It's a rare business traveller who wouldn't like to take an extra day in a new or favourite city to make the most of their time on the road, or to stop over on the way home for a bit of R&R.
But Australian corporate travel and expense management specialists FCm -- part of the Flight Centre operation -- reckons that business travellers are becoming "business tourists", even during the work-related part of their journey, and demand the same amenities from hotels as upscale vacationers.
"They want rooms that have high-speed internet connectivity capable of supporting their personal devices" says FCm’s corporate travel expert, Joe McCormack. "They want to be able to listen to their iPod through a docking station, watch Foxtel, download a movie or TV series or exercise in well equipped gyms while they travel."
"Because of this, hotels are starting to focus more on creating a 'home-away-from-home' for corporate guests, where they can more easily blend business with leisure, and access the same high-quality information and communication technology, as they would at home."
At Australian Business Traveller we hear a similar story on the increasing importance of tech from our readers, both in the comment threads on our articles and in Twitter discussions.
Hotels that get the Internet provision in particular right become trusted favourites, and word spreads like wildfire over social media or the watercooler.
It's also about not stepping down too far from what you enjoy on your business trips, to when it's time for some downtime.
What's your favourite hotel amenity when you're travelling on business which you're loathe to lose on holidays? Which hotels are the ones you keep returning to time and time again, both for work and play?
Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.
10 Mar 2011
Total posts 526
I don't see why any of this is suprising.... Why shouldn't someone travelling on business want to listen to their ipod through a docking station or have a decent choice of television? I would think that it is pretty normal for a business traveller to want these things... afterall, a hotel is your home sometimes more often than you are actually home.
25 Jan 2012
Total posts 29
I would have expected everything listed in this article is more a requirement for a business traveller than a tourist.
When your at a hotel as a tourist most/a great deal of your time is spent outside the hotel sightseeing, looking around and on tours etc. I know personally when i'm on holiday i'm in the hotel as little as possible basically just to shower and sleep.
Where as when i'm in a hotel for business, i'm in the office all day long so while i may have a quick look around at things in walking distance, majority of the remaining time would be at the hotel using the faciltities.
Also whilst on business i try to maintain a normal schedule as possible, IE going to the gym etc. On holidays i'm happy to let that slip for a few weeks!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
"Wildfire over social media" and "business travellers" in the same article ??
Most business travellers are fairly restricted (at least in large companies) by preferred lists and price caps.
Most decent hotels have had good gyms for a while, ipod dock - ho hum, I can use my laptop, or hook a tablet to a tv.
My other key one is powerpoints with multi-format plugs (common in Asia, rare in Aus), ideally a powerpoint in the safe too,
19 Dec 2011
Total posts 48
why so many puff pieces on this site, get some real travel news here, there's a lot going on lets hear it.
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