Booking.com Research Finds More Business Travel is Secret to Professional Success

NEW YORK, October 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

• U.S. employees see business travel as an opportunity to achieve professional growth ambitions: 43% hope to spend time will colleagues and 34% look for inspiration for work
• Over 2 in 5 (44%) say adding leisure time to a business trip makes them more successful in business meetings
• New Booking.com for Business research reveals the commonalities and variations in how employees across professions value travel and its impact on success at work

Business travel is valuable, if not essential, to achieving professional success today, not only because of its positive impact on businesses but also for the opportunities it offers employees to expand their horizons and reach their fullest potential. More than half (58%) of working professionals in the United States say experiencing new cultures and destinations adds value to their job, a sentiment echoed most by professionals in Arts/Culture/Sport/Music (65%), Travel & Hospitality (71%) and Construction & Engineering (81%).

These are among the top findings of new research from Booking.com for Business, the global leader in connecting business travelers with the widest choice of places to stay. Conducted with more than 17,000 working professionals from 24 countries, the research reveals the extent to which they view business travel as essential to professional growth and business success, including key differences across professions.

Employees use business travel as opportunities for professional growth 

When asked what they most hope to achieve when travelling for business, more than half (56%) of working professionals cite growing their company's business. But delving further into individual professions reveals a series of personal and professional growth ambitions:

• Charity & Social Services personnel (48%) wish to gain inspiration to apply to their work
• Accelerating their career path is particularly important to Medical & Health (45%) and Travel & Hospitality (41% vs. 29% avg.) professionals.
• Understanding a new culture and its business impact is most important to Travel & Hospitality (43% vs. 25% avg.) and Technology pros (36%)

Across professions, travel also has a broader impact on business success  

Half of working professionals (51%) say that being able to take a few off-the-clock hours, or "Bleisure Time," during a business trip to enjoy the destination is a definite work perk. Nearly half (49%) prefer to spend that time sightseeing, or trying local cuisines (40%). More than half (60%) are influenced to take 'Bleisure time' as an opportunity to explore a previously un-visited destination.

Despite the benefits of modern technology and real-time communications, a real business case for in-person meetings still exists. More than seven in ten (71%) of working professionals agree that travelling to meet clients or colleagues face-to-face is essential to business success, rising in importance for those in Retail & Sales (79%) and Construction & Engineering (89%).

Business-ready accommodation is key to boosting business trip potential  

Choosing the right accommodation plays a critical role in maximizing the potential of a business trip. More than six in ten professionals (63%) agree that travel and accommodation options that cater specifically to the business traveler are no longer optional, but essential.

A strong Wi-Fi signal tops the list of business accommodation must-haves (53%), followed by a comfortable bed (51%) and a hearty breakfast (38%). The choice of accommodation is also strongly driven by location, with convenient access to meetings (44%) identified as the top priority for overnight stays. With Booking.com for Business, properties that have been favorably reviewed by prior business travelers and tick the boxes for these important business travel essentials are surfaced with priority in the search results.

When it comes to the most-booked business stay types across professions:

• Professionals in Banking & Professional Services are more likely to book a 'home away from home' (23% vs. 18% avg.), and prioritize being able to earn points or rewards (43% vs. 30% avg.)
• Technology & Computing professionals mostly prefer a 'mid-market' option (47% vs. 34% avg.), but also tend to book a 'hi-tech' option with the latest electronics (36% vs. 22% avg.)
• Those in Travel & Hospitality are also more likely to opt for accommodations with a host/guide (27% vs. 14% avg.)

By making it easy to search, find and select accommodation from the wide variety of business-ready stays available today, Booking.com for Business helps connect business travelers with their ideal place to stay - whether that reflects their professional preferences, business trip objectives or overall lifestyle.

"Experiencing different cultures and destinations and gaining new perspectives through travel is becoming increasingly important to professional success, particularly in today's hyper-connected and globalized business world. Regardless of profession, today's business travelers are savvier about the value up for grabs, both for their companies and for themselves. Where they choose to stay is crucial in realizing that value, with today's business travelers seeking places that align with their specific, priority needs when it comes to location, flexibility and certain amenities," says Ripsy Bandourian, Senior Director of Product Development at Booking.com for Business.

"Looking at our data and millions of business traveler reviews, we make it easier to find those stays recommended by other business travelers, without compromising on choice. Corporate travelers can enjoy flexibility and freedom to personalize and maximize a business stay experience, all while still working within a company's policy."

NOTES TO EDITORS  

Research commissioned by Booking.com for Business and independently conducted among a sample of working professionals (full or part-time employed adults who have travelled internationally in the last 12 months), provided by Vitreous World. In total, 17,038 respondents were surveyed (1,000+ from the UK, US, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, India and Russia and 500+ each from Australia, Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Thailand and Taiwan). Respondents completed an online survey from 3^rd to 18^th August 2017.

About Booking.com 

Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com B.V. has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the largest travel e-commerce companies in the world. Part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), Booking.com now employs more than 15,000 employees in 199 offices in 70 countries worldwide.

With a mission to empower people to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. At Booking.com, we connect travelers with the world's largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts, tree houses and even igloos. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in over 40 languages, offer over 1.4 million properties, and cover more than 120,000 destinations in 227 countries and territories worldwide.

Each day, more than 1.5 million room nights are reserved on our platform. So whether travelling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal accommodation quickly and easily with Booking.com, without booking fees and backed up by our promise to price match. Via our customer experience team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in 43 languages, any time of the day or night.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, and for the latest news, data and insights, please visit our global media room.

About Booking.com for Business 

Booking.com for business (http://www.booking.com/business) is a tailored offering specifically focused on business bookers and travelers to allow seamless booking and managing of business travel in the simplest, smartest and most rewarding way.  More than one in five bookings made on Booking.com are made for business. Enhanced features for business travel on Booking.com highlight those places which are frequently used for business, tapping into its extensive review data to make easy work of finding those that are business traveler tested and approved. Booking.com for Business also provides a free tool for travel managers and assistants that allows booking on behalf of others. Booking.com for Business is a platform with enhanced functionality and reporting designed to meet the specific needs of corporate travel, while delivering the same ease as Booking.com enabling every business traveler to book with confidence, wherever their business takes them.

CONTACT DETAILS

For further information, contact the Booking.com US Press Office:

[email protected]

SOURCE Booking.com