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The Rise of Bleisure Travel: Making Business a Pleasure

Bleisure – the portmanteau term coined to describe the trend for business travelers to mix work and leisure in the same trip – has been around for a while. But, today, the current economic climate is driving a marked increase in this trend as a growing number of executive travelers are taking fewer, but longer, trips, combining both business and leisure.

The world is still changing after the pandemic. Many companies are now urging their staff to get back on the road and hold more in-person meetings and events. Some have gone the other way, making a return to full-time working in the office mandatory, while yet other organizations have adopted new, more flexible approaches to working and travel.

We are now seeing a dichotomy between the desire/need to return to in-person meetings and the challenging economic climate: the current recession and economic downturns are causing some companies to cut back on business travel and to reduce travel for events and internal meetings.

30 Dec 2022 4 min to read

A New Flexibility

All these factors combine to suggest that bleisure travel is an effective compromise solution. Business professionals are willing to travel to crucial meetings which they need to attend in person, if they are also allowed some down-time to explore their destination before jetting off to their next meeting. Companies are also becoming more flexible and are permitting their executives to extend their business stays to take personal time. This, in turn, is also influencing hotel choices, as business travelers seek to balance both work and leisure effectively. While business is the driver for the trip, leisure time is arranged as the extension.

Our CEO, Federico J. Gonzalez, noted in a recent BBC interview that he encourages this trend. Instead of the old style of a business trip in which executives would take a train in the morning, have a meeting, and take a train back the same day, business travelers are now extending their stay, so it lasts a couple of days, giving them time to explore their destination and still conduct their vital meetings and manage their day-to-day business.

This new trend is particularly evident in our city center hotels which are driving occupancy and weekend business. Business travelers' behavior and expectations have evolved, with a focus on fewer trips, but longer stays. While business travelers used to book for 1-to-2 nights, this has increased to 3-to-4 nights as an average minimum stay, a change driven predominantly by small to medium businesses with a domestic focus. Our 2023 business travel forecast is predicting a stronger Q1 focused on Corporate and MICE segments, with the aim of reaching 2019 pre-pandemic levels before the end of the year.

Radisson Meetings - Radisson Collection Royal Hotel, Copenhagen

Radisson Meetings - Radisson BLu Rostock Meeting Room

Meeting Modern Needs: Serviced Apartments and Hybrid Rooms

Over the past two years, we have expanded our Serviced Apartments offering, catering more towards bleisure travelers, as well as to solo executive travelers. Our Serviced Apartments offer the conveniences of apartment-style living in fully furnished apartments with generously equipped kitchens, making it possible to enjoy spacious rooms (studio, one, and two bedrooms), 24-hour reception, engaging social spaces, food & drink options, leisure facilities, and hotel housekeeping services.

Our Hybrid Rooms are inspired by the demands for a more flexible, remote way of working as they blend the facilities of a modern office with the comforts of a contemporary hotel room. These rooms offer spacious, quiet, climate-controlled environments, large desks, and comfortable chairs, enabling guests to focus on work without distractions or interruption while also enjoying unparalleled service, comfort, and style for a memorable stay.

Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence Nairobi Arboretum - Two Bedroom Apartment

Radisson RED, Brussels - Superior Room - Corner

In the images above: Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence, Nairobi Arboretum (Serviced Apartments) and Radisson RED, Brussels (Hybrid Rooms)

Radisson Rewards: Driving Loyalty, Helping the Planet

Our focus, like other businesses tapping into the bleisure market, is to create a strong pattern of traveler satisfaction, delivering a balance of business and work amenities, plus great lifestyle experiences and value for money, to ensure we retain our clients. A core part of this strategy is the relaunch of our Radisson Rewards loyalty program which allows members to enjoy valuable and exclusive. Benefits can be accessed from day one and are available across the entire member journey from inspiration to booking. This includes in-stay privileges such as complimentary upgrades, F&B discounts, and additional experiences, as well as post-stay benefits such as the option to make a stay carbon-neutral.

The trend for executives to combine business and leisure is being influenced by both the economic climate and climate crisis conversations. Executive travelers are looking closely at their carbon footprint, seeking ways to make the most of trips that are truly needed and are consciously considering their impact on the planet. In response, our new Radisson Rewards program allows members to make their hotel stays carbon-neutral by redeeming 325 points per day. This initiative offsets the carbon footprint of their stay in a seamless and reliable way. Radisson Rewards is one of the few loyalty programs to offer this option in points, making green stays even easier.

Talk of global recessions and cost of living concerns make it all the more important for companies and executives to maximize the benefits of necessary business trips. One thing which cannot be underestimated is the desire to get back to ‘normal’. This will remain a key driver and factor which will keep bleisure guests traveling, as the world continues to define yet another 'new normal' in travel.

Radisson Meetings - Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, Stockholm - Meeting Room with a View

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The Rise of Bleisure Travel: Making Business a Pleasure

A New Flexibility

Meeting Modern Needs: Serviced Apartments and Hybrid Rooms

Radisson Rewards: Driving Loyalty, Helping the Planet