From a riverboat to sleeping on a construction site, business people globally report that business travel is not always plain sailing
Research has revealed that it is not all five star hotels and a life of luxury when it comes to business travel, with levels of accommodation spanning from mud huts to fairy-tale castles. Over 44,000 respondents from more than 100 countries were asked about the strangest accommodation they have had to stay in whilst on a business trip and the results suggest that businesses are none too concerned about providing employees with fluffy pillows and a good night’s sleep.The Global Business Travel Association reports that business travel is expected to increase 6.2 per cent by the end of 2015, with an estimated 490.4 million trips being taken, but this latest research reveals that across the globe, business people are not always treated to luxury accommodation. All too often they report having to make do with airport lounges and train stations and sometimes far stranger locations such as a former prison and a 40-man tent!
The top 10 strangest overnight accommodation locations are:
– A barge
– A brick shed
– A broom cupboard
– A bowling ally
– A wooden shack in Asia
– A castle
– A container in the middle of a jungle
– A nuclear bunker
– A horse trailer
– A client’s construction site
Whilst many complain about red eye flights, sleeping in cars, and sharing accommodation with colleagues, one respondent reports staying in a donkey and horse sanctuary after ‘a security alert closed his hotel’. Another adaptable traveller had no option other than a youth hostel. He wasn’t offered a bed, but at least he had ‘a mattress in the broom cupboard.’ Despite the smell of ‘polish and cleaning products’ he reports to have slept pretty well.
Celia Donne, Global Operations Director at Regus, comments: “Business travel continues to prove popular with face-to-face meetings remaining an important part of customer or client relations. Business people, however, do not always experience the luxury service that is usually associated with such trips. Whilst more adventurous employees may thrive off staying the night battling the elements in a tropical jungle, many will find it hard talk business the next morning.
“Just as workers need a suitable professional work environment to be productive, most also need a solid night’s sleep. With more and more people working on the move, businesses wanting to maintain high productivity among their employees need to ensure they provide an all-round professional experience.”