Stats: 36% of Travel Managers See Rise in Bleisure Requests

Bleisure travel continues to be on the rise, according to a new report from serviced apartment company BridgeStreet Hospitality. The company has released a new study on the needs of business travelers, which found that 36 percent of corporate travel managers saw an increase in employee requests to add leisure to business trips in 2018. 

Here are some more key findings from the report: 

  • Sixty-one percent of managers said that their employees requested access to better technologies to help with making travel plans. 
  • Sixty-six percent of respondents believe that the combination of great accommodation and cultural/lifestyle attractions will improve their productivity while on business travel
  • Thirty-six percent of respondents ranked “choice in accommodation” as more important than cost savings or ease of booking – and 62 percent said they’d like to maintain control of their own bookings. Eighty-eight percent of respondents said that they look forward to business travel more when they can choose the accommodation style they want. 
  • Split into almost perfect thirds, some business travelers surveyed responded that a rich, authentic travel experience is most important (29%), others that proximity to the work location is preferred (37%), and – most telling – a large group responded that both are equally important.
  • Forty-two percent of respondents said that corporate travel policies, including alternative homes, ease of booking, more choice and non-relocation options definitely impact their decision to work with a company.

BridgeStreet also said that, in the report, respondents indicated that work-life balance is important so long as it does not take away from their primary business goals. Respondents were very pragmatic in their responses, the company said, specifically calling out “authentic experiences” and “proximity to local attractions” as convenient benefits, not absolutely required. 

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