Sustainability is among the least important factors influencing accommodation choice for business travellers, and half never or rarely take environmental considerations into account when making a booking, according to a new BCD Travel hotel survey, released on Thursday (7 August).

Just 3 per cent of respondents indicated they take sustainability into consideration when selecting accommodation for a business trip. The top factors influencing choice were location (77 per cent), their employer¡¯s policy (56 per cent) and price (53 per cent).?

Hotel brand and loyalty programme membership each influence decisions for 31 per cent of respondents, with 80 per cent of business travellers stating they belong to hotel loyalty programmes. Two-thirds of respondents said they often or always choose hotels aligned with their loyalty memberships.

BCD in May surveyed 1,035 business travellers across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific who had travelled for business within the past 12 months. Forty-one per cent of respondents are based in Europe.

¡°Hotels may not be the primary driver of carbon emissions in a travel programme, but they¡¯re still an essential part of a holistic sustainability strategy,¡± said April Bridgeman, senior vice president of hotel solutions at BCD Travel.

¡°Travellers often don¡¯t consider sustainability when shopping for hotels because most booking tools lack strong sustainability guidance in that category. We advise clients to embed sustainability into their annual hotel sourcing exercise and then clearly communicate expectations and targets back to travellers to help them make better choices.¡±

Indeed, only one in five business travellers said they look for features like eco-certification, reduced single-use plastics, low carbon emissions, water-saving measures or limited housekeeping when booking accommodation.

The findings are similar to those from BCD¡¯s air travel survey, conducted last August, where only 4 per cent of respondents indicated they take sustainability into consideration when booking flights.

Traveller satisfaction

About two-thirds of respondents are either somewhat satisfied (44 per cent) or extremely satisfied (26 per cent) with their employer's hotel policy, with 11 per cent either somewhat or extremely dissatisfied.?

This tracks with satisfaction levels with the choice of available accommodation providers: 42 per cent are somewhat satisfied and 27 per cent extremely satisfied, while 12 per cent are somewhat or extremely dissatisfied.

A third of respondents reported experiencing no challenges during the booking process. Among those who did, the biggest challenge is insufficient rate limits set by employers (27 per cent).

Safety, however, remains a concern for business travellers. Three in 10 respondents reported feeling unsafe in their hotel location while travelling for business and 68 per cent said they double-lock the door to their hotel room.

Additional points of friction during a hotel stay included slow wifi (51 per cent), breakfast not included in the rate (41 per cent), outdated rooms and uncomfortable beds (both 40 per cent).

Booking patterns

Most business travellers (78 per cent) use their company¡¯s online booking tool to search for accommodation, while a third turn to hotel websites or apps. When booking, 84 per cent use their company¡¯s OBT, 19 per cent book directly via supplier websites, and 9 per cent call the hotel directly.

Most bookings (88 per cent) are made on a desktop or laptop, while 10 per cent are made via a mobile device. The most common form of payment is a corporate credit card (77 per cent), while 14 per cent of travellers use their personal cards. Virtual cards were only used by 1 per cent of respondents.

Accommodation patterns

Approximately half (51 per cent) of business travellers spend one night in a hotel during international business trips, while this figure rises to 55 per cent for domestic trips. Just over 20 per cent of travellers stay four to six nights on international trips, with 10 per cent staying between seven and 13 nights. For domestic journeys, 32 per cent stay two to three nights, and 10 per cent remain for four to six nights.

Most travellers (62 per cent) choose midscale or upscale hotels (53 per cent) for business trips. Travellers who sometimes use apartments reported that this type of accommodation is preferred for longer stays, as it offers additional space and facilities for meal preparation and laundry.