How Travel Companies Are Meeting the Needs of the Emerging Super Commuter

Accor is considering expanding a package that targets long-distance commuters within the UK to Europe and beyond, as growing numbers of employees face longer journeys to their offices than before the pandemic. The hotel group launched Commute and Stay packages in the UK in late summer, after the government relaxed guidelines encouraging employees to work remotely. It’s now tracking the data, one senior executive has told Skift. Accor argues the package, which blends a 15 percent discount with a flexible cancellation policy, is ideal for workers who moved out of cities during the pandemic. Many people took advantage of lower house prices or rents in search of bigger properties and a better work-life balance, as they worked remotely. It was a common phenomenon in London in particular. “We’re much more polarized as a city than a lot of other capital cities,” said James Wheatcroft, Accor's senior vice president marketing, northern Europe. “Due to house prices in London, the trend was accentuated there.” The problem is, the commute just got longer. To address that, Accor predicts growing numbers of “flexi workers” will now spend two days, not one, near their office, and so will need an overnight hotel stay to make the most of their time. “Team interaction is a big thing,” said Wheatcroft. “Zoom is great, but when you’ve got new teams, after all the transformation that organziations have been through, you can’t beat meeting in the office and popping out for beers after work." There are potential cost savings as well, with the price of rail travel often exceeding hotel rates. “It’s a trade off financially, but also for time,” Wheatcroft added, who describes these workers as super commuters: "We see that trend staying, as a main driver of cu