Experts from the business tourism market leader Aeroclub Group analyzed hotel room bookings in St. Petersburg by leading Russian and foreign corporations over five years and found out how business travelers' preferences and average cost have changed. placement.
According to research, in 2019, St. Petersburg ranked second in Russia, after Moscow, in terms of hotel room demand among business travelers. Moreover, despite a significant increase in business interest in the city during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the number of business travelers visiting the Northern Capital in 2019 remained high.
Experts noted that 4-star hotels were the most popular hotel category among business travelers in St. Petersburg in 2019, accounting for 531,000 rubles of all bookings. The average room rate in this category was 6,200 rubles, and according to the study, the price has increased by 171,000 rubles over the past five years. Business travelers spent a quarter of all nights in St. Petersburg in three-star hotels, with the average room rate in this category reaching 5,000 rubles, an increase of 251,000 rubles since 2015.
Experts noted that in St. Petersburg, the proportion of nights spent by businesspeople in five-star hotels is almost twice the Russian average. Over the past year, the share of bookings at five-star hotels increased by 21% to 141%, reaching 141%. Meanwhile, the average room rate at a five-star hotel is among the top five most expensive in Russia, reaching 11,400 rubles per night.
"St. Petersburg's well-developed convention and exhibition infrastructure attracts business representatives, making the Northern capital the second-largest destination for business travelers in Russia. This business activity is not affected by seasonality and ensures stable occupancy of St. Petersburg's hotel rooms year-round. Moreover, while the average Russian nightly rate for business travelers in five-star hotels is 71%, in St. Petersburg it reaches 141%, despite higher prices," commented Yulia Lipatova, CEO of Aeroclub business travel agency.
Experts noted that accommodation for business representatives during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was the most expensive in Russia in 2019. The top-priced hotels included those located both in the city center and in the immediate vicinity of the ExpoForum. The most expensive accommodation was for a representative of the mining and manufacturing industry, who paid 650,000 rubles per night at a hotel near St. Isaac's Cathedral.
The most popular St. Petersburg hotels among business travelers in 2019 were the Park Inn by Radisson Pulkovskaya, Park Inn by Radisson Nevsky, and Original Sokos Olympia Garden—all 4-star properties. Among the five-star hotels, the most popular were the SO/Sofitel, Corinthia, and Lotte Hotel.
Representatives of FMCG companies are the most frequent guests in St. Petersburg, accounting for 201,333 of all bookings. IT employees, as well as representatives from the mining, manufacturing, and energy sectors, are in second and third place. A third of the nights in five-star hotels were booked by employees of financial and consulting companies.
Source: trn-news.ru