Impact of VR, Innovation, and Bleisure on Business Travel Marketing

This report examines the influence of virtual reality (VR) reviews on hotel booking platforms, innovative travel solutions, and bleisure travel on the business travel market. It explores how these trends are shaping the demands of business travelers and the strategies employed by the corporate events and travel industry. The report highlights the scope of the international corporate events and travel industry, analyzing its size, product offerings, and design innovations. It further delves into how these factors satisfy the varied requirements of business travelers, including considerations for transport, accommodation, and overall travel experience. The analysis draws on academic theory, industry terminology, and examples from professional practices to provide a comprehensive understanding of current trends and their impact on the business travel sector.

RUNNING HEAD: MARKETING 0
Business travel February 13
2020

MARKETING 1
Virtual reality reviews on the hotel booking platform
Influence on business travel
Virtual reality is computer technology through which viewers can explore 3-D worlds. Virtual
reality or VR is the most famous and progressive technology. G. Zeng in one of his journals
mentioned that hotels should use this technology to attract online customers and secure online
bookings. Watching a video tour of the room or hotel would help guests to understand the
surroundings better and help the hotels to establish the online market. Hotels and travel industry
have realized the potential and are adapting virtual reality videos for advertisement and
promotions of hotels. The hotel and travel industry creates virtual tour videos and uploads them
on online platforms to make it easy for the customers to watch and judge the reality of the hotel.
Virtual tour videos give a 360- degree view to the customers. Jung said audience get more
attracted to virtual video reviews in comparison of still photos. For example, "Best Western" has
launched a VR tour for all North American hotels. These tours give an exact idea about the
hotels to the customers.
Scope of virtual reality in corporate events and travel industry
Corporate events are organized for reasons like product promotion, employee education,
motivate employees, and rewarding employees. Gibson mentioned that virtual reality is an good
option to promote products. Corporate events are conferences, exhibitions, awards, and company
meetings. In today's environment, the online market is most used for goods or services because it
is user-friendly. Likewise, the travel industry has also come into the online market to reach a
bigger audience. International corporate events like a conference or company educational tour
help in understanding the external environment and current trends going on in the market.
International corporate events allow travel companies to know about the latest innovations.
International corporate events allow travel companies to reach a bigger audience. Also, these
events make consumers aware of the products or services offered by companies. Virtual reviews
presence makes bookings easy for the people.
Analysis of requirements of a business traveller
Business travel can be nerve-wracking because of travel requirements. When traveling it requires
arrangements like transport, food, luggage carriers, car hire, and stay. Mobile tools such as hotel

MARKETING 2
booking apps, car hiring apps, and food delivery apps make traveling easy. A large majority of
travellers use travel apps for getting information about the new place. Every traveller has varied
requirements when they travel. Travel apps contain filters that help travellers to get what they
need. Also, travellers worry about their safety. Online bookings give them evidence and
assurance of their safety. Virtual reality reviews present on the online platform makes travel
easier for travellers and business travellers can concentrate on their work instead of making
arrangements for their stay. Online presence of travel requirements saves time of travellers and
mostly mobile tools are user-friendly.
Virtual reality (VR) and marketing
Virtual reality reviews can be defined as a marketing method. Huang said Virtual reality review
allows promoting the products or services by using virtual reality technology. Virtual reality
videos help in the decision making of travellers. This technology holds great potential because of
its three-dimension visual interaction. Virtual reality is divided into two categories visual control
and functional control. Visual control gives access to consumers to watch and make the decision.
Visual control allows consumers to zoom in and visualize the exact position of the product. This
kind of tool is widely used by online markets and mobile tools. On the other hand, functional
control allows customers to not only watch but interact with virtual products. This is similar to
Valve. Virtual reality reviews became popular because of its uniqueness. Customers find in new
and interesting because of its visual quality.
Innovation travel
Influence on business travel
Innovation is a key factor in every market because repetitive products are tedious for consumers.
The same goes for the travel industry. N. Hovhannisyan mentioned that repetitive use of the
same technology and no innovation can make the company lose its consumers. Business travel
makes employees aware of the latest market trends. The organizations arrange international
business conferences to educate themselves about external surroundings. There are many
innovations for making traveling easy such as smart rooms, autonomous vehicles, and apps.
These technologies help in traveling massively. Planning a business trip requires a lot of
arrangements and innovations and technologies help a lot in fulfilling the requirements. Travel

MARKETING 3
innovations such as virtual reality, mobile apps, or autonomous vehicles allow travellers to enjoy
their trip.
Scope of innovative travel in corporate events and travel industry
Corporate events are mainly held for product promotion, employee education, etc. it becomes
essential to keep corporate events and travel innovative for keeping employees attentive
throughout the program. Technologies keep on changing in every industry it is essential to
follow the latest trends and innovations. Few innovations to look out for in an international
corporate event are audience feedback, live streaming of the event for the employees who were
unable to attend the event, and streamlined services. Audience feedback is the utmost parameter
to decide on whether the event is a success or not. In the international corporate event, it
becomes difficult to get each person's feedback thus; mobile tools help in generating every
person's feedback.
Analysis of requirements of innovation in business traveling
Every business traveller’s requirements are different and varied from one another. Business
travellers require something exclusive and innovative every time. For example, if the ticket
booking website appears to be user-friendly but dull in looking than there are chances of
audience shift to another competitive brand. Travelling brings challenges such as cash handling
or self-safety, etc. and innovation like digital wallets or mobile apps is a solution to cash
handling challenges. The innovation of anytime access to police or mobile safety app benefits
travellers a lot. Also, the market is changing speedily with every day new inventions thus, it
becomes needed for the companies to be innovative and follow the latest developments. It is
tough to fulfil every need of every single traveller but universally innovation in the travel
industry certainly comforts.
Innovation and marketing
Innovation is of different types radically disruptive, radically sustaining, incrementally
disruptive, and incrementally sustaining. Radically disruptive is an innovation that binds new
technology and generates new business models. This has no clear competitors. Radically
sustaining innovation is an enhancement on product or process in an existing market that
provides new worth for the customers. Incrementally disruptive innovation is an improvement in
technology that tips to a dramatic interruption. Incrementally sustaining innovation is minor and

MARKETING 4
cumulative changes in an existing product, services, and technology. All these innovation types’
aids in business travel in different aspects. Offutt and Schetzina in one of their journal mentioned
that every type of innovation in travel industry attracts travellers and makes traveling fun for all.
Innovation is all about generating new ideas and fitting that idea into customer satisfaction.
Bleisure Travel
Influence in the business travel industry
Bleisure travel is a combination of words "business" and "leisure". It refers to acidity combining
business travel with leisure time. Extending a business trip for personal reasons is a bleisure trip.
Generally, business travellers extend their trip after completing their business trip. Bleisure travel
allows business travellers to relax in their free time and discharge their stress. Bleiure trips are
not pre-planned. This becomes a reason for profit maximization for the hotels. Hotels charge
extra money for instant bookings. Business travels or corporate trips are all about work but in
free time travellers like to visit and explore new places and that is also a technique of profit
maximization for hotels or travel industries. Also travel apps like car hiring services, hotel
bookings, etc. take extra charges for instant bookings.
Bleisure travel in international corporate business and travel industry
Gonzalo in one of their journal said bleisure travel is a rising phenomenon. There are no official
regulations about bleisure travel. When a business trip is extended for the personal reason it is
called bleisure travel. Corporate trips can get an extension by company management only.
Companies beforehand determine what they will pay for and what they will not pay for.
Employees have to inform the company about when business travel ends and when leisure travel
starts. Some companies arrange corporate travel insurance for their employees. There is no
insurance for bleisure travel. In international corporate travels, there are a lot of options for site
seeing and that becomes the reason for the trip extension and the trip becomes bleisure trip.
Analysis of requirements of Bleisure travel
Employees work hard for their organization and when they go on business trips they expect trip
extension for letting go of the stress. Also when employees travel for business they lack family
time and this business trip extension helps employees spend time with family while working. In
context to the travel industry, without any extra effort bookings are done and travel companies

MARKETING 5
earn good extra money for a trip extension. Bleisure travel is a combination of a business trip
with a personal outing. This combination helps in improving an employee's job satisfaction. J.
Lichy said that bleisure travel reduces the work stress and raises motivation in employees. Also,
this attracts potential employees of the organization. It is also essential to decide beforehand who
will pay for the trip extension. The organization can assist and help in trip arrangements mostly
the final fares are to be paid by employees themselves only.
Bleisure travel and marketing
Bleisure travel holds a strong impact on employees because it provides the opportunity to work
and have fun at the same time. This also attracts potential employees in the organization.
Employees feel cared for by the organization and enjoy family time while working. Also,
bleisure travel allows employees to explore new places. In the context of marketing, hotels
provide special schemes for bleisure trips. S. Hudson mentioned that hotels get opportunity to
earn extra funds because of bleisure trip. Hotels encourage repetitive stays in the hotel. Hotels
stresses on convincing corporate superiors to extend the trip and explore the new places.

MARKETING 6
References
Gibson, A. and O’Rawe, M., 2018. Virtual reality as a travel promotional tool: Insights from a
consumer travel fair. In Augmented reality and virtual reality (pp. 93-107). Springer, Cham.
Gonzalo, F., 2013. The growing trend of bleisure travel. The Growing Trend of Bleisure Travel.
Gössling, S., 2017. Tourism, information technologies and sustainability: an exploratory review.
Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(7), pp.1024-1041.
Hovhannisyan, N. and Keller, W., 2015. International business travel: an engine of innovation?.
Journal of Economic Growth, 20(1), pp.75-104.
Huang, Y.C., Backman, K.F., Backman, S.J. and Chang, L.L., 2016. Exploring the implications
of virtual reality technology in tourism marketing: An integrated research framework.
International Journal of Tourism Research, 18(2), pp.116-128.
Hudson, S. and Hudson, L., 2017. Marketing in action: Hotels responding to ‘bleisure’trend.
SAGE Publications Ltd.
Jung, T. and tom Dieck, M.C., 2018. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. Empowering
Human, Place and Business. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Lichy, J. and McLeay, F., 2018. Bleisure: Motivations and typologies. Journal of Travel &
Tourism Marketing, 35(4), pp.517-530.
Offutt, B. and Schetzina, C., 2010. Travel Innovation & Technology Trends: 2012 & Beyond.
PhoCusWright Inc., March, 612.
Van Kerrebroeck, H., Brengman, M. and Willems, K., 2017. When brands come to life:
experimental research on the vividness effect of Virtual Reality in transformational marketing
communications. Virtual Reality, 21(4), pp.177-191.
Wang, W., Cole, S.T. and Chen, J.S., 2018. Tourist innovation in Air travel. Journal of Travel
Research, 57(2), pp.164-177.

MARKETING 7
Zeng, G., Cao, X., Lin, Z. and Xiao, S.H., 2020. When online reviews meet virtual reality:
Effects on consumer hotel booking. Annals of Tourism Research, 81, p.102860.