First Accor European Business Traveler Research

PRESS KIT

NOVEMBER 2012

Editorial by Grgoire Champetier, Global Chief Marketing Officer

Since it was founded, Accor has been a precursor in the hotel industry, from the opening of the first Novotel in 1967 to its current status as the worlds leading hotel operator. Our aspiration is to become the global reference in the hotel industry. We will only be able to achieve this objective if we are attentive to our customers emerging needs and if we know how to reinvent the hospitality business to cater for these needs. New technologies, changing lifestyles, globalizationall these factors are revolutionizing the businessmans working environment and are also changing his traveling habits. For this reason, we have conducted our first European Business Traveler Research on more than 600 European customers. This survey, which was also conducted for the second year running in Asia-Pacific, enables us to evaluate the changing behaviors and new expectations of these customers. This survey sheds light on European business travelers preferred destinations, on the factors that influence their accommodation choices, on their service expectations, their regional or national behavioral differences, etc. It reveals an overriding trend: REWARD, or the fact that business travelers seek acknowledgement, acknowledgement of both their specificities and their expectations. The notion of REWARD also reflects the key thrusts of our approach to adapting hotels to business travelers needs: changing Reservation methods, the desire for a good Experience and know-how, the demand for free Wi-Fi anytime, anywhere, for Attentive, Responsible hotels, all for a completely Digital-savvy business traveler. This survey is part of our reflection about the hotels of tomorrow and enables us to maintain the head start that is so vital if we are to be the sectors leader-minder.

First Accor European BusinessTraveler Research

PRESS KIT

NOVEMBER 2012

KEY FINDING
RESERVATION
Business travelers overwhelmingly prefer online booking

43%

76%

of reservations are made online

Pratical

Simple

Fast

of reservations are made via the hotel website

33%

of reservations are made via a travel website

Why do they book online?

EXPERIENCE

The essential features of the business travelers hotel

Proximity Price Free Wi-Fi

71%
FREE WI-FI

Comfortable bed

50%

RDV

Good quality bathroom facilities

Top hotel selection criteria

Free Wi-Fi is a determining factor for one in two business travelers

46%
ATTENTIVE

62%

61%

47%

36%

33%

of business travelers want free Wi-Fi access

News

Weather

Travel

Hotel booking

Calculator Convertor

Preferred applications My hotel according to business travelers

50%
RESPONSIBLE

Newspapers

of business travelers would like a dedicated counter for loyal customers

60%

Dedicated counter Personalized Services

of business travelers would like media from their home countries

Preferred services

Sustainable development, a differentiating factor

84%
DIGITAL

Water

Waste

Energy

of business travelers are aware of sustainable development issues

Key sustainable development concerns

Digital technology is a prerequisite for business travelers

of business travelers sometimes leave comments on the social networks

42%

AT&T

12:34 PM

36%

Facebook Twitter Trip advisor

of business travelers use a mobile hotel booking application

First Accor European Business Traveler Research

First Accor European BusinessTraveler Research

PRESS KIT

NOVEMBRE 2012

Business travelers overwhelmingly prefer online booking

Recent cultural changes and notably the surge of e-commerce websites have had a direct impact on booking methods. Nowadays, the vast majority of business travelers book their hotels on the Internet: three-quarters of business travelers book their hotels online, through two different channels: the hotel website or travel websites. Business travelers prefer to book directly with 43% of reservations made via the hotel websites compared with 33% made via travel websites. In general, business travelers book online more than the rest of the population. In 2011, 43% of European households had purchased items online1. Business travelers praise the straightforwardness of online booking describing it as practical, simple and fast with instant confirmation. They particularly appreciate being able to check the hotels amenities and services, see the rooms and read other customers comments.

RESERVATION

The British are Europes online booking champions

The Accor European Business Traveler Research reveals cultural differences when it comes to booking channel preferences. It names the British as Europes online booking champions since they make 9 out of 10 reservations online. The French, however, still like direct contact with the hotel: one in four French business travelers prefers direct contact (telephone, email, etc.) when booking. This cultural difference reflects general e-commerce behavior trends since in 2011, with 53% of French households made an online purchase, compared with 71% of British households1. Fewer hotel bookings are made by personal assistants Another key cultural change: business travelers book their hotels themselves. The number of bookings made by personal assistants has dropped significantly. Nowadays, over two in three European Business Travelers organize their hotel stays themselves and do not delegate this task to their assistants.
1

Eurostat data Internet usage in 2011 : Households and individuals

Online booking by business travelers

Why do they book online ?

76%

of reservations are made online

Simple

43% 33%

of reservations are made via the hotel website

Pratical

of reservations are made via a travel website

Fast

First Accor European BusinessTraveler Research

PRESS KIT

NOVEMBER 2012

The essential features of the business travelers hotel

The Accor Research enables a better understanding of the criteria that influence the choice of hotel and the tradeoffs made by business travelers. Qualitative criteria (proximity to business venues, room comfort, etc.) are deemed more important than price. Travelers are also pragmatic and look for hotels that make their journey easier.

EXPERIENCE

Hotel location is more important than price

The choice of hotel will be chiefly determined by the location of the business meeting or congress. 66% of business travelers feel that their accommodation should be close to their business destination. The hotels location is more important than its price (52% of responders consider it important). Furthermore, the hotels proximity to entertainment shopping and night-life areas is considered secondary since only 23% of business travelers prefer to be closer to these areas than to their business destination. These selection criteria distinguish business travelers from leisure travelers.

Room comfort is self-evident

Business travelers expectations focus on their experience in the hotel: for them, the room is particularly important. The bed is considered the essential feature of the rooms comfort. 71% consider the bedding quality the most important hotel service, followed by bathroom quality and staff courtesy. The room, a place where guests can work Room comfort is particularly important because 92% of business travelers work during their hotel stay. In general, business travelers work during their free time in the evenings.

The business travelers hotel selection criteria

Top hotel selection criteria

For

71%
For

Proximity
RDV

of business travelers a comfortable bed is essential

Price

50%
First Accor European BusinessTraveler Research

of business travelers the quality of the bathroom is essential

Free Wi-Fi

PRESS KIT

NOVEMBER 2012

Free Wi-Fi is a determining factor for one in two business travelers

Over the last few years, venues offering free Wi-Fi internet access have multiplied. Restaurants, cafs, cities increasingly offer free solutions. This service is now considered an indispensable commodity. Business travelers consider it a requirement for their hotel stay. Free Wi-Fi access is the third most important hotel selection criteria for business travelers (after location and price). It is also a determining factor for one in two travelers. Free Wi-Fi access has become a prerequisite for hotels. In Asia Pacific, where the population is younger, free Wi-Fi is the second most important criteria for customers when choosing a hotel, before the price.

FREE WI-FI

An ultra-connected business traveler

Preferred applications
News

Weather

Travel

of business travelers want free Wi-Fi access

46%

Hotel booking

Calculator / Converter

First Accor European BusinessTraveler Research

PRESS KIT

NOVEMBER 2012

My hotel according to business travelers

Accors Research found that, when asked what services they would like to have in a hotel, business travelers aspired to a high level of personalized services. They want attentive gestures that either remind them of their home country or adapt to or anticipate their needs. At check-in, business travelers would like to benefit from preferential treatment for loyal customers. For example, one in two business travelers would like a dedicated check-in counter for loyalty program members. Business travelers want to find familiar references in both their rooms and the hotel. For example, 60% of the survey responders would like to have products and services from their home country, notably TV channels and newspapers. The notion of choice emerges from this desire for personalized services indicating that the business traveler wants to be free to choose: his meals, his room, etc In short, the business traveler wants the hotel to feel like home with its familiar habits and routines. This is an objective for the business hotel sector.

ATTENTIVE

55% of European business travelers never use the hotels fitness room
Are private lessons a solution? Business travelers seldom use hotel sport facilities. 55% admit that they never go to the fitness room. This percentage rises to 63% for the French. British business travelers are the ones that use the fitness room the most. In Asia-Pacific, fitness rooms are more popular with business travelers, since 61% use them more or less frequently. This observation has led to a reflection on how to account for expectations concerning personalized services: by offering private lessons would hotels increase the use of their fitness rooms?

Services business travelers would like to have

Preferred services

50%

Newspapers

of business travelers would like a dedicated counter for loyal customers

Dedicated counter

60%

of business travelers would like access to media from their home country

Personalized services

First Accor European BusinessTraveler Research

PRESS KIT

NOVEMBER 2012

Sustainable development, a differentiating factor

All hotel customers are aware of sustainable development issues. A 2010 survey carried out by IFOP for Accor in six countries found that 76% of the hotel customers surveyed had already heard of sustainable development. It also underscored the fact that business travelers were more aware of sustainable development issues than leisure customers (84% compared with 72% respectively). The findings of the Accor European Business Traveler Research corroborate the results of this former poll. It shows that business travelers expect concrete, pragmatic measures to be implemented to reduce water consumption, save energy and manage waste. Just next on their list of sustainable development priorities is the tackling of societal issues (local development, health or child protection). If the hotels location and price are deemed satisfactory, respect for sustainable development issues really does become a differentiating factor. Business travelers committed to the environment 44% say they are prepared to support the hotels efforts in favor of sustainable development

RESPONSIBLE

Business travelers key sustainable development concerns

Key sustainable development concerns

Water

84%

Energy

of business travelers are aware of sustainable development issues

Waste

First Accor European BusinessTraveler Research

PRESS KIT

NOVEMBER 2012

Digital technology is indispensable for business travelers

One of the key trends revealed by the Accor survey is the advent of the business traveler 2.0. From the different ways of using digital technology to online conversation, everything indicates that the business traveler will be completely 2.0 - savvy.

DIGITAL

An ultra-connected business traveler

The business traveler arrives at the hotel with an array of Internet-connected devices. 81% of travelers have a smartphone (blackberry, iPhone or android) and over 20% have a tablet. As expected, business travelers are more connected than the rest of the population. The smartphone penetration rate in the business traveler population is twice as high as the European average. Application use is also increasing. A current 36% of business travelers have downloaded a hotel booking application. The most frequently used are news, weather forecast and travel apps. Reflecting this fondness for apps, a survey found that 83% of mobile device users1 wanted to have their loyalty cards on their mobile phones, for example.

One business traveler in two has already posted his/her opinion on the social networks
Moreover, travelers are increasingly active online. The Accor survey reveals that 49% of business travelers always or sometimes post comments on the social networks (Trip Advisor, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). The business traveler will be increasingly digital-savvy as the Y generation joins the business population. The Accor Asia Pacific Business Traveler Research, which surveyed a younger sample, reveals the first signs of this trend. It found, for example, that digital conversation is more of a common practice in this region, with 56% of business travelers declaring that they had posted their opinion of a hotel stay at least once online. Business travelers prefer direct contact if they have a poor experience If they have a poor experience, business travelers prefer direct contact with the hotel. 64% leave a written comment at the hotel, and 39% send the hotel an email.
1

Survey by Syndicat national de la communication directe (SNCD the French national syndicate for direct communication), July 2012

The mobile applications used by business travelers

42%

Facebook

of business travelers post comments on the social networks from time to time

of business travelers used a mobile hotel booking application

36%

Twitter
AT&T

12:34 PM

Trip Advisor

First Accor European BusinessTraveler Research

PRESS KIT

NOVEMBER 2012

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 members, on travelers who frequently travel to business. Respondants have been selected because they had traveled for business at least once in the first half of 2012.

Press contacts
Agns Caradec agnes.caradec@accor.com lodie Woillez elodie.woillez@accor.com + 33 (0)1 45 38 87 08

First Accor European BusinessTraveler Research

PRESS KIT

NOVEMBER 2012