Get Your Rental Ready for Guests Who Work on Vacation
Readying your vacation rental for the return of business travelers is an effective way to fill up your calendar during the less busy vacation months.
Please note, Modern Innkeeper isn’t talking about those who need a workspace while on vacation, but, rather, those who are traveling for business.
COVID-19 restrictions becoming more lax have prompted business travel’s comeback. Hospitalitynet.org proved this when it shared the Global Business Travel Association’s findings from a February 2022 survey. Statistics like non-essential domestic business travel increasing to 73 percent in February 2022 prove it’s picking up momentum.
To show business travelers your property can accommodate them, make sure your vacation rental’s guest experience embraces the latest and greatest term in our industry: bleisure.
What is Bleisure?
Bleisure is a merging of business and leisure travel, per Fortune. Essentially, it’s a new approach to traveling for business that allows for more of a work-life balance. Some important details about travelers who practice bleisure are:
● Their companies may allow them to extend their trips so they can enjoy the “leisure” part of bleisure.
● Friends and family members may be part of bleisure trips.
● Bleisure travelers and digital nomads are not the same: bleisure travelers are traveling for work and digital nomads travel while they work.
Understanding these key aspects will help you attract this type of traveler to your vacation rental.
5 Ways to Make Your Property a Bleisure Destination
Because your bleisure guests are going to be dabbling in both work and play, it’s important you prepare your property and their trip’s itinerary for both.
Activities for Friends and Family Members
Since bleisure may include guests who are not working, your vacation rental needs to occupy them while their family member or friend is. Three ways to keep them entertained are:
● Providing what they need to play garden games
● Leaving them with bicycles so they can ride around town
● Bringing the big screen to your living room
The more your non-working guests have to do, the more fun they will have.
Focus on Wellness
After a hard day’s work, guests will want to recharge their batteries. Traditionally, during work trips, guests would do this at their hotel’s spa, but you run a vacation rental, not a hotel.
However, there are still several ways you can help guests with their wellness:
● Have plants with health benefits
● Add Japanese Zen Garden elements to your property
● Create harmony by decorating your interior with the right colors and trends
● Hang a hammock to enhance their focus and boost their mood
Total relaxation after a long day may be what guests need to enjoy the leisure part of their bleisure trip.
Refine Your Workspace
Traveling for business often includes meetings, conferences, etc., but your guests may want to do some last-minute prep or finish a task before calling it a night. Make sure you dedicate an area for this.
Recommend Places to Unwind
No matter how much time you’ve spent making your property the place to be, sometimes guests have to satisfy their urge to get out in order to forget about work and enjoy those they’re traveling with.
Whether it’s a hike with breathtaking views or a bar with good drinks and even better vibes, make sure guests know where to go when they need to unwind.
Tell Them About Tourist Activities
Similar to recommending guests places to unwind, people who work on vacation may also want to do some tourist activities when they don’t have any business obligations. Sightseeing or visiting a historical landmark are just two outings they can enjoy alone or with family and friends.
Let them know which are worth seeing, and give them more reason to bleisure at your property.
Embrace the Bleisure, Enhance the Experience
The more guests you can make your vacation rental appeal to, the busier your calendar will be. See what you can do to make business travelers who bleisure want to stay at your property every time they come to town.