"Expedia Small Business Report" Finds Travel Efficiency Critical to Small Business Success

BELLEVUE, Wash., May 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- To honor National Small Business Week (May 12-16), and to recognize business travelers who take their work on the road, Expedia.com^®, the world's largest full service online travel site*, has collaborated with LiquidSpace, the leading online marketplace for finding and booking office and meeting space by the hour or day, to provide small business travelers with an exclusive offer of one free meeting space rental (a $100 value) at one of the 5,000+ flexible workspaces available through LiquidSpace.

A recent Expedia® study of more than 7,000 small business employees, "The Expedia Small Business Report," found that more than half (52%) believe that travel is "very important" to their company's success. In 2013, Americans spent $266.5 billion on business travel, based on US Travel Association Data. The Oxford Economics 2013 report, "The Role of Business Travel in the U.S. Economic Recovery," suggests this is money well spent, as each dollar companies invested in business travel yielded $9.50 in new revenue.

With more limited resources, small businesses need to make every dollar spent on business travel count. The Expedia Small Business Report found 75% of those surveyed reported the number one factor when booking travel for work is "getting the most value," followed by "an easy booking process" (69%) and "finding low prices" (65%).

"Expedia has long been committed to helping small businesses save money and maximize rewards when traveling for work," said Eleanor Bradley, Director of Small Business Travel at Expedia.com. "This Small Business Week, we're happy to connect these individuals to LiquidSpace's immense network of office and meeting space, to offer small businesses yet another way to save."

"We are pleased to partner with Expedia to offer their Rewards Members exclusive trial of LiquidSpace," said Doug Marinaro, President and COO of LiquidSpace. "Simply put, when our customers are asked to describe LiquidSpace, they often refer to us as the 'Expedia for office space', so working together to reach business travelers was a natural fit.  Whether travelers are 10 minutes or 10 hours away from home, LiquidSpace has trusted workspaces ready with WiFi and instantly bookable on their smartphone– whenever, wherever."

Other key findings from the Expedia Small Business Report:

• 65% of small business travelers use mobile devices to make last minute travel arrangements. While on the road, 54% of those surveyed rely on their smartphones most heavily, while 33% primarily rely on their laptops.
• Nearly a quarter (22%) of those surveyed travel between 11-20 days out of the year for work. While on the road, small business travelers make an effort to stay healthy by eating healthy meals (81%) and taking advantage of their hotel's fitness center (52%).
• The top complaints of business travelers:
  • Lack of WiFi availability on their flights or in the hotel (26%)
  • Delayed or cancelled flights (26%)
  • Security lines at the airport (24%)

This Expedia Small Business Report was fielded in March 2014 and features responses from 7,139 individuals that identify as small business travelers.

About LiquidSpace
Founded in 2010, LiquidSpace is a real-time marketplace that enables anyone to find and book a space to work or meet by the hour or day. The platform uses marketplace technology to dynamically match mobile workers with professional work and meeting spaces – in real time via web or mobile app. Through LiquidSpace, workers can find professional venues to meet and work, real estate owners can drive the utilization of their properties and enterprises can manage and measure the economic efficiency of their asset portfolios. Whether a coworking venue, business center, hotel lobby, library or private office, LiquidSpace helps business people find, book, and share over 5,000 great workspaces and meeting rooms in over 500 cities across the US and Australia. For more information, visit: http://www.LiquidSpace.com.

About Expedia.com
Expedia.com is the world's largest full service travel site*, helping millions of travelers per month easily plan and book travel. Expedia.com (http://www.expedia.com/, 1-800-EXPEDIA) aims to provide the latest technology and the widest selection of top vacation destinations, cheap tickets, hotel deals, car rentals, destination weddings, cruise deals and in-destination activities, attractions, services and travel apps. With the Expedia Best Price Guarantee, Expedia.com customers can get the best rates available online for all types of travel.

Expedia, Expedia.com, Expedia Rewards, Find Yours and the Airplane logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners © 2014 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST # 2029030-50

*Based on a comparison of other full-service online travel agencies, defined as those providing booking and services related to air, hotel, cruise, car and activities to a global customer base. Data based on comScore Media Metrix for Expedia, Inc. Sites, Worldwide, Average Monthly Unique Visitors, Oct '12-Sept '13.

Web site: http://www.expedia.com/

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SOURCE Expedia.com