Dear WuBookers, this is probably not the first time you’ve heard of Bleisure Travel, and it almost certainly won’t be the last, either. In fact, this is a recent and growing phenomenon that promises to positively impact the hotel industry as well. In this article we take a closer look at what it means and how to take advantage of it to increase property occupancy.

What Bleisure Travel means and why it is important to know about it

Bleisure Travel stands for business and leisure travel and was born from the union of two words. Bleisure travel is in fact a hybrid that brings together business needs with leisure and vacation time.

So, Bleisure travelers travel for business purposes, effectively falling within the MICE segment, but during their stay they also engage in extra activities or extend their stay in order to do so, perhaps accompanied by friends and family.

Frequent is the case of people, especially from abroad, who work during the week and, before returning, extend their reservation until the weekend to visit and enjoy the travel destination. An opportunity also guaranteed by the costs they face. Usually, in fact, companies pay for flights and hotel nights necessary for professional activities, leaving the employee to pay for extra days and services. This formula makes the trip much more sustainable and does not exclude the possibility that other guests may join them.

Difference between Bleisure Travel and Workation

A different, although similar – and often misused as a synonym – concept is that of “workation.” Unlike Bleisure Travel, in fact, workations (combination of “work” and “vacation”) are longer getaways to vacation spots where there is a good internet connection and infrastructure suitable for work. 

What changes, then, is the principle that moves the two types of guests: while workation seekers have more leeway in their choice of destination and need only worry about being able to secure their day-to-day operations, Bleisure Travellers are conditioned by their role in the company and their responsibilities, and they move around in relation to appointments and business opportunities.
Getting to know this trend and the expectations of Bleisure customers closely can provide useful insights for improving hotel offerings and revenue.

The size of the phenomenon: data and statistics to consider
A few numbers help to understand the scope of the phenomenon. TravelPerk has compiled the most interesting data from recent years and their sources. Without going into the merits of each survey, it is interesting to report some particularly significant data regarding volumes, target audience and perceptions of Bleisure travel:

• Each year, corporate travelers spend an average of 22 days on business trips. The average business trip takes 3.8 days;
• the percentage of business trips that turn into leisure trips varies from country to country: 56 percent in the United Kingdom, 65 percent in Germany, and 62 percent in China;
• in 2021, 37 percent of North American Business travelers extended their business trips to do sightseeing and other leisure activities;
• 57 percent of employees confessed to taking business trips to destinations they know their loved ones might enjoy.

On the customer side, however, it was found that Millennials are more likely (86 percent) to add leisure time than Gen Xers (76 percent) or baby boomers (73 percent) partly because they feel invigorated by their Bleisure travel (in 55 percent of cases, compared with 48 percent of Gen Xers and 42 percent of baby boomers).

Favorite aspects of Bleisure travel include: exploring new destinations, building new relationships, a different work environment than usual, and new experiences.
Finally, for many employees, this type of travel is also connected to personal efforts to become more sustainable: 60 percent of the business travelers surveyed said they were more aware of the environmental impact of their post-pandemic travel (in fact, attention to the environment is also among the latest travel trends for Italy).

What Bleisure Travelers Expect

What we have seen so far allows us to define more clearly what Bleisure travelers’ expectations and desires are and, in turn, what to offer them.

Guests in this segment are looking for accommodations in which they can also accommodate other people, including any children, who may have different needs from those of the reservation holder. So, it’s important to have accommodations that are spacious enough and perhaps offer ad hoc services, such as entertainment for the little ones or babysitting.

Precisely because they do not have to take charge in the overall expense of the vacation, but only a part of it, Bleisure guests are also more likely to invest in extra activities, especially if they are flexible and available on weekends, to make their stay and that of their fellow travelers even more comfortable and unique. Organizing thematic tours and excursions, such as sightseeing or food and wine experiences, could be a winning lever to ensure an enjoyable time for all guests.

These are often travelers who have little time to plan their vacation in detail, which in part is dictated by work commitments, so any advice or recommendations on tourist attractions, restaurants, or places of interest will certainly be welcome!

Finally, it is good to remember precisely that these are first and foremost people who move for work reasons and, as such, they should have access to suitable spaces and supports: efficient WiFi connection and appropriate furniture for work (a desk and an ergonomic chair in the room, for example) are the minimum you can offer to ensure well-being even during business hours.

How to win over Bleisure Travellers

With the indispensable organizational and structural part settled, it’s time to attract Bleisure travelers to your property: where to start?

Definitely from communicating the offer on your proprietary channels and social networks, even better with paid advertising activities to engage the most targeted audience. It is important that people browsing your website understand right away that there is a dedicated proposal for Business travel and that it is also possible to extend the stay for personal reasons.

For this to occur, it is necessary to set rates that are attractive to both companies and guests who want to stay longer, and to propose prices that are consistent for the pockets of both: abruptly raising the cost of a room just because it is no longer included in the corporate reservation may not be a good strategy to incentivize people to stay more days at the property. Of course, this applies both to one’s own site and to any distribution channels activated. Diversifying and controlling the list depending on the sales portal is key, and to do this, you need to have a hotel PMS capable of handling multiple aspects together, such as direct reservations and indirect reservations. WuBook’s Zak, for example, has several tools and features designed to manage all major hotel operations, including setting and changing rates.

In addition to attracting “casual” visitors, you can also turn to companies that specialize in organizing corporate trips or to the companies in the area themselves.
Agencies and event companies can be very useful in ensuring some continuity and customer loyalty over time: many business trips are in fact recurring because they are tied to annual appointments. Local businesses, on the other hand, may need to cyclically host any employees working remotely or organize meetings and conferences onsite: it is therefore worthwhile to report themselves as a property with the right equipment and accommodations.

Bleisure Travelers may prove to be an interesting audience segment for several reasons – now all you have to do is try to intercept them!