The world of business travel is resurging after the rise of virtual meetings in 2020, with more than $1 trillion being spent on business travel each year, according to U.S Global Investors. Business travel offers the opportunity to expand your business, network, and learn, and professionals even expect a 25% increase in revenue from face-to-face meetings compared to virtual, according to Accor.
There are many considerations when organizing business trips, especially for those professionals who are constantly on the move. Recognizing the need to streamline these decisions, the experts at Booking.com for Business have identified the key business hotspots across the U.S. and the world to provide insights into accommodation, travel logistics, and venues for client meetings.
The US’s best business hotspots
According to Stratos Jet Charters (2022), around 1.3 million people travel for business3 in the US alone everyday. So, to help you make the most of your business trips, we’ve looked at a variety of factors to reveal America’s business travel hub.
1. Las Vegas, Nevada - 6.86 business travel score
Las Vegas is the highest-ranked business hotspot in the US, with a business travel score of 6.86 out of 10. It ranks highly for its coworking spaces, affordable hotels and meals, and conferences and events, including the Las Vegas Small Business Expo and Consumer Electronics Show, which attract more than 100,000 attendees.
Las Vegas might be known for its gambling resorts, but it’s a great place to network, attracting high-profile people from all over the world. Many conference centers and hotels also offer free Wi-Fi, meaning you won’t have to pay for internet access.
2. Irving, Texas - 6.82 business travel score
In second place is Irving, with a business travel score of 6.82 out of 10. Texas’ Irving is a safe city with affordable prices, with some of the lowest hotel, meal, and taxi costs at $121.65 a night, $70, and $2 per mile, respectively.
This location already has plenty of established businesses. Ten Fortune 500 companies are located in Irving, with Caterpillar, Nexstar Media Group, and Vistra Energy on the list.
3. Columbus, Ohio - 6.69 business travel score
Finalizing our top three is Columbus, Ohio, with a business travel score of 6.69 out of 10. Columbus scores consistently well across our factors, ranking especially well for its average meal cost for two people and its taxi costs per mile.
Columbus also has reasonably high numbers of coworking spaces and conferences and events, with 293 and 38, respectively. It has a strong economy and a diverse industry, as well as no corporate income or personal property taxes.
The best-scoring cities in the top 10 for each factor
We then looked at each individual factor to see which city ranked the highest for each. Below are the highest-scoring US cities for each of our factors.
The US city with the most conferences and events
Orlando, Florida- 1,189
Orlando takes the top spot, with 1,189 conferences and events. Whilst it’s not a guarantee that you’ll find a conference or event that’s relevant to you, Orlando is evidently one of the best-suited cities for hosting these types of conventions.
Some of Orlando’s biggest conferences include the Orlando Annual Business Research Conference, the Empowerment Business Conference, and the Florida Technology & Innovation Solution Summit.
The US city with the best internet speed
San Antonio, Texas - 321.75 Mbps average download speed
San Antonio takes first place, with an average download speed of 323.98 Mbps. San Antonio also boasts an average upload speed of 50.94 Mbps and an average latency of 15 milliseconds.
The US city with the most affordable taxi costs per mile
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - $1.92 taxi cost per mile
Pittsburgh has the most affordable taxi costs, at $1.92 per mile. The taxi price starts at $4 in Pittsburgh, meaning a 10 mile journey would cost you around $23 on average. Pittsburgh airport is around 14 km away from the city, meaning a taxi would cost you around $15 less than Orlando, which has the most expensive taxis.
The safest US city
Irving, Texas - 62.91 safety score
Arlington is the safest city, with a safety score of 62.91 out of 100. Its safety score is well above the national average, which is 50.78. The Arlington County Police Department works closely with neighborhood groups, nonprofit organizations, and Business Improvement Districts to keep the city safe.
The US city with the most co-working spaces
Houston, Texas - 123 co-working spaces
Houston takes the top spot, with over 100 co-working spaces throughout the city. Some spaces offer gyms, free coffee, and parking, meaning you can find a workspace that suits your day.
The US city with the most affordable meal for two
Fort Worth, Texas- $60 average price of a meal for two
Taking the top spot is Kissimmee, with the average expense of a three-course meal for two costing $60. Restaurants in Fort Worth may be affordable, but there are fewer of them in this city. If you want to eat at a cheaper restaurant, a meal costs an average of $18 without tips.
The US city with the most affordable hotels
Houston, Texas- $112.78 average hotel price per night
With an average hotel price of around $112 per night, Houston takes the top spot. Houston has two international airports, making it well-connected for business travelers. It’s also less than 30 minutes away from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, reducing your traveling time significantly.
The world’s best business hotspots
Seoul is the world’s best business hotspot, with a score of 7.97 out of 10
To highlight the importance of international travel, we wanted to consider the same for cities worldwide. International business travel is important for growing your business. It allows you to create new connections, expand your business, and meet potential clients. Meeting clients wherever they are is important for maintaining strong business relationships and making worldwide connections.
We combined these factors and more into an index to calculate a global business score for the capital city of each country in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Below are the best business hotspots in the world according to our index.
1. Seoul, South Korea - 7.97 global business score
Seoul takes first place with a global business score of 7.97 out of 10. Seoul ranked incredibly high due to its safety and affordable taxi costs, with its numerous conferences and events and co-working spaces further boosting its score. Thanks to its flourishing business ecosystem and investor-friendly policies, South Korea is a brilliant place for business.
2. Warsaw, Poland - 7.24 global business score
Warsaw takes second place, with a global business score of 7.24 out of 10. Warsaw ranks highly for its affordable prices, with the cost of a meal for two, taxis, and hotels among the most affordable on this list. The capital of Poland is located in the heart of Europe, making it an attractive place for business owners as it’s incredibly well-connected. There are also approximately five million square meters of office space, showing just how prominent business is in Warsaw.
3. Tokyo, Japan - 7.18 global business score
Tokyo concludes our top three with a global business score of 7.18 out of 10. Tokyo scores highly for most of our factors, ranking especially highly for its co-working spaces and safety. Tokyo is a fantastic place for business, with many global companies based in Japan's capital, such as Sony, Mitsubishi, and Hitachi.
The OECD capital city with the most conferences and events
Tokyo, Japan - 766 conferences and events
Tokyo has more conferences and events than any other OECD capital, with over 700 including the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025. Education and training, as well as IT and technology, are the two most common categories for Tokyo’s conferences and events.
The OECD capital city with the best internet speed
Madrid, Spain - 218.72 Mbps average download speed
Madrid has the best internet speed, with an average download speed of 218.72 Mbps, an average upload speed of 164.34 Mbps, and a latency of six milliseconds. Madrid’s mobile speed is also really good, at a download speed of 89.22 Mbps.
The OECD capital city with the most affordable taxi costs per mile
Mexico City, Mexico - $0.64 taxi cost per mile
The OECD city with the most affordable taxi cost is Mexico City, with the average cost of a taxi costing just 64¢ per mile. Mexico City’s airport, Benito Juarez International Airport, is around 7 miles away from the city, meaning a taxi could cost you between $5 and $10 each way.
The safest OECD capital city
Tokyo, Japan - 75.88 safety score
Tokyo takes the top spot, with a safety score of 75.88 out of 100. Tokyo is an incredibly safe city, with very low rates of pickpocketing, bag snatching, and street crime. Violent crime is also rare in the Japanese capital.
The OECD capital city with the most co-working spaces
Mexico, Mexico City - 246 co-working spaces
Mexico City has the most co-working spaces, with 246. Depending on your needs, you can book spaces that have cafes, bike parking, and showers, and some are even pet-friendly. Tokyo and Madrid followed behind in second and third place, with 207 and 194, respectively.
The OECD capital city with the most affordable meal for two
Bogota, Colombia - $24.71 average price of a meal for two
Bogota takes the top spot, with the average cost of a three-course meal for two being $24.71. Colombia’s capital city also has a high number of restaurants to choose from, meaning you’ll have plenty of options to suit what you and your client are looking for.
The OECD capital city with the most affordable hotel price
Bogota, Colombia - $47 average price of a hotel
Bogota has the most affordable average hotel price, at $47. On average, a three-star hotel costs $40.94, a four-star hotel costs $70.39, and a five-star hotel costs almost $120.
Do your research to find the best city for your business trips
Business trips are crucial, but they can be stressful. As the index shows, each city offers different benefits. In some cases, you may not have the choice of where to go. However, when you can choose to meet halfway, doing your research is paramount for those long-distance client relationships.
Preparing for your business trips can reflect well on you and your business. It shows you are confident and assured, traits of a person you would want to go into business with. Whether you are creating new relationships or maintaining them, do your research to find appropriate restaurants and cafes for face-to-face client meetings, ensure you’ll have good internet access to connect with your employees back home, and find co-working spaces for a secure place to work.
Business trips can also be costly. Therefore, it’s important to reduce your expenses where possible. A corporate travel manager will be able to help with this by looking into public transport as opposed to taxis and looking for the best deals on hotels and their locations can help keep those costs down.
Once again, it comes down to preparation. Spending time prior to the trip can help you cover all the bases so you can enjoy the trip and make the most of it.
Methodology
- We used cvent to create a seeding list of US cities. For our global section, we used the capital cities of OECD countries. OECD countries are those part of The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that work together to improve the standards and policies for the world.
- We used Speed Test to find the average download speed for each city to find its internet connection speed. This data was collected on 13/06/2024 for US cities and 19/06/2024 for OECD capital cities.
- We used Numbeo to find the average cost of a three-course meal for two people at a mid-range restaurant. This data was collected on 05/08/2024 for both US and OECD capital cities.
- We used Numbeo to find each city's average taxi cost per kilometer. This data was collected on 05/08/2024 for both US cities and OECD capital cities. We then multiplied this by 1.6 to calculate the average taxi cost per mile.
- We also used corporate travel manager to find each city's safety index score. Data for US cities was collected on 20/06/2024, and for OECD capital cities, it was collected on 18/06/2024.
- We used 10times to find the conferences and events in each city. Data for US cities was collected on 13/06/2024 and 19/06/2024 for OECD capitals.
- We used coworkers to find the number of co-working spaces for each city. This data was collected on 14/06/2024 for US cities and 18/06/2024 for OECD capital cities.
- We used Booking.com to find the average hotel price in each city. This data was collected on 17/06/2024 for US cities and 19/06/2024 for OECD capital cities.
- We combined this data into a weighted table, giving each factor a normalized score out of 10. We then took an average of these scores to get our business score and global business score for US cities and OECD capital cities, respectively.
