p24 BizTravel may15 12/5/09 11:59 Page 24
Business travel
Martin Ferguson
020 7921 8011
maferguson@ttgbusiness.com
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From meeting
Comment Adam White, Bath Business Travel
to tweeting...
Getting business
SOCIAL MEDIA and technology are changing
the way travel and procurement managers are
back on the road
buying meetings programmes.
Des McLaughlin, managing director of hotel The corporate travel sector has not yet bottomed out,
booking agency Grassroots HBI, said corporates
but there is some cause for optimism, says Adam White
are looking at new ways to save money.
“We have seen a shift in the way that meeting I DON’T think we are at the pressure to reduce travel,
programmes are being purchased,” he said. bottom of this downturn yet. buying a rail ticket doesn’t
“Webinars and webcasting are increasingly I believe we will continue seem to count.
important to large organisations looking to min- to see month-on-month This perception is a little
imise costs and maximise impact with employ- declines until the fourth bizarre, given the average
ees and clients. quarter. The general trend cost of a rail ticket on
“However, there is still an implicit need for seems to be all but Eurostar can be similar to
people to get together and this is where events essential travel is being put that of a low-cost air ticket.
are becoming far more experiential.” off – especially in the air. Domestically, the growth
A survey by the Hotel Booking Agents’ Associ- While this approach may in rail continues because
ation found that 93.8% of respondents saw new be sustainable in the short business travellers are fed
technology as important. They regarded micro- term, most sensible firms up with the hassle, charg-
blogging site Twitter and social networking as realise travel will have to Adam White, MD, Bath Business Travel ing zones, poor roads and
new ways to help manage marketing budgets. increase if they are to get near gridlock they face
Peter Ducker, the HBAA’s executive director, out and win more business. Failure to do so will driving in our major cities. This, coupled with
said: “We have seen how the understanding and have much worse consequences than the risk ever improving standards and schedules from
use of cyber communication is more crucial than associated with sending people out on the road. the train operating companies, means rail is
ever. These trends bring opportunities and chal- The drop-off in hotel business is purely becoming the preferred solution.
lenges, and we believe they are transforming our reflective of the reduction in air travel, as they However, this is only relevant for one section
industry in a very positive way.” generally go hand in hand. For hotel business of the market and I believe if we all manage
currently being booked, there is a general carefully through this difficult period the
trend to go downmarket to save a bit of money. market will come around. A lot could depend
Rail travel continues to be buoyant, despite on how quickly the “feelgood factor” caused
the general travel downturn. This is because by a general election comes about, and
of a perception that while there is internal whether oil prices remain stable.
London hotel sees
are wanting to make the most of their time.”
Kelly added that the volume of business
shorter stopovers
guests had fallen and corporate rates were
“slightly down” on last year, though they
remained in line with the competition.
BUSINESS travellers are making shorter and “Residents from the banking sector have
more intense stopovers in London, according to disappeared and the petro-chemical industry
a leading hotelier. differs company by company,” he said.
Kevin Kelly, general manager of the five-star Kelly said Thursday until Saturday was now
Marriott Grosvenor Square, said bookings the busiest period of the week, whereas previ-
HAPGOOD HEADS CAMPAIGN: FCm Travel patterns were unrecognisable compared with ously it had been Monday to Thursday due to the
has chosen Felicity Hapgood to front its last year. high volumes of business travellers.
UK marketing campaign for 2009. The “Its common knowledge that travel budgets
Australian, who works in the company’s have been decimated,” he said. ■ Read a review of the Marriott Grosvenor
Manchester office, topped a shortlist of 12. “People are making business trips shorter and Square at ttgbusiness.com
24 15.05.2009
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