« Bleisure », did you say « bleisure?

How weird is that word! And for good reason, it is not in the dictionary, it is a portmanteau word born from the contraction of business and leisure. It refers to the integration of leisure time in a business travel: before, during or after. A portmanteau word to go on a business trip combining business with pleasure.

This concept is far from being new. It has been ages since business travelers grant themselves more relaxing and personal slots to visit the cities they are sent to or allow themselves to a spa, for example. What is new is the profile of the Bleisure members as well as the enthusiasm it provokes.

The Bleisure member is young, French and often accompanied

According to a study led by Carlson Wagonlit Travel, 20% of the business travelers regularly enjoy Bleisure today, which represents 7% of all the business travels. This number is stable since 2009, but the concept of Bleisure keeps gaining popularity. And the profile of the enthusiasts has changed — formerly enjoyed by leaders, more and more people under 30 now start to take part in it. The bleisure rate would reach 36% for the Millenials, against 18% for the 40-50 years old (Business and Travel Technology Study).

According to the website Déplacements Pro, Bleisure appeals more to women — 46% of them see it as a motivation to travel, against 31% of men — and more French people — during a business travel, 24% of the French are automatically enjoying it, against 20% of the German and 10% of the English.

Another phenomenon is that half of these French people are being accompanied or joined by a family member or their closer family for their Bleisure stay, paying for their extra days.

Business and tourism travel experts and hoteliers: how to seize this opportunity?

What do these business travelers do during this leisure time? 77% of them go on some touristic visits nearby, 66% discover the gastronomy, and 35% enjoy nightlife. All these elements create opportunities for business travel, tourism and hotel trade experts.

Here are some ideas to satisfy the 20% of bleisure members and to appeal the other 80%:

• Offer extra nights in hotels at a lower price, if the Saturday night is included, for example
• Offer the possibility to shift from a simple room to a larger room, even a family room, with no additional charges.
• Give discounts, only available in the weekend, to visit museums or other cultural sites, for nearby attractions entrances, or for beauty-care packages from partner beauty institutes.
• And especially for the hoteliers: don’t only promote the WiFi access or the co-working spaces, but also all the infrastructures such as sports room, swimming pool, jacuzzi, SPA, or navette services to go downtown, to the companies and their partners.

Many inexpensive initiatives to apply but likely to generate a lot of revenue!