IN LINE with the changing demographic of the business traveller, companies are now authorising hotel Wi-Fi as one of the top two ancillary services for their travellers.
According to The real impact of mobile on the corporate travel program by Travelport and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, hotel Wi-Fi and extra baggage are the two add-on services most commonly allowed by companies, each garnering 57 per cent polled.
Advance boarding (45 per cent), hotel breakfast where breakfast is not included (45 per cent) and flight upgrades (39 per cent) also made the list.
However, of all the companies surveyed, 26 per cent did not allow employees to book any ancillaries for corporate travel trips.
“We are seeing the range of destination services and ancillary options grow increasingly more complex,” said Patrick Andres, vice president and regional managing director Asia-Pacific, Travelport. “Within the ancillary mix, it becomes further segmented by organisations offering options such as upgrades and lounge access only to select groups of employees.”
“Travellers’ needs are evolving. Generation Y and millennials expect customised content, intelligent itineraries and easily bookable ancillary content,” he added.
The report also stated that 39 per cent of companies provide employees with mobile devices for business use, while 51 per cent gave employees the choice of bringing their own device or making use of the company’s mobile phone.
However, 16 per cent of employers around the globe give employees non-smartphone mobile devices. The report notes: “By not providing employees with a smartphone, they have no means to access the Internet or travel apps – making it much harder for (employees) to manage their travel experience.”
Read more on what the new generation of business travellers want in Business meets pleasure by Gracia Chiang
