It’s critical for hoteliers and others in the travel industry who want to profit from the rise of business travel to stay on top of the latest innovations. Find out more about eight of the most recent business travel trends, as well as how they are affecting the industry as a whole, in the sections below.
Travel for Pleasure
Bleisure travel is defined as travel that blends business and pleasure. It is frequently driven by business, but the business traveller makes time during their trip to engage in leisure activities, or extends the duration of their work trip to see the sites and partake in leisure activities.
Importantly, research indicates that it is expanding. Indeed, more than 40% of visits are prolonged for leisure purposes, according to Expedia, and this is a significant demographic for hotels to target.
With the correct offer, this important business traveller population could be persuaded to prolong their stay in your hotel. Apart from providing easy access to neighbouring attractions, hotels should consider what services and amenities they can offer so that business travellers can relax and unwind.
According to a SAP Concur report, Millennials are the group that takes the most vacations, accounting for 38 percent of all vacations. Other generations aren’t far behind, with Generation X and Baby Boomers both accounting for 31% of bleisure vacations, demonstrating the industry’s expanding appeal.
Personalisation
The airline industry has been tremendously successful in capitalising on business travellers‘ desire for personalization, realising that if they are treated like individuals, they will become regular, loyal, and high-value customers. This drive for individualization has spread to other aspects of the travel sector, such as hotels.
In fact, given business travellers’ proclivity for recurrent travel to the same locations, the personalization options available to hotels are nearly limitless. This enables hotels to make recommendations, forecasts, or adjustments based on an individual’s habits, services used, payment methods, and so on, based on data from previous trips.
Internet of Things (IoT) (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to internet-connected devices, appliances, and other “things” that can send and receive data. Smart energy metres, smart televisions, and smart speakers are examples of IoT gadgets that are becoming more popular in homes, and business travellers demand the same from hotels.
Hotel customers desire personal control and a seamless experience, and IoT gadgets that allow them to adjust their temperature remotely or request information using voice commands are two examples. Hotels can also differentiate themselves by providing smooth check-ins, automatic payments, and rooms that can be unlocked with a smartphone.
The Sharing Economy is a type of economy in which
The sharing economy is continuing to disrupt the travel industry as a whole, but it can be especially appealing to business travellers due to the chance to save money and share experiences with others who are in similar situations. Furthermore, businesses are becoming increasingly worried about the environmental impact of their business travel.
When compared to more traditional options, business travellers are taking advantage of the sharing economy in a variety of ways, including ride-sharing, which can lower transportation costs, and home sharing, which can provide both financial and social benefits. Hotels are responded by providing room sharing and ride-sharing services.