Consulting Magazine - August 2018

TravelAdvisory Consulting® AUGUST 2018 23

Overall,
205
consultants
took our annual
Best Places
to Stay
survey in the
Spring of 2018.

<$10M

$10M to $50M

$50M to $250M

$250M to $1B

$1B to $10B
>$10B
Financial Services
Health Care
Energy
High Tech
Manufacturing
Public Sector
Retail
Other
<100 consultants
101 to 1,000 consultants
> 10,001 consultants

FIRM
SIZE
FIRM
REVENUE
INDUSTRY
FOCUS
WHO
TOOK THE SURVEY?

21%
18%
24%
15%
17%
7%
8%
6%
19%
21%
20%
18%
13%
18%
20%
16%
20%
14%
18%

CEO/Managing Director Director/Senior Partner Partner/Vice President Manager/Senior Manager Consultant

ty programs, Marriott, once again, takes the top spot with Hilton edging Starwood for the second spot. Those results were unchanged from last year’s survey. And when it comes to Wi-Fi, no one wants to pay for it anymore with a whopping 98 percent expecting Wi-Fi to be free. Typically, it is—especially for a brand’s loyalty club members.

Staying a little bit longer? When the stay is extended—that is travel lasting a few consecutive weeks or more—the quality of accommodations is the first priority with price being second. Meanwhile, loyalty programs, location and company travel policy round out the Top 5. When it comes to specific extended stay brands Marriott finished first overall in the survey, while Starwood, Hilton, Oak-wood Worldwide and BridgeStreet rounded out the top five.

I BELIEVE I CAN FLY

A vast majority of the trips consultants take begin and end at the airport. And let’s face it: There’s no shortage of horror stories— consultants shared plenty in the open-ended questions on the survey—and bad press about airlines and passengers’ behavior.

So, when it comes to air travel, which carriers do the best job and which do consultants prefer? Well, for starters, it would be helpful if a consultant had some steady clients in Alaska as flying Alaska Air brought about the most satisfaction from consultants. Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic and Delta round out the Top 5

And in terms of choosing that
airline, Price is—far and away—the
top consideration for consultants
with 53 percent saying it is the top
priority. Corporate travel policy is
a pretty distant second, followed by
change fees. Baggage fees and fuel
surcharges, which seem to keep
being added but never taken away,
round out the Top 5, although the
bottom two barely even register.

BABY YOU CAN DRIVE MY CAR

While an automobile isn’t always necessary, they are often a big part of the travel experience. This year, National repeats in the No. 1 spot while Hertz, Avis, Enterprise and Dollar round out the Top 5.

And when it comes to choosing the right car, Price is the biggest indicator at 32 percent, while Ease of Check-In, Check-Out comes in a close second at 29 percent. This year, Car Availability leapfrogs Corporate Travel Policy in terms of importance. Meanwhile, those annoying fuel surcharges aren’t keeping anyone awake at night.