Work Trips a Lifestyle Upgrade for Gen Z and Millennials

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. For younger professionals, business travel is far more than a job requirement — it’s a chance to elevate their everyday experiences.

According to the new Hotels.com Business Trip Report, 85% 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 from Hotels.com, which has hundreds of thousands of hotels around the world, 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 that they’re:

• More likely to pay for an upgrade. Approximately 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 three to five times more per day than older colleagues while on the road. About 75% say they’ll even self-fund high-end dinners and entertainment to get better content for their feeds.
• 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.
• Loyalty perks connoisseurs. About 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,” says Melanie Fish, vice president of global public relations.

When traveling for work, Gen Z 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 one in five would put workout 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.

Gen Z is 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 three to five 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 Z.

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 three to four extra days in the destination after work is done.