US business travelers are increasingly attracted to the prospect of adding a few days of leisure to their business trip, this trend, known as a “bleisure”, offers opportunities for hotels and airlines to increase their high-value revenue.
A recent study by Expedia Media Solutions and Luth Research finds that the length of stay for a business versus bleisure traveler jumps from 2 nights to 6 nights or longer.
Today, about 43 percent of business trips in the US can be classified as bleisure, and seventy percent of those bleisure travelers travel at least every 2 to 3 months.
Because these travelers have business as their primary motivation for travel, they may not book until their dates are confirmed, but they will research and book faster than leisure travelers.
Business trips from Monday-Tuesday or Thursday-Friday are most likely to be extended to Bleisure. Expedia also reports that these passengers will book flights first, then accommodations.
That makes targeting these travelers particularly attractive for airlines which could boost their ancillary sales with residential options or even in-destination activities.
Converting business to bleisure
Expedia suggests ways to persuade more Business travelers to become bleisure travelers.
Flexibility and property star ratings also matter as business plans change and these travelers have high expectations of quality and comfort. Hotel proximity to meetings and conferences matters since most business travelers prefer to be walking distance to their meetings.
Destination matters too; 66 percent of bleisure trips are planned because of the destination. Some cities may be more attractive to extending trips from business to leisure than others.
Destination features that may encourage bleisure bookings include (in order of importance) sightseeing locations (85%), beaches (57%), weather (52%) and museums or art scene (49%).
Cities and hotels can do more to position themselves as bleisure options by coordinating with conferences and expos and putting together attractive packages.
84% of bleisure travelers stay in the same hotel that they did for the business portion of their trip, but the top reason why they may book elsewhere for the leisure portion is if the hotel rate is too high.
By offering extended preferential rates, hotels can encourage these travelers to stay longer.
Other incentives may include targeted bleisure extended stay packages that offer other perks like free breakfast, parking, food and beverage promotions, credit towards spa services or other activities. Any special Bleisure packages should also be promoted with the conventions and visitors bureau (CVB) or the event planner.
There is an opportunity to tempt travelers who have already booked their business plans by sending out extended package offers on follow-up promotions. bleisure packages can also be promoted on the airline or hotel website, on OTAs and through travel management companies (TMCs) business portals.
Egencia, Expedia business travel arm, has meanwhile unveiled a raft of services to help business travelers throughout their trips.
The Egencia Advantage programme offers services such as airport lounge access, traveler risk management and travel visa services.
The company is using partners such as LoungeBuddy and Airhelp to put together the Advantage offering.
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Expedia tracks bleisure travelers and finds activities drive decisions