Blame the snow, ice and arctic temperatures for a winter dip in corporate bookings at local hotels and through local travel agents.
And even though cold weather should mean more bookings from companies sending their employees to conventions in warmer climates, a couple of polar vortices may have cooled things off a bit too much for travel the last few months.
“The colder it is, the better it”™s for travel,” said Renato Grussu, owner of White Plains-based Arriva Travel American Express, a franchise of American Express Co. “But if it”™s too stormy then it becomes a problem because people are afraid of getting stuck in the storm.”
But despite bookings being put on ice in recent years, bookings for travel agents and local hotels are showing a broader post-recession recovery, according to officials. When the worst of the economic downturn took hold, many companies got gun-shy about booking corporate conferences, attending out-of-area conventions and traveling for businesses purposes in general. There is evidence the corporate gatherings are making a comeback though.
And Westchester businesses are optimistic that when things thaw out this spring, they”™ll make up for any short-term drop off with a warm-weather spike that should contribute to a larger, longer-term upswing.
Travel agencies are noticing an influx of corporations booking trips to the “warmest destinations possible,” said Mari Hawkins, owner of Gemini Travel Inc. in Mount Kisco. The most popular corporate destinations for Westchester-based companies this spring look to be Florida and Puerto Rico, she said.
Both Grussu and Hawkins agreed that the financial and medical sectors, both which have had recent local surges, have shown the strongest and most consistent interest in booking corporate spring trips in recent years.
Corporate retreats and conferences in Westchester hotels have been growing each year since the recession eased up in 2009, said Joe Santore, vice president and general manager of the Tarrytown House Estate & Conference Center. Corporate bookings at the center increased 20 percent from spring 2012 to last spring, he said. Corporate bookings at the hotel are expected to grow 9 percent this year.
“What”™s interesting is that corporate meetings are becoming smaller in size but meeting more frequently,” Santore said. “We used to host a few 200-to-300 person conferences a year. In the last three years, we”™ve seen smaller conference meetings of 25 to 40 people.”
Spring and fall are typically the most popular seasons for business meetings and conferences, said Dana Cooper, director of sales and marketing at the Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains.
“Last year was our best corporate meetings and group year and in 2014 we”™re expecting the same results,” said Cooper, who noted the Ritz-Carlton experienced a 7 percent increase in bookings from 2012 to 2013.
With corporate travel picking back up, Cooper said companies are realizing the value of moving teams into work spaces conducive for strategizing and streamlining ideas.
“People are in a place where they”™re recognizing the importance of escaping with their team in order to streamline their ideas in an area removed from the office,” Cooper said.
The Ritz-Carlton offers a “Spring Forward” package, which includes small perks such as seasonal décor and continental breakfast items.
“We”™ll provide seasonal inspirations with the springtime in mind: lemonade on your break or lemon cookies or something to do with the fun, vibrant citrus flavors,” Cooper said. “We also have housekeepers turn down the sheets in the bedrooms and add amenities like bath salts in the bathrooms or lemon in water pitchers.”
As corporate bookings bounce back, hotels and travel agencies are looking for more than just an attractive price, said Grussu.
“Before, it was about looking at how much discount we can offer on a trip, but now it”™s how many added amenities can we give them as they pay the full price,” Grussu said.
Grussu said incentives such as upgrading a deluxe room to a suite, providing free breakfasts and offering credit for food and beverage will boost business travel this spring.
“Before, it was about looking at how much discount we can offer on a trip, but now it’s how many added amenities can we give them as they pay the full price,â€
True, but it is still important to offer them a full service at a reasonable price. In business travel, it is not rare to see the accounting department being part of the decision, so if you don’t show them the good price or the tax benefits, then you lose the group.