Now here’s a subject that families don’t discuss with each other very much, but that they certainly discuss with their best friends. According to a recent Choice Hotels survey more than a third of American adults (36 percent) admit that holidays would be less stressful if their relatives stay in a hotel rather than with them.
Among adults with children under 18, nearly one in two (45 percent) would be more relaxed without having guests over for the holidays.
The survey revealed that Americans can only tolerate relatives staying with them for about three-and-a-half days without losing their cool. About one-quarter (24 percent) confess they can only host family members for one day or less, while two-fifths (40 percent) can manage two or three days.
According to the study, when considering expenses like groceries, entertaining, decorations and having the house cleaned to make guests feel comfortable, Americans spend nearly $300 per household to have relatives stay with them during the holidays. “With rooms starting at $99, Cambria Suites, the Choice division that sponsored the survey, offers Americans an upscale lodging solution without breaking the bank.”
Accommodating guests at a hotel also eliminates the need to make up excuses to escape the burden of hosting them. In fact, according to the study, 33 percent of adults have lied to relatives in the past to avoid having them as a house guest. Among those who have made excuses, the top excuse was pretending to go out of town (36 percent), followed by being sick (34 percent), not having an extra bed (34 percent), hosting other visitors (22 percent),and renovating the home (14 percent).
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
