Survey: Business Travelers Demand Proximity and Web Access

Leisure travel is facing new pressures in this economically tough times but business travel is a different story.

Businessmen and women still travel as they did before because they must.

To attend important meetings, get training, and sign up new clients they still have to travel on a regular basis.

What is changing is the emphasis on mid-market rooms around $100-$120, proximity to their ultimate business destination, and availability of free Internet access.

Here are the selected results from a recent survey conducted by Best Western International (BWI) and the National Business Travel Association (NBTA).

When considering which hotel to book for, 63 percent of travel managers rated convenience and proximity to meeting locations as the most important factor in their decision making.

Proximity turned out to be an especially important factor.

70 percent of those surveyed said they would pay $20 more per night and 50 percent said they would pay $40 more per night if their hotel were within five minutes of their meeting location.

And gone are the days when business executives were willing to pay anywhere from $9.95 to $19.95 per day for Internet access in their rooms.

52 percent said complimentary high-speed Internet access was the most important amenity when selecting a hotel.

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(For more information on this survey click here.)