Nikita Garia is a blogger and contributes articles for The Wall Street Journal

At first glance, members of India’s business community may not appear to be mad about fitness, but a new survey of Asian business travelers says Indians are the most likely to seek out fitness centers and spas while on the road for work.

French hotel operator Accor carried out an  online survey between the end of June and early July of business travelers from seven Asia-Pacific countries that included Australia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand, Thailand and India. Hong Kong, though part of China, was surveyed as a separate region. About 10, 000 people responded to the survey, which asked them about their travel habits in the first half of 2011.

Of the roughly 500 Indians who took the survey, 85 % claimed they went to the fitness centers in the hotels they stayed in and 64% said they utilized the spa facilities in those hotels. This was way above the average for the Asia Pacific region  as a whole – 76 % and 53 % respectively. Overall Asian road warriors seem to care about working out – Thai travelers were the least likely to use hotel gyms, but even 71% of them said they used the fitness centers.

The survey also found that India was second only to China when it came to the frequency of business travel. In India, executives across all levels made an average of 7.3 business trips each in the first half of the year, while in China, the average number of trips was 8.7.

Among Indian respondents, the overwhelming majority — 93% — of travelers were male. India had the lowest share of female respondents of the countries surveyed.  This was rather low considering that “one out of four business travelers in Asia were female, ” said Evan Lewis, Accor’s Asia-Pacific spokesman, while talking about the findings in New Delhi on Wednesday.

A fifth of Indian respondents belonged to the manufacturing sector, compared to 15% for the survey as a whole, followed by retail and finance. “Surprisingly, the travelers belonging to the manufacturing sector in India was more than the average in Asia, ” said Mr. Lewis.

When it came to choosing a hotel, 27% of Indians preferred to stay in those hotels where they had previously stayed, while 22% cared about the hotel’s brand name. “Indians are less brand-conscious and give more importance to their past experience, ” said Mr. Lewis.

Singapore and Thailand were the top destinations for Indian business travelers. According to the survey, 51 % of Indian travelers visited Singapore at least once in the previous six months and 38 % traveled to Thailand for work.

Nikita Garia

25 Aug 2011

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/08/25/what-the-indian-business-traveler-wants/

Average Rating: 4.7 out of 5 based on 277 user reviews.

Frankfurt, Germany at sunset. The twin towers of the Deutsche Bank, right.

Business travel has been big business in Frankfurt since the Middle Ages due to its geographic position at the crossroads of Europe. Commercial nomads who once arrived on foot, by riverboat or carriage now buzz in and out on Airbus A380s, high-speed trains or the autobahn.

There is no escaping the many descriptions and euphemisms about Frankfurt that focus on business. “Frankfurt, a city that means business!” “The business of Frankfurt is business.” “Bankfurt.” “Mainhattan.” Take your pick; they all make sense.

Whether it is a quick stopover at Lufthansa’s giant airport hub or a full-blown business trip, nearly every frequent business traveller will eventually come to this German city. Visits from foreign travellers to Frankfurt were up 15.2% in 2010 from 2009.

Hotel

Elegant

To enjoy old-world elegance, or to rub elbows with the likes of German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, diplomats, socialites and C-level executives, consider the grandest grande dame in town, the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof. For friskier new-world elegance, check out Rocco Forte’s 163-room Villa Kennedy across the Main River. Built in 2006 around an existing villa, it offers guests new-school elegance in modern surroundings. If frills are not your thing, but you still want one of the best hotels in town, consider the 5-star Hilton Frankfurt.  Surrounded by gardens, adjacent to the Stock Exchange and a five-minute walk from the banking district, this 342-room business traveller favourite is often sold out as regulars return for its large, bright modern rooms, expansive gym and pool and consistently excellent service.

Edgy

Out on the western edge of town, near Messe Frankfurt (the city’s mammoth exposition halls) sits the 428-room Radisson Blu Hotel, which bills itself as “the only round, all-glass hotel in Europe”. Respecting the latest trends in personalization, guests can choose from four different room themes: home, chic, fashion or fresh, which range from warm and classic to daring or unconventional. Rates are less than at hotels in the pricey CBD, and internet access is free.  Two other design-forward hotel choices are the 116-room, 5-star Roomers, housed in a smartly re-purposed office building in the city’s banking district near the Main River. And if Roomers’ brown and mauve palette runs too dark for your tastes, consider its nearby 4-star sister property The Pure, where everything is clean, crisp and very white.

Expense account

Celebratory business meals in Frankfurt frequently take place at fine steakhouse-style restaurants, and there are many from which to choose.  While the uber-popular, American-style M-Steakhouse sounds like it might be part of a famous chain, it is not, insist executives at Morton’s of Chicago. Another favourite for great steak is Surf ‘n Turf. If steak is not your thing, enjoy fine German/Mediterranean cuisine and live piano music at Holbein’s, located in the Stadel Museum on the river. The Ivory Club offers fine dining with hints from India in a colonial-style club atmosphere. Local celebrity chef Mario Lohninger recently earned a Michelin star at his eponymous restaurant in the Frankfurt’s traditional Sachsenhausen neighbourhood.

Off the clock

Ebbelwei Express

Based on its reputation to some as “the most American city in Europe”, you would expect Frankfurt to be large and sprawling. In fact, it is a relatively small, compact city that is easily navigated by foot or public transportation. First-timers can get their bearings quickly by spending an hour or so on the touristic Ebbelwei Express, a special historic tram that that winds past all the key city sites.  The more culturally minded can take in several museums in a single outing since they are mostly concentrated in “The Museum Embankment” along the Main River. How is that for efficient design?

Go local

zwiebelkuchen

Forget about the Frankfurter. The dish that warms the cockles of the hearts of locals is the zwiebelkuchen, bready tart topped with onions, bacon, cream and caraway seeds. Grab yours or one of hundreds of other German specialties along the Fressgass, a short stretch of Grosse Bockenheimer Strasse lined with delicatessens, restaurants and cafes packed with locals in suits noshing and people watching. (Make sure you visit the Fressgass Festival if you are in town in May or June.)

Do not do this!

English is widely spoken in Frankfurt, but do not let the familiar language lure you into an overly casual attitude when it comes to business. Germans appreciate and expect punctuality and formal business attire at meetings. You will rarely be instructed to go “business casual”. You will also probably be addressed by your last name (Herr or Frau McGinnis, not “Chris”), and you should address your German counterparts similarly. Small talk rarely includes personal topics, so stick to weather, work and world events.

Chris McGinnis

11 Dec 2011

http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20111207-business-trip-frankfurt

Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 based on 216 user reviews.