10 Top Trends: Meet the New Business Traveler

The modern business model is in constant flux. Every day, another up-and-comer disrupts an industry and reinvents the way things are done. As the business landscape evolves, so does the business traveler. Pan Am is in the past and Palm Pilots are collectibles, but these new trends are redefining the modern business traveler.

1. Tech as a Necessity
   The first trend is no surprise, but reliance on new technologies is becoming more and more true. Imagine you’ve just arrived in a new city. You’d like to go check in and get settled at your hotel, but you don’t have a cell phone to map your route. You’d be stranded! Today’s travelers need cell phones to stay up to date on emails, be on time for meetings and to be entertained when the workda7 is done. Not only that, but frequent travelers also rely on apps for local recommendations, directions, expenses and more.
2. Social Media Networking
   If you want to laugh, ask a millennial what a Rolodex is. Exchanging business cards has become a formality since LinkedIn and smartphones made connecting easier. Of course, face-to-face interactions are still the most effective way to make an impression, but a surprising amount of networking is happening over electronic channels.
3. The “Bleisure” Boom
   Traveling for work used to be inconvenient, nothing more. Today, life on the road is filled with possibilities. Business travelers are embracing opportunities to explore new cities when they travel for work. They happily squeeze local landmarks and experiences around work hours and even add a few days to the beginning or end of a trip to turn their business into leisure. This is especially easy to do when you book your travel with Best Western Rewards. Business travelers earn points for every stay, which can be used to add free nights to their work trips in more than 100 countries worldwide.
4. Office Sharing
   Companies like WeWork are changing the way people work on the road. Collaborative spaces and private meeting rooms can now be found in every major city. It’s a powerful way to meet like-minded business people and to fuel your creativity.
5. Where’s the Wi-Fi?
   Like flies to a light bulb, travelers never buzz too far from a hotspot. Luckily, high-speed internet is a free amenity at every Best Western Hotels & Resorts location around the world. Business travelers are able to work from the comfort of their room while they prep for the big pitch.
6. Embrace Local Experiences
   When you travel for business, it can be tempting to eat at familiar chain restaurants or see the latest blockbuster hit at the theater. But, more and more, business travelers are taking the opportunity to discover local favorites and to find entertainment unique to the city they are visiting. Ask the front desk staff at your hotel for a recommendation and make the most of your visit.
7. No More Notebook of Receipts
   Electronic expense report apps are making the whole process of corporate business travel much, much easier. Simply take a photo of your receipt and log it right away. When you get home, submitting your reimbursements will be as easy as hitting “send.”
8. Brand Loyalty is Paying Off
   Hotel and travel loyalty programs are making business travel feel like an investment strategy. In fact, points earning has become a hobby all on its own. Travelers are finding new and creative ways to earn points for everything they do on the road. Even better, business travelers can earn points for company-funded trips, which can be redeemed later for leisure travel with friends or family. Best Western Rewards offers the most value with rewards points that never expire and can be used at more than 4,200 locations worldwide.
9. Goodbye, Necktie
   If you feel like there are less business travelers at airports than in recent years, you’re wrong. Business travel is alive and thriving, but those travelers are dressing down from the traditional suit and tie. Formal wear is no longer a requisite for many client meetings. In fact, some millennial business owners encourage more casual attire. The entrepreneurial attitude of many young business travelers may have been driven by their desire to abandon the necktie in the first place.
10. At Home on the Road
    If you were home, you’d probably be binge-watching a show right now. So, why not do the same back at your hotel. Free Wi-Fi makes it possible for you crush at least 4-5 episodes of your favorite show per night, just like you would at home.

Business travelers Go. Get. Rewarded. when they sign up for free with Best Western Rewards. Earn points that never expire on your first trip and on every stay after that. If you have elite status with another hotel loyalty program, Best Western Rewards will match that status immediately, giving you access to special discounts, additional points and more.