Crowne Plaza by IHG has released its second white paper, Leading the Charge in Blended Travel.
The report notes a major shift in how people live and work since its 2022 report, particularly as companies embrace the ‘return to office’ more broadly. Currently, 66 percent of U.S. and U.K. travelers actively combine business trips with personal leisure time, up from 53 percent in 2022. Among them, 56 percent say the ability to travel while working—blended or “bleisure” travel—is a key benefit of remote work.
Attracting both business and leisure travelers has been a hallmark of the brand since its inception, Ginger Taggart, vice president of brand management – global premium brands, IHG Hotels & Resorts, told Hotel Management. This can be seen “in terms of how we approach our service style [and] our design style, and we've really tightened that through key consumer insights and guest insights through the years.”
While bleisure travel had been a buzzword for several years before the COVID-19 pandemic affected the way people work and travel, Taggart said those changes gave the term a new meaning. Instead of adding days to a business trip, she said, business travelers are now working remotely full-time and bringing family and friends with them on stays. “Blended travel has really super-sized traditional bleisure [travel] and become a trend that is so powerful in our industry, I would almost not call it a trend anymore,” Taggart said. “It's one of the foundational elements that's moving the travel industry forward in growth.” In 2022, she added, the bleisure market was a $315 billion industry. “[By] 2032, experts expect it to be a $731 billion industry.”
The Evolution of Blended Travel
To gauge the global reach of this trend, Crowne Plaza commissioned a YouGov survey of over 12,000 people across the U.S., U.K., Germany, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E. and India. Approximately 72 percent of respondents outside of the U.S. and the U.K. said blended travel is beneficial and offers greater flexibility.
The white paper found four emerging trends driven by travelers seeking greater flexibility as a means to achieve broader goals.
Blended travel is now key to both personal and professional growth, with travelers linking their journeys to self-improvement, skill development and creative exploration. The YouGov survey found the top motivator for combining work and leisure travel is to explore new destinations (40 percent). Taggart said that IHG’s meetings and events advisory council have noted this trend as “one of the biggest drivers in event planners … picking a location.” Beyond available conference space, she explained, event organizers are looking for places where they can bring friends and family and where those additional guests can have “a really meaningful, impactive experience.”
To that end, the Crowne Plaza brand is launching a dedicated meetings and events concierge program later this year. “We're really blending this idea of a concierge with a meetings director, so that people are looked after for their entire stay—even post meeting,” she said. These concierges will help guests of attendees during the event and can help attendees themselves find things to do before or after their meetings.
Wellness is a key element of travel, with 35 percent of YouGov survey respondents saying blended travel helps them establish healthier routines and reduce stress. Crowne Plaza hotels are implementing “daily rituals,” Taggart said—all customized to fit each hotel’s location and capabilities. Hotels also are implementing design elements—including biophilic design—to improve wellness. The Crowne Plaza Ravinia and the Crowne Plaza Peachtree City in Atlanta, for example, both have extensive outdoor spaces. “The Crowne Plaza Changi Airport in Singapore is a great example,” she added. “It really pulls through a lot of nature, even at an airport hotel, into the design.”
Finding value is increasingly important for travelers. According to the YouGov survey, the top benefit of this trend is the ability to extend trips at a lower personal cost—with 70 percent of respondents saying affordable deals or amenities that cater to both business and leisure would encourage them to pursue blended travel experiences.
Travelers are placing greater value on in-person connection with colleagues, family, friends and new acquaintances. Thirty-nine percent of respondents surveyed by YouGov prioritize family and friends when combining business and leisure travel.
Global Refresh
Currently, 70 percent of Crowne Plaza properties in the Americas are new to the system or have undergone a renovation, while more than 60 percent of properties across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa will have seen a renovation by the end of 2026. This global revitalization positions Crowne Plaza to accelerate IHG’s growth in the global blended travel market, which is projected to grow from $315 billion in 2022 to more than $731 billion by 2032.
Crowne Plaza has more than 400 properties across 67 countries and a pipeline of 140 hotels poised to expand its current system size by more than 35 percent.