360DigitalInfluence

As a PR girl on the go, and a practicing tourism marketer, I am always trying to keep my eyes and ears open to hot travel trends…so, what led me to business travel, something tried and true for many professions?

Well, if nothing else, business travel a constant and it struggles, has issues and is something tourism clients from all categories - airlines, hotels, and destinations can flourish or flounder with the support (or lack) of.  So, it’s an inherent trend that ebbs and flows… we have to keep up with those jet setters! 

The latest from the New York Times is telling us the business traveler must “work harder. Fit more productivity into each trip. Become a lot more accessible on the road — even on airplanes, using new in-flight wireless services.” 

As a business traveler myself, I’m inclined to agree.  When I’m in NYC for a meeting, I make the most of catching up with media, clients, colleagues and even vendors.  There’s not a minute that passes on a business trip that I can’t squeeze another opportunity to find a new business connection, further develop an existing relationship or brainstorm ideas for the next great Ogilvy opportunity in the tourism sector.  

So: we’re busy.  The business traveler gets that by now, I think.

Conde Nast’s Business Travel Awards were recently published and the results proved that business travel, while down (flat is the new up according to some), the industry has never seen such hard work and harder bottom lines: Yes, more than 50 percent report their companies have reduced the number of employees who hit the road.   But one-fifth believe their spending will return to pre-recession levels in a year or less. 

What does that mean for us - it’s time to roll out the red carpet.

Not with prices, fees and the like… but instead, with hospitality.  At the core of all tourism clients - hotels, destinations, airlines - lies hospitality.  The business traveler’s patience is wearing thin and customer service is more important now than ever before.  We, as representatives of the companies they keep, the companies they rely on and turn to during these increasinglybusy trips must be transparent and hospitale in our offers and communication.  In doing this, we’ll have another opportunity to secure return customers - both our clients and their clients, the business traveler. 

“The Princess Bride” (a fantastic film unrelated to the business traveler) is memorable for many quotes but one comes to mind used throughout the movie: “as you wish.”  This phrase should be a tenant to those service industries targeting the business traveler but also to us as marketers who ought to be hospitable in all interactions with clients, media and business travelers…