This text is part of the special Business Tourism section
After a few years of scarcity, the hotel industry is getting back on its feet and looking to the future. If its occupancy rates are gradually rising towards pre-pandemic levels, the becare changes and establishments adapt.
“The pandemic has caused many people to adopt teleworking,” notes Véronyque Tremblay, president and CEO of the Association Hôtellerie du Québec (AHQ). It’s changing the way people travel for business and what they look for in a property. »
This results in particular in the hybridization of activities within the same stay, a phenomenon called in English “bleisure”, a portmanteau word for business And leisureor “workation”, a portmanteau for work And holiday.
“People who are going to come to a hotel in a professional context would not want to always be in their room within four walls,” emphasizes M.me Tremblay. They are looking for common places to have a coffee or meet other people, as well as establishments that will offer different leisure activities. »
Gone is the era of the “business center” offered by some hotels, which consisted of an office equipped with a single computer connected to the Internet and a printer.
Congresses have also evolved. “People’s attention is shorter than before,” notes Véronyque Tremblay. The organizers will incorporate leisure activities and experiences throughout the work sessions. We are going to take advantage of the fact that we are leaving the virtual world to experience something else. »
This phenomenon, however, is nothing new, adds the president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Greater Montreal, Dominique Villeneuve. “These are not drastic changes, hotels are constantly adapting to the needs of their customers. Everything is constantly rethought,” she says.
Maximize spaces
M’s findingsme Tremblay join those of the researcher of the tourism monitoring network of the Transat Tourism Chair of ESG-UQAM, Élisabeth Sirois, who, in a review published last month, observed “a transformation of the hotel park which relies on proposals more varied, but above all competitive.
Describing this new model as a “hybrid hotel”, Mme Sirois lists the amenities that are now essential: shared work spaces, relaxation areas, catering services, reception areas and event spaces capable of hosting gatherings.
“The primary objective [des hôteliers] is to maximize the use of different spaces. This approach is designed to diversify sources of income and reduce dependence on the sale of overnight stays,” writes the research professional.
If she lists a few cases recorded around the world, mainly in Europe where the trend has been established for a longer time, Mme Sirois gives as an example the Quebec chain of Hyvi hotels, which currently includes the Hôtel Chicoutimi and the Auberge des Iles, both in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. There, the rooms can be used for accommodation or for holding business meetings. The rooms are in fact modular and convertible according to the needs of the customers, optimizing their short-term rental or for longer stays.
Elsewhere in the province, several establishments have invested in recent months to follow the movement.
An opportunity to seize
These industry transformations reflect the trends observed by the Quebec Ministry of Tourism in the 2023-2026 Business Tourism Action Plan. Among these trends, we note the concern to limit the ecological footprint of travel, the pairing of business and leisure trips, as well as the search for personalized experiences and the consideration of well-being and preferences. participants in the organization of these experiences.
So business tourism is now more profitable than leisure tourism, indicates Véronyque Tremblay.
” THE [touristes d’affaires] spend twice as much as leisure tourists. They spend more on restaurants, accommodation, visiting attractions and in shops,” she says.
For hoteliers, the hybridization of clienteles represents an opportunity to be seized. “It can be very interesting to attract business customers and offer them the opportunity to extend their stay by offering them different activities and to encourage them to come back,” continues M.me Tremblay.
Such an approach can make the difference for many establishments, whose season is extended or which will now count on traffic over four seasons.
“This is what we hope: that people who come for business take advantage of their stay to visit museums, eat in restaurants, and that they stay a little longer,” says Mme Villeneuve.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Dutyrelating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.