. “While this new research shows big differences in what workers of different ages want, Hotels.com is enabling every generation’s priorities by offering flexibility in how they use their member discounts. The new Save Your Way feature lets all travelers choose to save instantly at checkout or bank their discounts as rewards to use on a future trip.”   

Membership at Hotels.com is free and comes with discounts and rewards. With Save Your Way™, a new feature launching today, members can choose whether to save up front with their member discount, or bank it as rewards for future trips. Only on Hotels.com, it’s ideal for a frequent traveler who wants to choose how and when to use their rewards. Either way, members earn rewards on every stay.  

The Upgraded Life 

When traveling for work, Gen Zers won’t hesitate to spend their own money to elevate the experience. Compared to their older colleagues, they’re more than twice as likely to pay to upgrade their flights (62% vs. 25%) or splurge on high-end dining or entertainment during a work trip (73% vs. 38%). 

When company policy allows, the upgrades don’t stop there: 26% of Gen Z would expense a spa treatment, and 1 in 5 would put work out classes on the company card. Millennials are most likely to expense flight or room upgrades and entertainment, while older generations expense taxis and private cars to avoid public transport.   

Well Connected 

Gen Zers are all about the buddy system as the most likely generation to want to bring a plus-one along on their work trips (50%), and nearly half (45%) would love to extend a trip to hang longer with coworkers.  

Younger professionals also invite friends and family to follow along via social media, on average posting 3-5 photos a day while away on business. Most Boomers, on the other hand, post less than once a day — and 20% say they never share on social media during work trips. Among younger travelers, Millennials are the most share-happy: 47% say they wouldn’t travel for work if they couldn’t document it, compared to 34% of Gen Zers. 

Bleisure Bliss 

It’s not all work and no play — travelers are using their business trips to live out their “bleisure” dreams. For 57% of business travelers, the chance to visit a destination they wouldn’t otherwise see is one of the biggest perks. On average, travelers want to spend 3-4 extra days in the destination after work is done. 

Top work trip destinations vary by generation. Gen Zers and Millennials rank Tokyo, Paris and New York highest, while London is the top pick for Gen Xers and Boomers. Gen Z is 5 times more likely than older colleagues to hope work sends them to Seoul.  

Whether it’s for work or play, learn more about Save Your Way and how to get rewarded for every trip with Hotels.com.