Shared economy services, aka “Disruptive Businesses” such as Airbnb, Uber and Lyft have been changing the framework of the travel and hospitality industry. But instead of fighting the current, businesses and travelers are starting to go with the flow and embracing the change.
According to a Skift Article, “50 percent of corporate travel policies allow ride-sharing services such as Uber or Lyft. That’s a hefty increase from mid-2016, when 44 percent of policies approved.”
In addition more business travelers are utilizing home-sharing options like Airbnb and HomeAway; although less commonly accepted, these options are gaining ground.
“I think what we’re seeing is what we’re calling the consumerization of business travelers,” said Jeanne Liu, Vice President of research at GBTA. “It’s what you do in your regular consumer life. If you use ride-sharing and home-sharing, or if there are certain apps you like to use, it’s going to go into how you plan and how you pick your options in business travel as well.”
So, what does this mean for DMOs and their Meetings & Conventions?
Never fear in terms of accommodations for business travel, the hotel industry is still the strongest performer! It just means that hotels need to step up their game. Hotel customer service needs to be on point (just read What Meeting Planners Want on our blog) and as Christopher Norton, EVP of Global Operations at the Four Season’s says, hotel customers expect a “level of service that is different, more sophisticated, detailed, and skillful” which you won’t receive in Airbnb. That’s good news!
Business travelers and meeting attendees want to stay in hotels because of convenience, proximity, and the fact that hotels offer more control, in Food & Beverage, Security, Health codes and overall space (especially meeting space)!
But in order to ensure that your destination is meeting these needs, it’s extremely important to employ strong Meetings & Conventions Marketing Strategies, and that’s what we’re here for. We focus on your DMO’s needs, goals and lead to conversions.
We are leaders in DMO Meeting & Conventions Marketing and know how to take your destination to the next level with winning solutions.
