As the Great Recession becomes less a reality and more a distant memory, more and more business travelers are poised to take to the skies in 2016. The growth in the number of business travelers isn’t the only trend ready to shake up business travel in 2016 either. From advances in technology to declines in traditional business travel options, here are the 2016 business travel trends to prepare for in the new year.
More Mobile Than Ever Before
The growth of mobile technology isn’t exactly a secret and mobile technology has been trending up for years now. However, despite years of growth already, mobile technology will become even more pervasive in 2016, because in 2015 mobile searches outnumbered desktop searches according to Google. That means that more businesses, including the travel industry, are feeling the need to cater to mobile business travelers who want to use their smartphone as their travel hub.
Airlines are Getting More Crowded but Less Expensive
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, plane seats aren’t getting any more comfortable in 2016. Airlines are starting to roll out “slimline” seats that allow more passengers than ever before to be crowded onto airplanes. On top of more seats, airlines are striving to fill every seat on each flight by optimizing their “capacity management.” That means more crowded planes and less chance of an empty seat next to you. On the plus side, the extra capacity and declining oil prices mean that travel is poised to become less expensive in 2016.
The Slow Decline of Rewards Programs
According to travel journalist Christopher Elliott, loyalty programs as we know them (airline loyalty programs in particular) are going to start dying off in 2016. The consolidation of airlines and hotel chains that we saw in the past few years means that these programs will start to be less generous with their rewards since there isn’t as much competition. We’ve already seen airlines, such as United and Delta, move away from traditional models and move towards a system that is based on how much you pay for an airline ticket.
Decline of Hotels, Rise of Short-Term Apartment Rentals
The price of a hotel room in America is going to continue to rise in 2016 according to experts. This trend, combined with the bad publicity hotel chains received in 2015, means that hotels are trending downwards in 2016 as more and more corporate travelers are preferring short-term apartment rentals. Travelers are increasingly preferring the extra space, included amenities, and more local feeling they get from apartment rentals that they can’t get from hotels.
2016 is poised to be an ever-changing year in the corporate travel world thanks to these business travel trends ready to shake up the industry. If you’re looking to embrace these travel trends in 2016, think about staying in a luxury apartment designed for corporate travelers instead of a long-term hotel stay. Contact PC Housing today to learn more about our luxurious apartments across the USA and Canada today.
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