Mixing Business with Pleasure

Sydney, 26 May 2003 – According to online accommodation provider Flairview Travel, the line distinguishing the corporate from the consumer traveller is becoming increasingly blurred and it’s causing corporate travel patterns to change.

To make corporate travel arrangements as well as holidays many business travellers use websites such as Flairview’s own HotelClub.com.au and RatesToGo.com. HotelClub is Australia’s largest online accommodation provider with over 6,000 hotels in 750 cities offering hotel bookings up to 12 months ahead. RatesToGo offers bookings up to three weeks in advance (similar sites offer 14 days in advance) with over 1,300 places of accommodation, ranging from two to five star hotels, in 200 cities across 13 countries.

RatesToGo users are increasingly booking for both leisure and business travel. The immediacy and super cheap deals on RatesToGo appeal to many business travellers as they are often under pressure or stress, are budget savvy and therefore need guaranteed price and service without hassles.

While there has been a convergence, there are still some key characteristics that makes the business traveller different from the leisure traveller including; the need for instant confirmation; flexibility – being able to make both long term and last minute bookings; and of course quality customer service.

Ms Chloe Lim, Flairview Travel’s Director of Sales and Marketing, said: “We have found that business travellers tend to be loyal visiting a site between 5 and 50 times per year spending, on average, between $400 and $800 per trip on accommodation, with most conducting short haul trips.”

“There is an online travel business community that is making informed business travel decisions based on shared information from the leisure travellers. A great example of this collaboration is on our consumer-rating program where all members can voice their opinions on the hotels they have stayed in and provide advice to others. We have found that business travellers want to be kept informed and like to use feedback channels through newsletters, consumer reviews, emails and even on the phone.”

Business travellers are also frequenting membership clubs, saving additional cash through value ads, ongoing special member discounts, deals and pre-offer opportunities that ultimately assists the bottom line.

The Surfing Road Warrior

Online business travellers are highly loyal, making between
5 to 50 accommodation purchases annually

Aussie road warriors spend between AUD400-800 on accommodation per trip

Sydney tops in terms of business travel followed by Melbourne and Brisbane.

Internationally France, UK, Italy, Spain and the US

Business travellers are increasingly using the Net for competitive pricing, convenience and variety

Online hotel sites now reap a much bigger volume of sales than online airfares

Source: Flairview Travel, Australia’s largest provider of online accommodation & owner of RatesToGo.com and HotelClub.com.au sites

About Flairview Travel
Flairview Travel Pty Ltd is a wholly owned Australian company established in 1995 which has become a world leading global accommodation e-wholesaler and specialist distributor of hotel room inventory over the Internet. The company is recognised as one of the few highly successful and profitable e-commerce businesses in Australia – experiencing up to 500 per cent year on year growth since 1999.

About HotelClub
HotelClub is Australia’s largest online accommodation provider. A full accommodation provider, HotelClub is a “full service” website offering hotel bookings for up to 12 months ahead. It offers a choice of over 6,000 hotels – at savings of up to 60% – in 36 countries and 750 cities worldwide. It is the only Australian website to feature downloadable maps of hotel locations. HotelClub is a global online travel/accommodation service and features its services in seven languages, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Japanese and Spanish. Its head office is in Sydney and customer and product offices in France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Russia Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States. Personal and corporate memberships to HotelClub are available that provide additional discounts and services.

About RatesToGo
RatesToGo (www.ratestogo.com) is Australia’s smartest, new accommodation website, developed by Flairview Travel. It is an accommodation booking service featuring rates that are at least 60% less than usual hotel rates. RatesToGo offers bookings up to three weeks in advance (similar sites offer 14 days in advance) at over 1,373 places of accommodation, ranging from two to five star hotels, in 215 cities across 13 countries including Australia as well as selected regions of France, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Malaysia and New Zealand. RatesToGo is the only accommodation website in Australia to offer a lowest rate guarantee – find a cheaper deal and RatesToGo will match it. Services are available in – Chinese English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.

#ENDS#

For further information please contact:
Lisa Pickard / Nicole Reading
Icon Communications
Tel: 02 9231 1103
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Chloe Lim
Director of Sales and Marketing
Flairview Travel
Tel: +61 2 8263 5106
Fax: +61 29264 0559
Email: [email protected]