There’s a lot of profits to be made by becoming the first-choice hotel for business travelers visiting your area. Solving pain-points is an easy first step. According to the Global Business Travel Association, American companies spent over $500 million on domestic business travel in 2016 and $424 billion on global travel. There’s no denying that’s a lot of money! So, the big question is: are you getting your piece of the pie?
Business travelers are an important audience to consider targeting. In addition to large amount of money they (or, more appropriately, their companies) spend, business travelers are also a valuable audience to target because their year-round travel schedules can counterbalance the seasonal ups and downs of the vacation travel market.
Here are some practical tips to help you attract more business travelers to your hotel property – based on this audience’s Top 4 Pain-Points.
Solving Pain-Points by Customization & Personalization
Business travelers are on the road – a lot. This is perhaps their biggest pain-point. They need their travel experiences to be simple and convenient, but they also crave personalization (and they’re often willing to hand over personal information to get it). It’s common for them to return to the same destinations again and again. Maybe there’s a satellite office near your hotel that they visit quarterly. Perhaps, it’s an important client, a vendor, or a manufacturing facility that requires an annual meeting. Either way, the more you’re able to make them feel at home, the more likely it is that they’ll become a loyal repeat customer.
Dive Deeper: Create Loyal Customers – The 5 Best Practices Most Hotel Managers Overlook.
Flexible Loyalty Programs
Any savvy business traveler will tell you that loyalty programs matter. For many, the points they accumulate on the company’s dime will be used towards a family vacation or romantic getaway later on. It’s one of the “perks” of work trips, and for many, it helps to balance the demands of regular travel. So, make it easy for business travelers to say yes to your hotel by participating in flexible loyalty programs.
Convenient (Mobile-Friendly) Processes
According to the Global Business Travel Association, almost 80% of American business travelers prefer to use self-service technology to manage their travel. Especially for Millennials, they want booking, check-in, and check-out to be convenient. So, if part of your property’s charm is the face-to-face interaction that accompanies your manual processes, then it’s possible that business travelers aren’t the ideal target for your hotel – unless you’re willing to make some upgrades and investments. How you interact with guests are big pain-points for them.
Workspace Pain-Points: Offering Functional Areas and Property-Wide WiFi
WiFi is a rather standard expectation these days – regardless of the type of travelers that stay with you. But for those guests who are expected to work while staying on the property, reliable WiFi is non-negotiable. To target business travelers, your hotel should take connectivity to the next level. Look at the spaces you have available and consider whether there are opportunities to create unique and functional workspaces.
For example, you can easily transform several of your cabanas into work-friendly “offices” by making some strategic furnishing decisions (like opting for bistro-style table and chairs over a plush armchair), providing power outlets and charging stations, and ensuring the WiFi signal is strong.
Let’s Discuss More Ways to Attract Business Travelers to Your Hotels
At Resort Cabanas (a division of Eide Industries, Inc.), we specialize in designing, manufacturing, and engineering custom commercial cabanas and pre-engineered options. With almost 80 years of extensive design, construction, metal fabrication, industrial sewing, and installation experience, we are proud to offer the highest quality products possible, made right here in the U.S.