Bleisure: A new approach for a new age

Bleisure has blurred the line between business and leisure travel, and at Meliá PRO we would like to explain what it is, what bleisure travellers are like, and the commitment we are making to this vital market segment.

What is “bleisure”?

With the increased prominence of teleworking and the emergence of new travel trends, bleisure is something that more and more business travellers are embracing, allowing them to enjoy hotels and destinations all over the world.

Gone are the days when people only travelled for business, stayed in hotels for one or more days and went home with the feeling of having done their duty.

Bleisure is the combination of 2 things: business + leisure. It is a trend in which business travellers combine their business travel objectives with leisure activities in the destination, the city and the hotel to enjoy a much more enriching travel experience.

Bleisure travellers therefore seek a balance between work obligations and personal enrichment.

At Meliá PRO we have always thought of travellers as individuals, people with their own particular needs, desires and objectives, and that’s why the distinction between a professional and personal profile should not be an obstacle for them to enjoy personal satisfaction while also doing their work.

For many years, our MeliáRewards loyalty programme has allowed its members to earn and use MeliáRewards points for both professional and personal travel, showing our commitment to a customer segment with a promising future in 2023

What are bleisure travellers like?

Bleisure travellers are restless and inquisitive by nature and have certain characteristics that allow the tourism industry to offer them products and services designed to satisfy their needs and enhance their experience to the highest level:

• Customer aged between 25 and 35 years old
• 38% make a trip every month
• Linked to finance and the pharmaceutical industry
• Normally travel alone, but often extend their stay to also book with their partner, family or friends
• Dynamic, interested in discovering local culture and experiences
• Allows the tourism industry to reduce seasonality
• Stays in both major cities and second-tier cities

What are bleisure travellers looking for?

A 2022 survey of global travellers by the American Hotel & Lodging Association found that 89% of respondents wanted to add some free time to their next business trip. Different studies give 3 key reasons for travellers to turn their business trips into bleisure experiences:

• The attractions in the destination and the experiences it offers. The most iconic destinations like New York, Madrid, Paris, Barcelona or Berlin are the most popular. But many other destinations are also developing their services for bleisure travellers, and public-private partnerships will play a fundamental role in developing destinations and promotions to attract the segment.
• The cost of adding a night or two to their stay. Loyalty programmes such as MeliáRewards also allow travellers to reduce the cost of extending their reservation by offering the possibility to use and buy loyalty programme points.
• The closer the weekend, the greater the probability the reservation will be extended. So an analysis of demand is essential, along with the ability to create interesting offers around the days closer to the weekend.

New Business Travellers Benefits & Rewards programme

At Meliá PRO we are well aware of the importance that the corporate travel segment has for the industry, and to allow a perfect combination with bleisure travel, we have designed a new product for business travellers.

This product allows business travellers who make their reservations in a certain way to get access to special benefits in a wide range of our city hotels.

These benefits include:

• Corporate discount of up to 25%, with a 10% discount guaranteed
• Personalised booking service
• Early check-in
• Priority check-in, access to a work area and premium Wi-Fi
• Complimentary bottle of water
• Vertical iron
• 10% discount on room service and restaurants
• Take-away breakfast

And with the possibility of also earning MeliáRewards points that allow them to enhance their experience and benefits.

Because travelling always brings benefits, whether it’s for work or pleasure.

The new Business Travellers Benefits & Rewards programme allows all bleisure travellers who book using their company code to earn MeliáRewards points for their business travel which they can use to book holidays or extend their stay.

We are firmly committed to bleisure travellers and this brings benefits for the travellers themselves, a financial benefit for the destination and a lower environmental impact as trips are extended or less trips are taken. That’s why we are committed to the development of a vital segment for the development of the travel industry.