Marta Rodriguez Martinez, a Microsoft travel manager focused on business intelligence and analytics, during the GBTA convention last month said budgets and trip purpose are the primary factors in travel decision-making. Employee awareness about their carbon footprints, though, can help change behavior. Segmenting travelers based on travel patterns is part of the effort. Microsoft travelers are grouped into four categories: road warriors, frequent travelers, occasional travelers and cautious planners. Though trickier, collecting data on hotel water usage and energy consumption is “doable,” Rodriguez Martinez said. But she doubted it would be used much in traveler decision-making. “A lot of the driver is the level of hotel,” said Bailey. “A hotel with three pools and a golf course versus a limited service hotel that doesn’t even have a kitchen certainly will have different footprints. But if you get offered a Ritz-Carlton and a Fairfield Inn at the same price, but the Fairfield has a much smaller footprint, I am not sure how many people will choose it.” Get the full story at The Company Dime