If the flurry of TurboTax and H&R Block ads all over your TV screens and social media feeds hasn’t made you aware, tax season is in full swing. And even though the deadline to file taxes for 2020 has been mercifully delayed to May, many Americans are already deep in the weeds of filling out forms. At the same time, a lot of people are dreaming about what to spend their tax refunds on, and after a year of lockdown orders, many people are ready to spend that money on traveling in 2021.
According to a new survey from Hotels.com, 85% of Americans are planning to use some of their tax refund to book travel. With the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and gradual reopenings of businesses and borders, it’s not hard to predict that travel will rebound in 2021. But by how much is still in question. Hotels.com says seven in 10 Americans are already planning a summer vacation this year, with 40% having already made reservations. This is based on a study commissioned by Hotels.com and conducted by OnePoll in March 2021, with 1,000 adult respondents across the United States.
Jennifer Dohm, head of PR and communications at Hotels.com for North America, underscores that survey respondents have said they are more likely to stay at a boutique hotel (39%) or all-inclusive resort (34%) as they get back to traveling: “This summer, travelers are looking to soak up some sun near the water, with Hilton Head, Virginia Beach, and the Outer Banks being among some of our popular lodging destinations.”
Given CDC guidance and shelter-in-place orders over the past year, many people have been reluctant to travel—not to mention stay in hotels, either opting for more private lodging options through sites like Airbnb or VRBO, or going to the extremes of renting or buying their own recreational vehicles (RVs).
To further nudge Americans back to booking stays at hotels, the Dallas-based reservations hub is launching a promotional contest running through April 15, the original tax deadline in normal years. (Though marketed as a tax write-off form, it should be stressed that this is not an official federal or state tax document or write-off in any capacity, nor does it constitute any legitimate tax advice.)
Asking participants to list non-travel “expenses”—such as hours spent on Zoom and all that time you tried to learn how to bake a loaf of bread but probably failed—through an online form, Hotels.com will then randomly select and reward 10 participants with travel credits of $2,741 each, the average tax refund issued in 2020. (A representative for Hotels.com confirmed that this is a real promotional deal and not an April Fools joke.) The prize breaks down to $2,000 in Hotels.com credit—with no expiration date—and a Visa e-gift card valued at $741.
“Many Americans are ready to end their travel drought,” Dohm says. “With this write-off, we want Americans to get rewarded for all those missed trips last year.”