PA's under pressure to provide best beds

PAs across the country have been divulging their pillow talk to reveal the secrets of booking hotel accommodation for their bosses, and it’s certainly anything but sweet dreams.

The revelations come as part of a survey conducted by Best Western Hotels which shows that PAs are increasingly stressed out by the demands placed on them to provide good quality accommodation within a tight budget and long to visit the same destinations as their bosses. So it’s no surprise that some aren’t averse to playing a trick or two on their superiors.

The survey, conducted by Best Western Hotels, found that 92% of UK PAs were under pressure to provide good quality accommodation for their boss when he or she is out of town on business.

With senior managers and directors travelling more than ever, booking hotel accommodation is an important administrative duty and when choosing suitable accommodation, 52% of PAs surveyed cited location as the most important factor, followed by cost (32%) and comfort (16%).

With all that pressure to source the perfect bed, it’s no surprise that things sometimes go wrong – sometimes on purpose it seems. One in three PAs surveyed said that their boss has had a bad experience when staying at a hotel they booked. Complaints such as misplaced bookings and noisy building works as well as more general gripes with the overall standard of hotel accommodation show just how hard it is to please.

However if you’re a manager booked into a less than agreeable hotel be warned. A mischievous 4% of all PAs admitted booking their boss into somewhere bad on purpose, showing that next time you’re miles from your next meeting and things aren’t up to scratch there may be more at play than a fault on the booking system.

The survey also highlighted the unfulfilment of many PAs working in the sector today. Over 80% wished they could go to the places their bosses visited from time to time while 72% said they felt overlooked at work when other members of the team were given incentives.

Here to help our PAs out is the launch of Best Business, perfectly placed to not only take the stress out of booking accommodation, but also give back some well deserved rewards in the shape of wine, spa breaks and Amazon vouchers – to name but a few.

It’s not just PAs who will benefit from great perks either. Businesses are entitled to a 3% rebate on all bookings, 5% off all conferences and 15% off leisure breaks for all staff - as well as the all important discounts on everyday business accommodation. That will certainly help with the credit crunch!

With the launch of Best Business, Best Western hopes that problem bookings may be a thing of the past. Tim Wade, Best Western’s Head of Marketing, said: “It appears that booking hotel accommodation is a minefield and we hope that with the launch of Best Business we can help make this process as smooth as possible.

“If you’re a PA responsible for booking business accommodation then this is the solution for you. Simply sign up your company to the scheme and enjoy ease of booking over the phone or online as well as monthly statements and rewards. With all these benefits we hope PAs will no longer feel overlooked at work.”

“Also, there will be no more worries about what your boss is going to receive when he or she stays away on business as all Best Western hotels are subject to stringent quality and assurance checks to ensure standards are maintained throughout Britain.”

For more information, visit bwbestbusiness.co.uk.