UK Hotel Industry Slips Another 3 Percent
Sharon MillerAccording to a new survey done by BDRC, a market research agency, the golden age of business travel in the UK is finally over. The company said that the size of the UK domestic hotel market for business travelers fell last year by 3 percent to 56 million “room nights.”
The 2010 Hotel Guest Survey showed that business travelers have cut, on average, four nights off their stays compared to the same time last year. This survey also found that just under 50 percent of business travelers say that their companies have asked them to change their behaviors to reduce costs. This, of course, led to a 27 percent cut in the length of stays and a further 22 percent of people staying at cheaper hotels.
The survey also found out that companies are now cracking down on travel as a whole. Three out of four companies now operate a hotel policy in order to save money. A quarter of the survey’s respondents say that this new policy is being strictly enforced. The market research agency said that 44 percent of its respondents reported an increase in enforcement in the last 12 months. This was either through limits on room rates, which made up 31 percent, or restrictions of choice hotels, which made up 29 percent.
Of course, the survey did find out that 53 percent of travelers still choose their own hotel. The survey also showed that business travelers were becoming increasingly price savvy, with 19 percent using price comparison sites to get the best deal. This is all good news for businesses that have members of their team traveling, but bad news for hotels, as it brings an end to the golden age of business travel.
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Filed under Business & Finance, Hotel Chains, Travel News, UK News