We discussed what business travelers want and the best practices for targeting these lucrative guests. Featuring guest speakers Nathan Brooks from Egencia, Rupesh Patel from Zenique Hotels and Melissa Bruckler from Granite Hospitality.

1. Copyright © 2014 Leonardo Worldwide Corporation
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Getting the
Business Traveler
to Choose You
February 26, 2015
Darlene Rondeau, VP, Best Practices, Online Merchandising, Leonardo
Nathan Brooks, Director of Client Services, Egencia
Rupesh Patel, President & Chief Operating Officer, Zenique Hotels
Melissa Bruckler, E-Commerce & Revenue Management Consultant, Granite Hospitality
Technical Difficulties?
Contact
Citrix GoToWebinar
1-800-263-6317
support@citrixonline.com

2. Darlene Rondeau
Vice-President,
Best Practices, Online Merchandising
Leonardo
@darlenerondeau

3. Follow:
@VFMLeonardo
Tweets & Questions:
#LeoWebinar

4. Nathan Brooks
Director of Client Services
Egencia
@NathansBrooks

5. Rupesh Patel
President & Chief Operating
Officer
Zenique Hotels

6. Melissa Bruckler
E-Commerce & Revenue
Management Consultant
Granite Hospitality

7. Nathan Brooks
Director of Client Services
Egencia
@NathansBrooks

8. “…kids can grasp
new tech skills long
before they even
learn how to swim
or tie their
shoelaces”
AVG Software
2012
Technology is
pervasive
Lines between
business and
leisure blur
Every generation
will expect more
The Future is Here

9. 2005

10. 2013

11. Who Are
Business
Travelers?

12. 75%
of travelers use
smartphones and tablets
for personal and
business use
Source: 2013 Expedia – Egencia The Future of Travel Study link

13. 42%
of millennial travelers
report they spend
more on high-end
meals when the
company is paying
Source: 2013 Expedia – Egencia The Future of Travel Study link

14. 53%
of business travelers
say location is the
most important feature
when booking hotels
Source: 2013 Expedia – Egencia The Future of Travel Study link

16. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat
Who Are They?

17. So, what do
business travelers want?

18. Solutions That Are Consumer-
Inspired
 Beautiful, delightful
experiences
 Intuitive, fast and easy-to-use
 Prices, options, reviews –
seeing all relevant information

19. Solutions That Are Integrated
► Tools that work together
seamlessly
► Consistency of data
► Connectivity to offline
systems
► Technology and service

20. Solutions That Are Mobile
► Fast, intuitive and aware
► Up-to-date notifications
and info
► Make last-minute
changes
► The ‘new world of work’

21. How Can You Target Business Travelers?
► In a world of online booking
tools, sort order matters
► Over 70% of bookings
come from the 1st page of
results, so maximizing your
participations with TMC’s is
critical
● Preferred Hotel Programs
● Advertising/Marketing
● Value Adds to Travelers

22.  Location is important, so talk about it
Business travelers also want to be inspired
Today’s office is everywhere
Key Takeaways
#LeoWebinar

23. Rupesh Patel
President & Chief Operating
Officer
Zenique Hotels

24. Why is Targeting Important?

26. How Do We Target?
• Use targeted images
• Have more than one template
• Put your marketing mind in
the shoes of each market
segment
• Customize marketing to the
audience on each channel

27. Mobile Implementation

28. 2013 2014
Mobile Usage Increasing
16 mobile visits per day!
Over 50% increase YOY!

29. Bleisure travelers are those that combine business with leisure in a single trip
Bleisure Travelers

30. Combine multi-media with targeted
descriptions
Mobile is a must
Turn Business travelers into Bleisures
Key Takeaways
#LeoWebinar

31. Melissa Bruckler
E-Commerce & Revenue
Management Consultant
Granite Hospitality

32. Leisure vs. Corporate Needs

33. Why Corporate?
Business travel
spending is expected to
grow by 7.6% in 2015
U.S. business travel
spending is expected to
increase to over $310
billion and 490.4 million
trips in 2015

34. ► Business travelers are an
important channel
► Business travelers are more
likely to book with hotels that
recognize and speak to their
personal needs and preferences
► Social channels are important
(learn about local events,
historic landmarks, read
reviews, linking business with
leisure)
Why Corporate?

35. Discovering Your Hotel’s Corporate Story

36. ► Digital brochures speak to
the needs of the corporate
guest
► You decide what your
corporate story is
► Specific travel channels
like Concur and Cvent
Targeting the Corporate Market
CONTEXT
EASY TO
NAVIGATE
MULTI-MEDIA

37. What is Your Corporate Story?

38. Most Important Business Travel Amenities
Access to
travel experts
24/7
Free WiFi
Free and/or
on-site dining
Convenient
location
Loyalty
programs

39. Social Media is
for Corporate
Travelers Too!

40. Know the Stats
52% post
photos and
videos during
their travels
Over 150
million reviews
70% of
Americans read
reviews before
booking

41. ► 620+ million conversations related to
travel
► 284+ million monthly active users
Volume of Users Talking About Travel
► 1.35 billion users
► 70% of FB users update their page while on
vacation
► These vacationers are also corporate users

42. increases engagement
Photos and special
offers drive more
engagement than simple
text
Engagement on
Facebook higher than
other types of
communication
Hotels with 1,400-1,500
fans get much more
engagement

43. ► Importance of multi-media
► Tell a story
► Book directly without
leaving the page
Attracting Business Travelers on Social Media
Media
Descriptions
Easy to Navigate Book

44. ► Compelling visuals tell the
story
► Draws travelers in
► Encourages booking
without leaving Facebook
Target Corporate Guests

45. The Value of Social Media for Your Hotel
BUILD
Grow your
audience and
generate loyalty
LISTEN
Hear first hand
what people are
saying while they
are on property
CARE
Immediate
feedback –
positive or
negative

46. Mobile and Social
704 million active users
are currently accessing
Facebook through their
mobile devices (2010 –
just 100 million)
456 million
mobile-only users

47. The Power of Reviews
► Studies have proved that an one point increase in TripAdvisor popularity rank % corresponded to a
37bp occupancy increase. Academic studies have reached similar results (54bp occupancy
increase, via Cornell)
1. Source: Custom Survey Research Engagement – Independent PhoCusWright study of 12,225 global respondents prepared for TripAdvisor, December 2013
August 2014 47
of travelers say TripAdvisor reviews make them more confident in their travel decisions
of travelers say management responses to reviews make them MORE likely to book
of travelers have an improved opinion of a hotel after reading an appropriate management
response to a bad review
of travelers are LESS likely to book a hotel with aggressive and defensive responses to a
bad review
83%
62%
87%
70%

48. Highlight the amenities business travelers
care about
Don’t discount their interest in social
Corporate travelers are leisure travelers all
dressed up for work
Key Takeaways
#LeoWebinar

50. ► About Leonardo
► Invitations to upcoming webinars
● March’s topic is Get More Value from Twitter, Vine
and Facebook
► Recording of this webinar
● Share it with your colleagues
It’s a Wrap

51. www.leonardo.com
1.877.593.6634
@VFMLeonardo
blog.leonardo.com
Connect with us!
@NathansBrooks
Nathan Brooks
Rupesh Patel
rupesh@zeniquehotels.com
www.egencia.com
www.zeniquehotels.com
nabrooks@egencia.com
Melissa Bruckler
www.granitehospitality.com
melissa@getinternetmarketing.
com