Country Inns & Suites recently did a survey of business travelers. I’m always interested in what business travelers are thinking, and especially interested in the make-up of the respondents.
Here were some of the most interesting results:
Hotel Booking:
More than half turn to the Internet or phone first to book their travel. Of those, 61 percent head directly to a hotel website, travel website (56%), or mobile device (13%), before picking up the phone or working with a travel agent.
Seventy-six percent rarely or never spend more than USD 200 per night on a hotel.
Productivity On The Road:
Seventy-eight percent indicated that a comfortable work environment enhances their productivity on the road. Key factors involved in finding comfort in their hotel selection include.
- Staying in an environment that makes them feel at home (54%).
- Hotel design that offers homelike features such as welcoming décor (44%).
- Spacious rooms are of high importance (51%).
- A quiet hotel experience (40%)
Eighty-two percent base their hotel selection around amenities such as free high-speed Internet, free breakfast, and rewards programs.
Amenities:
Ninety percent say free high-speed Internet access is the most important amenity in their hotel accommodation, followed by a hot breakfast (70%).
To enhance in-room productivity, guests recommended more electrical outlets/in-desk outlets (67%) and adjustable desk chairs (55%).
Family and Work/Life Balance:
While productivity remains a priority, 61 percent say family and friends is the biggest sacrifice they make while on the road.
Work/life balance is a factor in company travel policies—51 percent of companies allow for premium services for extended travel, and 50 percent allow for use of travel alternatives to existing company travel policies.
And the respondents…..
- The total sample of the Today’s Business Traveler survey included 1,003 respondents, all of which had taken at least three business trips in the last 12 months to participate.
- Of the total number of respondents, 626 were male (62%) and 377 were female (38%).
- The age of the respondents varied from 18-65+, with the majority between ages 25-54 (73%)
- The sample respondents were taken from across the country, all with a variety of incomes ranging from under $35,000 to $150,000 and higher. The average income level of respondents fell between $75,000 and $149,000 (49%).
So, Readers, do you agree with the respondents? Do you typically use the internet or phone to book your travel hotel? Are you more productive in a homier environment? Do you feel missing time with friends and family is the biggest sacrifice you make? And does your company provide alternatives to travel on a regular basis?
I’ll go first.
I always use my company travel website to book, since that’s what I’m required to do.
Loyalty program is the most important amenity, but take that away and I would say a comfortable bed.
I’m definitely more productive in a homier environment.
Completely agree with my biggest sacrifice being time with my friends and family.
And I am a 30-year old woman who travels 2-3 times a month, who makes a little less than the average of the respondents. Boo.
I typically book through the hotel’s site and avoid our travel services here. I like having control over the reservation so that I can change things last minute as often happens on the road.
My productivity on a work trip depends on so many factors, including the fate of all my meetings, the amount of time I get outside of meetings to actually do work on a computer and the amount of time I spend in a car (which if I am driving all over one state on a trip, forget it).
Time with friends and family is my biggest sacrifice.
There is no real alternative to travel in the type of work I do. My job goals, among many, include a measurement of face to face visits. If I don’t travel, I can hope that people come to me but that’s ineffective and there’s no way I’d hit my goals.
I actually never call in for a reservation and exclusively book on a hotel’s site directly.
Maybe I’m weird, but I enjoy the break away from family & friends while on my (shorter) trips.
Free internet is a major draw for me.
I’ve stayed at several Country Inn & Suites and really enjoy them. The hot breakfast buffet is great!
Thanks for posting the results.
High speed internet where too many people are using a low speed wireless access point is my pet peeve. I will avoid a hotel with that infrastructure when I return to a given city. On the other hand, a hotel that truly has high speed connectivity will bring me back again and again. I also prefer wired internet, and carry an extension ethernet cable just for the privacy it affords.
My favorite amenity is a microwave and mini-fridge. Most of my trips are 4-5 nights and I like to hit a grocery store on the first night and get frozen dinners and some snacks, such as grapes or cherry tomatoes for the fridge (and some plain milk; I hate that chemical fake whitener).
Desk and ergonomic chair are also must haves. I don’t care about breakfast, I can buy a muffin at $bux.
what sort of business travellers are these??? They base their choice on FREE FREE FREE!!! geez, GoGo Inflight subscriptin -yes, Boingo – Yes, wireless card – yes….$10 breakfast will be reimbursed, so am not sure what the big deal over unhealthy free breakfast is.
I am in charge of booking travel for my whole organisation, which is only 6 people who regularly travel, including me. In two of the cities we go to, we have a hotel supply partner, so we automatically stay there. One of the hotels is quite plush, has free wi-fi (yay!) and the best staff ever, but the hotel breakfast etc is $$$. The other is less plush, but in an amazing heritage building, and all of the rooms are apartments with a kitchen etc, which is a huge plus if we’re staying there a few days.
In the other cities, we are really looking for value for money, within walking distance to the venues. We’re only there 3 times a year, so we don’t get enough benefit from loyalty programs either.