Given the time of year and the predictably disappointing British weather, many professionals’ thoughts will be turning to warmer climes. However, its important to ensure there is a healthy separation between business and leisure. And research from LateRooms.com, the hotel reservations site, has revealed that business travellers aren’t above telling a few porkies to get some time sipping poolside piña coladas.
According to a poll of 2,000 business people, two fifths of business travellers add a few sneaky days onto business trips so they can enjoy a bit of personal time without incurring any costs. Many go even further and bring their spouses along for the ride; 27% will take along the hubby or wife when schedules allow and 5% said they always take their partner on business trips.
And it doesn’t seem that business trippers lose that much sleep over this; 22% admitted that they have no qualms about taking advantage because someone else is paying. Nearly half confessed that they choose more expensive hotels than they could normally afford, with 13% feeling this is justified given the relative depth of their employers’ pockets.
Greg Mannix, business spokesman for LateRooms.com, explained that employers are often able to stretch a little further with business accommodation costs because of regulations around VAT – something that less scrupulous employees are happy to take advantage of.
“Tax rules mean companies claim VAT back on the cost of employees staying in hotels on work trips – something personal travel doesn’t have the advantage of,” he said. “This means that, for some, the standard of hotel they stay in on a business trip can be much higher than the ones they would choose for personal travel.
“Given that they are staying in a higher standard hotel already, it seems many businessmen and women understandably take advantage and tack some personal travel time onto their work trip – sometimes even inviting their partner to stay and enjoy the extra luxury alongside them,” Mannix continued.
While we wouldn’t go as far as to condone the cheeky holiday habits of many British employees, you can’t help but admire that level of audacity. 
