“Remote work didn’t kill business travel — it transformed it,” shared Richard Valtr, founder, Mews, a hospitality technology platform. From focusing on event-based travel to embracing business and leisure (bleisure) itineraries, a number of emerging trends are on the rise in business travel. Here are four to know.

EVENT-BASED TRAVEL
Business travel was once transactional, but today remote work has elevated the value of in-person events, client summits and team building via cultural immersion. “Leaders increasingly recognize that culture, trust and innovation are best fostered when people gather,” said Brad Dean, president and CEO, Explore St. Louis. “The future of business travel will be about purposeful gatherings,” he added, to create relationships that can’t be fostered over online meeting platforms.

TECHNOLOGY
Business travelers are accustomed to boarding planes with mobile passes, unlocking rental cars with their smartphones and paying tips via Venmo, so “when they arrive at a hotel and have to wait in line to prove they have a reservation, it’s jarring,” said Valtr, explaining a recent Mews survey revealed 70 percent of travelers prefer to check in via an app or self-service kiosk rather  than at the front desk. In that case, he said, “Hotels still operating with 1990s paradigms will lose business travel.”

PRIVATE AVIATION
As commercial airline booking complexity and cost pressures grow (against companies’ tightening budgets), businesses are recognizing how private airlines offer dependable solutions. The model of relying on wholly or fractionally owned aircraft is dated, advised George Mattson, CEO, Wheels Up. “Our model eliminates the need to fly a large-cabin aircraft on a short route when a smaller, more efficient option is available,” he said. For example, if a company owns only large-cabin aircraft but needs to move one executive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Wheels Up can offer a Phenom 300 for that short route. “It’s mission-appropriate access that delivers productivity and value,” said Mattson.

BLEISURE
The wall has collapsed between business and leisure, observed Dale Fox, CEO and cofounder, Foxden Hospitality. “Today’s [business] traveler doesn’t clock out when the meeting ends. They want a trip that integrates both productivity and personal enrichment,” he said. This means companies must consider the destination and environment of in-person business meetings feel tailored rather than cookie-cutter. “The host that anticipates both the 6 a.m. espresso before a presentation and the 6 p.m. craft cocktail to unwind will be the one that wins lasting loyalty,” said Fox. Further, they need to anticipate flexible itineraries and rates for travelers looking to come in a day early or tack on a few days to their trip to explore on their own time.