CHICAGO, 25 July 2019: More than half (54%) of business travellers have experienced a mishap* while on the road for work in the last year, with 52% reporting they had a delayed flight and 40% a cancelled flight.
However, the vast majority (86%) of global travellers are satisfied with their overall business travel experiences, according to the newly relaunched GBTA Business Traveller Sentiment Index.
The study was conducted in partnership with RoomIt by CWT, the hotel distribution division of CWT a travel management platform.
Traveller experience proved to have the largest impact (54%) on business traveller satisfaction. Given the large percentage of travellers who have experienced air disruptions, it is no surprise flights were a leading factor in traveller experience.
However, the travel components most closely correlated with travel satisfaction are hotel-driven, including staying at conveniently located hotels, booking air and hotel, the hotel check-in/check-out process, and payment for travel arrangements.
Convenient hotels and consistent Wi-Fi access top the list of most important factors for business travellers while on the road. Latin American (52%) and North American (44%) road warriors are much more likely to want to stay at a conveniently located hotel to where they need to be for their trip compared to travellers in Europe (32%) or Asia Pacific (30%). Additionally, Latin American travellers are far more likely to find consistent Wi-Fi access very important (60%) than travellers in North America (47%), Europe (37%) or Asia Pacific (35%). Hotel amenities such as free breakfast and being able to acquire or use travel rewards and perks at their own discretion are also close behind on the list of factors that matter most for business travellers.
“Traveller experience has been an industry buzz word for the past few years now, but the survey results clearly demonstrate just how much it really does matter to road warriors,” said GBTA COO and executive director Scott Solombrino. “As the workforce continues to diversify, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to business travel, meaning choice and flexibility should be a key consideration when developing travel policies.”
83% of business travellers consider fitness options when booking a Hotel.
While frequent travel can often be perceived as taking a toll on one’s health, business travellers are making health and wellness on the road a priority. More than eight out of ten travellers (83%) consider workout facilities or proximity to walkable areas when making their hotel booking decision. 50% of business travellers report making time for exercise on roughly every trip and nearly a quarter (23%) report working out more often on business trips than they would at home. While most travellers are fine with running outside or using the hotel gym, 43% wished hotels would offer hot yoga, 33% would like to participate in CrossFit and 32% would prefer to meditate on-site.
Unsurprisingly, the top wellness concerns for road warriors include lack of sleep (37%), the general stress of travel (34%) and unhealthy eating (33%). When it comes to wellness options offered by hotels, business travellers are most interested in having in-room filtered drinking water (77%), healthy food delivery (73%) and air purifiers (71%).
Stress & Nuisances
For business travellers, time is money and disruptions can hurt productivity and result in lost business. While travellers largely report experiencing more mishaps during the flight portion of their trips, hotels that do not offer enough privacy or soundproofing bother travellers and may contribute to their reported lack of sleep. Road warriors shared their top stresses and annoyance factors on the road.
*Editor’s Note Travel mishaps include but are not limited to: cancelled flight, car accident, delayed flight, emergency evacuation, injury/sickness, lost documents, lost equipment, lost luggage, medical emergency, etc.
