Accor, through its 'Asia Pacific Business Traveller Research 2011' study conducted along with Cimigo Ltd, a research consultancy in Asia Pacific, found that booking a hotel room online is the most common way for business travellers for business trip accommodation. Among the Indian respondents, 57 per cent of business travellers opt to make accommodation arrangements for their business trip online directly through the hotel, 49 per cent prefer to get their secretaries to book for them and 13 per cent choose to go through an online agent.
The research focused on business travellers residing in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand and Thailand, who undertook business trips in the first half of 2011.
The survey included 10,437 Asia Pacific (APAC)-based business travellers, and revealed that the main reason for making online bookings is convenience, followed by the possibility of getting special offers, instant confirmation, and the ability to view the facilities and services.
Indian business travellers, on an average, spend USD 128 per night on hotel accommodation. Indonesia and China turned out to be the lowest spenders, with USD 92 and USD 99 per night, respectively. Business travellers from Australia and New Zealand said that they have 'no defined allowance' for business travel accommodation.
The survey showed that 49 per cent of Indian business travellers choose a hotel based on its location, 28 per cent considered the price when booking and 27 per cent made bookings based on past experience. Also, since many business travellers spend a lot of time working while staying at the hotel, the quality of food and beverage and the speed of internet provided in the room are important criteria when booking a hotel room.Click here to see the original article>