Business guests travel cheaply but still like to stay in style

The hospitality industry has proved resilient in the face of downgrading in business travel over the past 12 months, according to a survey by American Express Establishment Services Group. The survey, at last month's Business Travel Show, found that only 9% of business travellers had been asked by their companies to downgrade their hotel accommodation to a budget hotel last year, whereas over half had downgraded their class of air travel. Only 12% said that cost determined where they stayed. While 33% of business travellers had stayed at a "no-frills" hotel in 2001, this figure had shrunk to only 9% by 2002.

Business travellers still expected high standards of leisure facilities (27%) when booking their accommodation, and viewed superior value-added business facilities as standard. Nearly half considered complimentary breakfast and refreshments to be the most important value added service, while free access to a health club was favourite among a quarter. Noise and food quality rated as the worst aspects of hotel accommodation.

Hans Lindh, head of hotel and restaurant industry American Express Establishment Services Group, said: "Hotel guests, particularly business travellers, are a lot more savvy when it comes to dining nowadays and have higher expectations of hotel restaurants. Hotels would be wise to consider outsourcing their restaurants to professional chefs and restaurant operators."

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 20 - 26 March 2003