Travel survey: Are we all business first, email-slaves who don't shower enough?

A fun study by Four Points Sheraton says that 55 per cent of business travelers take three or four devices with them when they hit the road.

They surveyed 6,000 biz types from all over the world and found that smartphones were the number one device (74 per cent), followed by tablets (65 per cent), music players (43 per cent), laptops (32 per cent) and cameras (30 per cent).

Interesting note here: Brazilian respondents (27 per cent) were the most likely to have five or more devices with them, while Germans (33 per cent) said they only take one or two.

Maybe we should move to Germany. While 60 per cent of respondents overall felt that traveling with technology makes their life easier, 14 per cent of Germans say it makes life harder.

Nearly seven in ten respondents (68 per cent) said they use their tablet more than their laptop. Interesting. My wife and I bought an iPad a couple months ago but I’ve maybe used it once. Guess I should download some travel apps and try it out on my next trip.

Another fun note in the study is that 54 per cent of respondents turn their smartphones on while the plane is taxiing to the gate after arrival, while a full 12 per cent never turn them off while they’re on the plane. The study didn’t say if they turned them to airplane mode, but I’d guess Alec Baldwin’s salary that a number of biz types continue to operate their smartphones even at 35,000 feet. And yet the planes continue to fly. Amazing.

Asked what’s the first thing they do when on the road, 36 per cent said they check their smartphone. Nineteen per cent said they turn on a TV and 18 per cent said they take a shower. Checking Facebook was next at 12 per cent, followed by checking Twitter and calling home tied for fifth at at seven per cent each.

So, basically, what we have is a world of business-centric, me-first folks all around the world who get up in a strange city and check their emails and watch TV before they think of showering or calling their families. And to think some traditionalists out there decry the state of the planet.

FOUR SEASONS TORONTO JOINS THE FIVE-STAR WAR

Hoo and boy, as my friend Allan Ryan used to say.

We've already seen the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Toronto on Wellington, which the Canadian Automobile Association has dubbed one of only two five-diamond properties in the country (the other is the Four Seasons Whistler). And the new Trump Tower downtown, which I took a peek at the other day and found rather swish and stylish, if not my particular cup of Earl Grey.

Now we're a mere eight days from the unofficial opening of the new Shangri-La at University and Wellington. The sleek, Asian-themed (in part) hotel and condo project is opening Aug. 30, although it's mostly for TIFF-related stuff and probably won't be open for the likes of you and me until mid-September.

Still, the drawings make it look superb and the food options at the restaurant Bosk promise to tantalize, for sure. There's also supposed to be some amazing dim sum, which stands to reason for an Asian-based chain and would be a welcome addition to the area.

On top of all that comes word this week that the Four Seasons Yorkville (see photo left) is now taking reservations for stays beginning Oct. 5. I went online this morning and found the cheapest room was $545 for a two-night stay beginning Oct. 5. A one-room suite was listed at $635.

The website says food service at the hotel won't start until Oct. 6, so if you're hungry on the night of the 5th you can always try McDonald's on Bloor I guess.

As for your options on the 6th, the main attraction will be Cafe Boulud, operating under the name of Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud. I've never eaten at any of his places, but I hear mostly good things. The website says the restaurant "showcases the intersection of contemporary and classic French cuisine in this casual Toronto restaurant. Menus are guided by the most exceptional ingredients, the vibrant, global influences of Toronto, and the innovation and expertise of this Michelin-starred culinary great."

The website says the hotel also will have something called the dbar, with "the sophistication and glamour of Yorkville" and a menu with "cocktails and casual fare amid inviting contemporary design, or outdoors on the spacious seasonal terrace."

Fascinating, fun times in the Toronto hotel industry, for sure. And great for the city's tourism, too.

 

 

Comments

[Geoff H.]

Hi, I really enjoyed how the survey revealed differences between different cultures. I have a simple question about the numbers: 65% of respondents bring their tablets, but is it 65% of the total respondents or 65% of those who own a tablet?
Thanks