More businesses are deploying their workers to attend meetings and conventions this year, according to a survey conducted by Embassy Suites Hotels. The nationwide Business Travel Survey , released last week, revealed the number of working Americans who said they were traveling less for business this year because of the economy decreased from 51 percent to 43 percent.

However, travelers have also gotten smarter about value, and found ways to cut back on expenses while on the road over the last year. Seven in ten (71 percent) respondents changed their business travel habits compared to 2009, with more business travelers flying coach, cutting back on meals and sharing rooms with colleagues due to the economic climate.

Sales at U.S. retailers unexpectedly dropped in May for the first time in eight months, indicating the rebound in consumer spending is cooling as Americans boost savings, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Purchases fell 1.2 percent, led by a record plunge in demand at building-material stores that may reflect the end of a government rebate on sales of energy-saving appliances, according to figures from the Commerce Department issued today in Washington. Another report showed consumer sentiment climbed this month to the highest level in two years.

Expedia was the most-visited online travel agency during the month of May, according to Hitwise Monthly Category Report – Travel. The OTA, which claimed 3.2 percent of market share, was the third most-visited travel site behind Google Maps (15.5 percent) and MapQuest (9.2 percent). Priceline came in fourth (2.0 percent), followed by Southwest Airlines (1.9 percent), Travelocity (1.9 percent) and Yahoo! Maps (1.8 percent).

Other notable entries include: TripAdvisor (No. 8), Orbitz (No. 9), Hotwire (No. 13), and Hotels.com (No. 19).

It might be the “happiest place on earth,” but that didn’t keep dozens of Disneyland hotel workers from walking off their jobs Friday, according to the AP. Members of the union Unite Here walked out of the Disneyland, Grand Californian and Paradise Pier hotels on Friday to picket and block traffic along the street that leads into the amusement park as the resort premieres its multimillion dollar World of Color attraction.

Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown calls it another publicity stunt.

A contract dispute between Disney and hotel workers has lasted two years, with employees staging periodic protests.

While World Cup hooligans are digging deep into their pockets to cover alleged “inflated” hotel rates in Johannesburg, FIFA officials are alleged to have negotiated big discounts for their own accommodation, according to the Daily Mail.

Details of the perk were revealed when local World Cup organizers were ordered by a Johannesburg court last week to release details of tenders awarded to private contractors during the tournament. A list of benefits details how the FIFA delegation and their commercial partners secured hotel rooms at a 20-percent discount to rates at the start of this year.

Compiled by Patrick Mayock.