I imagine that for the candidates, hotel rooms have now become their homes (but their homes probably don’t have tacky carpet and cheesy paintings hanging over the bed). Where would you rather live every single day? A Holiday Inn Express or a full-service hotel where you can meet most of your daily needs in one building, as opposed to running errands all over town? “Cheap and cheerful” properties are appropriate for certain trips, but not for life on the road. While five-star isn’t a necessity, full-service might just well be.

And how much more effective were they, because they were comfortable in their surroundings, thus allowing them to concentrate on the tasks at hand?

I’m a small business owner, and I never stay in Holiday Inn Express. I won’t do it, because I can’t do business in my room, in my hotel bar or my hotel restaurant if I stay at a budget hotel. Furthermore, even if I’m not meeting with a client or partner at my hotel, I like being sure that my room will be clean, quiet, and conducive to getting a good night’s sleep.

I’m sure this study will outrage some people, but I doubt those people have ever had a high-travel job, and that those people don’t know how badly hotels get you on conference rooms.