I love traveling by train. There’s just something about it. It’s a hell of a lot more productive than driving (duh), as I can bang out personal and professional work during the commute. It’s way more convenient than air travel, as there is less downtime while on the train (between not having to turn off electronics with take-off and landing), not having to wait endlessly in the terminal or during connections, not having to walk for miles within the airport itself, blah blah blah. And, let’s not mention the biggest attraction: the bar food car. Or, better yet, what about the fact that on a train, they don’t make you dump your flasks liquids out before boarding.

Having said that, I’m in favor of Biden’s recent announcement that the Obama administration will dedicate another $8 billion toward high-speed rail in the proposed U.S. federal budget. It doesn’t sit well with some, as opinions are flying concerning the budget being spread to thinly across the U.S., instead of focusing on the highly congested northeast corridor.  I can see their point — I’m from New York, and the first decade of my professional career was spent on mass transportation throughout this corridor. And, it IS congested alright.

Some of these high-speed rails will run at average speeds between 125 and 250 miles per hour.  I wouldn’t mind being on a comfy train car, banging away at my laptop, going that fast. I just hope they will use some of those billions of dollars making the Amtrak stations not seem (or smell) so ghetto. I mean, are they trying to attract business people and families, or have them hold on for dear life to their computer bags (or small children) while waiting to board the fast track?

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Talk about creative and cool! This story should serve as a great inspiration for corporate housing owners and hoteliers everywhere.

If you’ve stayed as many places as I have while traveling on business, the same cookie cutter hotels and corporate housing units get pretty dull and uninspiring after a while. I don’t know, I guess I would probably never even consider staying in an igloo for any reason beyond pure desperation, but these little guys look pretty cool. 

So if you’re looking for a little inspiration for your corporate housing properties in the coming year, you’ll want to spend a few moments looking right here.  If not for anything but pure fun or wishing on a holiday star.  You may just find some interesting ideas here to transform how you view your accommodations and your clients in the year to come!

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If you’re flying on these three airlines this holiday season–AirTran, Delta and Virgin America — you’ll be receiving an unexpected little gift.  You’ll be able to access Wi-Fi absolutely free.

Google Chrome says it will partner with the three carriers to offer free “Gogo Wi-Fi” on domestic flights through Jan. 2, 2011.

That means you’ll be able to conduct research, write and send information ahead while you fly, no down-time, no spotty service.  That’s just one less hassle—and a big one at that—to deal with over the holidays. Talk about lowering stress levels.

According to David Cush, president and CEO of Virgin America, in-flight Wi-Fi is a key factor with travelers who book tickets with his airline. “We saw a jump in the number of guests logging on after last year’s free Wi-Fi gift,” Cush said in a statement, adding he expects another increase this year. “Once people try Wi-Fi at 35,000 feet they rarely go back.”

I concur.

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A new survey from Deloitte says business travelers are gladly anticipating an increase in corporate travel next year, which should translate into a welcome boost in customer demand for hospitality and travel.

In fact, by the end of 2011, 80% of the business travelers surveyed predicted that they will take more or at the minimum the same number of business trips as they did in 2010, with almost the same number of respondents (79%) saying that they will also spend more or the same.

When queried about how they think their 2010 travel levels would net out, the majority of the survey respondents (71%) said they would also take more or the same number of business trips. Only 29% of business travelers expected less travel in 2010.

I have to agree.  I am sensing renewed optimism out there among my colleagues and friends.  The current economy is certainly not perfect, but it is improving in some important ways and the changes in perceptions regarding business travel and corporate housing are proving this theory out.So nice to be at the end of the year for a change and seeing light beaming in from the new year.  Goodbye, abyss!

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According to the results of a new survey produced by Amadeus, a leading technology partner for the travel industry, hotels must become “living innovation laboratories.”

By 2020 Amadeus suggests that the travel industry will change in the following ways:

• 79 per cent agreed ‘heavy investment in emerging tourism markets will widen traveler choice, increase competition and potentially drive down prices and profit margins across the spectrum of hotels’.
• 71 per cent felt ’traveller motivations will become increasingly fragmented and diverse and harder to segment into clearly definable customer groupings’
• 92 per cent believe ‘hotel guests will expect their stay to be personalized around a set of choices they make at the time of booking or prior to arrival’.
• 86 per cent think ‘customers will have the ability to choose the size of room, type of bed, amenities, audio-visual facilities, business equipment, etc. on booking and pay accordingly’.
• 96 per cent expect that ‘in the face of intense global competition, the hotel industry will develop a strong focus on strategy and innovation – adopting approaches such as crowd sourcing and open innovation to generate new ideas.’
• 97 per cent believe ‘hotels will increasingly consider factors such as cost of servicing, level of spend and average length of stay when targeting potential customers in different geographic markets.
• 95 per cent think ‘hotels will increasingly look to new technologies to drastically increase efficiency, reduce costs, personalize the customer experience and improve service’.
• 96 per cent agreed that ‘hotels will need to develop strong social media ‘listening skills’ to understand how customer needs and perceptions of brands and service quality are truly evolving and to develop service propositions, marketing messages, and pricing solutions that reflect the needs of an increasingly diverse customer base.’
• 78 per cent expect ‘global hotel groups will increasingly seek to cover the full spectrum from budget through to luxury and heritage properties.’
• 81 per cent felt ‘hotels will increasingly experiment with a range of business models.

What do you think of these findings?  How do you think this will impact corporate housing and the hotel industry?

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Well, not a huge surprise, but it appears mobile phones and personal communications devices continue to expand their scope and utility in every day life.

Now guests of a Stockholm hotel will be using mobile phones instead of keys to unlock the doors to their suites.

According to reports, the world’s largest maker of door locks, Assa Abloy AB has launched a pilot with Clarion Hotel Stockholm in which they will lend their guests mobile phones with close-range radio chips installed, similar to the new devices being used for contact-less payments at gas stations.

The test will involve asking repeat visitors during a four-month trial to check in using their phones before prior to their arrival, and to have their phones then activated as “keys.” Using this technology, they will then be able to skip the registration desk and unlock the door to their guest room by holding the phone next to the entry point.

The short-range radio technology, aka “Near Field Communication,” is expected to be built into smart phones over the next several years. ‘Near Field Communication’ is also expected to be offered for ticketing and card payments.

We’ll keep you posted on how the test will turn out.  There are lots of questions, good and bad that I would have.  It’s great if you use your phone for a lot of different tasks, but would it too easy for a less than honorable fellow guest or employee to get in on the same frequency with their own phone?  How will security be ensured?  Stay tuned to The Corporate Housing Network blog for the latest.

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According to a recently released survey by business management specialists KDS, about half of all business travel is just not worth the time and money.

The company surveyed what most marketers would consider a very small sample of 164 travel buyers and business travelers, and found that 51% admitted some of their business trips were probably not worth the hours away from the office or the cost involved.

In fact, 55% of survey respondents acknowledged that on several occasions they would have questioned the relevance of business trips if they had been fully aware in advance what the total cost would be, including travel, accommodations and other expenses.

First, a grain of salt.  These are business management consultants who sell tools to track these expenses, so their findings aren’t a huge surprise.  But I do believe that the economy we are currently crawling out of is bringing with it a growing sense of caution along with a desire to not ever return to some of the dark days we’ve all seen. 

That said, we all have to make a living and return to some sense of normalcy.  Perhaps as corporate housing professionals we should consider this information as a blessing, and use it to guide our decisions, and make sure they are rock solid.  To be certain our current and potential clients will utilize the services or amenities we plan to offer them.

That’s the way I am planning on approaching the current economy and all of its lessons.  I am going to make sure my time, effort and money are all being invested wisely.  I don’t want any more bumps, not if I can avoid them. 

What’s your take?  How do you plan to approach your business in 2011?

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Some good news for corporate housing owners and professionals. Business travelers who hit the road in 2011 can expect airfares and hotel rates to increase by an average of 10%, according to a forecast released last week by American Express Business Travel, the corporate travel division of American Express.

The primary piece of good news in the forecast was that rental-car rates will likely remain about the same because of increased competition and a large inventory of rental cars.

The forecast itself is based on price predictions for airline tickets, hotels and car rental rates for more than 500 cities worldwide.

Even though more businesses are expected to send their employees to business meetings next year, meeting planners will be doing everything they can to make it cheaper to attend by hosting less-expensive conferences with significantly pared-down amenities, according to American Express Business Travel.

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The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) Foundation’s new Business Travel Quarterly Outlook says U.S. -originated business travel spending–including for accommodations like corporate housing–is expected to grow 3.8 percent this year over 2009, despite projections that economic and business travel growth will slow through the second half of 2010.  The new Business Travel Quarterly Outlook also found that business travel will continue to advance by 6.7 percent and 6.9 percent for 2011 and 2012.

The report shows that the total number of U.S. business trips saw a sharp decline of 15.6 percent during the recession from 511 million trips in 2007 to 431 million in 2010.

The decline was driven in large part by the drop in transient business travel, comprising 60 percent of the total, as a result of tighter travel management, shorter trips, and the use of technological travel alternatives. However, through 2012, transient travel is expected to advance 31 percent as the economy continues to recover and travel restrictions are lifted.

To learn more about the report’s findings, click here .

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Today, every business traveler and corporate housing professional knows that carrying an app-loaded phone can transform everything we do, from planning a trip to making our way around a new city, to finding the best places to eat and shop in our off hours. In fact, we’ve all become so dependent upon these apps that we can barely make a move without them—whether we are near or far from home.

At present the iPhone leads the pack with over 200,000 apps and titles. But its competitors are quickly making progress. At last check, Google’s Android Market had about 60,000 programs. And my beloved BlackBerry is close behind with more than 10,000—and counting. And then there’s the iPad (I have one of these, too). It’s not a smart phone, but it’s still a versatile and gorgeous e-reader that’s just waiting to take apps to a place that’s even more mainstream.  Ahh, the iPad.

Because of their growing popularity, the folks at Travel & Leisure decided it was high time to put together a report on the top apps and why they’re so great (and they are).  Take a look and see if yours ranks, and what else might be out there for you to try before you hit the road again.

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