Business Travelers are Moving Again, but Frugally

After an economic slump that put the brakes on business travel, the corporate world appears to be redeploying workers again to attend out-of-town meetings, conferences and conventions. But business travelers are hitting the road with a mind to pinch pennies by flying coach, cutting back on meals and even sharing hotel rooms with colleagues, according to a new survey of 700 business travelers nationwide. The survey, released last week by Embassy Suites Hotels, found that 71% of travelers say they have changed their business travel habits because of the continuing economic woes. To save money, 29% of the travelers surveyed said they fly only coach, while 27% said they are cutting back on meals and other expenses. Meanwhile, 24% of business travelers said they are now booking hotel rooms that their companies consider a good value, and 17% said they try to share a room with a colleague. John Lee, Embassy Suites' vice president for marketing, said the survey results mirror business trends at his hotel chain. "Over the past 15 months we've seen a softening on the business traveler side of the mix while the leisure traveler contribution, especially on weekends, has remained steady for us," he said. "Good news is, we are currently seeing a steady uptick in business travelers."


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