Business Travel Levels Stabilize; Managers OK with Airline Security; Hotels Drop "Resort"; Apple Tablet Released
International Business Travel News Report,
January 2010
Will business travel bookings in the U.S. match or exceed levels in 2009? The general consensus is “yes,” according to 67% of business travel agents who participated in the 2010 Travel Leaders Travel Trends Survey. Only 11.9% indicated they expected a further decline.
The next question is, what kind of experience can business travelers expect this year? Roger E. Block, CTC, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group, Minneapolis, MN, believes that the data reflects signs that some aspects of business travel is returning to business normal. “We’re seeing that business travel clients continue to book the same level of hotel accommodations as in the past, but we’re also seeing a noteworthy percentage of business travel experts indicating a fiar number of their clients are now starting to fly business or in first class, signifying that some business clients are starting to loosen their travel policies,” Block said in a press release statement.
The survey was conducted from November 30 – December 18, 2009.
Other business travel news
In travel industry news, the attempted airline attack on Christmas day in December did not have much impact on business travel levels, according to a survey of 150 travel managers by the National Business Travel Association.
The number of respondents reporting the attempted attack raised new concerns about the safety of air travel (43%) was nearly equal to the percentage reporting that no new concerns resulting from the incident (42%). Eighty-one percent of respondents said their companies would not reduce travel as a result of the attack. Questioned as to whether they felt safety of air travel was a concern, 43% felt it raised concerns while 42% indicated that they not have any new concerns as a result of the incident. However, 16% said they are still assessing its impact on domestic and international travel.
In business hotel news, some resort hotels are dropping the word “resort” from their names to win meetings and conferences, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal. The article reports that “the resort stigma was stoked by widespread outcry late in 2008 about a $400,000 sales retreat” by American International Group. And it highlights examples of organizations that have made their choice to cancel meetings purely on perception. So, it seems that the AIG effect still remains an issue with this industry.
Two thoughts. First, don’t make changes in business models based on irrational business perceptions that aren’t based on measured results. Second, why weren’t we clever enough to recognize sooner that none of this could have happened if we only had dropped the word “resort” from the names of hotels? That’s ridiculous.
Finally, will business travelers consider traveling lighter than a laptop and begin to use an Apple Tablet? Steve Jobs unveiled the long awaited device today.
