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 the study, in 2019, St. Petersburg ranked second in Russia after the capital in terms of demand for hotel rooms among business travelers. Moreover, despite a significant increase in interest in the city from business representatives during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the number of business travelers who visited the Northern capital in 2019 remained high.
Experts noted that the most popular hotel category among business tourists in St. Petersburg in 2019 were 4-star hotels — they accounted for 53% of all bookings. The average cost of a room in hotels of this category was 6,200 rubles, and, according to the study, the price has increased by 17% over 5 years. Business travelers spent a quarter of all nights in St. Petersburg in three-star hotels — the average cost of a room in this category reached five thousand rubles and has increased by 25% since 2015.
Experts noted that in St. Petersburg, the share of nights that business representatives spend in five-star hotels is almost twice as high as the Russian average. Over the past year, the share of bookings in five-star hotels has grown by 2% and reached 14%. At the same time, the average cost of a room in a 5-star hotel is among the top 5 most expensive in Russia and reaches 11,400 rubles per night.
"The developed congress and exhibition infrastructure of St. Petersburg attracts business representatives, thus providing the Northern capital with the second place in the number of business trips in Russia. Business activity does not depend on the season and ensures stable occupancy of the hotel room stock in St. Petersburg all year round. Moreover, if on average in Russia the share of nights spent by business travelers in five-star hotels is 7%, then in St. Petersburg it reaches 14%, despite the higher price level," commented Yulia Lipatova, CEO of the Aeroclub business tourism agency.
Experts noted that the accommodation of business representatives during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was the most expensive in Russia in 2019. The top hotels in terms of cost 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 — the company paid 650 thousand rubles for a night in a hotel near St. Isaac's Cathedral.
The most popular hotels in St. Petersburg among business travelers in 2019 were the Park Inn by Radisson Pulkovskaya, Park Inn by Radisson Nevsky and Original Sokos Olympia Garden hotels — all accommodation facilities are categorized as 4 stars. Among the five-star hotels, the most popular were SO/ Sofitel, Corinthia and Lotte Hotel.
Representatives of FMCG companies stay in St. Petersburg most often, accounting for 20% of all bookings. In second and third place are employees of IT companies, as well as representatives of the extractive and manufacturing industries, and energy. A third of the nights in 5-star hotels were booked by employees of financial and consulting companies.
Source: trn-news.ru