With U.S. companies spending an estimated $179 billion on business travel this year, millions of road warriors have found themselves longing for some of the comforts of home while on the road.
According to Trendwatching.com, an Amsterdam-based independent trend agency, the desire for a more comfortable and better-equipped hotel is becoming a very real global trend.
“Consumers spare no expense to have the best of the best in their homes, from home movie theaters to home gyms,” said Reinier Evers, founder of Trendwatching.com. “When consumers are forced to leave their homes, they tend to demand an even nicer environment from their hotels, with a touch of luxury one would normally not find at home.”
Because of this, a second trend also is at play, said Evers. As hotels try to keep up and put nicer amenities in guest rooms, travelers often find themselves enjoying the comforts of their new environment so much that they want to purchase the products to replicate the experience at home.
“Hotels are obviously already capitalizing on this by selling customers the luxurious appointments formerly found exclusively in their...