WASHINGTON — A lot of people will get out of town for the Memorial Day weekend. But a lot of people will be coming to D.C. this weekend as well, and the region remains a top destination for the unofficial kickoff of the summer travel season.
Bethesda-based Marriott International Inc. says D.C. ranks No. 3 this year, behind Orlando and New York, as the most searched-for destinations for Memorial Day at one of the hotel chain’s properties.
Chicago and San Diego round out the top five destinations searched for a Memorial Day getaway, according to Marriott.
Marriott’s U.S. Summer Travel Trends report is based on an analysis of nearly 2 million Marriott searches and bookings in April and May for travel between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.
More summer vacationers also plan to bring the family pet along this year, Marriott says.
The company said it observed a 70 percent increase in searches for pet-friendly hotels during this summer’s holiday weekends compared to nonholiday summer weekends. The timing of this summer’s holiday weekends and greater tendency to extend stays help explain the spike in pet accommodation requests, Marriott said.
