Catering to the Rising Trend of Bleisure Travel: A Guide for Hotels
The travel industry is experiencing a remarkable resurgence post-COVID, with eager travelers embarking on adventures and exploration. Among these travelers, a unique category has emerged – the “bleisure” traveler, skillfully combining business and leisure travel. These individuals, frequently on work-related trips, seize the opportunity to extend their stays, blending business commitments with pleasurable experiences. The hospitality industry is increasingly recognizing the potential of bleisure travelers and aims to capitalize on their preferences. In this article, we will delve into effective strategies that hotels can adopt to attract and cater to bleisure travelers adeptly.
Understanding Bleisure Travel
Bleisure travel, as the term suggests, is the art of harmonizing business obligations with leisure pursuits. It involves business travelers, during their work-related sojourns, extending their stays to immerse themselves in local culture and attractions, thereby transforming their trips into enriching experiences. This phenomenon has coined the term “bleisure travel.”
The Demographics of Bleisure Travelers
Bleisure travelers encompass a diverse demographic, transcending generational boundaries. Studies indicate that a significant portion of these travelers belongs to the younger generation. Professions in healthcare, technology, or the public sector often entail business travel, fostering the bleisure trend. A typical bleisure trip lasts for 2 to 3 nights. Interestingly, gender plays a role in this trend, with women showing a greater inclination to extend their stays, despite men constituting the primary demographic for business travel. Additionally, bleisure travelers frequently explore solo, underscoring the importance of accommodating various scenarios, from individual to group travelers.
The Benefits of Bleisure Travel
Bleisure travel offers several advantages for both employees and employers. By combining business and leisure activities, employees can rejuvenate and savor local culture, acting as a morale booster and motivation enhancer for improved performance. Since business trips are typically funded by employers, extending these trips for leisure effectively reduces travel expenses for the additional stay.
Furthermore, the fusion of business and leisure mitigates the stress associated with work-related travel, resulting in more productive and enthusiastic employees. Bleisure travelers often bear the costs of their extended stays and leisure activities, making the trip more economical. For hotels, the surge in bleisure travel translates into increased revenue opportunities.
Attracting Bleisure Travelers: Key Strategies
To entice bleisure travelers, hotels must employ innovative strategies that align with their unique needs and preferences.
Embrace Technology
Bleisure travelers favor hotels that leverage technology to streamline travel and enhance their stay. Implementing a web booking engine integrated into the hotel’s website simplifies room availability checks and reservations. A Property Management System (PMS) enables efficient day-to-day operations, such as storing guest preferences and providing tailored services. Touchless technology linked to a PMS facilitates seamless check-ins and check-outs, eliminating guest wait times.
Provide Reliable Internet
Bleisure travelers often require a dedicated workspace and a stable, high-speed internet connection for tasks like file uploads, downloads, and video calls. Hotels must ensure robust internet infrastructure to cater to these needs, potentially offering high-speed internet access as a paid service.
Strategic Distribution Partnerships
Effective distribution channels are vital for attracting bleisure travelers. Utilizing technology such as a Channel Manager can connect hotels with distribution partners specializing in business travelers. Forming partnerships with travel management companies that emphasize leisure offerings can be advantageous.
Tailored Packages
Segmentation is crucial to making bleisure travelers feel valued. Hotels can create customized packages and discount offers specifically designed for this demographic. Personalizing offerings based on traveler data enhances the overall experience.
Showcase Business and Leisure Amenities
Highlighting a hotel’s offerings for both business and leisure is essential. Amenities such as workstations, charging ports, office supplies, and headphones cater to business needs. Simultaneously, leisure amenities like spas, saunas, swimming pools, and gaming areas appeal to travelers seeking relaxation and entertainment.
As the trend of bleisure travel continues to reshape the travel landscape, accommodation providers have a golden opportunity to tap into this lucrative market segment and enhance the guest experience. By embracing technology, offering reliable internet access, forming strategic partnerships, tailoring packages, and showcasing comprehensive amenities, hotels can position themselves as preferred choices for bleisure travelers. Hotelogix, with its suite of solutions including a Property Management System, Channel Manager, and Web Booking Engine, equips hotels to excel in this evolving landscape.
The rising trend of bleisure travel opens new avenues for the hospitality industry to cater to the evolving needs of travelers. With the right strategies and technological investments, hotels can successfully attract and serve bleisure travelers, thereby enhancing guest satisfaction and revenue opportunities. Bleisure travel is here to stay, and hotels can position themselves as the preferred choice for this unique blend of business and leisure travel.
