Holidaymakers vs business travellers
Posted: Fri May 06, 2016 3:02 pm
For no obvious reason or action on our part, we have started to attract enquiries and bookings from business travelers as well as the usual holidaymakers.
The business travelers have been mostly professional types eg, locum doctors and dentists, lecturers, etc. We've even had maths teachers from China, sponsored by the Dept of Education - they were on some sort of swap with local teachers.
We've also had enquiries from UK and overseas contractors, which I have to say I am less keen to encourage.
One thing i have noticed is that some business travelers are more keen to treat the accommodation like an hotel, yet may seek to book for a week or two. So i have to stress upon them that the T&Cs require that, from a cleanliness/tidy perspective, they must leave the property as they found it when they arrived, or I have the right to retain their security deposit as payment for additional cleaning time.
I have to say there is also the feeling, as yet unwarranted, that the property will be less well cared for by business travelers.
What do you think? Do you actively seek to attract business travelers? What downsides or differences have you noticed versus holidaymakers? What other risks should I be considering? Do you think this market is an opportunity or an unhelpful diversion from the core holidaymaker market?
The business travelers have been mostly professional types eg, locum doctors and dentists, lecturers, etc. We've even had maths teachers from China, sponsored by the Dept of Education - they were on some sort of swap with local teachers.
We've also had enquiries from UK and overseas contractors, which I have to say I am less keen to encourage.
One thing i have noticed is that some business travelers are more keen to treat the accommodation like an hotel, yet may seek to book for a week or two. So i have to stress upon them that the T&Cs require that, from a cleanliness/tidy perspective, they must leave the property as they found it when they arrived, or I have the right to retain their security deposit as payment for additional cleaning time.
I have to say there is also the feeling, as yet unwarranted, that the property will be less well cared for by business travelers.
What do you think? Do you actively seek to attract business travelers? What downsides or differences have you noticed versus holidaymakers? What other risks should I be considering? Do you think this market is an opportunity or an unhelpful diversion from the core holidaymaker market?