One year after its launch, MagicEvent.com, a Paris-based collaborative accommodation website designed exclusively for business travelers, has produced a study of its clients’ consumption habits. Offering a choice of nearly 10,000 studios, apartments and villas in 60 cities in Europe and throughout the world, MagicEvent.com has many tools which allowed it to create a profile for these business travelers.
Even though a large number of French travelers use this service, the majority of users in France are foreigners – mainly Europeans, as well as travelers from English-speaking countries such as the UK, the USA and Australia, as they are familiar with this type of accommodation.
This growing practice of renting apartments is a response to the need for businesses to cut costs. However, business travelers do not want to compromise on comfort, and they look for an apartment that is cheaper than a hotel of similar quality.
Clear expectations: price, surface area, and an independent kitchen
For business trips lasting several nights, business travelers mainly make their decisions based on the location of the apartment. The average staying time is 3 days. These trips may also combine business and leisure. Renting an apartment allows clients to spend a weekend with colleagues or family after a business trip.
60% of rentals are made for more than 2 people : sharing the same apartment encourages team-building by offering enough space to accommodate a whole team. Companies can develop team spirit through such activities as preparing dinner together with a real chef, or by taking a wine-tasting course.
One of the main motivating factors in renting an apartment is the surface area . With an average surface area of 62m², rented apartments offer a large, friendly shared space as well as total independence, with the possibility of accommodating a small group of people in one place.
As a GBTA study has previously shown, tenants are primarily enticed by the possibility of having access to their own kitchen. Representing freedom and independence, having their own kitchen allows tenants to organize themselves without any pressure or time constraints.
