Meriam Webster dictionary defines mixing business with pleasure as doing something enjoyable that is related to one’s work.
What is wrong with that?
Well, Jodi Glickman thinks it’s a bad idea. At least, that’s what her 2011 Harvard Business Review article stressed, and judging by her take, in a 2020 TEDx video, on the kind of job people should search for, her position might not have changed.
We get it, Jodi. We need to give ourselves time to be totally off work and focused on ourselves to avoid exhaustion. Today’s reality is that it’s never that easy, as the lines between work and life have continued to blur. The business travellers now want to seize every opportunity to carve out some time for themselves while on a work trip. This sometimes means adding a few days onto their trip to allow for some relaxation, dedicating a small part of their day to unwind and experience the city they are in…soak in the local culture, or even fly their family out to meet them. It’s happening so often these days that the hospitality industry now has a name for the growing trend; they call it Bleisure Travel: Business travel + leisure travel. Data shows that 75% of travellers extend their business trips.
The top hospitality brands like Transcorp Hotels Plc. understand that, unlike holidaymakers, business travellers hardly ever plan their trips, so they are always ready with options, especially at the company’s flagship hotel Transcorp Hilton Abuja.
While all the essentials a business traveller would be looking out for are catered to, a gym, swimming pool, spa (to be launched soon), bars, and restaurants to unwind after a long day. There are also events and fun activities business travellers extending their stay can enjoy, making them feel at home, though they are miles away.
Jeanne Liu of the Global Business Travel Association told the BBC that mixing business with pleasure, which is essential for travel wellbeing, relates to job satisfaction. This “means people stay productive and stay longer in their jobs”.
From the digital nomad working from the poolside of an aura home in Lagos to the manager checking her emails while on a slow horse ride at Almat Farms, Abuja, or the full-time freelancer holding a meeting from his temporary private office at Workspace by Transcorp Hotels, there are little or no boundaries between work and play, professional and personal. That’s why pool tables have found their way into the office area and lounges that encourage you to snooze are now very accessible at the office.
Business and pleasure have converged and top hospitality brands committed to offering guests the best experiences are here for this. “Business or pleasure?” Who cares? Whatever your reason for travel, discerning hospitality brands will be ready to fix you up.
