“Hotels no longer sell rooms; they sell experiences.” This was one of the statements that resonated with me most at the recent Innovation Summit Business Travel & MICE (ISBTM2026). And for those of us who have spent years working in corporate accommodation, this conclusion does not feel new: it feels like validation.
The Summit, which I attended alongside Yvonne Maynard, was organised by Forum Business Travel & Events. It brought together almost 500 industry professionals and more than 50 speakers. The event presented figures that clearly demonstrate the economic importance of the Business Travel & MICE sector: in 2025, it generated €6.6 billion in Spain, with an average spend of €1,400 per traveller.
The event also highlighted a shared assessment of where the industry is heading: we are entering a new phase in which price is becoming less dominant, the traveller is moving to the centre of the strategy, and technology is beginning to redefine the role of the Travel Manager.
In this new environment, corporate accommodation is becoming an important ally for Travel Managers in their pursuit of greater value and a better traveller experience.
From nightly rates to the value of the entire programme One of the most frequently repeated ideas at the Summit was that organisations are no longer simply purchasing the cheapest option. Instead, they are looking for the solution that delivers the greatest overall value: programme cost, employee productivity, time invested and user experience.
Applied to accommodation, this means looking beyond the nightly rate alone. A well-managed serviced apartment can often deliver genuine savings when compared with the combined cost of meal allowances, restaurants and additional expenses associated with a long hotel stay.
Those savings can also go hand in hand with a significantly better traveller experience. Having access to a private, fully equipped kitchen allows employees to maintain their usual eating habits, prepare food according to their personal preferences, allergies or dietary requirements, and avoid the fatigue of eating out week after week.
The question is no longer simply, “How much does the night cost?”, but rather, “What is the total value of the stay?”, both for the company and for the person travelling.
Putting the traveller first: autonomy, work-life balance and bleisure The second major takeaway from the Summit is that new generations have changed the rules of the game. Autonomy, wellbeing, work-life balance and flexibility have become decision-making factors that are increasingly as important as price.
Self-management is now regarded as a significant advantage in most situations. As Héctor Machota from FCC Servicios Ciudadanos rightly pointed out, employees expect to have self-booking tools available for straightforward requirements, while still being able to rely on expert support from Travel Management teams for more complex needs.
Managing this balance effectively is one of the strengths of travel programmes that genuinely put the traveller at the centre.
At the same time, the concept of bleisure (combining business travel with leisure) is no longer an exception, but an expectation. Compared with the traditional corporate hotel experience, which can often feel very similar regardless of the destination, an apartment gives travellers the opportunity to choose accommodation with its own character, more closely connected to the local neighbourhood and social environment, and capable of providing a more varied and authentic experience.
It also enables travellers to spend longer periods in one place with the privacy, comfort and benefits of a home, rather than simply staying in a room designed for a short visit.
Wellbeing is no longer an added extra Another important conclusion is that the physical and mental wellbeing of employees has firmly entered the corporate agenda, not as an additional benefit, but as a fundamental factor in maintaining productivity.
When an employee is away from home for weeks or months, wellbeing is not optional. Sleeping well, eating normally, having privacy and having enough space to switch off are necessities, not luxuries.
A mobility programme that genuinely looks after its employees understands this clearly.
AI, data and centralisation: the fuel behind the new Travel Manager The Summit highlighted how the Travel Manager is evolving from an operational role into a more strategic one, increasingly supported by data analysis.
Achieving this transformation is not straightforward. Today, a significant proportion of accommodation spend remains fragmented across different suppliers, platforms and bookings managed independently by individual offices, projects or employees.
This fragmentation makes it difficult for Travel Managers to access the information they need to analyse their programmes, monitor key mobility indicators and make the right decisions to optimise performance.
Centralising all corporate accommodation bookings through a single platform does more than simplify operations. It provides Travel Managers with the visibility they need to justify decisions, negotiate more effectively and demonstrate the return on their mobility programme to senior management.
The opportunity for corporate accommodation within Business Travel & MICE As Natalia Ros and Óscar García, co-founders of Forum Business Travel & Events, summarised, “Business travel and corporate events can no longer be understood solely as operational or commercial tools. They are instruments for attracting talent, strengthening corporate culture, driving innovation, reinforcing relationships with clients and suppliers, and enhancing the image of both companies and destinations.”
Personally, I am convinced that corporate accommodation has a fundamental role to play in achieving this.
That is why, at Apartool, we work every day to position ourselves as a trusted partner, capable of providing data, simplifying management and looking after the employee experience from beginning to end.
By doing so, we can deliver greater value to Travel Managers and help them strengthen the strategic dimension of their role, something their organisations increasingly expect and which the Summit clearly highlighted.
That is the direction we are heading in.
Source: conclusions from the IV Innovation Summit Business Travel & MICE (ISBTM2026), organised by Forum Business Travel & Events, 8–9 July 2026, Madrid.
