A survey was conducted between 23 March and 8 April 2016, among 1,005 small business travellers’ aged 25-65 and shows business travellers from small companies believe it is more time-consuming and difficult to book – and that they pay more for travel – compared with larger firms.
The study from the hotel group IHG conducted by Kelton Global, using an e-mail invitation and an online survey, found a third of business travellers from small businesses feel they are not treated as well those from larger companies.
More than half of small businesses don’t have a travel policy the study showed but, to help keep costs down, nevertheless are still careful to choose the most cost-effective option.
The downside however, is the cost in time which is high. On average SMEs take as many as nine different steps just to book a hotel: visits to hotel websites will take an average of three times before picking the right place.
According to the survey, at 56 percent, the top pain point for business trips is the stress of travel itself. While almost 100 percent of small business travellers believe there are perks to be had from their business trips, they often have to deal with a lot of planning and stress when booking.