Business travel is changing — and hotels are racing to keep pace.

No longer just a place to sleep between meetings, hotels are evolving into workspaces, collaboration hubs, and wellness centres designed around the new modes of work. For today’s UK business traveller, that means greater flexibility, enhanced productivity, and the opportunity to blend work and leisure more seamlessly than ever before.

Blended Travel: Business and Leisure Combined

IHG’s Crowne Plaza brand has been at the forefront of the “blended travel” trend, where business trips extend into leisure experiences. In a recent white paper, the group noted:

“Travellers are looking for experiences that allow them to seamlessly integrate work, life and personal growth. We’ve reimagined our spaces to deliver on that expectation.” – Crowne Plaza by IHG

For UK business travellers, this shift means more than comfortable beds and conference rooms. It’s about curated environments with co-working spaces, wellness partnerships and redesigned guest rooms that support productivity while encouraging relaxation.

IHG Crowne Plaza: reimagining hotel spaces for blended travel with co-working zones, wellness partnerships and guest rooms designed to support both productivity and relaxation.

Offsite, But Still Connected

Hyatt has introduced Work from Hyatt: Offsite, a programme aimed at remote and hybrid teams who want to combine collaboration with travel. Their release explained:

“We’re providing companies with the tools to reconnect teams in inspiring destinations — complete with dedicated workspaces, tailored experiences, and flexible meeting support.” – Hyatt Hotels Corporation

For companies based in the UK, this creates an opportunity to hold international retreats that balance strategy, innovation, and team bonding, without sacrificing the structure and connectivity teams rely on.

Hyatt: "Work from Hyatt Offsite", a programme enabling remote and hybrid teams to collaborate at inspiring destinations with tailored workspaces and team-building support.

Hybrid Meetings for a Hybrid World

Four Seasons has launched Hybrid Meetings, a model designed to unite in-person and virtual attendees through high-quality AV technology and dedicated event planning. As the brand put it:

“Hybrid Meetings allow us to bridge the gap between physical presence and global connection — ensuring participants feel included, wherever they are.” – Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

This approach addresses the reality of today’s distributed workforces. UK executives can travel abroad, convene with clients or colleagues face-to-face, while seamlessly integrating remote participants across multiple time zones.

Four Seasons: "Hybrid Meetings", combining in-person hospitality with advanced AV technology to connect on-site and virtual participants seamlessly.

Why This Matters for UK Business Travellers

Together, these initiatives illustrate a seismic shift in hospitality. Hotels are no longer just accommodation providers — they are becoming enablers of flexible, connected, and productive working lives. For UK business travellers, that means more choice, greater efficiency, and the ability to make business travel work harder than ever before.

As Paul Baker, Sales Director at Global Travel Management, explains:

“Business travellers tell us they want trips that are productive, but also flexible. The hospitality industry has recognised this — offering new ways to work, collaborate, and recharge while on the road. These changes mean our clients can achieve more from every trip, with less compromise between business and lifestyle.” – Paul Baker Sales Director, Global Travel Management

Looking Ahead

The evolution of hotels into hybrid work hubs reflects the bigger transformation in how we all approach business travel. For UK organisations, the opportunity lies in embracing these changes — choosing partners and properties that align with the way modern teams work.

Because the future of business travel isn’t about travelling more. It’s about travelling smarter.