Business travellers putting faith in tech to save them time, finds Marriott survey [Video]

Business travellers putting faith in tech to save them time, finds Marriott survey [Video]

Efficient and seamless travel can save people four months of their life, says hotel giant Continue reading

The introduction of new technology has always been touted as a time-saving advance by proponents although some might say people are busier than ever because of new tech.

However new research from Marriott Hotels claims that nine out of 10 corporate travellers say tech is helping them find more time for leisure during business trips.

Dubbed ‘bleisure’, the blending of business and leisure, is seen as a major emerging behaviour in travel among those who believe in such trends.

Marriott makes the bold claim on the back of its study that innovative technology can save people four months of their life by making their travel more efficient and seamless.

The Marriott survey was carried out among travellers from the UK, Spain, Germany and France.

As part of the study the hotel giant has created a film, featuring technology expert and presenter of the Channel Five’s Gadget Show Georgie Barrat.

She talks all about the future of travel and how travellers can benefit by making the best of technology on their travels.

Georgie Barrat says: “People are looking for more efficient ways to travel because we are so time poor.

“We want to do it all, we want to go out and experience the World. So to have technology that’s streamlines and helps save us time is really, really important.”

Marriott found as well as utilising reward programmes, business travellers are constantly finding ways using their phone or other devices to save time.

More than three in five people in the UK (66%) use mobile apps to aid their business travel experience and just over two fifths (42%) use their mobile wallet on their phone.

Almost a third of business travellers relying of translation tools whilst abroad, reveals new research.

Younger business travellers (25-34 year olds) said latest technology in hotels is more important than the comfort.

And 80% of people in that age group said having the latest technology at their disposal improves their experience.

The survey also revealed that technology for checking in and out of hotels has improved their business travel experience more than planning and booking activities.

In the film, Barrat outlines three exciting areas of technology for the future, which includes the Mobile Key, chatbot concierge and real time translation app.

“Chatbot is a really big tech trend,” she said. “We’re starting to see Chatbot help to plan your itinerary and even book things like your flights. So having Chatbot whilst travelling really helps save time and eases things.”

Although we still don’t totally trust machines powering our cars, the new research states that over two thirds of business travellers (68%) would choose to stay in a hotel run by bots/Artificial Intelligence.

Overall, Brits seem to be taking a great interest in AI, with 63% of UK travellers saying they would trust AI to organise their business trip from start to finish.

The research also showed that seven out of 10 Brits are excited about the prospect of AI becoming a bigger part of their business travel experience.