Travelsavers announced that its Affluent Traveler Collection (ATC) hotel program recently added 25 properties offering villas and residences to its portfolio, meeting the demand for lodging that "balances professional and personal needs."
Blended travel, which combines business and leisure, is the next evolution of leisure, and it has increased over the past 15 years.
Today, blended travel is a USD $594.5 billion market, according to Future Market Insights. It's expected to grow by 19.5% annually until 2033, reaching USD $3.53 trillion.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) says 60% of business travellers have taken a blended trip in the past year. Combining personal and professional travel is even more common among the affluent. According to YouGov, the well-off are twice as likely to add leisure to a business trip than the average person.
"Because this form of blended travel is growing quickly, our advisors are asking for upscale properties that can toggle between work and leisure needs," said Jane Clementino, SVP and GM, Travelsavers Canada.
Why Blended Travel Is Rising
According to Travelsavers, several factors are contributing to the upswing in blended travel. The growth in remote work has fostered a new acceptance of working from anywhere, and business travel in Canada is at an all-time high.
GBTA forecasts indicate that Canadian business travel spending will reach USD $25.9 billion in 2024, representing an annual growth of 13.5%.
This outpaces global (11.8%) and United States (9.2%) growth forecasts.
A GBTA BTI survey found that 57% of Canadian business travellers travelled the same amount or more than they did pre-pandemic. With more business trips than ever, opportunities arise for extended stays (thanks to remote work) and vacation time.
Fifty-five percent of those travellers said they blended travel last year than in previous years. Combining work and play also ties into an increasing emphasis on work/life balance and wellbeing, and younger generations are more inclined to combine work and play during trips.
Seventy-seven percent of Millennials extend their business trips for leisure purposes, according to MODIV Mindset.
As digital nomads become more common due to the expansion of the freelance economy, living and working from varied locations is more widespread.
This has given rise to the "workation," where a personal journey motivates the blended trip instead of business.
New Additions
These newcomers to the ATC program provide spacious accommodations perfect for blended travellers, with all the comforts of home and more:
● The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences in London offers serviced 550-square-foot Victorian red-brick townhomes with their own front doors
● The Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas in West Hollywood features newly redone villas, some with gourmet kitchens, grand pianos, private balconies and pool tables
● Andaz Mexico City Condesa presents 20 suites with separate living and sleeping areas, in the heart of a sophisticated, artistic neighbourhood.
What Blended Travellers Want
According to the GBTA, the vast majority of business travellers—82%—stay at the same place for both the work and personal portions of their trip.
Fast, free, secure Wi-Fi throughout the property is a must for blended travellers.
Travellers want plenty of outlets and charging ports in convenient locations in their rooms and common areas. A quiet, spacious room that adapts from productivity to play. In-room fitness equipment such as a yoga mat.
"Blended travellers are also looking for personalized experiences to sample local culture, and some are willing to spend more on dining, entertainment and tours because their company funded their flights," said Clementino.
The ATC Portfolio
The Affluent Traveler Collection hotel program includes 1,100 luxury properties.
According to Travelsavers, ATC is growing its roster of properties by prioritizing unique, authentic boutique properties in demand by upscale travellers.
The hotels and resorts provide client amenities with an expected value of USD $1,000 per stay on average. For a family of four enjoying a two-bedroom residence during a weeklong blended stay, the figure rises to at least USD $1,600.
