Today’s business travelers expect unique hotel experiences, and hoteliers are only to happy to accommodate
Don’t discount the impact of Millennial momentum. It’s changing the face of business travel, especially in their individualized choices of where to lay their yet-to-gray heads for the night. “I really think we’re facing a very special moment in the development of the hotel industry,” asserts Lukasz Dabrowski, senior vice president, global for corporate hotel solutions provider HRS. Of the roughly worldwide 300,000 properties in the HRS portfolio, two-thirds are independents.
The generational shift is propelling younger business travelers to book hotel properties much the same way they arrange for their private travel, Dabrowski says. “The balance is definitely shifting from the same room, with the same amenities wherever they go worldwide towards the new, the local, the unique.”
Marwan Batrouni, senior director and hotel practice area leader at corporate travel consultancy Advito, echoes that assessment. “Younger travelers want the best of both worlds,” he says. They crave frequent stayer points, the better to spend them on their personal leisure longings. At the same time they’re also in search of “a non-traditional or new experience while on the road.” It’s the sort of thing that keeps Millennials smiling, whether they traveling for business or pleasure.
“The marketing is evolving and travelers want options,” agrees Rodolfo Elizando, vice president and head of global business consulting at American Express Global Business Travel. Business travelers “accustomed to alternative lodgings from their leisure travel want these options for corporate.”
Those options include true independents and increasingly the so-called ‘soft brands’ – independent properties that find economies of scale and marketing prowess under the corporate umbrellas of big chain hoteliers.
A Soft Landing
This story is from the February 2017 edition of Business Traveler.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2017 edition of Business Traveler.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Train of Thought
As Amsterdam’s airport curtails flights because of environmental impact, KLM suggests that its passengers take to the rails
Entry Level
Why travelers are waiting weeks or even months to receive a new passport or renewal
Big Wheels
American Airlines offers a TSA-approved ground service between Philadelphia and surrounding airports
Le Bon Goût
Air France partners with Michelin-starred chefs for its new menus
First Glance
United unveils new high-end seats
Ring of Fire
In October and April, solar eclipses will dazzle the United States
Just Say Know
To improve mental health, learn new skills on the road—and have fun doing it
Rebalancing Act
How Finnair CEO Topi Manner led the airline through two external crises to bring it back on track
New Look
With industry innovations and a star-studded roster of clients, designer Peter Dundas is changing the shape of fashion
Food for Thought
The pioneering Spanish restaurant EI Bulli is transformed into a museum and culinary laboratory