Catering to a new shift in the hospitality landscape

“Are you here for business or pleasure?.

Most of us might have heard this question whenever we find ourselves at the frontdesk of a hotel. In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, the answer might often times be “a bit of both”.

Bleisure: Part business, part leisure travel Even before the pandemic, there has been a steady rise of work trips that combine with an extended vacation, before, during or after a work event. This makes a lot of sense as many in the workforce would want to utilise what little travel opportunities they might have to the fullest potential. As much as 89% of people in the workforce actually plan ahead to incorporate their personal vacation time into their business trips, even bringing family and friends along when possible.

A golden opportunity for the hospitality industry With the trend of bleisure travel picking up steam, there is potential for the hospitality industry to step up and cater to these types of travellers and fulfilling their needs, simply by focusing on these key steps:

1. Turning Business Travelers into Loyal Guests When it comes to bleisure travellers, many tend to stay at the same hotel for both the work and leisure part of their trips. This is an opportunity for hotels to offer packages and pre-planned itineraries for the leisure part of their trip, even upselling amenities and services tailored for their family and partners.?

2. Incorporating Relaxation into remote workplaces During their stay, bleisure travellers would often be in need of a space to work remotely and efficiently. At the same time, they would also require a space to step away, unwind and unplug. This is another service hotels can offer by providing relaxation for them to compartmentalize and take a break from their responsibilities.

3. Showcase the location While a portion of their travel might be covered by their companies, bleisure travellers might not have the luxury to research their stay beforehand. Hotels offer them a fully created immersive experience, such as full-day tours by partnering with tour agencies to showcase some of the highlights of the location.

4. Understanding the bleisure travel schedule While conventional business travellers tend to only stay in one location during the week, bleisure travellers would extend their stay, often through the weekend. Thus, there is no longer an obvious distinction between the weekday business travellers versus the weekend leisure travellers.

With all of that in mind, here are some solutions that NEC can provide to help you cater to the growing needs of bleisure travellers;

1. Secure Wi-Fi connectivity Providing a secure Wi-Fi service for your bleisure guests will put them at ease, keeping their sensitive data protected from cyberattacks as they surf for both work or leisure.

2. Smart Meeting Rooms During their stay, bleisure guests would need a well-equipped co-working space. Our solutions range from video conferencing tools, interactive displays, automation and scheduling systems that can be personalized for your guests’ needs, powered by AI to offer seamless productivity and convenience.

3. Seamless Connectivity between Travellers By utilizing NEC’s Unified Communications solutions, guests can take advantage of a seamless communication system to connect and communicate with one another easily and securely.

If you’re ready to make your premises a must-stay for bleisure travellers, contact us at [email protected] to discuss about NEC’s bleisure solutions that would best fit your premises’ needs.