Corporate lodging platform HRS has added a
"longstay" hotel segment for stays of eight or more nights to its
product offering, alongside shorter transient and meetings options, the company
announced this week. HRS noted that 39 per cent of its corporate bookings
through the first three quarters of 2021 were for stays of at least eight
nights, compared with just 8 per cent in 2019.
HRS acknowledged that 2021 metrics obviously were derived
from smaller volumes, but the company also spoke with procurement leaders and
hotel partners to identify that longer stays are a "critical new
element" to buyer-supplier negotiations for 2022 and beyond.
"The longstay segment is a noteworthy new reality for
buyers and suppliers as our industry looks towards recovery," said HRS CEO
Tobias Ragge in a statement. "Making the entirety of the longstay
experience – from initial procurement and rate loading, on through to everyday
shopping and virtual payment – easy for procurement leaders, travellers and
hoteliers is vital as business travel re-emerges."