Accor: First Accor European Business Traveler Research - nov 2012

FIRST ACCORNOVEMBER 2012

EUROPEAN BUSINESS TRAVELER RESEARCH

Looking for R.E.W.A.R.D

INTRODUCTION

WHY DID ACCOR CONDUCT THIS FIRST EUROPEAN SURVEY ?

Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator

Our ambition:To become the global reference in the hotel industry

Our commitment as a leader: To study the habits of business travelers and anticipate emerging expectations

Our objective:To highlight trends and reinvent the hospitality business

Launch of the first Accor European Business Traveler Research

First Accor European Business Traveler Research

1er

A GUIDE TO EUROPEANBUSINESS TRAVELERS

PART I


15

1713

Average number of business trips in the first half of 2012

THE GERMANS ARE EUROPE’S BUSINESS TRAVEL CHAMPIONS

TOTAL AVERAGE 16

1315FRANCE 17

ALLEMAGNE

U.K


European Business Travelers declared that they made an average of 16 business trips in the first half 2012, which for most of them was the same number as in 2011.With an average of 17 business trips in the first half of 2012, the Germans make the most business trips out of the survey’s sample of European travelers.

Average number of trips made: domestic and international

FRANCE GERMANY

MOST EUROPEAN BUSINESS TRIPS ARE MADE WITHIN THE EU

UK24% 23% 22% 22% 22%

17% 17%19% 19%20%

INTERNATIONAL

DOMESTICTOTAL 16

12 4

15

12 3

17

13 4

13

9 4


European Business Travelers make most of their trips inside their own country. Only 25% of their trips are made outside their home country and these are mostly within Europe and to neighboring countries. For example, the French travel mostly to Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy, while the Germans travel mostly to Austria, Switzerland and France.British Business Travelers make more international trips, citing the United States as their third most frequent destination.British travelers were the only ones to list a country outside Europe in their top five business destinations in the first half of 2012.

Top 5 European business travel destinationEuropean business travel destination in the first half of 2012

INTERNAL MEETING ARE THE MAIN FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL

TOTAL FRANCE GERMANY UK

Top 5 common reasons for business travel (first half of 2012)

TO ATTEND INTERNAL MEETINGS

44% 28%52%50% 38% 33%40%41% 32% 31%41%14% 28% 20%32%30% 24% 26%24%19%TO ATTEND INTERNALTRAINING COURSES

TO VISIT A TRADE FAIR, OR ATTEND A BUSINESS

EVENT

FOR EXTERNAL SALES OPERATIONS (E.G. PROSPECTING)

TO ATTEND EXTERNAL MEETINGS, TO VISIT

CLIENTS


European businessmen and women travel primarily to attend internal meetings. New communication means (email, Intranet 2.0, visio-conference, etc.) have therefore not eliminated the need for business trips, including for internal reasons. European Business Travelers say meetings with clients are their second most common reason for travel. France is the exception with 64% of French business travelers declaring that they travel to meet clients.

Do you work in your hotelwhen you are on a business trip ?

BUSINESS TRAVELER WORK RATHER THAN RELAX IN THE HOTEL


Do you have breakfast and/or dinner at the hotel when you are on a business trip?

19%36%37%

8%

USUALLYALWAYS

SOMETIMESNEVER

YES : DINNER

41%

31%

28%

17%

YES : BREAKFAST

92%

82%

89%

89%

NO : NEITHER

9%

7%

8%

13%


Business travelers tend to work at the hotel between meetings. 55% of business travelers said they work often or always during their hotel stay and only 8% said they never work in the hotel.Breakfast is considered essential by business travelers, regardless of their nationality and a large majority of business travelers still have breakfast at their hotel (89%). However, only 28% have dinner there, citing mostly the practical advantages of eating on the premises.

BUSINESS TRAVELER WORK RATHER THAN RELAX IN THE HOTEL

Do you use the hotel’s fitness room when you are on a business trip?


4%3%3% 2%ALWAYS

13%9%10% 7%USUALLY

31%37%33% 27%SOMETIMES

51%51%55% 63%NEVER


European Business Travelers tend not to use the hotel’s sports facilities when traveling for business. 55% say they never use the fitness room and the French are even less sporty than the British and Germans with 63% declaring that they never use the hotel fitness room on a business trip.

WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS TRAVELERS ARE YOU ?

Connected and International

Loyal and Pragmatic

Eco-minded and Generous


BUSINESS TRAVELER TRENDS

THE R.E.W.A.R.D HOTEL

PART II


I DO ASSISTANT CLIENT / CONTACT

RESERVATION: AN OVERWHELMING PREFERENCE FOR ONLINE BOOKING

Who books your accommodation?

Breakdown by type of booking channel


TOTAL

66%

29% 5%28%

69%

4%32%

61%

6%26%

70%

4%

Online booking on the hotel website

43%

47%

30%64%

Online booking on a travel website

33%

18%

48%26%

Direct contact with hotel

16%

26%

15%3%

Travel agent4% 5% 4% 3%

Call center4% 5% 3%3%


For business travelers, selecting their hotel is a matter of personal choice. More than two in three European business travelers organize their hotel stays them-selves and do not delegate this choice. Three in four business travelers book their hotels online: either directly via the hotel website (43%), or via an online travel agency (33%).The British are the most digital-savvy with nine out of ten reservations made on the Internet. European Business Travelers have less direct contact with the hotel, except for the French, where one in four business travelers prefers direct contact with the hotel when booking (email, telephone).

RESERVATION: AN OVERWHELMING PREFERENCE FOR ONLINE BOOKING

Top 5 reasons for booking online

PRACTICAL

61%58%

71%

58%

INSTANT CONFIRMATION

53%53%

55%

51%

EASIER TO MANAGE

48%40%

53%

50%

ACCESS TO SPECIAL OFFERS

48%44%

49%

49%

CAN CHECK HOTEL SERVICES

42%36%

42%

46%


Business travelers praise the simplicity of online booking describing it as practical, easy and fast with instant confirmation. They particularly appreciate being able to check the hotel’s amenities and services, see the rooms and read other customers’ comments.

Top 4 hotel selection criteria

Top 5 hotel services

TOTAL MEN WOMEN

TOTAL MEN WOMEN

EXPERIENCE : LOCATION AND COMFORT

70%71%78%

36% 38%35%

FREE WI-FI

36%35% 34%

QUALITYBATHROOM FACILITIES

50% 50% 50%

27% 27% 29%

STAFF PROFESSIONALISMCOMFORTABLEBED

STAFF COURTESY

PROXIMITY

66% 65%74%

FREE WI-FI

46% 48%

37%

ALREADY STAYED

46% 48%

34%

PRICE

52% 54%44%


Not surprisingly, most business travelers want a hotel that is close to their final business destination. For example, 66% of business travelers say hotel location is of primary importance. The second most common reason for choosing a hotel is the price. A comfortable bed is the most important service business travelers want from their hotel. 71% consider it the most essential hotel service, followed by quality bathroom facilities and staff courtesy. Hotels will therefore be differentiated according to the services they offer.

FREE WI-FI

35%34%32%43% STAFF

PROFESSIONALISM

27%30%23%33%

WI-FI: FREE WI-FI IS A DETERMINING FACTOR FOR ONE IN TWO TRAVELERS

Hotel selection criteria

Top 5 hotel services for European Business Travelers



PROXIMITY66% 67% 64% 70%

PRICE52% 49% 51% 60%

COMFORTABLEBED

71%65%73%75% QUALITY BATHROOM

FACILITIES

50%41%59%40% STAFF

COURTESY

36%35%42%23%

FREE WI-FI46% 48% 45% 46%

ALREADY STAYED46% 40% 54% 36%

TRANSPORT34% 19% 44% 32%


Free Wi-Fi access is no longer an ancillary service. It has become a determining factor when choosing a hotel. Free Wi-Fi access is the third most important crite-ria for business travelers when selecting a hotel.

Top 4 services they would like

ATTENTIVE : BUSINESS TRAVELERS EXPECT PERSONALIZED SERVICES

TO BE ABLE TO BOOK THE SERVICES ONLINE

35%

DEDICATED COUNTER FOR LOYALTY PROGRAM MEMBERS

50%

MEDIA FROM MY COUNTRY(E.G. NEWSPAPERS, TV CHANNELS)

60%

PERSONALIZED SERVICE (E.G. CHOOSING ONE’S ROOM

AND MEALS)

34%


A personalized service: the European business traveler would like to receive special attention. When asked what services they would like to have, most travelers choose products and services (newspapers, TV channels) from their home country first.One in two would also like a special check-in counter for loyalty program members.European business travelers would also like other personalized services: being able to choose their meals, their rooms, etc. These expectations indicate that they want to be acknowledged and feel good when staying in a hotel..

Top 5 sustainable development concerns in hotels

Response to this statement

RESPONSIBLE : SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, A DIFFERENTIATING FACTOR


ENERGY SAVING WASTE REDUCTION WATER SAVING LOCAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

67% 68% 67% 66% 65% 68% 64% 66% 58% 71% 51% 53% 26% 28% 23% 30% 22% 20% 27% 17%

I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE PART IN THE HOTEL’S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES 44%TOTAL 51% 40% 44%


Business travelers’ top three sustainable development concerns are: energy, water and waste, closely followed by social issues (local development, health and child protection). Business travelers therefore expect hotels to commit to concrete issues and to take action in areas where they can have an immediate impact. In addition, business travelers say they are prepared to support the hotel’s initiatives in favor of sustainable development (44%). These findings corroborate those of the PLANET 21 Research survey of hotel guests conducted by IFOP for Accor in 2010 in six countries.

33%

Do you post opinions about a hotel stay on the social networks?

Top 5 mobile applications used by business travelers

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY : INDISPENSABLE FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS

ALWAYS7% 8% 4% 10%

SOMETIMES42% 42% 42% 43%

NEVER51% 49% 54% 46%

NEWS

62%

58%

66%

58%WEATHER

61%

57%

61%

66%TRAVEL

47%

45%

43%

61%

CALCULATOR/CONVERTOR

33%

29%

31%

43%

HOTEL BOOKING

36%

33%

39%


Communicating on social networks is increasingly popular and one in two business travelers (49%) say they sometimes or often post opinions on the social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Once again, British business travelers are more digital-savvy than their European neighbors since 10% say they always post a comment about their hotel stay on a social network.On the other hand, 64% of European business travelers prefer direct contact in writing with the hotel if they have a poor experience. The use of applications is also becoming more common. A current 36% of business travelers have downloaded a hotel booking application. The most frequently used are news, weather and travel apps.

DO ASIA-PACIFIC BUSINESS TRAVELERS RESEMBLE

THE BUSINESS TRAVELERS OF THE FUTURE?

PART III


MORE DIGITAL-SAVVY

Breakdown by booking channel: Europe and Asia-Pacific

EUROPE ASIA-PACIFIC

ONLINE BOOKING

43% 57% 33% 25%ONLINE BOOKING

VIA HOTEL WEBSITEONLINE BOOKING

VIA TRAVEL WEBSITE

5%4%BOOKING THROUGH

A TRAVEL AGENT

4% 2%BOOKING THOUGH

A CALL CENTER

16% 10%DIRECT CONTACT

WITH HOTEL


Asia-Pacific Business Travelers make 82% of their bookings online and are therefore more digital-savvy than their European counterparts.This is very probably a reflection of the growing digitalization of business travel in this region since the Y generation represents a larger share of business travelers in Asia-Pacific. Off-line booking with a travel agency is now just the fourth most common booking channel used by Asia-Pacific Business Travelers.

Top 4 hotel selection criteria

MORE DIGITAL-SAVVY

Do you post comments about a hotel stay on a social network?

EUROPE ASIA-PACIFIC

EUROPE ASIA-PACIFIC

53%

PROXIMITY

46%

PRICE

49%

FREEWI-FI

42%

LOYALTYPROGRAM

10%7%ALWAYS

46%42%SOMETIMES

44%51%NEVER

66%

PROXIMITY

52%

PRICE

46%

FREEWI-FI

46%

ALREADYSTAYED


Asia-Pacific business travelers consider free Wi-Fi access more important than price when choosing a hotel (competitive price deemed important by 52% ofEuropeans compared with 46% of Asia-Pacific business travelers).Asia-Pacific business travelers also use the social networks more regularly and more actively than their European counterparts. For example, 66% of Asia-Pacific business travelers have already posted comments about their hotel stays, and 10% always post a comment compared with 49% and 7% of their European counterparts respectively.

ALWAYS3% 39%

USUALLY10% 38%

SOMETIMES33%13%

NEVER55%10%

Do you have breakfast and/or dinner at the hotel when on a business trip?

Do you use the hotel sports facilities when on a business trip?

THE HOTEL SERVICES BUSINESS TRAVELERS USE MOST

EUROPE ASIA-PACIFIC

EUROPE ASIA-PACIFIC

84%

89%

30%

28%

11%

9%

YES : DINNER YES : BREAKFAST NO : NEITHER


Asia-Pacific business travelers are both more numerous and more regular than their European counterparts when it comes to using hotel sports facilities. 61% use sports facilities, compared with 46% of Europeans. Whereas 23% of Asia-pacific business travelers always or usually use sports facilities, only 13% of Europeans do so with the same frequency. Otherwise, a similar proportion of Asia-Pacific and European business travelers have breakfast in their hotel (89% of Europeans compared with 84% of Asia-Pacific business travelers).

44%52%

62%

41%35%

50%60%

34%

THE SERVICES AND PRODUCTS BUSINESS TRAVELERS WOULD LIKE MOST

Top 4 services they would like

EUROPE ASIA-PACIFIC

TO BE ABLE TO BOOK THE SERVICES ONLINE

DEDICATED COUNTER FOR LOYALTY PROGRAM MEMBERS

MEDIA FROM MY COUNTRY(E.G. NEWSPAPERS, TV CHANNELS)

PERSONALIZED SERVICE (E.G. CHOOSING ONE’S ROOM

AND MEALS)


Asia-Pacific business travelers are even more keen than their European counterparts on personalized services such as choosing their meal or room (34% of Europeans compared with 44% of Asia-Pacific travelers).Otherwise, they show similar interest in having a special counter for loyalty program members (62% compared with 50% of their European counterparts) or in having products from their home country (60% of Europeans compared with 52% of Asia-Pacific travelers).

METHODOLOGY

Accor commissioned ORC International to conduct the “Accor Business Traveler Survey 2012” online.

A total of 618 people from France, Germany and the United Kingdom responded to the survey, which was carried out in July 2012. The sample of responders consisted of Le Club Accorhotels loyalty program mem-bers, on travelers who frequently move to business travels. Respondants have been selected because they had traveled on business at least once in the first half of 2012.


Accor: First Accor European Business Traveler Research - nov 2012

Travel

Transcript of Accor: First Accor European Business Traveler Research - nov 2012