United Kingdom
Report reveals journalists and tradespeople among most frequent business travellers while energy and tech receive the highest travel budgets
New Booked for Business Report from Hotels.com® reveals who’s hitting the road most, which professions travel best and why free breakfast has become the ultimate business-travel perk. As a third (27%) of Brits report they travel more for work now than they did prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hotels.com has launched a new business travel experience, designed to make work trips faster and easier to book.
Available through the Hotels.com website and app, travellers can now save their work-trip preferences, find business-ready hotels, rebook preferred stays and earn rewards on business trips—all within the same Hotels.com account they use for personal travel.
According to the new Hotels.com Booked for Business report*, which unpacks business travel trends and preferences, the top findings include:
- Business travel is back. Brits travel more for work prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,
- with journalists and tradespeople travelling the most frequently.
- Energy and Renewables workers report the highest lodging per diems of at least £300, while other sectors receive approximately £140 per day.
- Bleisure is now expected, not an add-on. Nearly half (48%) say the best business travel destinations make it easy to blend work and leisure, with London, New York and Paris as the top-ranked destinations.
- May and September are the new power-travel months, emerging as the busiest times of year for business trips.
- Gen Z is redefining the business travel experience. They travel for work more than any other generation, are the most likely to change their behaviour on the road, use hotel laundry services, and switch hotel brands. Meanwhile, older generations stand out for their punctuality and hotel loyalty.
- Forget upgrades. Business travellers want breakfast. Free breakfast (51%) outranks room upgrades (32%) and flexible check-in (26%) as one of the most valued hotel perks.
“Business travel is no longer just about getting from one meeting to the next,” said Melanie Fish, Hotels.com travel expert and spokesperson. “Travellers want a hotel and destination that can keep up with both sides of their personality – from high-speed Wi-Fi and an early breakfast before a big presentation to a great location and a comfortable place to unwind afterwards.”
Who is Powering Business Travel?
Journalists and tradespeople are today’s most frequent business travellers, averaging more than 12 trips each year. Journalists, in particular, travel 67% more often than they did before the pandemic. The average hotel budget is £120 per night, rising to up to £200 for journalists.
Workplace Travel Superlatives:
- Most likely to hit the hotel gym: Real estate and construction workers – 40% say that a great gym is what makes a hotel stay great.
- Most likely to network at the hotel bar: Journalists and publishers – 67% say a great hotel bar is a defining feature of a great work trip.
- Most likely to work from 35,000 feet: Sales and Marketing professionals are most likely to work on a flight. Meanwhile, journalists and finance employees take the longest flights on average.
- Most likely to switch work personas: Real estate agents are the most likely to “mode switch”- or adopt a different personality at work – with 63% saying they do so. Retail and e-commerce workers follow at 61%.
- Most likely to pick up the bill: Consultants and workers in energy and renewables can go all out, as most say they don’t have a maximum spend, ahead of sales, marketing and technology, whose budget doesn’t go over £120.
From Boardroom Boss to Holiday Princess
The Hotels.com report also reveals that today’s business travellers are not just changing their schedules when they travel for work; they are changing their personalities. 52% of British travellers admit to showing a different side of themselves when on work trips — and the number rises to 71% among Gen Zers.
In ‘work mode’ and on business trips, many Brits lean into a more focused, structured type A personality, whilst in their personal lives and on holiday it’s all about that type B energy. In fact, one in five Brits admit they are a boss at work but a ‘passenger princess/prince’ in their personal life.
Some of the biggest shifts in personas include:
- Planning: 39% describe themselves as planners, and 37% say they are super organised at work, but only 22% take charge of booking trips outside of work.
- Early risers: 48% say they wake up earlier during work trips than leisure trips. Plus, 49% say they are always punctual when travelling for work.
- Introvert v Extrovert: 21% of business travellers say they are more extroverted outside of work, yet 31% of Gen Zers are social butterflies on work trips and homebodies off the clock.
- Budgeting: Value for money (42%) is travellers’ number one priority on leisure trips, with 35% admitting that they use their work budgeting skills to get more value from personal travel.
Top Cities for Business Travel
Whether for a major meeting or a bleisure extension, travellers rank these destinations highest for business travel:
- London, England
The Standard London is a convenient, rail-connected choice, with meeting spaces, wellness amenities and easy access to King’s Cross station and central London.
- New York, NY, USA
The London offers a central Midtown base with meeting venues, dining and fitness facilities, close to Broadway and Rockefeller Plaza.
- Paris, France
Maison Colbert provides a central base with a meeting room, work-friendly spaces and access to major Paris attractions.
- Singapore
Mandarin Oriental sits in the Marina Bay precinct and offers meeting spaces, web-conferencing capabilities, spa and pool amenities, plus skyline-view dining.
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
art’otel Amsterdam places travellers near Amsterdam Central Station with an indoor pool to take a dip after meetings.
- Barcelona, Spain
Alma Barcelona GL offers a refined business-friendly base near Passeig de Gràcia, with meeting spaces, wellness facilities and easy access to the city’s commercial and cultural hubs.
- Tokyo, Japan
The Capitol Hotel Tokyu combines a central location with meeting facilities, spa, pool and all-day dining.
- Madrid, Spain
Gran Hotel Inglés blends historic character with modern business amenities, offering meeting facilities, a central location in the Barrio de las Letras and convenient access to Madrid’s corporate and cultural districts.
- Dublin, Ireland
The Dylan Hotel combines boutique luxury with business-friendly conveniences, offering elegant workspaces, acclaimed dining and a well-connected location close to Dublin’s commercial centre.
- Berlin, Germany
Hotel de Rome Berlin pairs grand historic surroundings with contemporary business amenities, featuring elegant meeting venues, wellness facilities and a prime location in the heart of Berlin’s Mitte district.
Business travel on Hotels.com: built for the way work trips really happen
Hotels.com’s new business travel experience is designed to take the friction out of booking work trips while keeping the flexibility, hotel choice and rewards travellers value for personal travel, letting travellers easily switch between work and play mode.
- Set preferences once for must-have business-trip preferences, including fully refundable stays, Wi-Fi, breakfast, gym access, and a maximum nightly rate.
- Find work-ready stays faster with business-trip-focused filters and reviews.
- Stay flexible when plans change: Travellers can filter for fully refundable stays.
- Rebook a preferred hotel in a few clicks with Quick Rebook
- Turn work trips into future travel: Members can earn £100 in Hotels.comCash after staying 10 eligible nights and use them towards future travel.
- Keep work and leisure together: Travellers can switch between business and leisure trips while managing their stays and eligible rewards in one Hotels.com account.
This new business travel experience on Hotels.com is available from 1 September 2026 through the Hotels.com website and app, where supported. Travellers can learn more at Hotels.com.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is the Hotels.com Booked for Business Report?
A: The Booked for Business Report is Hotels.com research based on a survey of 2,000 British adults who have travelled for business in the last three years, exploring how people behave and feel when they travel for work.
Q: When was the business travel research conducted?
A: The survey was fielded from 4–12 July 2026 among British adults who had taken a domestic or international business trip in the previous three years.
Q: Who is the new Hotels.com business travel experience designed for?
A: The new experience is built for self-booking travellers who manage their own work trips and want to save preferences, find business-ready hotels quickly and earn rewards on eligible business stays.
Q: How do travellers use the Hotels.com business trip features?
A: Travellers can indicate that they are booking a business trip on the Hotels.com website or app, save preferences such as Wi‑Fi, breakfast and rate limits, and then see hotels that better match their work-trip needs.
Q: Can travellers earn rewards on business trips booked through Hotels.com?
A: Yes, members can earn rewards on eligible business stays including £100 in Hotels.comCash after staying 10 eligible nights and apply them toward future trips, turning nights booked for work into value they can use for personal travel.
*Survey of 2,000 adults in the U.K. who have travelled for business in the last 3 years (domestically / internationally), conducted between July 4 – July 12, 2026.
