Attracting business travelers is starting to feel like aiming for a moving target for hoteliers, due to their ever changing preferences and shopping habits. You’ll be surprised to find that they have a lot in common with leisure travelers and are visually driven when it comes to travel shopping. Let us reintroduce you to the new business traveler. Download this guide to learn how to attract this lucrative demographic with visual stories.

1. Corporate Travel Storytelling Guide:
Getting the Business Traveler
to Choose You
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2. The good news for hotel marketers is that business travel showed positive
growth in 2012 and this trend is expected to continue in 2013. According to
Frequent Business Traveler magazine, one-third of business travelers from
around the world said they anticipate taking more trips in 2013 than they did
in 2012.1 This means there are expanded opportunities for hoteliers to attract
the corporate traveler and ultimately drive more revenue.
In order to appeal to this audience, you need to understand and embrace
the shifts in digital marketing. Right now it’s all about visual storytelling
as the “digital landscape (is changing), and pictures are a main catalyst”
(iMedia Connection).2 It is best practice to apply visual storytelling to your
communications across all channels including corporate, social media, online
travel agencies and your hotel’s stand-alone website.
While the demographics, shopping habits, and values of business travelers
shift, targeting them is starting to feel like aiming at a moving target.
This guide will help you with your digital marketing strategy and plan by
reintroducing you to today’s business traveler and equipping you with the
necessary information to craft and amplify your hotel’s story.
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3. 1. Get to know them – who are today’s business travelers?
Business travelers are a lucrative market; they travel frequently, are ready to
buy and simply want their specific set of needs met.
Managed and unmanaged business travelers
According to research conducted by PhoCusWright, 30% of business
travelers are constrained by corporate travel guidelines. On the other
hand, 70% of business travelers are “going rogue” and don’t have any real
guidelines to booking a hotel.3 This is blurring the lines between business and
leisure travel as 35% of business travelers stated that they are looking for
Hotel News Now “more boutique-style, more social-type hotels for their travel experience.” 4
The main distinction between these two groups is that managed business
travelers are required to book through company mandated channels, while
35%
of business
unmanaged business travelers have the freedom to search and book their
own travel arrangements using online and offline channels.
travelers International business travelers
are looking As inbound and outbound international corporate travel increases, especially
for a “more in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) markets, hotels need to start
boutique-style, targeting these specific demographics5. In particular, Chinese travelers, are
more social- expected to become a major inbound market, according to HoteliTour. They
type hotels seek a truly “individual experience and look for travel discoveries off the
for their travel beaten track.”6
experience.”
Different generations of business travelers
Young business travelers under the age of 32, also called millennials,
currently make up approximately 13% of business travel, up 40% since
2011.7 They’ve grown up with technology, and are the first to adopt new tools
such as mobile check-in. They are also an extremely influential force as they
pass their knowledge on to less technologically savvy travelers.
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4. 2. Find out what they like – what are most business travelers looking for
in a hotel?
Think about a day in the life of a typical business traveler. What does your
hotel have to offer that can help make their experience more comfortable,
successful and/or convenient?
Here is a list of the typical activities a business traveler will experience on a
daily basis along with some of the main features and amenities they’ll look
for:
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5. 3. Learn how they shop for hotels – where and how are business
travelers researching and booking?
There may be variations in where business travelers shop for hotels, but one
thing is certain - they shop online. In fact, “7 out of 10 unmanaged business
travelers said they used online travel agencies when researching travel”
(PhoCusWright).8 They are checking as many as 22 different websites before
they finally feel prepared to book (Google).9
Cleary, unmanaged and managed business travelers have different shopping
behaviors due to the nature of their restrictions, or lack thereof. This diagram
shows some of the similarities and differences in how these two groups shop
for and book hotels:
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Travel Provider Company's OTA website Search engine Travel search Travel review
travel booking engines website
website
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6. How Mobile Plays a Role
It’s hard to ignore mobile’s role in travel shopping today as 57% of corporate
travelers regularly use smartphones and tablets to do research and make
travel arrangements. 11 According to Google, 61% of consumers will leave
your website if it is not optimized, and are likely go to your competitor’s.12
This is why mobile optimization should be a top priority if you want to attract
this lucrative segment.
61%
of consumers
will leave your
website if it is not
compatible
Google
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7. 4. Start crafting and telling your story – use what you have learned to tell
visual stories that attract business travelers
Now that you understand who today’s business travelers are, how they differ,
what they want and how they shop and book, you’re ready to start telling
your story through visuals. The goal is to capture their attention, earn their
bookings and keep their loyalty.
Follow these tips to get started!
Craft Your Story
Tip 1: What is your hotel’s story?
It is important to understand your hotel’s story. What do you have to offer
a business traveler? Is it finely appointed rooms that make guests feel at
home? Is it a complimentary happy hour so business travelers can unwind
with their favorite beverage? What do you do to cater to this segment?
When a potential customer compares your hotel with another in the
area, make sure your value proposition is clear and stronger than your
competitor’s. Highlight the things that business travelers value most using
engaging visuals with short and easy-to-digest text.
Tip 2: Show the details that matter
Don’t just show generic room images; enhance the traveler’s shopping
experience by adding panoramic images of your rooms, floor plans and
videos that showcase a day in the life of a corporate guest. Be sure to
highlight the features that business travelers value the most, such as free
Wi-Fi, in-room chargers, a relaxed atmosphere and local attractions and
coffee houses. This approach will
help business travelers visualize
themselves at your hotel.
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8. Tip 3: Take control of your visuals on corporate booking channels and
other online channels
Since both managed (approximately 30% of business travelers13) and
unmanaged travelers check a variety of sources before making a reservation,
it is important to ensure that your hotel’s visuals are up-to date and relevant
across all channels. Frequently visited websites include corporate booking
channels like Concur and nuTravel as well as OTAs (online travel agencies),
social media sites and of course, your own hotel website. The best strategy
to ensure that your hotel makes a positive impression is to create customized
multi-media galleries and refresh your media often.
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9. Amplify Your Story
Tip 1: Tell your story across the web
Make sure your hotel stands out and grabs the business traveler’s attention
across the web by syndicating your business travel focused videos, virtual
tours and photos. Use well-organized multi-media galleries to display on
third-party sites and include a section with media focused on corporate
travelers.
Tip 2: Showcase your local attractions
Although they may be traveling for a meeting or conference, a business
traveler will appreciate knowing about local restaurants, shopping, and
nearby attractions. Show them what’s nearby and what you recommend!
Tip 3: Optimize for mobile devices
Be sure that regardless of whether a business traveler is on a smartphone
or tablet, they’ve booked your hotel or are just browsing, that they have a
positive experience when they visit your hotel’s website. Every hotel website
needs to be properly optimized for smartphones and tablets and must
include adequate information, visual media, contact information, and booking
engine capabilities.
Tip 4: Don’t forget about business travelers on social media
Many hotels focus their social media efforts primarily on the leisure travel
market, with little emphasis on business travelers. Offer them business
focused multi-media experiences and visual wall posts that speak to their
needs.
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10. Check out these hotels that are using visual stories to attract business
travelers.
The Orlando Airport Marriott Hotel created “a day in the life of a business
traveler” video to show potential business guests what the experience of
staying at their hotel is like. It is displayed on Marriott.com, YouTube, online
travel agencies, review sites and more.
The Radisson Fresno customized a multi-media “Meetings” app on Facebook
that targets corporate travelers and shows off the array of business amenities
that the hotel offers.
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11. The Holiday Inn Denver Lakewood customized their online experience on
select corporate booking channels with multi-media that appeals to the
needs of corporate travelers.
Now that you have the knowledge to successfully attract business
travelers through visual storytelling, put it into action and you’re bound
to see positive results.
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12. About VFM Leonardo
VFM Leonardo’s VBrochure™ helps hotels connect with business and leisure
travelers via compelling, engaging online experiences. VBrochure™ makes it
easy to tell your hotel’s story through rich multimedia and narrative content
across the web, on your own websites (mobile and desktop), online travel
agencies, social media and more. A VPowered Mobile Hotel Website is
included with VBrochure Ultra Premium, which provides mobile users with a
seamless, multi-media experience on their smartphones and tablets.
Visit VFM Leonardo online to see more examples of what VBrochure™ can
do, and contact us today to learn how you can take a leadership role in
mobile hotel marketing!
@VFMLeonardo
www.facebook.com/vfmleonardo
blog.vfmleonardo.com
www.vfmleonardo.com
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13. Sources:
1. PR Newswire: Business Travel to Increase in 2013 According to Survey of Very Frequent Travelers
(http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/business-travel-to-increase-in-2013-according-to-survey-
of-very-frequent-travelers-185866042.html)
2. IMedia Connection: Why Visual Storytelling is the Future of Digital (http://www.imediaconnection.com/
article_full.aspx?id=32879)
3. Hotel News Now: Business Travelers Going Rogue (http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.
aspx/7947/Business-travelers-going-rogue)
4. Hotel News Now: Next Gen Blurs Lines of Corporate, Leisure (http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.
aspx/8682/Next-gen-blurs-lines-of-corporate-leisure)
5. Hotel News Now: Corporate Travel Outlook Positive for Hotels (http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/
Articles.aspx/?ArticleId=8680)
6. Tnooz: Tnooz Predictions 2013- The Biggest and Best List in Travel Technology (http://www.tnooz.
com/predictions-2013)
7. The New York Times: Young, Social and Paperless (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/business/
travel-industry-adjusts-to-serve-the-young-business-cohort.html?pagewanted=all)
8. Hotel News Now: Business Travelers Going Rogue (http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.
aspx/7947/Business-travelers-going-rogue)
9. NewMedia TrendWatch: Online Travel Market (http://www.newmediatrendwatch.com/world-
overview/91-online-travel-market?showall=1)
10. Google: The 5 Stages of Travel (http://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/insights/featured/five-stages-of-
travel/)
11. Google: The 2012 Traveler (http://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/insights/library/studies/the-2012-traveler/)
12. Google: Mobile-Friendly Sites Turn Visitors into Customers (http://googlemobileads.blogspot.
ca/2012/09/mobile-friendly-sites-turn-visitors.html)
13. Hotel News Now: Business Travelers Going Rogue (http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.
aspx/7947/Business-travelers-going-rogue)
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