Hotels are targeting a new customer: the business traveler. All across the country, hotels are seeing a decline in occupancy rates by as much as 95%. The one constant in the plummeting rates is the business traveler. A company paid trip is ideal, but hotels are offering deals for after the paperwork and required meetings are over. Guests are invited to spend an extra night or two to enjoy a Broadway show in New York or to tour studios in Burbank, California.
Hotel executives hope to turn the business traveler into a leisure traveler in one visit. Innovative packages such as “romantic getaways” “girlfriend getaways” and “family staycations” are rolling out. These incentives are definitely unusual approaches to increase bookings. For instance, the Hilton Anatole in Dallas is a popular, longtime convention site for Mary Kay Cosmetics professionals and the American Association of Dental Research. The hotel is now shifting gears to offer a “Family Summer Staycation” starting at $299 a night, with a daily breakfast for four, an in room movie with popcorn and a trip to the Dallas Museum of Art. The hotel will be opening a spa in November.
Las Vegas luxury hotels like the Wynn and the Bellagio are tantalizing guests with tickets to a headlining show this summer and coupons if they book an extra night.
The Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel, Burbank California
Literally minutes away from the Bob Hope Airport, this hotel is popular with entertainment executives. The Marriott is adding packages for studio tours at Warner Brothers and Universal, as well as theme park tickets. In a move to entice the business traveler to stay the weekend, the hotel is offering a special $99 a night weekend rate.
The Gaylord Opry Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee
Most guests stay at this hotel as business travelers. However, Nashville is home of country music and the Grand Ole Opry stage. The hotel is offering an “All American Country Getaway” package that includes a riverboat cruise and tickets to shows at the Grand Ole Opry. Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, Amy Atkinson reports these packages are “going like gangbusters.”
The New Orleans French Quarter Marriott, Louisiana
This hotel now boasts thirteen incentive packages, an increase from last year’s four packages. The cuisine and culture of New Orleans is intrinsically bound in offerings such as the “Escape! Weekend Dining.” Guests receive a $50 credit for dining in the hotel or room service. There is also a “Voluntourism Getaway” package starting at $159 where $50 of this reservation cost is donated to Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild homes around the city. Finally there’s the “Gal Pal Getaway” where guests are provided a coupon book with over $250 worth of savings in shopping and dining. The package also includes a 10% discount at Macy’s.
Diana Ogilvie - Travel is in Diana's DNA. On any given weekend (or week day) she is jetting out of the New York area for a new travel adventure. Her ...
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