From preventing costs from ballooning out of control to capturing crucial itinerary details for duty of care purposes, having a corporate travel policy is a basic necessity for any company with employees traveling for business. Each organization must craft its own version based on the culture of the company and the goals of the travel program, but here are some topics to address in a travel policy to help those who don’t have one get started.

Travel requests/pretrip approvals

To avoid unnecessary T&E expenditures, consider implementing a pretrip approval process in which employees must submit a travel request to an approver, usually a business unit leader, to confirm the appropriateness of each trip and sign off on it before travelers can make their reservations. Be sure to outline which pertinent details travelers need to include when making trip requests, such as the destination, dates of travel, purpose of the trip and estimated costs (which can be calculated using our smart booking tool, Neo™).

Booking

The travel policy also should have a section on how to book trips and explain not only if it should be done through the travel management company’s online booking tool or another platform but also why it’s so important to make in-policy bookings for duty of care purposes (see below). You also may wish to define how far in advance employees must make reservations for the ultimate savings on airfares and hotel rates.

Preferred suppliers

Depending on your organization’s annual travel spend, you may or may not have special arrangements with select travel suppliers (airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, etc.) to send a certain amount of business their way for additional discounts and perks. If you do have such written agreements in place, explain to employees in the travel policy that’s it’s vital they book with these suppliers to maximize savings.

Air

In addition to encouraging employees to book with the company’s preferred airline carrier(s), implement rules on what kind of seat class employees can book. For instance, what circumstances, if any, can a traveler book business class? Does this extend to all business travelers or just your top executives? And when can travelers book premier economy over economy?

With the rise of unbundled fares in the airline industry, also state whether or not amenities that traditionally were included in the airfare but no longer necessarily are (such as checked luggage, meals and in-flight entertainment) will be covered by the organization.

You also may wish to define other cost-saving measures, such as when to take a connecting flight vs. nonstop and how many hours before/after the requested departure time they should book if a lower fare is found.

Lodging

In addition to promoting your hotel guidelines — whether that’s booking rooms with preferred suppliers only or not surpassing a rate cap by city — you also might specify that only standard rooms can be booked and which incidental expenses, such as in-room Wi-Fi, room service, valet parking, late checkout/early check-in fees and hotel dry cleaning, are reimbursable.

Other transportation

If offering rail as an option, spell out when employees may book business class vs. coach or express vs. regional.

There also should be guidelines in place on how travelers should get from Point A to Point B once they arrive at their destination — when taxis can be used as opposed to more economical modes of transportation (airport shuttles, subways, buses, etc.).

To keep costs down, we recommend only allowing employees to rent a car when taxi service and public transportation are unavailable or are too expensive. For rentals, denote the class of vehicle employees can procure and how other costs, like fuel, tolls and parking, will be covered. Be sure to include details about auto insurance coverage and information about whom to call if a traveler gets into an accident.

Per diem

You’ll need to inform employees what their daily allowance for meals, gratuities and incidental expenses is. Many U.S. companies base them on the per diem guidelines set by the General Services Administration for U.S. cities and states and those established by the U.S. Department of State for foreign countries.

You also might spell out in this section your policy on alcohol, if and when it will be paid for by the company (for instance, when entertaining clients) and about duty of loyalty.

Payment and reimbursement

The policy should explain how travel costs should be paid for  — whether through a centralized corporate account, the employee’s own personal credit card or a mix of both — as well as how travelers should submit their expenses for reimbursement, including what kind of forms and receipts are required, the deadline for submission and the length of time it will take to be reimbursed.

You also might outline the scenarios in which a traveler will not be reimbursed, like when they make out-of-policy choices or need to rebook a trip due to their own negligence.

Travel risk management

Because it is so important for a company to prepare their travelers for a crisis situation as part of its duty of care obligation, we suggest devoting an entire section to this topic and clearly outlining what they should do in an emergency.

Be sure to encourage (or even make it mandatory) that employees book travel using the company’s approved online booking tool so that all their itinerary details, including hotels, are captured and that they make sure all their emergency contact details are up-to-date in their profiles.

You also will want to spell out the travel risk management procedures both the company and travelers should follow when a crisis arises.

Stuck on that point and need help with developing your travel risk management program? Click here for a step-by-step guide.

 

If travel costs have skyrocketed and employees are exceedingly booking overpriced air, cars and hotel stays, it may be time to reevaluate your travel policy or put a formal plan in place. A managed travel program should provide travelers maximum choice and flexibility, without sacrificing the bottom line.

American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) recently hosted an informative webinar to outline strategies that drive travel policy compliance without compromising ROI. Watch this presentation to learn how to create a win-win strategy for you and your employees. Our seasoned panel of travel team members have outlined key components of a balanced travel program including:

  • The importance of traveler feedback and communications
  • Ways to optimize savings while creating value for your travelers
  • Where to find a price forecast of airline and hotel expenses around the world
  • How to win executive buy-in for a comprehensive travel program

For those of you who missed out on the webinar, tune in anytime by clicking here.

We hear a lot about the need to boost traveler satisfaction and well-being, but it can be somewhat difficult for travel policy decision makers to grasp how imperative a concept that is if they do little traveling themselves or get the VIP travel treatment. Only when they have “been there, done that” on a red-eye flight in economy seats after a mechanical issue has delayed their departure can they truly empathize.

Still, let’s put ourselves in business travelers’ shoes today by exploring some of the common gripes they have and what companies can do to address them.

Gripe No. 1: Air travel is agonizing

Airport arrival anxiety. Snaking security lines. Pushy passengers. Six a.m. departures. Flight cancellations. The list of reasons why air travel is one of the most stressful aspects of a work-related trip can go on and on.

But a lot of these frustrations can be alleviated with a traveler-friendly policy, one that provides access to airport lounges and expedited security clearance and gives travelers upgraded seating options or flexibility with fares so that they don’t have to board the earliest flight with multiple stops. Of course, what traveling employees really would love is greater access to business class, but seats in premium economy is a nice compromise.

And when employees encounter flight delays and cancellations, having a disruption service like Proactive Traveler Care™ from American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), which offers automatic rebooking assistance 24/7, can help ease some of their frustration.

Gripe No. 2: Accommodation options are limited

Business travelers want to have a greater say in where they stay during a work trip. After all, it’s their temporary home away from home, their sanctuary after a long flight and day of meetings.

Traditionally, organizations have limited the hotel options in their program, pushing for employees to book with preferred suppliers. But in an effort to offer employees more choice and flexibility, some organizations are shifting away from this model and instead are implementing caps that establish a limit on what travelers can spend on lodging in a particular city or region (as you can read about in this white paper).

When employing this kind of strategy, organizations still can save on accommodation costs by taking advantage of the discounts that American Express GBT has negotiated on behalf of our clients. Plus, with a tool like our Hotel Re-Shop Expert™, currently available to clients in select locations, they also can save when hotel rates for the same room type drops.

And because we have more than 2 million properties in our inventory, including content that we’ve negotiated ourselves as well as that from our partnerships with Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb, travelers certainly can’t complain that they don’t have choices!

Gripe No. 3: The travel policy isn’t clear

Travel policies are supposed to give employees crystal-clear clarity regarding their booking behaviors, yet sometimes they add to the confusion. Travelers unwittingly may be breaking rules because of complicated wording or if they are not even aware of the policy’s existence.

But with messages that can be pushed via our pre-trip approval solution, Expert Auditor™, and in our self-booking tool, Neo™, travel managers naturally can promote policy awareness and educate travelers about what’s in and out of bounds.

Some policy guidelines may need to be clarified first, though. For instance, a policy may state that employees must select the “lowest logical airfare” (LLA) when booking air travel, but companies actually need to define those parameters. And what is considered LLA for the majority of employees may not be the same for the firm’s top executives.

By the way, companies that do grant senior execs special privileges, such as business class seats for domestic flights or upgraded hotel rooms, may consider making that clear in the policy. If employees perceive that rules are being bent for just a few, it may generate resentment and inspire some to “go rogue.”

Gripe No. 4: Travel wreaks havoc on their health

It can be difficult to combat the unhealthy choices lurking at every corner of a business trip. From having every meal out or on the go to a chaotic schedule that leaves little time and desire to work out, business travel can sabotage even those with totally healthy intentions. And it’s not just bad food choices and a lack of exercise that can morph into a health issue. Jet lag disrupting sleep patterns and the plain rigors of travel can wear one’s body and mind down, gradually leading to unproductive, unhappy employees.

Companies can lead initiatives to promote healthier choices but to truly understand how the travel program and policies are impacting workers, we suggest a data analytics tool to review KPIs that influence travel well-being.

Peer Travel Insights, a new benchmarking solution from American Express GBT, features a traveler well-being dashboard that provides key insights impacting travelers’ health, such as the average trip duration, how much time employees are spending away from home and the number of red-eye flights being taken. The tool also provides an overall traveler well-being score so companies can see, for better or worse, how they are faring in this department against their peers.

Now that’s gripe management 101!

 

We know there are a lot of misconceptions traveling employees (and even some travel managers) have about managed travel. So today let’s lay to rest some of the confusion once and for all by debunking four common myths.

Myth No. 1: They can find a better deal elsewhere

We know how savvy your employees are at sniffing out online bargains. But we also are confident that our seasoned procurement pros at American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) have obtained some of the best rates around with all the time they have invested negotiating with suppliers across the world. And we have proof of it!

According to unbiased analysis conducted by RateGain Technologies between January and December 2018, we meet or beat the hotel rates published by three leading online travel agencies (OTA) 90 percent of the time on a global level. When a client includes the inventory that we have from Booking.com and Expedia, we can return the lowest available rate 96 percent of the time.

Regarding air travel, even if travelers do manage to find a cheaper flight on an OTA or on the supplier’s website, it likely will come with strings attached (e.g., a basic economy fare that doesn’t allow a carry-on larger than a handbag or itinerary changes to be made).

We understand how this misconception came about. First, American Express GBT provides all costs upfront, but oftentimes OTAs hide taxes and additional fees until the final stage of booking so it appears like they’re offering a better rate.

Second, travelers may not be comparing apples to apples. For instance, they may not be taking into account the additional perks that we can afford them through our Preferred Extras™ program, such as complimentary breakfast and in-room, high-speed Wi-Fi included in the rate at thousands upon thousands of hotel properties around the world.

Third, employees are not considering the time and money they are spending when they scour the web for deals rather than working on landing their own.

Finally, when you consider the total package that comes with booking with a travel management company (TMC), such as personalized, 24/7 customer service support and the additional duty of care protections, there really is no comparison.

Myth No. 2: A managed travel program doesn’t grant them many options

We emphatically disagree with this idea that a managed travel program limits travelers’ choices and options. In fact, we are witnessing an opposite trend, that as companies strive to do more to keep their employees happy, they are experimenting with various initiatives to open up options and provide travelers with more flexibility.

For instance, as we noted in a recent white paper, Ernst & Young has transformed its entire hotel accommodation program from the traditional RFP model to one that centers around dynamic pricing and city caps that place a ceiling on the rate travelers can pay in a destination. As long as the rate doesn’t go over the cap, employees can book at any property instead of only the ones pegged as preferred suppliers.

We at American Express GBT also work hard to present travelers with a wide array of options, whether it’s through the enormous amount of content we offer through our booking channels (our Booking.com program alone offers 2 million properties!) or by providing them with the tools to book travel however they like (i.e., their mobile device, desktop or by contacting a travel counselor via phone or chat).

Myth No. 3: They won’t get reward points when booking with a TMC

We are not sure how this misconception began circulating, but it is a particularly frustrating one since it encourages travelers who are fearful that their points won’t get transferred to their account to book outside the program and directly with suppliers. And when that happens, it erodes the company’s data reporting and duty of care capabilities.

So let’s make this point perfectly clear: As long as their company allows them to collect the points, travelers will receive the ones owed to them when booking through any American Express GBT channel. Because their loyalty number is tied to the reservation in the GDS, their points automatically should get entered into the account. The only time this would not be true is if a traveler selects a hotel rate that specifically does not include loyalty points.

But that’s not all. American Express GBT actually works with some partners to provide even more benefits to its loyal travelers. For instance, through the “fast track to Gold” program we have with Hilton, those traveling with us can earn Gold status in just four stays instead of 20!

Myth No. 4: With today’s technology, business trips aren’t necessary

Yes, video conferencing and collaboration tools have made it easier to conduct business with clients and colleagues who are thousands of miles away. However, no matter how good it gets, this technology simply cannot replace the value of face-to-face meetings, especially when it’s a business moment that matters.

We could go on and on why it’s an absolute necessity to show up in person for that all-important business meeting (as we did in this Atlas article), but one stat that encapsulates this concept well comes from a study featured in Harvard Business Review in which researchers found that face-to-face requests are 34 times more likely to garner positive responses than emails.

We probably didn’t need a full research report to reach this conclusion, though. Many of us already can relate to this on an experiential level when considering how many messages we ignore or trash on a daily basis (especially when the sender is not someone we have met in person before). But it’s an important reminder just how effective face-to-face interactions are, from the initial handshake hello to the last one that seals the deal.

So the next time a traveler or stakeholder questions if a trip is worth the cost, consider the high price the company might pay if it misses out on the business opportunity altogether.

What trends are impacting your corporate travel program? From NDC to Brexit and disruptions, both good and bad, today we will explore a few phenomena that can have an impact on your business travel program.

NDC  and airline distribution

Are the stars finally aligning for New Distribution Capability (NDC), the technology standard launched by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2012 to improve how airline content is distributed? Well, yes and no.

With more players in the industry working together to pilot NDC-enabled solutions  — including American Express Global Business Travel’s (GBT) own partnership with Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport — it is shaping up to be an important year not only for NDC but airline distribution overall.

But as a white paper that we produced in collaboration with ACTE indicates, travel managers (TM) still have their concerns. While many believe NDC could provide a better shopping experience to travelers, especially for purchasing add-on services, they also fear it will lead to reduced fare transparency and functionality. Until they have a stronger understanding of how NDC may impact their programs, it seems travel managers may stick to the current plan.

Advice for TMs: This is your time to have an influence in the direction airline distribution and merchandising take. We suggest working with other suppliers and your business partner for managed travel to voice what it will take to make NDC valuable to your program and travelers.

Artificial intelligence

From Amazon’s Echo devices entering hotel rooms to robots turning up at airports worldwide, we saw in 2018 how AI-powered technology is transforming the travel experience — and we expect things will progress quickly from here.

As GBT’s Chief Information Technology Officer David Thompson said in a recent interview with Phocuswire, he anticipates that over the next decade there will be “significant innovation between supplier and traveler” that “will allow us to reach a point of true automation.”

He imagines that one day, “a traveler flying from New York to Los Angeles for a meeting will have their flight, hotel, transportation and even dinner reservations automatically booked through AI and mobile technology. All they will have to do is wake up and go, significantly reducing the friction of business travel.”

Thompson also explained that “with access to these data-driven resources, TMCs can learn about a traveler base over time and make decisions and recommendations built around their personal needs.”

To find out how GBT is using AI to enhance travel experiences, click here and here.

Advice for TMs: To satisfy travelers’ evolving habits, it will become necessary to embrace the new technology. Just be sure to carefully vet any new tools and apps employees plan to use for work-related trips. Some companies, especially those in startup mode, may not yet have done their due diligence when it comes to data security.

Brexit

We thought we were coming to the end, but it looks like this tumultuous journey is “to be continued.” Originally, the United Kingdom was set to leave the European Union on March 29, but now it has been granted a second extension until Oct. 31 (although the UK can leave earlier if it ratifies a withdrawal agreement before then).

So once again, we are stuck in a holding pattern, waiting to see how this wild ride might end and how much of an impact, if any at all, Brexit will have on corporate travel programs. In other words, hang tight and stay tuned!

Advice for TMs: We don’t anticipate there will be definitive answers anytime soon. But if you are really keen to read up on the topic, check out this Atlas article on what travel-related changes to expect if there’s a no-deal Brexit.

Flight disruptions

Whether due to software issues, weather events or drone incidents, we have seen many flights get canceled and delayed over the past few months.

And we are expecting an escalating number of flight disruptions this year due to extreme weather, including a possible El Niño event that climate scientists warn may contribute to 2019 becoming the hottest year on record. And that, as National Geographic pointed out, could lead to “heat waves, wildfires, droughts, flooding, and violent storms.”

And you know what that means? More flight cancelations and delays.

Advice for TMs: Let us help reduce your travelers’ flight frustrations and ask us about our Proactive Traveler Care™, which uses cutting-edge technology to monitor for disruptions and automatically contacts impacted passengers to help with rebooking assistance.

 

 

An employee’s business travel experience can have a profound effect on their productivity and job satisfaction, yet many company leaders do not have an idea about what their staff members want and expect from the corporate travel program.

To give travel managers (TM) better insight into the perceptions and preferences of modern business travelers, American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) teamed up with its exclusive partner Lola.com to present the webinar “The State of 2019 Corporate Travel.”

The webinar, informed by key findings from a recent survey Lola conducted, was led by Evan Konwiser, vice president of Digital Traveler at American Express GBT, and Krista Pappas, Lola’s senior vice president of business development.

During the discussion, Konwiser and Pappas covered key factors impacting the travel experience, including:

  • How the size of a company can influence the kind of employees it attracts and therefore what kind of expectations workers have of the corporate travel program
  • Whether employees view business travel more as a privilege or burden and what changes and additions TMs can introduce to the program to enhance the overall experience
  • How companies can/should deliver on the perk travelers value most — loyalty points — and more about the special rewards programs American Express GBT has with some of its preferred suppliers

Didn’t get a chance to attend the live webinar? No problem! Tune in anytime by playing the video below.

Sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back to reassess, refocus and reprioritize in order to make changes that can elevate your corporate travel program. But we understand how difficult it can be to see the big picture when you are swamped with the day-to-day. So today we are sharing some goals that can make your program more effective and some action steps that can lead you there.

1. Meet your travelers’ demands

Corporate travelers today do not simply want a convenient, seamless, personalized travel experience — they are totally demanding it. When they can’t get what they want from the company’s booking tool or policy, they have no problem going elsewhere, often directly to a supplier or online travel agency’s website.

Since we only expect for this trend to accelerate this year thanks to AI-powered travel tools that offer consumers greater ease and customization, organizations need to look at how they can make their travelers’ desires a reality. Rigid travel policies that limit options and outdated booking tools may push employees to either stray from company guidelines or from the company altogether.

Actions to take:

  • Use data analytics tools (including our newly launched Peer Travel Insights benchmarking program with a traveler well-being dashboard) to understand your travelers’ behaviors and preferences and use the insights to make the program more appealing overall.
  • Review and rework an outdated travel policy. Strip away overly restrictive guidelines and dense jargon so it’s easier for travelers to follow the rules.
  • Work with your travel management company (TMC) to introduce new tech solutions to enhance, automate and customize the travel experience and be sure to promote these tools to employees.
  • Work toward addressing any gaps in travelers’ Wi-Fi service, so that no matter where they go, there’s never a disruption to their mobile experience.

2. Expand your duty of care program

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, organizations began taking traveler safety more seriously and beefing up security protocols. They started introducing tools that can pinpoint travelers’ whereabouts, working with third-party risk management providers and reminding travelers about the importance of booking their entire trip via the corporate tool for security reasons.

With much of that under control, now the focus is shifting to other ways companies can boost their duty of care efforts. For example, travelers’ health and well-being have become hot topics as organizations seek solutions to prevent travel burnout. Today, there also is more discussion about how organizations can keep travelers safe when a business trip extends into a personal one or when staying in alternative accommodations, like a home-style rental via Booking.com.

And after a report from the Global Business Travel Association found that more than 80 percent of women say they have experienced at least one safety-related issue while traveling for business in the past year, more attention is being paid to how companies can protect their female travelers.

Actions to take:

  • Audit your program for any existing travel risk management gaps and make adjustments accordingly.
  • Spell out to travelers what kind of protection they will and won’t have during the leisure portion of a « bleisure » trip so they can take extra precautions.
  • Provide special training to your female travelers to educate them about how they can prepare for the potential risks they face abroad.
  • Introduce initiatives designed to boost your employees’ mental and physical health and reduce traveler friction. (Get ideas here and here.)

3. Focus on the use and misuse of traveler data

From the wealth of information that can be captured from a trip itinerary for duty of care purposes to the numbers that are crucial for supplier negotiations, data is the fuel of business travel. Using sophisticated AI technology, travel managers increasingly are focused on how they can use data to boost traveler satisfaction, reduce costs and increase program efficiencies.

Meanwhile, with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) taking effect last year, the idea of data privacy has come under a microscope. That, along with the rise of cyberattacks in recent years, has pushed organizations to implement tighter controls around their employees’ personal information.

Because of all of the above, we strongly advise making traveler data a top priority.

Actions to take:

  • Work with your IT department to provide travelers with the cybersecurity training and tools they need to keep their information safe on the road.
  • Increase payment security and reduce the amount of data you transfer by having your travelers use our virtual credit numbers for hotel transactions.
  • Carefully review your contracts and speak to suppliers about how they are handling your travelers’ data and what measures they have taken to be compliant with GDPR.
  • Use robust data analytics tools to understand traveler preferences and program spend to make smarter policy changes.

4. Reduce your own workload

We know how time-consuming achieving the above goals will be, which is why the last one focuses on taking tasks off your plate. By taking a step back, reflecting on where you have spent your energy in the past and what objectives you were and were not able to accomplish, you may see that there are some assignments you can eliminate from your to-do list, whether you find it’s no longer a goal worth pursuing or it’s one that can be better managed by someone else.

Action steps to take:

  • Reduce the amount of work involved with annual contract renewals by consolidating your hotel and air suppliers and taking advantage of your TMC’s discounted rates.
  • Outsource duties that eat too much of your time or where a third party may add more value.
  • Enlist help from other departments, such as accounting and IT, who can lend their expertise in educating travelers and streamlining systems.
  • Contact us. There are many ways we can help make your job easier. Just reach out and ask!

 

Sure, it’s nice to be able to save your company money on business travel, but have you thought about why doing so may be in your own best interest? Today, let’s look at 15 ways you can trim business travel costs and what may be in it for you, too.

1. Let’s get booking

Not only can purchasing air tickets at least 14 days in advance of a business trip save hundreds of dollars, but when you buy ahead, you also are way less likely to get stuck in a dreaded middle seat at the back of the aircraft.

2. Don’t fly peak

Don’t schedule your flight on a Tuesday at 6 a.m. during the off-peak season because it may save your organization a few hundred bucks. Do it because it will save you from the insanity of a congested airport!

3. Do business with the company’s preferred suppliers

Don’t waste your precious time scouring for deals online. If your company has preferred suppliers it is encouraging you to book with, it’s because it already has done the hard work of negotiating the most favorable terms, such as lower rates and all-inclusive amenities like breakfast and Wi-Fi. Book through the company’s online booking tool and save yourself a lot of hassle.

4. It pays to be loyal

Another benefit of sticking with the company’s preferred suppliers? All the loyalty reward points you can rack up and use toward perks for yourself, such as room upgrades, airport lounge access, late checkouts and much more. Learn how to maximize these programs via sites like The Points Guy and FlyerTalk.

5. Play nice and negotiate

Want a hotel upgrade without having the company pay a cent more? You just may be able to secure a better room or get a late checkout if you kindly ask the front desk staff for the favor.

6. Get rid of the extra baggage

Especially for shorter trips, pack like organizing guru Marie Kondo and tote a carry-on only. Not only will you save $40, $50 each way on a checked baggage fee, but it will “spark joy” knowing you won’t have to wait at the baggage claim or hear that your luggage has been lost.

7. Live large in the VIP airport lounge

Whether your credit card/frequent flyer program offers you entry or you purchase a daily pass, having access to the airport lounge can pay off when you take advantage of the complimentary food, beverages and Wi-Fi service. Plus, you’ll be so much more productive working in this luxe setting than at the crammed boarding gate.

8. Get in on the deal

American Express Global Business Travel has negotiated special discounts and perks just for you, dear traveler! Nearly 60,000 hotel properties are a part of our Preferred Extras program, where you can secure a better-than-advertised rate and receive complimentary breakfast and/or Wi-Fi service.

9. Let’s do lunch — or sweatwork

Instead of an expensive steak dinner with clients after a long workday, invite them to meet for lunch. In addition to being a more economical option, it will free up your evening. Or better yet, roll a client meeting into your daily workout—aka “sweatworking”— a rising trend in the finance industry.

10. Eat like a local

Why waste big bucks on hotel meals when you can immerse yourself in the culture while having an authentic local dining experience? Having takeout from a street vendor and eating in smaller restaurants not only is less expensive, but often the chow is tastier, too.

11. Follow the “six-block rule”

As the well-known travel adage goes, food is generally double the price and half as good when it’s purchased within six blocks of a tourist hot spot. Avoid the tourist traps and check out better-priced options on review sites like Yelp and OpenTable.

12. Get chauffeured around

Avoid the hassle of driving in a foreign city by using our Ground Transportation solution, a cost-effective, convenient platform where you easily can book and track rides with taxis, shuttles and rideshares. Alternatively, for those who prefer being behind the wheel of the car, take back control and shop the best deals on vehicles through your corporate booking tool.

13. Park it for less

If you do drive (whether it’s your own or a rented set of wheels), look for deals on parking spots with apps like SpotHero and Airport Parking Reservations (for U.S. locations) and YourParkingSpace (in the United Kingdom). By the way, with the latter app, you also can make money renting out your own driveway space.

14. Take a hike

If you’ve chosen a hotel that is close enough to your meeting venue, walk there. This way, you can save a bundle on taxi/transportation fees, get in your daily dose of exercise and experience the city on a deeper level.

15. Let’s make it personal

If the company allows “bleisure” travel, slash the costs of your next vacation by extending a business trip into a personal one. You can avoid paying your airfare and, just maybe, find a cheaper flight home if it’s on a less busy travel day and/or from a smaller airport.

 

 

This report, exploring and analyzing key factors that will affect your air travel buying in 2019, is produced by the Global Business Consulting team. It is one of a series designed by our consultants and analysts to help you optimize your travel policy and program.

To access the report, fill out the form below and then click on the “Submit” button. You then will be redirected to a new screen where you will be able to download the document.

FYI: The Air Monitor is published alongside a white paper advising on smarter buying strategies for your air program. Should you need more personalized, in-depth analysis and strategic advice, please get in touch with our GBC team.

* Champs obligatoires.

When considering what the business travel landscape will look like in 2019 and how corporate travel programs will be affected, there is one word that will be on the tips of everyone’s lips: data.

Whether it’s about protecting travelers’ sensitive details, capturing trip itineraries for duty of care purposes or using AI-driven analytics for program optimization, here are several ways data will play a critical role in corporate travel programs this year.

Data privacy

When the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect in May 2018, companies worldwide had to take a close look at how they were collecting and using the personal data of consumers based in the EU.

But that was just the beginning. Since then, we have seen other countries, from Brazil to India and the United States, working to introduce or boost GDPR-style legislation and there likely will be more.

While companies were concentrated on getting their own data privacy affairs in order last year, we anticipate that this year their focus will shift to their third-party suppliers.

Considering the amount of personal data collected by the travel industry, including home addresses and passport numbers, we strongly advise that organizations do their due diligence to ensure their travel partners are complying with data privacy regulations. Travel and procurement managers should carefully review their contracts and speak with suppliers to understand how their traveling employees’ data is being handled as well as what protections are in place if a data breach occurs.

Speaking of which …

Data protection

We expect organizations will be investing even more time and money into protecting the sensitive data of their employees and that of the company this year.

Part of that effort will focus on training traveling employees on what they can do to protect their data while on the road (you can get started here) as well as using anti-fraud technology to bolster cybersecurity.

We also are seeing more companies beginning to use virtual card numbers (VCN) for hotel transactions as a way to protect their corporate credit card accounts from being compromised. Once a transaction has been made, these highly secure, single-use VCNs become invalid, minimizing the risk of fraud.

Data capture

While you don’t want your travelers’ information falling into the wrong hands, you do need it to be at your own fingertips. The ability to retrieve complete trip itinerary and contact details quickly and easily is essential for duty of care governance, a growing area of concern with natural disasters, acts of violence and civil unrest regularly making headlines these days.

We know that capturing full trip details is tricky with business travelers often booking directly with suppliers instead of via the online booking tool or travel management company. But American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has a few tools to make nudging in-policy bookings easier.

For instance, our Trip Recommender™ solution automatically sends travelers who have reserved their flight, but not their hotel, a message with booking links to properties based on their corporate travel policies, past trip behaviors and includes at least one company preferred option among the recommendations. Our online booking tool, Neo™, allows travel managers to create custom policy reminders that are pushed at key booking moments.

We also are noticing a trend of more companies moving toward a pre-trip approval system to gain greater control over trip expenditures and visibility over travelers’ whereabouts with the rising interest in our own solution, Expert Auditor™.

Data analytics

Travel mangers have been using data analytics to inform program and policy decisions for some time now, but this year we expect they will take it to a whole new level thanks to sophisticated AI technology that is providing even more relevant KPIs and insights into their program’s trends and spend.
American Express GBT has built its own products with robust, easy-to-use reporting tools. From Premier Insights™, our advanced data visualization tool that allows you to see the big picture as well as drill down into minute program details, to Neo, which offers an estimate of all trip costs and detailed expense reports, our tools help give a holistic picture of a traveler’s end-to-end trip experience. And all this can lead to additional cost savings, a more personalized program for your travelers and smarter program decisions overall.

To learn more about how our data-driven solutions can benefit your travel program, please contact us today.