Business travelers are more likely to choose hotels which provide Wi-Fi, fast internet services and flat screen TV’s when making a decision.

Wednesday 4 September 2013, Amsterdam

When asked what they thought were the most important technological features that hotels should offer, our survey respondents replied with a fairly conclusive answer. Overall, 91% of European business traveler respondents from Europe consider ‘Wi-Fi Technology’ as a key technological feature they look for when selecting a hotel.

As well as this, it has been revealed that 84% of European business travelers look for hotels which provide ‘high-speed internet’. Hotels are investing in high-speed internet services as demand for these services is rising due to increased use of smartphones, tablets and laptops among business travelers. Hotels which already provide these services are also renewing their agreements with internet service providers to improve services.

In September 2012, UK-based hotel group Queens Moat Houses (QMH) announced that it had renewed its agreement with Swisscom Hospitality Services to provide wired and wireless high-speed internet access, and conference and business center services at all QMH locations for three years A C-Level executive at QMH stated:

“High-speed internet access is an essential pillar in our service offering today. For that pillar we need a solid partner.”

‘Flat-screen televisions’ are a major amenity that European business travelers expect in their choice of hotels, and hotels are providing the best in modern technology to satisfy guests. In April 2013, UK property investment company Criterion Capital selected an online collaborations platform by Aconex to develop the London trocadero pod-style hotel. The new development includes upgrading the existing complex with 583 modular lodging pods. Each pod will feature double beds, 42-inch plasma-screen TVs, secured WiFi access, lighting and temperature controls.

‘Electronic keys’ and ‘full-service business centers’ are other important technology features that business travelers prefer in their choice of hotels. As a result, hotels are in the process of constant enhancements in their services to ensure guests’ safety.

This report offers:

•    In depth analysis of the hotel visits and expenditure statistics within the European business traveler sector.
•    An overview of the trends in business travel including expected hotel types, finest destinations, preferred methods of hotel selection and the key channels of research for hotel information.
•    A segmented breakdown of the technological features which European business travelers feel are the most influential when deciding on a hotel.
•    An insight into the expectations of both the green initiatives from hotels and the key technological initiatives.

This will facilitate:

•    The increasing of your knowledge of the European business traveler industry as a whole.
•    The increasing of your knowledge of the factors which influence business traveler’s eventual choice of hotel.
•    A clear understanding of the expectations of green initiatives from hotels and key technological initiatives.
•    Greater understanding of the future developments for business growth within the European business travel industry.