Hotels need to do more to earn business traveller loyalty

Hotels will have to work harder to maintain the loyalty of business travellers, according to a survey by consultancy firm Accenture.

More than two-thirds of business travellers surveyed believe that the hotels they stay in do not recognise them as frequent customers or offer them any kind of special service.

It also found that 57% said hotels they stayed in frequently often failed to recognise them at all, while13% said they were recognised only by name.

Only 22% said their basic preferences were acknowledged.

The survey also found that hotel success depended on location, with 63% of respondents ranking proximity to meetings or office as a high priority when choosing a hotel. Only 7% cited reward programmes as their main criteria.

More than half said they used mid-range hotels for business, with only 28% saying they checked in at budget chain hotels.

The online survey asked 451 business travellers in the UK for their views in February this year.

By Victoria Heath

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