SALEM, NH -- On Call International, a leading travel risk management company, has released new research that reveals which major cities throughout the United States are best equipped for hosting productive, seamless business travel experiences. The “Business Travel Productivity Report,” which ranks the largest 20 markets in the U.S., is based on key factors including on-time flights, hotel prices, reliability of 4G LTE mobile networks, traffic congestion levels and efficiency of emergency rooms. Detroit, Phoenix, Cleveland, Minneapolis and Denver make up the top five most productive cities.

Each measured factor was determined by On Call International’s team of senior experts to paint a picture of the issues that could have a major impact on the productivity of America’s business travelers and their employers–from the number of on-time flights and lodging costs (which could cause employees to stay in less than reputable hotels or neighborhoods far from meeting locations), to spotty mobile network coverage and gridlock traffic en route to meetings. The rankings also took into account how efficient emergency rooms were in each city–crucial in the event a business traveler needs medical care during their trip. This includes the average door to diagnostic times and how often a person leaves a medical facility without being treated.

For a full list of the top 10 cities, as well as the cities that performed best in each category, please see here.

“There are several issues that could arise during business travel that have the potential to affect employee safety and productivity— and also impact their organization’s bottom line,” said Thomas Davidson, Vice President of On Call International. “Clients, customers and partners may not be sympathetic when it comes to missed meetings or late deliverables in today’s always-on digital work environments, and staying connected while avoiding major obstacles like flight delays and gridlock traffic is paramount to a road warrior’s productivity and success. We encourage employers to implement a comprehensive travel risk management program in order to mitigate the unique risks, both large and small, presented by any city.”

Business Travel Productivity Report Official Rankings:

1. Detroit, Michigan
2. Phoenix, Arizona
3. Cleveland, Ohio
4. Minneapolis, Minnesota
5. Denver, Colorado
6. Dallas, Texas
7. Sacramento, California
8. Tampa, Florida
9. Orlando, Florida
10. Houston, Texas
11. Seattle, Washington
12. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
13. Atlanta, Georgia
14. Los Angeles, California
15. Chicago, Illinois
16. Boston, Massachusetts
17. Miami, Florida
18. Washington, DC
19. San Francisco, California
20. New York, New York

Disclosure:

The Business Travel Productivity Report ranking study was conducted by SHIFT Communications on behalf of On Call International. On Call International is the sole investor and funder of the study. Secondary data sources from which data was drawn contain separate investors, but are not related to nor have a business interest in On Call International. Data was weighted and normalized to account for different measurement scales. The study period was May 2016 – August 2016; individual data sources have separate data timeframes as denoted below. Cities in the study were chosen by availability of all data fields from derivative sources.

Sources:

• Average on-time flights in/out of city (May 2015 – May 2016)
  Source: United States Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics
• Average price of a hotel room
  Source: Hotels.com, Hotel Price Index 2015
• Quality of mobile networks
  Source: RootMetrics, A look at the metros: which US cities are best for mobile network performance?
• Traffic congestion levels
  Source: TomTom, Traffic Index
• Effectiveness of emergency rooms based on average door to diagnostic times (how quickly someone was seen and diagnosed) and how often someone leaves without treatment
  Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Medicare database

About On Call International

When traveling, every problem is unique–a medical crisis, a political threat, even a common incident such as a missed flight. But every solution starts with customized care that ensures travelers are safe and protected. That’s why for over 20 years, On Call International has provided fully-customized travel risk management services protecting millions of travelers, their families, and their organizations. For more information visit: www.oncallinternational.com; follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn; like us on Facebook and visit the On Call blog.