Combining work and leisure, what is Bleisure?

Published on 5 mai 2017

1. From BLEISURE to BLEASURE...

Always on the lookout for new trends, Blue Valet wants to talk to you about BLEISURE (business + leisure). Combining work and leisure by extending one's business stay for a few days for personal reasons is the new motto of the business clientele.

As Havas agency wondered in 1904, "Why not take advantage of a business meeting to discover the immediate environment of your meeting place?" ... Nothing new, just habits that are lost over time (and stress!).

2. An old phenomenon but behaviors disrupted with the arrival of the "ultra-connected" generation Y.

How to define the French business traveler today? He is high-tech and above all stress-free, looking for an innovation that can bring him comfort and make his experience easier. He books his plane or train tickets online, reserves his apartment on Airbnb Business... and uses Blue Valet (according to a very, very, very serious study).

As you may have guessed, the boundaries between business travel and private travel are becoming thinner. Younger generations approach the same behavior when organizing a business trip and use the same booking applications and platforms as in private.

3. Some figures in Europe

During the 26th edition of the Espace Voyages Professionnels (EVP) organized by American Express Meetings & Events, the 2016 balance sheet highlights the trends and figures of business travel. Thus, the business travel market recorded an increase of +1% and estimated at +2.5% for 2017. Three major trends are emerging for this year, namely cost optimization, more security during travel, and co-construction of business travel.

4. An evolution from Bleisure to Bleasure

A contraction of business and pleasure, the idea is the same, to have fun while traveling. Companies are increasingly concerned about the happiness of their employees (happyness management), and the phenomenon of bleasure is democratizing. "Leaving the company, the excitement of the plane, discovering a new city, changing the air, ..." there are many sources of pleasure when traveling for business.

5. Where are the women?

Formerly reserved for executives and high-ranking positions, business travel now concerns more and more workers, both men and women. 22% of active women travel for work, and 42% of them say that this data played a role in their choice of position.

6. Blue Valet bleasure

As a committed actor in the mobility of tomorrow, Blue Valet adapts its offer to the needs of companies through its business platform.

Blue Valet for Business is a management solution that allows a company to centralize the travel of its employees and to respond simply to business issues (intuitive and centralized management, monthly billing and payments, expense management, no parking fees...).

Today, business travelers represent 50% of Blue Valet's clientele, as many business users to satisfy during each of their bleasure trips.