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EXPERT SPEAK
HOSPITALITY BIZ SEPTEMBER, 2024
n
Business Travel – Cause or Effect?
By Nathan Andrews, Author & Hospitality Consultant
read recently that using nouns as adjectives
sometimes has unintended or unfortunate
I nsequences. Case in point ‘business’
co
is a verb, it is a noun and an adjective, when
used in conjunction with travel it becomes the
descriptor or adjective, giving a specific nuance
to the use of the word travel.
But what image or images does the term
‘business travel’, conjure? For many, it elicits
pictures of cocooned and pampered travel
experiences, business class travel, exclusive
lounges, and luxury hotels. For many of my
readers who travel on business regularly, the
reality is quite different. Long commutes to and
from the airport, the angst of navigating security
and check-in, delayed flights, cramped seats and
unremarkable food is at all.
So where does hospitality come into this equation? After all the
room and the flight are the same in terms of quality and experience
irrespective of the reason for travel. The answer I believe is in the very
genesis of hospitality. travel), most hotels continue to, and rightly so design their offerings
Until the eighteenth century almost all travel was occasioned by
work, be it a trader in ancient times importing or exporting spices,
precious metals, exotic fabrics or just wine and grain, all of which
meant travelling to the source of the merchandise. The traveler needed a
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place to stay which birthed the first inns, a place
to rest, and perhaps get some food and water
for the animals if traveling by road. Security too
doubt was a concern as camping in the open not
only exposed the traveler to the elements but
also to bandits and thieves.
These basic needs gradually refined the yet
unknown hospitality industry, moving from
rudimentary inns to hostelries at key junctions,
to more established entities with the advent
of rail and steamships. The users of course
still primarily those travelling for business or
government reasons as the time involved was
still significant.
Fast forward to today, where I believe
the needs of business travellers still drive the
planning and architecture of the planned guest
experience for the most part. With the exception of specific tourist
destinations and resorts which are designed around the leisure traveller
( a virtually non-existent category till the advent of easily accessible air
around the perceived needs of the business traveller.
The corporate travellers’ need for connectivity has made wi-fi free
and ubiquitous. Women-only floors offer an enhanced sense of security
to businesswomen. ITC offers specially curated room-service menus
for the single traveller, something I
wish other brands would also offer.
Irrespective of the offering of the
hotel, be it budget or luxury the
fundamental requirements remain
the same, a clean and comfortable
bed, a refreshing bath and a good
breakfast to kick-start the day.
To all the hotel operators, I
believe I speak for all my fellow
road warriors give us the basics
in an efficient and reasonably
comfortable manner and we will
be your loyal customers whenever
we are in your city. The bells and
whistles are nice, though sometimes
they can be irritating but that is
not what the business travel needs.
His or her requirements are pretty
much the same for the past three
millennia. n
The views expressed within
this column are the opinion
of the author, and may not
necessarily be endorsed by the
publication.
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