SERVICED APARTMENTS
M
any serviced accommodation providers appear to be switching their attention to the
business travel and leisure market. How do those managing corporate relocations and international assignments ensure quality, compliance, tracking, and the safety and security of their employees against a backdrop of cost control and peer-to-peer recommendations? As the serviced apartment sector chases more investors, does it care? The distinction between agents and
providers is being blurred as networks grow to accommodate regional and global expansion. The big hotel chains are getting their act together with improved aparthotel models, and moving in on the market. On the employer side, there are
big decisions in the pipeline for many corporates as they respond to political and economic drivers and increased competition in many market sectors. Now is, perhaps, not the time for the serviced apartment sector to abandon the employer market, just when it is getting its act together on areas such as big data, technology and strategic issues. HR corporate decision-makers and global mobility specialists
may not want the responsibility of their organisation’s business travellers; for many, however, the risk is too high to leave them out of the equation. We ask the question: who really understands the employer market and wants it for the long term?
BridgeStreet launches online booking Travel bookers will be delighted at the progress in online booking, but do corporate buyers care? Online booking finally appears to be here for the relocation
sector. At February’s Business Travel Show, BridgeStreet Global Hospitality announced the next phase of its drive to connect the sharing economy with the extended-stay travel market: the official launch of the first online travel agency (OTA) for business travel.
With the launch, BridgeStreet’s supply partnership of
over 65,000 serviced apartments in 60-plus countries will be searchable from its website, with easy connectivity to the global distribution systems (GDS) that have traditionally been difficult for this sector to access. But does this really matter for HR global mobility specialists
and relocation professionals charged with meeting the accommodation requirements of international assignees and domestic relocatees? The answer is, perhaps not. What difference does it make to
wait a few hours – or even overnight – while availability is checked, location assessed, and due diligence put in place? Behind the scenes, miracles can happen as accommodation requirements are matched, apartments shuff led, and client needs seamlessly met. The problem is that expectations now run very high. We
are used to booking our leisure trips instantly when we are in control of the price range and the timescale. The end-user employee expects instant success. With Airbnb snapping at the heels of the corporate market, it is not surprising that BridgeStreet, as a leading brand, has embraced the challenge of online booking. This will accelerate the pace of all those in the sector who nurture their corporate relocation clients for length of stay, better profit margin, and returning custom.
Oakwood – Fitzrovia
HR taking ownership? But more than that, responsibility for business travellers is beginning to fall firmly in the lap of global mobility professionals. More and more businesses are realising that it is just too risky to allow swathes of under-the-radar business travellers to be untracked and unaccounted for in the minefield of compliance issues, from tax and immigration to duty of care in a turbulent world. ➲
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