ATLANTA, GA, May 29—AAHOA (Asian American Hotel Owners Association) welcomes the good news about the record highway and air travel numbers set over Memorial Day weekend and is optimistic about the tone it sets for summer travel.
“With the summer travel season underway, the numbers from Memorial Day weekend travel, considered the kickoff to summer, indicate great things for America’s hotel industry during the upcoming summer months,” AAHOA Chairman Miraj S. Patel said.
The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) reported a staggering 2.95 million travelers were screened at U.S. airports on Friday, May 24, surpassing a previous record set last year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Locally near AAHOA headquarters at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, a record was set with 111,000 travelers screened on Thursday, May 23. According to TSA, that number exceeded a previous record of 104,174 travelers on the Monday after the 2019 Super Bowl in Atlanta.
Highway travel was also expected to hit records, with AAA projecting 43.8 million travelers heading 50 miles or more from home over the Memorial Day holiday travel period. The association noted a 4% increase over last year and came close to matching 2005’s record of 44 million Memorial Day travelers.
In a LinkedIn poll conducted over Memorial Day, AAHOA President & CEO Laura Lee Blake asked users about their preferred hotel amenities. The results were as follows: 76% of respondents indicated “great mattress and pillows” as their top choice, followed by 10% who selected “contactless check-in,” and 9% for “electric vehicle charging stations.”
“When it comes to hotel stays, it appears a good night’s sleep still reigns supreme,” AAHOA President & CEO Laura Lee Blake said of the informal poll she conducted on LinkedIn before the record-setting holiday weekend. “As one of our respondents commented, ‘A good night’s sleep is essential.’ We are heartened by the numbers regarding air and highway travel for the holiday. We hope these records translate into a hectic summer of leisure, business, and ‘bleisure’ travel for AAHOA’s 20,000 members nationwide. And may all those traveling rest their heads at night on comfortable mattresses and pillows after their busy days of fun and work.”
