2015 Travel Trends
With 2014 ending on a high note, the travel industry anticipated 2015 would be a record breaking year for business travel. The Global Business Travel Association reported business travel spending to increase 6.2% this year to an estimated $310.2 billion this year. Global business travel is anticipated to continue to grow after an increase of 6% in 2014.
Other interesting travel trends emerging in 2015:
- Increased Overhead Space: Alaska Airlines will be the first to unveil the newly designed 737 overhead space bins sometime this year. The bins will increase the bin capacity by 49% while sitting 2 inches lower to make it easier to hoist luggage into the bins.
- Less Taxi Services: Certify reported an increase of 20% in business travelers expensing Uber or Lyft instead of taxi services.
- Wearable Technology: The Apple Watch is expected to be a must-have accessory for 7% of road warriors due to features including vibrating wrist notifications, navigation and mapping features, ability to sync with a Starwood Hotel room key, and the ability to sync with many popular travel apps including TripAdvisor and Expedia, meaning you could potentially book a hotel room from your wrist.
- In-flight Networking: Virgin Atlantic reported in Skift.com’s MegaTrend report that 1 in 5 business travelers participate in networking at 35,000 feet and that number is expected to increase thanks to programs like KLM’s Meet and Seat and Delta’s Innovation Class Program.
- Improved Hotel Amenities: Hotels are working hard to improve guest experience with increasing amenities such as free WiFi, free breakfast, healthier food choices, and improved in-room technology.
- Catering to Millennials: Millennials are traveling more than any other age group and, as a result, hotels are catering to them. Marriott is leading the way with the Moxy Hotels brand that features smaller rooms, lower rates, and larger social spaces. Currently, there is a Moxy hotel open in Milan and one in Manhattan, with 8 more expected to open in other large US cities.
Hudson Group (aka Hudson News) created this infographic to highlight some emerging travel trends for 2015.
Business Travel Life
Business Travel Life is an online resource supporting the road warrior lifestyle. We give business travelers the tools they need to maintain their wellness and productivity when traveling. The topics we cover include business travel tips, travel workouts, healthy travel hacks, travel products, general travel tips, and industry trends. Our goal is to make business travel a healthier experience – and to make healthy travel practices more accessible to all road warriors.
