Business Accommodation Trends Set to Change in 2021
As well as being far busier this year – which wouldn’t be difficult considering the ongoing closures on hospitality during lockdown – the business accommodation sector is set to undergo several changes this year. Notably, many of these will surely be permanent.
What are those changes? Well, there are the obvious improvements post-pandemic. These include increased sanitation (including cleansing gel provision as standard) and card keys to avoid contact with the lock.
Here are some other changes you may see implemented over the following months when the hospitality and business accommodation sector gets going again.
Touchless tech
Expect to find more touch-friendly gadgets in terms of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology i.e. room lighting and temperature you can control from bed, as well as your room access key being sent to your smartphone the night before you are due to travel.
Cancellation upgrades
Many guests have had to cancel accommodation stays this year and in 2020 due to the impromptu lockdowns we’ve had in the UK.
Those who didn’t have insurance or policies covering this were often left out of pocket. Business accommodation ventures who want to remain competitive in 2021 will have to be more flexible when it comes to guests not being able to make bookings – offering 100 percent money back for last-minute cancellations in many cases.
Longer bookings
Instead of ‘little and often,’ the trend for business bookings this year is more likely to be ‘fewer and longer’ to maximise our travel and business opportunities.
As Travel & Tourism analyst Ralph Hollister, at GlobalData, points out: “Travelers [including those on business] will be looking to take fewer trips—if not forced to due to ongoing travel restrictions—but those that do travel are expected to also stay for longer to grab what they can when they can.”
Outdoor space
We all know we are less likely to pick up a coronavirus strain while meeting with people outdoors.
Business travellers who invite guests over after lockdown restrictions have lifted further will still be conscious of this.
As a result, they will probably prefer to have drinks and meals with colleagues outdoors of their apartment – in a garden or balcony – rather than inside to reduce risk.
More privacy
And, on that note, we don’t particularly want to be sharing that garden with the room next door and their guests either. And it’s not just for physical health reasons.
During the past year and its lockdowns, we have all got used to spending time on our own for long periods.
As such, for some people spending time in a crowd may actually take a little bit of getting used to – and that will have to be achieved very gradually in many cases.
Get in touch
To find out more about what we can offer business travellers take a look at our website. You can also call us on +44(0)208 159 1036 or feel free to drop us an email outlining your specific requirements via enquiries@innclusive.co.uk.
Image: My Life Graphic / Shutterstock.com
