In our not so distant past there were business trips … and then there were vacations. There was no space for grind away at a conference during the day and spend the evening cliff diving or urban exploring in your destination city. This may be a shift in mindset or a shift in travel agent. Since most employees are now booking their own business travel (and do so spontaneously) the lines between business and leisure are more chalk line than hard line.
Dubbed as “bizcations” and “bleisure” trips by industry experts, the leading names are offering special pre- and post-meeting rates, custom work/relaxation spaces, free Wi-Fi throughout their locations, and more to cater to this trend. The bleisure travel trend is allowing folks to be more spontaneous, a bit less serious in their meetings … but also a bit more sober and smart on their vacations. These three hotels are leading the way in the world of the bizcation.
1. Hudson Hotel — New York City
Travelers heading on a business trip want to bring their brains. Those heading on vacation probably want to turn their brains off (and might turn to booze to help!). If you’re blending the two options, Morgans Hotel Group — an international luxury chain — offers a great solution. At five of its hotels including the Hudson Hotel in Central Park, the company offers visitors a reasonably priced “Minibar for the Mind” which contains pencils, a box of conversation starters, and notebooks for around $40. It’s a great combination of leisure and learning — and thus the perfect booze substitute on a bizcation.
2. Pullman St Pancras — London
Pullman Hotels has also latched onto the bleisure trend, but from a design perspective. The chain aims to sprinkle fun right over the business portion of the trip with what it’s dubbed “Business Playgrounds.” The idea is to spice up boring business trip features. For example, tables are styled after and can actually be turned into poker tables as opposed to the drab furniture usually decorating business meeting rooms. These playgrounds make often-monotonous work outings a bit more exciting to conduct at Pullman locations. They are currently available at the Pullman St Pancras in London and Pullman Montparnasse in Paris.
3. The Standard — Los Angeles
Once again, easy-to-use booking options allow travelers to be a bit more spontaneous when it comes to travel. For example, the Standard Hotel chain — including its location in downtown Los Angeles — offers a 24-hour business center and free Wi-Fi throughout its facilities … in addition to a swimsuit vending machine for last-minute transitions from work to play. Visitors can ditch the three-piece suit and instead grab a one- or two-piece. And for the cherry on top, the swimsuits also come printed with a city guide on the waistband to inspire and empower spur-of-the-moment outings.
This post was posted by Fiona Moriarty on Hipmunk’s Tailwind blog.
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Since I no longer travel for business (retirement is great!) I don’t need these services, but it’s a good idea.
I love the idea of a swimsuit vending machine printed with a city guide. I think that if business travelers are a little more relaxed they might be able to get more done.