While sales of vacation homes plummeted during the Great Recession, our research since 2008 has shown that owning a vacation home continues to be one of the most cherished aspirations of U.S. households with discretionary income.

To identify how interested consumers are today in owning a vacation property and better understand the tastes and preferences of  prospective purchasers and how they might differ from current owners Resonance Consultancy interviewed more than 3,300 recent U.S. travelers of all ages and incomes to learn what kind of vacations they wanted, where they wanted to stay, the amenities they desired most and least, the activities they most enjoy on vacation, and their aspirations and preferences for ownership of a vacation home.

Resonance Consultancy’s research has identified some clear differences between the behavioral travel habits of current vacation homeowners and prospective vacation home buyers. Some differences are common sense: often prospective buyers are simply at a different stage in their lives, and therefore values other priorities, such as programs for kids. But beneath the practicalities of particular features, the underlying values of prospective purchasers in terms of why they travel in the first place, as you’ll see in this report, is significantly different than that of current vacation homeowners and travelers in general. Understanding the values and motivations of tomorrow’s buyers is essential to the planning and designing of new residential products today. This 5X-page report provides in-depth information on:

• Vacation Home Aspirations – The desirability of vacation homes today vs. other goods and experiences
• Owners vs. Intenders – Demographics of today’s potential buyers and how they differ from current recreational real estate owners
• Usage and Pricing – Anticipated use and desired price points of prospective purchasers
• Amenities and Experiences – Desirability and importance of various community recreational activities (golf, skiing, hiking, shopping, etc.)
• Product Design – Most desirable housing features and amenities
• Prospective Purchaser Profiling – Segmentation analysis of U.S. travelers and detailed psychographic profile of current prospective vacation property buyers

CONTENTS:

• Current Owner Demographics
• Types of Vacation Properties Currently Owned
• Vacation Property Distances from Primary Residence
• Current Usage of Vacation Properties
• Prospective Purchaser Demographics
• Planned Types of Future Vacations
• Key Decision Factors in Choosing a Vacation Destination
• Participation in Activities on Vacation
• Preferred Hotel Brands on Vacation
• Vacation Property Type Considering Purchasing
• Anticipated Distance from Primary Residence for Prospective Purchasers
• Anticipated Usage for Prospective Purchasers
• Amount Willing to Spend on Future Vacation Property
• Importance of Future Vacation Home Features
• Prospective Purchaser Segmentation Profiling