New Research Studies Executive Expats Abroad

Comfortable, centrally located accommodations, some foreign language knowledge, and the ability to meet locals and mix with other expats were key strategies for success for the 191 extended stay guests at Marriott Executive Apartments who responded to an Executive Expat Life Survey conducted online by CfK Custom Research North America.

The research revealed more about this breed of extended stay business traveler - the executive expat. They are largely senior executives who travel extensively - often on long-term assignment - and 68% consider themselves “expatriates”. They tend to be male (84%), middle aged (47 years old), married (73%), traveling with spouses (53%), with either no children or grown children (71%), and in finance and banking, government, technology, manufacturing, construction, telecom, and oil and gas sectors.

Another study just released, the 13th annual GMAC Global Relocation Trends Survey, projected growth in expatriate populations, with most multinational companies surveyed estimating increased (68%) or similar (7%) expatriate populations in 2008.

Of all the issues associated with long stays abroad, 51% of respondents cited language difficulties, followed by work issues (37%), limited time to explore the new country (32%), staying connected to friends and family (28%) and adjusting to cultural differences (27%).

“Work challenges, language challenges,” were top-of-mind for Mike, who is on extended stay at the Marriott Executive Apartments Tomorrow Square, Shanghai. But like many who responded to the survey, he is a well traveled, senior executive who has spent more than 10 years traveling in Asia. For him, the cultural differences were the attraction, not the challenge.

For Michael, an entertainment executive from Los Angeles staying at the Marriott Executive Apartments Longin Center, Prague, Czech Republic, the local language was the biggest challenge and learning it the most important key to success.

Although language was the biggest acknowledged issue, perhaps due to the complexity of learning languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean, respondents ranked fixing the foods they like in their own apartment kitchens their top survival strategy (47%), followed by meeting local people (39%), socializing with other expats (39%), using video conferencing to connect to friends and family (38%) and learning or studying a foreign language (37%).

The type of accommodations does appear to enhance the enjoyment and the successful outcome of the extended stay, with 62% of respondents saying their current MEA hotel was better than other long-term accommodations they had experienced and 68% reporting that it took them just one month or less to adjust to their new home. Eighty-two percent of survey participants rated their MEA location/neighborhood an important amenity, followed by in-room technology (80%), full kitchen (76%), overall appearance and comfort (73%), fitness center on site (68%), knowledgeable staff (64%), spaciousness (64%) and maid service (63%).

“I like to tell my family how good it was to find a place that was within walking distance to my place of work,” said Vance, an aerospace executive from Seattle staying at the MEA Shanghai Pudong for up to 12 months. “I also wanted a place where I could feel at home and not feel like I was living in a temporary place.”

When asked how they would advise someone planning a one-year expat assignment in their location, most preached the importance of some language skills, cultural open-mindedness, socializing with locals and other expats and finding a comfortable, centrally located serviced apartment. They also had good practical advice about joining a long-distance broadband phone service like Skype, getting a streaming television device such as Slingbox, stocking up on food items and over-the-counter medications from home and scanning important documents into the computer.

“Find a way to meet local people, and take maximum advantage of your stay to get out and around and see the country,” advised Philip, a food and beverage executive from Pittsburg staying at the Marriott Executive Apartments Atago Forest, Tokyo. He became an active participant in the Garden Chapel, a small non-denominational church with mostly Japanese members, most of whom had lived overseas and frequently got together socially.

Despite the challenges, 93% of the executives said the positives of their expat experience outweighed any negatives. Of the possible benefits, they were most enthusiastic about the cultural experiences they were having/had in a different country (85%), their ability to travel on personal time (65%), the financial benefits (62%), new contacts and friendships (59%) and long-term career opportunities (58%). And 84% of respondents said they definitely or probably would accept another long-term assignment overseas.

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