Who
knew that Nordic business travelers feel most fervently about
climate control in hotel rooms and that U.K. and French road
warriors are the most adamant about taking family members on
business trips?
These tidbits and
others emerged from the American Express Business Travel Loves and
Hates 2007 survey.
The survey traced
corporate travelers' pet peeves and favorite things about business
travel.
Seventy percent of
French and 67% of German business travelers were the most
"aggrieved by having an uncomfortable bed," the survey
found.
The top five hotel
turn-offs for business travelers were dirty bedrooms (66%),
uncomfortable beds and bad odors (both 63%), faulty
air-conditioning or heating (52%) and lack of an Internet
connection in the room (48%).
Sixty-three percent
said they considered it of prime importance that they be able to
change their travel plans by telephone 24/7, and 58% saw value in
the ability to do so online.
Regarding the perks
of business travel, almost a third of survey respondents rated the
ability to add a leisure component to their trips as a plus. French
respondents (44%) were especially enthusiastic about adding some
leisure travel, the survey said.
The survey found that
business travel is nothing to brag about: Only 14% said that the
status of business trips is important.
"This suggests that
for the most part, the notion of business travel being a luxury or
the preserve of the elite is outdated," according to the survey.
"Casually mentioning to colleagues that you will be in Tokyo and
Bangalore this week and then in Milan next week perhaps does not
carry the cachet it once did."