Hotel booking guide for corporate travel
Corporate hotel booking can be a lot harder than it looks. Cleanliness, skilled customer service, and convenience are essential. Learn how to book smarter using our corporate hotel booking guide and downloadable checklist.
As travel volumes and hotel rates continue to rise each year, it's essential to find ways to save, while still meeting travel requirements and maintaining comfort. No one wants to deal with a plugged sink at home, let alone when they're travelling for work.
Using our business travel hotel booking guide, you can ensure every booking protects your travellers’ safety and duty of care, while still giving them comfortable, memorable, and cost-effective travel experiences.
What you'll find in this guide
- Key factors for choosing hotels.
- Preferred hotel rates and programs.
- Tips to stay in-policy and on budget.
- Hotel amenities that matter to travellers.
- Tools to book business travel hotels.
- Our hotel booking checklist.
Key factors when selecting hotels for business travel
Choose hotels with convenient locations
Whether it’s somewhere for a traveller to rest midway through their journey during an extended flight transfer, or a long-term rental for extended trips abroad, a central location is beneficial. It can cut down on the need for ground transportation expenses - not to mention take up less of a traveller’s free time.
Consider hotel brand and service levels
Different brands of hotels offer different levels of service. When you’re arranging business travel hotel bookings, be sure to keep these differences in mind - they can have a significant impact on the quality of your traveller’s stay.
Evaluate room suitability for business travellers
Accessibility, noise, space, and suitability for use as a workspace are all considerations you’ll need to keep in mind when considering what type of specific rooms to rent. Long-term stays may need a refrigerator or microwave - not to mention a desk to handle remote tasks.
Understand LRA and NLRA hotel rates
Understanding terms like LRA (last room available) and NLRA (not last room available) is important. LRA means that if a hotel has only one room left, it must still honour the rate. NLRA means the property can adjust rates based on high or low occupancy.
For great rates and more predictable expenses, Corporate Traveller recommends looking for hotels that offer LRA, like the ones available in our exclusive hotel programs, so you can get the best hotel rates even in the busy season.
Preferred hotel programs and corporate hotel rates
Corporate hotel rates and preferred programs
Loyalty points and programs can offer you discounted rates at your preferred hotels. Corporate hotel rates can mean more cost savings, more predictable travel expenses, and even extra perks and privileges.
Working with a travel management company (TMC) can provide access to volume savings without requiring high volumes of travel. Corporate discounts can save you 10%+ off the standard rate. A common example of this is when special hotel rates are offered to conference attendees.
When extended stays can reduce travel costs
A TMC can also assist with finding ways to reduce corporate travel hotel booking costs for extended stays by identifying the hotels that make the most sense for these types of long-term bookings.
Creative hotel booking strategies can not only optimize the quality of life for travellers during extended trips, but also ensure that these bookings remain cost- and policy-compliant.
Stay within travel policy and budget
Smart hotel tips can help you book corporate travel on our platform, while still sticking to your budget and the company travel policy. Try these steps to keep costs low:
Hotel amenities that matter for business travellers
It can be difficult to figure out what to prioritize with hotels. Pricing, safety concerns, convenience, and many other options all need to be considered. Especially with perks and amenities, you're never comparing apples with apples, and of course, every traveller has different preferences.
This is where an online business travel hotel booking tool can be helpful - particularly one that's customized to your employees and your negotiated vendor contracts. You'll have all the data on your side that you need to make decisions quickly and easily.
Hotel booking tools for business travel
Online booking tools, like Melon, Corporate Traveller's all-in-one booking platform, can bring together all your trip details to simplify booking hotels. Melon’s with you every step of the way in the travel booking process:
- Input traveller data: Preferences and details like passports, payment cards, and loyalty program numbers are stored in the system for easy reference.
- Set policy controls: Intuitive controls like Recommended Spend help you stay within budget - even with fluctuating prices.
- Compare rates: Compare and contrast accommodation rates and access exclusive extras. Melon Exclusive Deals add an average of 5.3% in extra value, compared to similar rates from direct bookings or online travel agencies.
- Access emergency support: Instant access to the 24/7 emergency assistance team for travellers around the world.
- Ensure duty of care: Security alerts and real-time traveller tracking mean you always have eyes on your team.
- Unlock advanced reports: View travel and finance data or drill down to unused ticket metrics and more specific insights. Detailed travel program analytics are now available.
TMCs can provide more than just travel technology and negotiated rates. They can also help iron out the payment process by setting up a company account or integrating with corporate card systems.
Of course, you can always book directly on hotel websites, but that's typically for individual bookings and personal travel, so it may be difficult to get negotiated rates or upgrades. Online travel agencies are another route for booking travel, but again, they tend to focus on leisure travel.
Get the corporate hotel booking checklist
What are the best methods for booking hotels for corporate business travel? Our platform.
When you're managing travel for a growing team or a globe-trotting exec, smarter hotel booking strategies can make all the difference. Happier travellers? Check. Fewer headaches? Absolutely. More savings? Yes, please.
Use this hotel booking checklist to plan a stress-free stay that's as short or long as it needs to be.
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