HR Management Giant Boosts Peace of Mind and Travel Savings

Results

Within a year, the company and GBT’s collective efforts grew the number of compliant room night bookings by 30%—from about 41,000 in 2016 to 54,000 nights in 2017. This was a significant win in terms of the company’s ability to know its travelers’ whereabouts and to take care of them in an emergency. And because these bookings took advantage of the company’s negotiated rates from hotel vendors, there were savings to boot. The average room rate dropped by approximately $2 USD a night, which represented close to $184,000 USD in savings in 2017.¹

Thrilled by the enhancements to the company’s hotel program, GBT and the client both credit their long-standing working relationship as the driving force. By keeping an open dialogue and trading best practices, the two teams inspire each other to keep innovating and improving.

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Challenge

When an American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) client discovered that rogue travelers were making out-of-policy hotel bookings, which was compromising its bottom line and ability to care for its traveling employees, it decided change was in order. Holes in itinerary information could have made it difficult for the company to locate its employees on the road during an emergency. Plus, it left money on the table, so to speak, since the company wasn’t capturing the preferred rates it had negotiated with select hotel chains. What’s more, the company’s use of different travel management companies in different regions made it difficult to communicate one consistent message about its travel policy to employees.

Opportunity

An HR management software and services leader considers its company travel and the well-being of its employee travelers essential to its success. That’s why in 2016 the organization decided to set a higher standard for travel policy compliance.

Solution

Together with GBT, the company created an action plan that focused around two themes: the first, refining program rules and processes (which included consolidating nearly all its travel with GBT); the second, educating and engaging those who booked travel.

Policy and Process

Universal booking mandate:
In a move not only to tighten rules but also simplify them, the company began requiring employees to book all overnight accommodations through GBT. To get the word out, the travel team posted the updated policy on its company intranet sites and online booking tools across all regions where it has operations.
New way for recruits to book travel:
Without access to company systems, new company recruits weren’t booking trips in the program. These outliers were brought into the fold with special travel reservations request forms that they could submit to a dedicated email box monitored by GBT travel counselors, who would fulfill the bookings and ensure hotels were included.
Overseas bookings made easy (and compliant):
Another source of untracked and/or out-of-policy stays was accommodations in key company destinations in Asia, including India and the Philippines. Approved long-term stay apartments weren’t appearing in online booking tool searches. To remedy the problem, GBT integrated long-term stay options into the GDS and the company’s online booking tool. Not only did this help on the front end with booking, it also helped on the back end with central billing, removing the work of T&E reconciliation for travelers.
- Meanwhile, employees visiting company locations in the Philippines and India from overseas were relying on local administrative assistants to make hotel reservations for them, which were being made outside the company’s booking tool. To make sure the travelers’ complete itineraries were fully captured, including reservations at a company-approved hotel, administrative assistants were asked to share local hotel recommendations with their colleagues but to refrain from booking on their behalf.

Global strategy with local input:
Travel team members from every region formed a global hotel council.
This group took (and continues to take) an active role in the annual hotel request for proposal (RFP) process by gathering and providing feedback from travelers and travel arrangers on the properties they wanted included in the program.
Timely reporting:
Travel managers began receiving daily reports on travel bookings from GBT so they could see and address traveler reservations without hotels before the trips occurred.

Education and Engagement

Targeted reminders:
With the company’s blessing, GBT followed up individually with travelers who had not included a hotel in their reservations. Travelers who had booked offline received phone calls from travel counselors ready with relevant hotel options. Meanwhile, travelers who had booked online received email reminders. Collectively, travelers who received these follow-up communications were 11% more likely to add a hotel reservation to their already existing reservation.
Hotel news and highlights:
The company’s travel team launched a quarterly traveler newsletter that featured news, helpful hints, and incentives to encourage employees to book their air and hotel reservations together.
Counselor training and enrichment:
Travel counselors received renewed training on the client’s policies and preferred hotels. They also participated in monthly 30-minute calls with preferred hotel vendors to keep current on the specific promotions and perks from which the client’s travelers might benefit.

At A Glance

Challenge

Solution

Results

Results

Challenge

Opportunity

Solution

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