Value of a corporate Traveller: 3 Top Reasons Why you must favour them

Business travel is growing at a rapid rate, with spending on business travel expected to reach $1.7 trillion by 2022. At present, up to 30 per cent of business travellers (also often referred to as’ road warriors’) fly at least once a month. However, 75 per cent of those corporate travellers said they had extended business trips multiple times in a year for recreational and leisure purposes, according to a recent survey taken.

With such impressive business traveller figures, it’s no wonder that many hoteliers love having corporate guests in their hotel. But what so special about corporate guests which makes them so appealing to the hotels? I have done some research and found out what is the true value of corporate travel.

Here are the 3 top reasons why your hotel must consider them unique

1. Corporate travellers prefer the convenience of the hotel

The Good news for hotel owners is that the business travellers are not so keen on embracing the system of sharing during business trips, or at least not when it comes to shared accommodation.

79% of businesses have not integrated AirBnB into their booking processes as it is, and 54 per cent have no plans to do so in the future. Instead, they choose lodging with various types of hotels (both independent and chain hotels), including those offering extended stay options.

One of the main reasons for this is because corporate guests enjoy the conveniences a hotel provides. Unlike the leisure travellers, business travellers are often short on time and searching for a comfortable hotel with suitable workspaces and internet access.

Around 80% of business travellers sleep no more than eight hours, so your goal as a hotelier should be to make their lives as easy as possible during their time of stay. The corporate guests always appreciate it, when they don’t have any reasons to worry about things like dry cleaning, breakfast or room services.

2. Corporate travellers tend to spend more

Business travellers are great customers as they are more likely to use other hotel facilities such as restaurants, spas and meeting rooms. This, in turn, increases marginal spending per room and impacts the RevPAR in a positive manner. Corporate travellers tend to spend 23 per cent more in a hotel room, according to Egencia. It is said that nearly 82% of the corporate bookings take place between Monday and Thursday.

Moreover, the’ leisure phenomenon,’ (Bleisure) is a preferred option for all corporate travellers, as they want to integrate a leisure dimension into their work trips. This has resulted in an increase in the number of nights a hotel is booked for. This phenomenon is particularly popular among millennial travellers, as an incredible 70% of 25to 35-year-olds wish to extend corporate trips for recreational purposes.

3. They have high brand loyalty

Corporate customers are very loyal to the brand and will stick to the hotels with which they have had a great experience. According to Phocuswright, Corporate travellers are most prone to book outside the guidelines of their business, just to remain with a brand they are loyal to. What’s more, even when commuting for fun, business travellers can book with a brand they like more than 50% of the time.

As a hotelier, this is a perfect opportunity for the returning guests to launch a special loyalty program. Recent research has shown that up to 79% of travellers have listed loyalty programs as a major reason to choose particular hotel brands.

Reward those who book regularly on your website and when they opt to stay in your hotel next time, give them special deals or exclusive benefits. Keep your corporate guests happy, and they’ll be back to your hotel again.

Corporate travellers are such a financially lucrative visitors and hotels around the world are trying to draw more business bookers. For hoteliers, corporate travellers are making an important market segment as they are very prone to travel a lot for their business making them a good business and revenue source for your hotel. as they can elevate your revenue in a very short time.

Corporate travellers are one of the most important sources of revenue and sales lead to hotels. Our sales and marketing experts at the Hotels Story have picked out these three top reasons to favour the corporate travellers and attract them to your hotels for a successful return visit, making them loyal to your brand.