MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Would you be willing to drop everything for an all-expenses paid weekend getaway? According to a new spontaneity survey by Hilton HHonors, the loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide’s 10 distinct hotel brands, the majority of American’s would. To put this notion to the test and to encourage American’s to live a little this summer with its Great Getaway summer promotion, Hilton HHonors has launched the “Travel is Calling You” spontaneity challenge, offering eight lucky winners weekend getaways if they answer the phone when travel calls.
Survey Says: Spontaneity Uncovered
According to the survey, Americans strive to be spontaneous and like to think they would seize unexpected opportunities when they are presented. In fact, 50 percent of Americans are likely to go on an impromptu weekend vacation, with the percentage jumping to 80 percent if the trip is free. Other spontaneous facts include:
- Over one-fourth (28 percent) of American’s describe themselves as spontaneous, with the most spontaneous citizens located in Miami (34 percent).
- 39 percent would be likely to hit the road with no final destination in mind.
- Outside of cost, the top three factors limiting spontaneous vacations include work (47 percent), previous commitments (41 percent) and pets and significant others (23 percent each).
- When offered a collection of America’s top destinations to choose from for an all-expenses paid weekend trip, 58 percent picked Hawaii as their top spot, followed by New York City (27 percent), Puerto Rico (22 percent), San Francisco (20 percent) and New Orleans (16 percent).
- Outside of travel, when it comes to letting loose, 13 percent of American’s would get a tattoo on a whim, 20 percent would go skinny dipping and 19 percent would make a spontaneous sizable purchase, like a new car.
Travel is Calling You Spontaneity Challenge
To put America’s spontaneity to the test, Hilton HHonors, in partnership with AT&T, has launched the “Travel is Calling You” challenge, offering ten Great Weekend Getaways. Each Thursday beginning now through August 22, HHonors and AT&T will call two lucky winners between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. E.T. who must answer the call of travel at that time in order to win. Recipients will be awarded two free night certificates good for use at any of the 4,000 Hilton HHonors hotels and resorts in 90 countries worldwide, two $500 American Airlines gift cards and a $500 American Express gift card to enable a spontaneous getaway.
In addition to this challenge, Hilton HHonors conducted a live “Travel is Calling You” experiment on spontaneity to see if people really would drop everything for a weekend getaway, giving Chicagoans the chance to win an inclusive trip to Miami if they answered the call of travel. The catch? They had to leave the next day. With a mysterious phone ringing in the center of Mariano Park in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood – and hidden cameras set up to capture all the action – 4 people out of 10 answered and accepted the spontaneous call of travel, showing that perhaps Americans aren’t always as free-spirited as they might claim to be.
The Great Getaway
Providing extra incentive to live more spontaneously, from now through September 30, 2013, Hilton HHonors is encouraging travelers to save with The Great Getaway, offering great rates at 10 top hotel brands within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio*. The portfolio includes Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations.
“Whether we admit it or not, there is a part of all of us that wishes we could just drop everything and go,” said Jeff Diskin, executive vice president at Hilton Worldwide. “The Great Getaway is our way of making that spontaneous travel whim a little more tangible so that when travel calls, there are thousands of ways to answer.”
For additional information or to enter the Travel is Calling You challenge, visit www.traveliscallingyou.com. To become a Hilton HHonors member, visit HHonors.com.
*Stays are subject to availability. The Best Available Rate is a specific rate type that varies depending on time of purchase, is unrestricted, non-qualified and excludes discount or negotiated rates not available to the general public, including, but not limited to: membership, corporate, government, promotional, group, packages, unpublished or rates only available on auction websites. Each hotel has a policy addressing cancellations and/or blackout dates that may apply. Hilton HHonors™ membership, earning of Points & Miles™ and redemption of Points are subject to HHonors Terms and Conditions.
About Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Worldwide is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 94 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 4,000 hotels and timeshare properties, with more than 650,000 rooms in 90 countries and territories and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.
About Hilton HHonors
Hilton HHonors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide’s 10 distinct hotel brands, offers its 34 million members more ways to earn and redeem points than any other guest-loyalty program, enabling them to create experiences worth sharing at more than 4,000 hotels in 90 countries and territories. HHonors members can now redeem points for any room, anywhere, anytime, including the most luxurious suites, using any of four room rewards: Premium Room Rewards, Room Upgrade Rewards, Points & Money Rewards and Standard Room Rewards. In addition, HHonors members can use points to purchase unique experience rewards, merchandise and vacation packages, make charitable contributions and more. HHonors is also the only guest-loyalty program to offer ‘No Blackout Dates’ and ‘Points & Miles’ for the same stay at its properties worldwide, including participating Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels& Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. Membership in HHonors is free, and travelers may enroll online by visiting www.HiltonHHonors.com or connect with Hilton HHonors at news.hiltonhhonors.com. Members can now also book reservations, manage their accounts and redeem special offers with the new Hilton HHonors mobile app for iPhone.
