Business travel, like many service sectors, has not been experiencing a very friendly climate since the economy took a turn for the worse. According to travel industry research company PhoCusWright, U.S. corporate travel is expected to decline 15 percent this year.

The U.S. travel industry as a whole is projected to drop by 11 percent, and the corporate travel sector, which currently makes up 40 percent of the entire market, is expected to drop to 35 percent by 2010. Along with airlines and other popular forms of transportation, the hospitality and meetings industries are also seeing similar declines.

However, Susan Steinbrink, senior researcher and corporate market analyst at PhoCusWright, suggests the situation could lead to sparks of innovation in everything from videoconferencing to optimizing value in travel. Illustrating the point of how creative businesses have become, Starwood Hotels & Resorts is taking 4 percent off the master tab for any companies that book a meeting requiring 10 or more guest rooms by August 31 (1).

But that's not all. The hotel chain is also throwing in a complimentary morning or afternoon refreshment break sponsored by PepsiCo, and the chance to win a free private concert by pop songstress Natasha Bedingfield with the proceeds going to a charity of the company's choice.

"We created this initiative to strike the right balance between providing value for meetings in today's tough economic reality and supporting philanthropic efforts that are important to our customer's local communities," says Dave Marr, senior vice president of brand management, North America for Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Some hotels are going in the opposite direction by playing up the mantra of "less is more." The Rancho Bernardo Inn, a luxury resort in San Diego, offers guests the option of cutting out amenities such as linens, toilet paper, pillows, and towels in exchange for a reduced price.

A room for two, which starts at $219 a night, can go all the way down to $19 if you are willing to sleep in an unfurnished room with nothing but a tent. The deal runs from August 16-31, and is called the Survivor Package (2).

Rancho Bernard general manager John Gates says the idea came about as a way to make the best of the current financial situation and give customers a unique and unusual experience.

British Airways offered an essay contest called the "Face of Opportunity" last month to award a free business trip to 1,000 people (3). The contest was based off of the results of a Harvard Business Review readership survey in which 95 percent of 2,211 professionals reported that face-to-face meetings were the key to long-lasting, successful business relationships.

In the coming months, selected winners will travel from New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago respectively to London aboard one of three flights to network and establish a wider presence for their businesses.

In London, opportunities such as a networking forum with top business leaders and presentations and discussions on how to do business in the United Kingdom and abroad are available. The return date for the trip is flexible, and the airline will also cover flying to any other location British Airways flies to for any additional meetings with new clients.

Sometimes being in a slump is the best motivation to adapt and evolve a company's brand.