Singapore hotels keeping up with the changing business travel experience

The latest Asian Business Travellers report commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board finds that Asian corporate travellers desire and expect more autonomy. Rather than relying on personal secretaries, many of them are taking ownership of their own travel itineraries and are more comfortable with personally managing their travel.

As the workforce becomes more mobile, we are witnessing the rise of the always-connected traveller who operates in fluid environments and engages comfortably in virtual, round-the-clock conversations. Gone are the days when travel time between destinations, in the air, and at hotels were considered lost business hours. For the new business traveller, time in transit is an opportunity to forge new connections.

With such a shift in guests' behaviour, hotels in Singapore, too, are faced with a slew of opportunities to introduce design and service innovations that facilitate a more seamless and productive business travel experience. From experimenting with new co-working lounge spaces, to rolling out free smartphone services to guests, to developing apps that let travellers book meeting spaces on-demand, local hotels need to adapt in order to offer these business warriors the amenities they value most.

Hotel lobby as the new collaborative space
Although the concept of co-working spaces in itself is not new, the combination of co-working spaces and hotels has been generating buzz. These days, business travellers are drawn out of their rooms to a comfortable corner in the hotel lobby or restaurant, with their private rooms primarily as a place of refuge.

Millennial executives in particular appreciate a communal, collaborative atmosphere, and co-working spaces give them flexibility and additional benefits like networking opportunities.

A few hotels are moving in this direction by elevating their business centers and introducing premium executive floors with hot-desking spaces and intimate conference rooms. Others have even gone to the extent of doing away with traditional business centres altogether and launching more inviting, work-friendly lobbies.

The "Mediascape Table" at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is one example of how innovative features can enhance the functionality of the lobby space for business travellers. Meetings are made easier and more convenient through this high-tech four-seater table that incorporates two 32-inch displays and allows for plug-and-play instant connections for up to four mobile devices.

Situated at the lobby level, this table and its smart features allow guests to toggle between their laptops and tablets or other devices as they bring up presentation slides or webpages during meetings.

By turning the hotel lobby into more than just a transitory lounging space, hotels stand to create a more engaging environment for guests to build new connections and get things done.

Mobile extension of the hotel experience
With the emergence of the 'bleisure' trend, more business travellers are spending time outside their hotels or conference venues to experience the local destinations. This, however, should not come at the expense of getting work done, as 'bleisure' travellers also like to stay connected even while on the go.

Hotels are therefore starting to invest more in offering a seamless mobile experience for guests, recognising that this is just as important as guests' experience within the physical space of the hotels. Park Regis Singapore announced in March the launch of 'handy' phones -- devices equipped with free unlimited international and local calls as well as 3G mobile internet for its guests.

With this initiative, guests can surf internet on the go, at any location within Singapore. This allows guests to save on mobile and data roaming charges, and spares them the inconvenience of scrambling to find prepaid cards for short-term usage.

Accordingly, more business travellers now expect to be able to change schedules, indicate specific preferences and requests with just a tap or swipe on their personal smartphones. Along with making guests' stays more enjoyable, mobile technology also has the ability to eliminate key cards and shorten or even circumvent the entire check-in process.

At Conrad Centennial Singapore, for example, guests can use an app to check in, select the rooms they want, and order items to be delivered to their room. This app-based check-in and check-out service is similarly offered to guests at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.

Meetings and events on the spot
For a business traveller, finding event spaces in an unfamiliar location can be challenging, though sometimes this is necessary for hosting a small delegation of conference attendees or business partners. In Singapore, the abundance of options does not make the process any easier, as there are multiple factors to take into account, not least of all pricing.

Given the potential for event spaces to drive profits, hotels ought to look into making event planning easier and faster, providing not just the expected technological infrastructure like wireless printing and videoconferencing facilities, but also thoughtful touches like transparent packages with tiered pricing and customisable options.

To give guests greater autonomy in managing their own events, some hotels are also moving towards creating event support apps with such detailed capabilities as requesting video and audio adjustments.

Consolidated services and aggregators like Meetago -- whom we have a global partnership with -- provide a global platform for event organisers and corporates to make more informed purchase decisions, and select their MICE requirements at ease. Hilton Worldwide's Meetings Simplified is yet another example, providing transparent MICE booking services, online.

As Singapore continues to serve as a critical regional hub for businesses, hotels here will need to lead the way in introducing innovations that anticipate the new business travel lifestyle of millennial executives. These are bound to include technological developments, but also human-centric design choices and experiential touches that help ensure a smooth and productive business trip.