Let’s say in one room you have a business traveler who flew all night, managed a full day of meetings, returned to the hotel to catch up on emails and eat.
He or she then needs to squeeze in a very solid eight hours of shut eye to get up and do it all again.
In the next room, you have a vacationer who wants to sleep in, take a long bath, eat a leisurely in-room breakfast, post yesterday’s photos on Facebook, and then head out for a day of exploring.
It’s clear that while they have similar needs, their priorities are different.
NB: This article is written by Margaret Ady, marketing director at TrustYou.
We analyzed a sample of 1.57 million verified reviews to better understand how business travelers differ from leisure travelers.
Overall about 20% of business travelers’ reviews are negative compared with 17% for leisure travelers.
They aren’t as satisfied as they could be, and given that business travelers are a lucrative group that can bring repeat business when given proper service and amenities, here are some ideas for keeping them happy based on the analysis.
Comfortable, up-to-date furniture
A business traveler’s home away from home needs to be a cozy place to finish up last-minute meeting preparations and rehearsals. But not all business travelers are feeling comfortable.
This segment mentions the furniture in their hotel room 17% more than leisure travelers, and they tend to give it 5% lower scores than their leisure counterparts.
Hotels looking to impress business travelers should ensure that their furniture is well-maintained and comfortable.
Large, well-equipped bathrooms
Business travelers need to show up dressed for success. This starts in the bathroom with a nice shower, good lighting and a little space to blow dry their hair, apply makeup, shave, etc.
Business travelers mention the bathroom more than leisure travelers (14% more than, say, those who travel with their families), and they tend to give the bathroom 3% lower scores than their leisure counterparts when it is lacking the aforementioned amenities.
To keep business travelers happy, hotels should ensure that their bathrooms are properly equipped to handle this segment.
Fully-stocked minibar
For many business travelers, unwinding at the end of a long workday includes a cocktail and a snack. Interestingly, the minibar is the second lowest rated amenity with business travelers, with a sentiment score of 38% (compared to 46% among leisure travelers).
Hotels looking to keep business travelers content should ensure that the minibar is properly stocked. Want to go a step further? Take a cue from Kimpton Hotels, which offers a free "Raid the Bar" voucher to its Reward Program members.
Proper air conditioning
A proper room temperature is key to a good night’s sleep. It is, therefore, no surprise that business travelers demand decent air conditioning.
Unfortunately, they aren’t always getting it.
Air conditioning is the lowest rated amenity with business travelers, with a sentiment score of just 29% (compared to 35% among leisure travelers). To ensure that business travelers are comfortable, hotels should ensure that their cooling system is working and adjustable in the room.
Connectivity
It’s not news that business travelers must stay connected while on the road, yet current hotel Internet/Wi-Fi offerings are not meeting their demands.
Business travelers give hotel Internet/Wi-Fi lower scores than leisure travelers, and they mention this amenity more than twice as often as other leisure traveler segments (couples, those traveling with friends, those traveling alone).
Hotels must give business travelers a way to stay connected while traveling.
The upside for hotels who cater to the needs of business travelers is that all of these improvements are likely to also benefit leisure travelers, ultimately improving scores across the board.
NB1: This article is written by Margaret Ady, marketing director at TrustYou. It appears here as part of Tnooz's sponsored content initiative.
NB2: All statistics mentioned in this article are based on an analysis of a sample of 1.57 million verified reviews from TrustYou’s database.
TrustYou aggregates millions of online reviews, social mentions and other user generated content and boils this data into usable, actionable insights that allow hotels, restaurants, destinations and intermediaries to improve their services and positively influence travelers’ decisions.
NB3: Business travel tired image via Shutterstock.