travel policy communication: understanding disconnects … · 3 objectives previously, the gbta...

Travel Policy Communication: Understanding Disconnects and Increasing Compliance November 2016

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Objectives ...............................................................................................................................p.3

Methodology..........................................................................................................................p. 3

Executive Summary ..............................................................................................................p. 3

Company Travel Policy .........................................................................................................p. 4

Booking Behaviour ...............................................................................................................p. 6

Valued Amenities and Leakage ............................................................................................p. 8

Airline ....................................................................................................................... p. 10

Hotels ....................................................................................................................... p. 11

Car Rental ................................................................................................................ p. 12

Conclusions and Recommendations................................................................................. p. 13

Demographics ..................................................................................................................... p. 14

About the GBTA Foundation ............................................................................................. p. 15

About HRS ........................................................................................................................... p. 15

The copyright in all material provided in this paper is held by Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and its affiliates. None of the material may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, posted, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of GBTA. This publication has been prepared on behalf of GBTA as a service to the industry. The information is offered in good faith and believed to be reliable, accurate, and complete, but is made WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING (WITHOUT LIMITATION) WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR ANY OTHER MATTER. This publication is not intended to provide specific advice, legal or otherwise, on particular products, processes, suppliers, services or operations, and laws may vary by country and jurisdiction. You should not act or rely on any information contained herein without first seeking the advice of an attorney or other professional. GBTA, its affiliates, and their members do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any liability for any person’s compliance with, or failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations, or for any person’s use of or reliance on any information contained herein.

3

OBJECTIVES

Previously, the GBTA Foundation conducted a study examining the ways in which travel managers

communicate their company’s travel policy to their travellers as well as the success of these communication

efforts as measured by reported compliance. The same study explored which amenities are most valued

from a travel managers stand point — but this only tells half of the story.

The goals of this research are to provide the business travellers’ perspective on the same topics, from their

understanding of company travel policies, their compliance rates to identifying their valued amenities. This

research also aims to discover which communication methods and strategies business travellers most

prefer their travel managers use when disseminating important information as well as how often business

travellers are making travel decisions that incur unintentional costs to the company.

METHODOLOGY

This study is based on an online survey of 492 North American (50%) and European business travellers

(50%), all of whom are employed by a company, must adhere to their company’s travel policy or stated

guidelines, and have traveled at least four times in the past year for business. The survey fielded from May

26 – June 14, 2016.

Throughout this report, the collective of respondents is referred to as “business travellers” and use of the

term “travel manager” and “travel professional” is used interchangeably. Additionally, despite not always

being the most accurate characterization, “amenities” is used to describe all types of value-adds, regardless

of supplier type.

Due to rounding, total percents may add to 99% or 101%. Additionally, figures displayed in a chart may not

always add to the exact figures in the report for this same reason. Where applicable, an asterisk (*) is placed

next to a figure that, due to size, cannot be projected to the greater population of business travellers.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

There are significant differences between the perceptions and recollections of the business traveller and

the travel professional. Unfortunately, this is one of the rare occasions where perception is more important

than reality. If a business traveller doesn’t remember getting an email outlining the amenities afforded him

or her when staying at a given hotel, whether the travel manager sent the email or not is largely irrelevant.

Business travellers want to do the right thing – four out of five say abiding by their company’s travel policy

plays a large role in their business travel decisions, yet one in five say they don’t receive messages alerting

them when their travel plans are in violation of the company travel policy. Out-of-policy booking and other

sources of leakage can be reduced if travel managers can learn which communication means and methods

are most effective for their travellers and disseminate information through those channels.

Less than one-quarter of business travellers are asked to report information about their trip upon return

through any formal feedback channel, such as if they used the hotel Wi-Fi or a car with GPS navigation.

Without this information, travel managers are flying blind when it comes to negotiating the amenities

travellers most use and want, missing an opportunity to attract travellers to approved booking channels. By

listening to their travellers’ needs and priorities, travel professionals can work to secure contracts loaded

with amenities their travellers use and value which will have a positive impact on travel policy compliance

as well as save the company money due to a reduction in leakage.

Travel Policy Communication: Understanding Disconnects and Increasing Compliance © 2016 GBTA and its affiliates. All rights reserved.

4

COMPANY TRAVEL POLICY

While some companies do not have any restrictions or policies around employee travel, most do and fall

into one of two categories: mandated policies or policy guidelines. Mandated policies generally are very

clear about both what is allowed as well as the consequences for going outside the stated parameters. In

most cases, there is a prescribed list of preferred vendors from which a traveller may choose as well as

booking procedures that must be followed. On the other hand, policy guidelines are much less strict and

can take on many different forms; rarely does a failure to follow a given guideline have a negative

consequence on the business traveller.

Interestingly, some business travellers

perceive their company’s travel policy to

be slightly more strict than travel

managers report to be true. Among those

working for a company with some type of

travel policy, one-half of business

travellers, both in North America and

Europe,1 say they must follow travel

mandates (50%) or travel guidelines

(50%). However, a recent study among

travel managers in the United States

revealed roughly only one-third of

companies have travel mandates (36%)

and two-thirds employ the looser travel

guidelines (62%).2

On the whole, business travellers say they are knowledgeable about their company’s policies (96%) and

this feeling is supported by almost all (95%) being able to identify their company’s ride share service policy.

However, their understanding of the policy and the actual policy may be very different. For example, in

2015, one-quarter (24%) of travel managers said ride sharing options were not allowed under their company

travel policy3 but only half that many business travellers (12%) say the same. While it is possible ride share

adoption increased in the past 12 months, it is unlikely to have changed so dramatically over this short

period of time, thus illustrating differences business traveller perception and reality.

It is not a lack of desire or willingness to follow company guidelines that drives out-of-policy booking and

leakage, it is a lack of understanding caused by a breakdown in communication between the company and

the traveller.

The importance of closing this gap becomes clear when addressing travel to high-risk locations. One out

of six business travellers (17%) say they do not receive any additional information before going to a high-

risk area, such as information about the company’s travel insurance, available assistance services, or even

general information about current concerns in the area. While, in reality, even if all travel managers try to

communicate this information, if the traveller does not hear, understand, or recall it when needed, such

efforts are effectively useless.

1 Business travellers in Europe: 51% guidelines, 49% mandate 2 GBTA Foundation. Making Hotel Loyalty Programs Work for You and Your Travel Program. Rep. Hilton Worldwide, July 2015. Web. 28 Sept. 2016. 3 GBTA Foundation. 2015 Ground Transportation Study. Rep. Dav El; Boston Coach; Empire CLS, July 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.


5

While a shared responsibility in many cases, about one-third of business travellers say someone from the

human resource department is responsible for communicating the company’s travel policy (36%), followed

by travel managers (26%), direct supervisors (26%), and department heads (26%). Currently, according to

business travellers, such information is most often disseminated by email (49%) or a company’s intranet

(48%), followed by in-person meetings (40%) and via the employee handbook (39%).

Interestingly, in most cases, the gaps between the current and desired communication methods are not

very wide, however, the execution may be the cause of the disconnect. Business travellers most prefer

email communication, but they also want it to be sent judiciously as evidenced by their perception of getting

far more email than travel professionals send. Just because the current and desired communication modes

align does not mean the overarching communication strategy and execution is effective.

To further complicate matters, not all travellers may have the same communication preferences. A majority

of those in the Millennial generation (ages 18-34) prefer to learn about company policies in an in-person

meeting (51%). This may be because Millennials are relatively new to both the workforce and to business

travel and a meeting format is more conducive to asking questions and better grasping new concepts, like

preferred vendors and booking channels. Those in Generation X (ages 35-54) and Baby Boomers (ages

55+) are likely already familiar with travel policies and prefer electronic methods like email (52% and 69%,

respectively) and company intranet postings (47% and 53%, respectively). These digital means can be

quickly accessed for reference when needed or to review policy changes.

Even though the travel managers’ account of such communication efforts is likely more reliable, what

matters is traveller perception and recollection since their actions, like booking out of policy or paying out-

of-pocket for a pre-negotiated amenity, can have duty of care and cost implications for the company.

According to travel managers, one-half (54%) hold an annual, in-person meeting to educate travellers on

the policy and any updates to it,4 but travellers have a different impression (20%). Whether they didn’t

attend, don’t remember, or something else altogether is irrelevant — the communication strategy put forth

by the travel manager was not effective. Likewise, if travellers feel their travel managers are sending emails

about the company travel policy every time a trip is booked (41%) – even though one-fourth as many travel

professionals report doing this (12%)5 – the reality is that travellers feel bombarded by these emails,

decreasing the likelihood of opening and reading them, thus, in a different way, this communication strategy

is also not working.

4 GBTA Foundation. Valuable Vendor Contract Add-ons: Prioritizing + Communicating = Saving. Rep. Amadeus, February 2016. Web. 27 Oct. 2016. 5 Ibid.

56%43% 38%

27%14% 14% 13%

49% 48%40% 39%

12% 12%18%

Email Companyintranet

In-personmeetings

Employeehandbook

Textmessage

TMC travelportal

Informationposted in ahigh-trafficarea withinthe office

Communicating Company Travel Polices: Current and Desired(n=492)

Desired Current


6

Ideally, there would be no communication gap at all between the travel professional and their travellers –

all communication efforts would be received and remembered. However, getting a travel program to that

point is far easier said than done – each organization likely has a different combination of modes and

methods to arrive at a successful travel policy communication strategy.

BOOKING BEHAVIOUR

Long gone are the days of needing a

travel agent to book flights, train rides,

or even rental cars. With the advent of

the internet and the explosion of

websites dedicated to travel, travellers

are presented with more options and

control than ever. However, business

travellers are not leisure travellers

and, as discussed earlier, quite often

bound by company travel policies,

which can sometimes compete with a

travellers’ personal preferences.

Interestingly, four out of five business

travellers (79%) report their

company’s travel policy has the

greatest impact on their decision when

booking travel for work, followed

closely by convenience (71%) and

cost (70%). Flexible change (58%) and

cancellation (56%) policies are also

important and one-half say automated

expense reporting (52%) and

membership in a loyalty or rewards

program (50%) play a large role.

6 Ibid.

Communicating Travel Policies: Channels and Frequency

Business Travellers (n=89-241)

Travel Managers6

(n=76)

Communication Gap

(Percentage points) Via email

Every time travel is booked 41% 12% 29

Weekly/Monthly/Quarterly 40% 62% 22 Annually 20% 26% 6

In-person meeting Every time travel is booked 29% 6% 23

Weekly/Monthly/Quarterly 51% 40% 11 Annually 20% 54% 34

12%

50%

52%

56%

58%

70%

71%

79%

Other

Enrollment in the supplier’s loyalty program

Automated expense reporting

Flexible cancellation policy

Flexible change policy

Cost

Convenience

Your company's travel policy

Factors Playing Large Role When Booking Business Travel

- Those saying "Large role"or "Very large role" -

(n=75-488)


7

An important part of any travel policy is the approved booking channels through which business travellers

can make travel arrangements. Almost one-half of business travellers report their company’s approved

booking channels include calling the company’s TMC directly (47%), while roughly two in five say the

same about using a TMC’s online tool (43%), booking directly on a supplier’s website (43%), or through

a third-party website, like an online travel agency (39%).

Booking through approved channels is critical for travel

professionals to cull traveller data and ensure duty of care

responsibilities are fulfilled. Unsurprisingly, travel

managers report higher compliance rates than business

travellers admit — likely in part because travel managers

may only be aware of travel booked through these

channels. Consequently, there are huge gaps between how

often travel professionals think their travellers use

approved booking channels to make arrangements for

flights (90%) and rental cars (81%)7 and what business

travellers are actually doing (63% and 57%, respectively).

Interestingly, travel managers perceive hotel reservations

to be the least often booked through approved channels

(69%)8, meanwhile travellers actually report they book

hotels through these channels more often than flights or

ground transportation (65%). Again, because of the

differences in roles, it is difficult to determine actual

behavior. However, when it comes to hotel bookings, given

the near synchronicity of these two perspectives, it is likely

that about three out of five are made through approved

channels, while the range of possibility for airlines and

ground transportation is much greater.

To help curb out of policy

booking, some travel

professionals are utilizing

available technology to alert

business travellers to their

erroneous booking activity.

Roughly one-half of travellers

report receiving an alert when

a hotel (52%) or airline (45%)

selection they have made is

above the policy’s rate cap or

seat class specifications. Only

two in five (41%) get a similar

message if they are booking

with a non-preferred supplier

and one in five (20%) say they

never get these types of alerts

at all.

7 Ibid. 8 Ibid.

65% 63%57%

69%

90%

81%

Hotel Airline Groundtransportation

Percentage of Travel Booked Through Approved Channels

Business Travelers (n= 471-486)

Travel Managers (n= 90-92)

52%45% 41%

33%20%

Booking a hotel above the area’s rate cap

Booking a firstclass seatwhen onlycoach isallowed

Booking witha non-

preferredsupplier

Booking aflight when

trip is under acertain mileradius from

office

None of theabove

Prevalence of Out-of-policy Booking Alerts- Among those who have an online tool as an approved booking

channel -

(n=492)


8

VALUED AMENITIES AND LEAKAGE

For many travel professionals, a significant portion of their responsibilities include securing and

evaluating vendors, like airlines, hotels, and ground transportation companies. It is their job to negotiate

the services and amenities most valuable and relevant for their travellers and do it in a cost-effective

way. However, travel professionals likely have a different definition of “value” than their travellers. For

example, negotiating name change waivers for airline tickets may be very valuable to a company, saving

them thousands of dollars, yet this is something a traveller would likely find less valuable because

cancelling and buying a new ticket does not have any personal financial consequence. In cases like

those, the travel manager must make the best decision for his or her company, yet, when possible, a

good travel manager works to incorporate their travellers’ most used and valued amenities into pre-

negotiated rates or contracts. This saves the company money by eliminating the travellers’ need to pay

out-of-pocket and be reimbursed for the amenities they most often use and want.

However, negotiating the best and most amenity-laden contract does the company little good if travellers

are unaware of such included benefits, pay out-of-pocket when traveling, and ask for reimbursement

upon return. For example, if a travel manager negotiates hotel Wi-Fi into the contract, but a traveller does

not know or remember this and adds Wi-Fi to their bill, the company has now paid for the same service

twice. Without any accountability or tracking of this information, there is a huge potential for what the

travel industry calls “leakage.” Unfortunately, few business travellers (23%) are asked to report

information about ancillary expenses or even traveller behavior (e.g. did you use Wi-Fi, did you eat

breakfast at the hotel, etc.) and even fewer travel managers (17%)9 report asking for such information.

Furthermore, only one in ten (10%) travel

managers say their companies require

expenses to be reported by individual item

(e.g. a “room service” charge would be

itemized as coffee, omelet, juice, etc.).10 The

vast majority of companies require the

expense to be listed by type (59%), meaning

hotel dry cleaning would be totaled and

reported as one sum as opposed to how many

shirts and pants were dry cleaned.11

As a result, major gaps exist between (1)

amenities valued by travellers and what they

actually use; (2) travellers’ use of amenities

and what is frequently built into preferred

vendor contracts; and (3) the frequency with

which travellers are reimbursed for ancillary

expenses and the amenity being pre-

negotiated by the travel professional. Much

can be learned by analyzing this data,

however, the take-away lessons will vary by

company, depending on its corporate culture

as well as its travel policy compliance and

cost-saving goals.

9 Ibid. 10 GBTA Foundation. Expense Reporting: Global Practices and Pain Points. Rep. HRS, October 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2016. 11 Ibid.

27%

59%

10%4%

Reporting Expenses

One total sum per transaction

Itemized costs by type

Itemized costs by individual item

Don't know


9

The following three pages provide examples of valued, used, and often negotiated amenities into airline,

hotel, and ground transportation contracts. The data provided is a mere snapshot of the industry and

may not accurately reflect all travel programs or habits and opinions of all travellers. While this serves as

a helpful guide, companies should conduct their own internal audit of their travellers and their travel

program to collect comparable data in order to understand possible gaps and areas of opportunity for

increasing compliance and decreasing leakage.

Step 1: Examine the gap between business traveller value and use of amenities

This gap illustrates the difference between which amenities business travellers find most

valuable and which they use most often. The reason for this gap is likely caused by a

traveller’s company travel policy which may prohibit or not include use of the given

amenity. Paying attention to this gap is important because if desired amenities continue

to go unaddressed by travel managers, travellers may begin to go outside the travel

policy to accommodate their preferences, which may have cost implications if

reimbursements are sought.

Step 2: Examine the gap between the frequency of business traveller amenity use

and amenity inclusion into the negotiated contract

If travellers are using an amenity with a greater frequency than it is included in a pre -

negotiated rate, travellers are paying for the perk out-of-pocket and likely submitting the

expense for reimbursement, incurring additional travel expenses. Because of travel

managers’ bargaining power, a company can likely pay less when such an expense is

bundled into a contract rather than paying ad hoc for each amenity a traveller uses.

If travellers are using an amenity less often than it is frequently negotiated, this is money

left on the table. Travel managers should find better ways to communicate to their

travellers which amenities have been pre-negotiated for them. Simultaneously, if

travellers are not using or interested in using a given amenity, travel managers should

reevaluate and redistribute their bargaining power to secure a more sought-after amenity.

Step 3: Examine the rate of reimbursement for business travellers

In an ideal world, the rate of reimbursement would always be zero because the frequency

of use of an amenity would equal the frequency with which it is negotiated into a contract,

eliminating the need for a traveller to every pay out of pocket and seek reimbursement

and all communication efforts would be successful so travellers would not erroneously

pay out-of-pocket for an amenity that has already been bundled into the price.

Unfortunately, those stars rarely align and decisions must be made about how to proceed

in a cost-effective manner.

In some circumstances, travel managers may consciously decide to save their bargaining

power for another reason, despite high traveller use or desire for a particular amenity .

This scenario is perfectly viable so long as the travel manager is aware of the

consequences this will have on total costs, including higher rates of reimbursement.

Step 4: Analyze the collected data to determine if adjustments should be made

From better alignment of pre-negotiated amenities to more strategic communication

efforts to consciously opting for higher reimbursement rates, travel managers are

presented with a number of equally-valid ways to increase travel policy compliance and

save money. It is up to each individual company to determine where priorities lie and

which solution makes the most sense for their travellers and their travel program.


10

Airline Amenities

Business Travellers (n=492)

Travel Managers (n=103)12

“Very” or “Somewhat”

Valuable Use

Rate of Reimbursement

“Always,” or “Often” Negotiated

No fees to make changes or cancellations to an itinerary

83% 31% 9% 25%

No fee to check bags 83% 42% 13% 15%

Free food or drink 83% 43% 14% 6%

Free Wi-Fi 82% 48% 15% 8%

More leg room 77% 23% 9% 11%

Fare-class upgrades 73% 24% 9% 31%

Access to airport lounges

64% 29% 8% 29%

Free in-flight entertainment

63% 28% 8% 4%

Significant gaps in airline amenity coverage: Business travellers most value not having fees to make

changes or cancellations to an itinerary (83%), unsurprising since having flexibility when planning a

business trip is a large contributor of overall satisfaction with business travel13 — and travel managers

agree (99%).14 Unfortunately, this is only negotiated into contracts a fraction of the time (25%), causing

many business travellers to incur fees when travel plans change. Business travellers also greatly value

more leg room (77%) and fare-class upgrades (73%), both used (23% and 24%, respectively) and

negotiated (11% and 31%, respectively) into contracts with far less frequency than desired.

While four out of five business travellers want free food or drink (83%) and Wi-Fi (82%), only about half as

many get either (43% and 48%, respectively), likely in large part because it is rarely negotiated into airline

contracts (6% and 8%, respectively).

Significant gaps in communication of airline amenities: With the rate of use (29%) and frequency of

inclusion in contracts (29%) equal, there should be no reason for almost one out of ten (8%) business

travellers to be paying out-of-pocket to gain access to airport lounges. With more strategic and clear

communication, reaching travellers through their preferred channels, this gap could close and companies

would no longer be paying twice for the same perk.

12 GBTA Foundation. Valuable Vendor Contract Add-ons: Prioritizing + Communicating = Saving. 13 GBTA Foundation, 2016. 14 GBTA Foundation. Valuable Vendor Contract Add-ons: Prioritizing + Communicating = Saving.


11

Hotel Amenities




Valuable Use



Free Wi-Fi 93% 80% 22% 89%

Free breakfast 90% 69% 18% 82%

Early check-in 77% 42% 11% 30%

Late check-out 75% 35% 11% 34%

Room-class upgrades

71% 28% 8% 36%

Access to pool or fitness centres

70% 42% 10% 58%

Access to business centres/lounges

67% 40% 11% 44%

Significant gaps in hotel amenity coverage: Fortunately, free Wi-Fi is not only the most valued amenity

(93%), but also the most used (80%) and often negotiated (89%) into hotel contracts. Early check-in (77%)

and late check-out (75%) as well as room-class upgrades (71%) are all highly valued, but used roughly half

of the time (42%, 35%, and 28%, respectively), leaving plenty of room for more attention from travel

professionals.

Significant gaps in communication of hotel amenities: Even though Wi-Fi is valued, used, and quite

often negotiated into contracts, one in five travellers (22%) are still paying out-of-pocket and getting

reimbursed for it. This presents a huge opportunity to not only communicate what is included in a travellers’

hotel rate but also the consequences of submitting an expense for reimbursement that is pre-negotiated.

Free breakfasts (82%) and access to pool or fitness centers (58%) are included in room rates more often

than business travellers are using them (69% and 42%, respectively). This either means travellers do not

know about these perks or that they are not interested in using them, in which case travel professionals

should reevaluate hotel contracts to negotiate for a more valued perk.

15 Ibid.


12

Car Rental Amenities




Valuable Use



Roadside assistance 84% 35% 9% 44%

Vehicles with GPS-navigation

83% 43% 16% 25%

Shuttle service to rental facility

82% 38% 10% 59%

Expedited rentals (counter bypass, skip the line, etc.)

79% 29% 5% 80%

Vehicle choice 78% 42% 16% 69%

Vehicle-class upgrade

68% 24% 9% 70%

Vehicles with built-in car chargers

68% 17% 6% 7%

Vehicles with SiriusXM Satellite Radio

47% 14% 5% 7%

Significant gaps in car rental amenity coverage: When it comes to car rental amenities, travel

professionals have the bases covered fairly well. The only true area of weakness is around technology, like

GPS-navigation and built-in car chargers, as well as shuttle services to the rental facility.

Significant gaps in communication of car rental amenities: More so than with airlines or hotels, travel

professionals close the gap between what business travellers want and what is being negotiated into

contracts, however, use of such amenities is among the lowest. Perhaps less attention is paid to

communicating these amenities because, comparatively, car rentals make up a much smaller portion of

travel spend than airlines and hotels. Nevertheless, travel professionals have clearly made a concerted

effort to deliver the rental car amenities travellers want, so it is important they develop effective means of

communicating the message.

16 Ibid.


13

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Business traveller perception is business traveller reality and this research reveals a number of

disconnects between travel professionals and the travellers for whom they are responsible. Closing these

gaps presents a real opportunity to increase compliance and save money. To do this, companies must

go beyond this current research and take stock of their own programs and travellers in order to devise

customized, realistic approaches to improving their practices. While not each recommendation below

may be applicable to every company, the following — in no particular order — provides a starting point

from which to focus efforts on increasing travel policy compliance.

Disseminate information through effective channels: Talk to travellers to find out what

communication channels are most effective for them, including how often they want to receive the

information (e.g. every time they book vs. every time the policy changes). Collaborate with others in

the organization who also have responsibilities disseminating information to employees, like human

resource and/or communication departments, to determine which methods they have found effective

and/or to coordinate communication efforts. Remember, a single communication strategy may not

work across all travellers — particularly when considering generational and experiential differences

— so being flexible and providing a variety of options is important.

Clearly define and communicate consequences for going out of policy: Almost one-half of

business travellers report booking out of policy with some regularity. To increase compliance, travel

professionals should work with company leadership to devise consequences for violating company

policy (e.g. not reimbursing out-of-policy or pre-negotiated expenses). However, the consequence

model does not fit all corporate cultures. In whatever manner makes the most sense for the company,

travel managers should work to increase policy compliance, even if that means relaxing the policies.

Collect traveller data: With less than two in five travel professionals currently asking about traveller

experiences, a huge opportunity is lost to determine what travellers most use and value and leverage

this information to negotiate attractive and helpful amenities into contracts. If travellers realize the

benefits that come with booking through preferred channels, travel policy compliance may increase.

Another important way to increase transparency into traveller data is to require itemization of expense

reports. If travellers had to line item hotel expenses (e.g. parking, Wi-Fi, room rate) as opposed to

providing one hotel sum on their reports, travel managers would be able to more clearly understand

where travellers are spending their money and which amenities they are using most often.

Alert travellers to non-compliant behavior before booking: As mentioned earlier, travellers want

be compliant with company policies so anything a travel manager can do to help with this is valuable.

With one in five travellers saying no effort is made to alert them to booking attempts with non-

preferred vendors, travel professional should investigate tools to help bring this to travellers’ attention

before booking is complete. Those already utilizing such technology should revisit the del ivery and

language of the message to be sure it is noticeable and clear.

Keep traveller preferences in mind: While it is certainly not the only factor, traveller preferences

should be considered when courting vendors and negotiating contracts. For example, travellers

greatly value flexibility when they travel, so contracting with vendors that do not charge fees to make

changes to itineraries should be prioritized. If travellers frequently use a hotel’s gym more than a

hotel’s parking lot, prioritize free gym access over complimentary parking. Building an attractive

package — and effectively communicating its features — will likely increase compliance and

decrease leakage, thereby saving money.


14

DEMOGRAPHICS

7%

4%

16%

37%

20%

5%

11%

Other

Administrative Support

Associate or Staff

Manager

Director

Vice President

Senior/Executive Management

Which of the following best describes your position within your company?

(n=492)

18%

23%

15%

21%

22%

How many employees, including yourself, does the organization you work for have across all locations?

Your best estimate is fine.(n=492)

1 -99

100-499

500-999

1,000-4,999

5,000+

40%

10%10%

10%

10%

10% 9%

In which country is your primary residence located?

(n=492)United States

Canada

France

Italy

Sweden

United Kingdom

Germany

51%

49%

By which gender do you identify?(n=492)

Male

Female

22%

56%

22%

Please select the appropriate age category for yourself.

(n=492)

18-34

35-54

55+


15

ABOUT THE GBTA FOUNDATION

The GBTA Foundation is the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel

Association (GBTA), the world’s premier business travel and corporate meetings

organization. Collectively, GBTA’s 5,000-plus members manage over $340 billion of

global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its network of

21,000 business and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service

providers, with networking events, news, education & professional development, research, and advocacy. The

foundation was established in 1997 to support GBTA’s members and the industry as a whole. As the leading

education and research foundation in the business travel industry, the GBTA Foundation seeks to fund initiatives to

advance the business travel profession. The GBTA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more

information, see gbta.org and gbta.org/foundation.

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ABOUT HRS

HRS offers end-to-end hotel management solutions to more than 3,000 businesses

globally. Offering its customers individual consulting and bespoke solutions, clients

include global players such as Google, China Mobile, Bridgestone, Hitachi, Panasonic

and Huawei.

As well as providing professional hotel procurement services and negotiating special rates with hotels, HRS optimises

the cashless and paperless payment of hotel stays, whilst offering automated invoice processing. In addition, HRS

provides solutions for meeting and group bookings through a standardised online booking tool which completes the

offer for companies. With over 300,000 hotels in 190 countries, HRS offers hundreds of hotel chains and approximately

180,000 independent hotels. HRS Global Hotel Solutions has exclusive access to all global distribution systems (GDS)

worldwide. Offering more than five million rooms in individual hotels, HRS is today the world’s largest hotel content

provider. Furthermore, corporate customers benefit from the HRS Business Tariff which is available in 40,000 hotels

and offers up to 30 per cent discount off the daily online hotel price.

The continuously expanding group of companies has over 1,600 employees in 26 offices worldwide, among them

Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, Paris, London, Mumbai, São Paulo, New York and Sydney. The HRS Group’s

headquarters are located in Cologne. Further information can be found under http://corporate.hrs.com

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http://www.facebook.com/GBTAonFB

http://www.linkedin.com/company/gbta

http://www.gbta.org/twitter

https://corporate.hrs.com/

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http://us.linkedin.com/company/gbta

http://www.gbta.org/twitter

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