Skift Take
The needs of the modern business traveler are changing. As efficiency and healthy living have become top priorities, travel brands would be smart to listen to the evolving desires of road warriors in order to win more business and build better loyalty. Download this trend report for FREE!
This is an excerpt from our FREE Skift Trends Report, Lifestyle Habits of the 24/7 Business Traveler, brought to you in partnership with American Express.
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No matter the age or gender of the road warrior, they share a common desire to save time. That philosophy is apparent from the moment they step through security all the way to the end of their trip when they are accepting their keys from the hotel valet.
Efficiency Amenities on the Rise
The Four Seasons recognized the need for time-saving amenities several years ago. It was first to market when it created its mobile app in 2013, working with Intelity on software that would allow guests to communicate with staff, place orders and request amenities from any location.
This type of technology is priceless to today’s business traveler. Need your car? No need to call the front desk, or wait while a valet retrieves it. By using the app, your car could be waiting for you at a time you request.
The same applies to room service ordering, spa reservations, housekeeping requests, wake-up calls and luggage assistance.
Instead of waiting on hold to ask for an extra pillow while you could be on a conference call, guests can use the app to put in their request.
They can also access the Internet and social media through it anywhere on the property, and leave comments and feedback. A bonus? Guests need their last name and room number to access the app; no need for password retrieval. This is handy for the multi-tasking executive.
“My expectation as a consumer has changed very rapidly,” says Mark Hollyhead, SVP, Egencia, of today’s business traveler, “to the point where I have little tolerance for things that don’t work. The need for me to fix where I see a problem in a hotel? I expect technology to be able to assist me in fixing it.”
In May, we launched a FREE Skift Travel Trends Report, Lifestyle Habits of the 24/7 Business Traveler, brought to you in association with American Express. Above was an extract from it. You can download the full report here for all the insights.
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