Top 5 things hotels need to cater to the bleisure traveller

At GHOTW we have found both through experience and research that more than ever business travellers are looking to get more out of their business trips, than just work. We recently conducted a survey to gauge traveller’s preferences and the results tell us that when adding leisure to a work trip, the majority of travellers – 72% – will stay in the same hotel when price is not an issue.

1. Bleisure travellers are now looking for authentic local experiences that allow them to connect to the destination, so having the local knowledge of the destination and a concierge team that is able to suggest and recommend the top unmissable places in the destination, even partnering with local entities that will showcase local attractions is key. Furthermore, it’s important that the hotel design the destination’s key offerings around business travellers’ schedule. While some guests stay for full days before or after their business, often enough they may only have slots of only 2-3 hours at a time in any one day to discover the destination.
2. Inviting work / relaxation areas – spaces within the hotel where travellers can break away from the traditional office, lobby or meeting room environment to sit among other travellers to work and / or relax  The hotel’s public areas – indoor and outdoor – need to be designed with both work and leisure needs in mind  – whether these are for solo travellers or group travellers.  
3. Desirable spa and wellness offerings – GHOTW recognize that bleisure travellers need time to unwind between meetings and conferences, so a great spa with a range of treatments and wellness facilities is important. Additional leisure facilities, like a swimming pool and a range of onsite activities, may become a deciding factor for business travellers looking to bring family or friends.
4. Original hotels with personality – our collection of approximately 60 hotels are mostly independent, meaning each stay is more unique in comparison to multinational hotel brand, offering that home-away-from-home feel.
5. For meetings and events to achieve their objectives, they need to be both high tech and high touch – well beyond a nice hotel with superb meetings facilities and banqueting services. Events are ever more dynamic, and they often use a variety of venues within the hotel – both indoor and outdoor. Technology has become a crucial part of any event, for participants to interact and share content throughout. Hotels are constantly challenged to up their game in this area and need to rely on a strong, technically sound partner to deliver on technology.