Get Your Business's Travel on Track: Managing Corporate Travel 2022

Summer is here, and travel is coming back in full force. Travel and tourism is projected to reach pre pandemic levels in 2022, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, and as the weather heats up and the school year ends, more families and individuals are making up for travel time they lost during the pandemic.

While this is great news for the global economy and the thousands of employees and companies in the travel and tourism industry, it does mean that it’s harder for business travelers to make hotel and transportation reservations—especially reservations that are in their company’s budget. The average daily cost of hotels is up 18% compared with the same time last year, according to recent research, which means businesses will have to pay more for their employees’ travel.

Here are a few steps companies can take to make sure each employee’s travel is cost efficient (and more enjoyable) this summer.

1. Create (and follow) a travel policy.

Corporate travel policies provide policies, procedures and protocols for employee travel. Travel policies may include how much employees can spend on hotel rooms, what kind of amenities they can take advantage of, which types of transportation they can book, and how far ahead of time they should make reservations.

When travelers book outside of their companies’ travel policies, it becomes more difficult for administrators to regulate their travel budget. It’s essential that every member of your team, from administrators to employees who are actually traveling, agrees to follow your corporate travel policy.

2. Make reservations in advance.

Business trips can come up at the last minute, which means it’s not always possible to make hotel and transportation reservations in advance. When you and your employees know that a trip is coming up, though, making reservations ahead of time can help you save time and money.

Some hotels may be overbooking to make sure their occupancy rate is as high as possible, so some travelers may get to a hotel and find out that there’s not a room available. Hotels often prioritize guests who book early and who specify that they’re traveling for business, though, so employees can decrease their chance of being walked if they book in advance.

3. Be prepared for delays and travel disruptions.

In addition to hotels’ overbooking, travel disruptions may come in the form of flight cancellations or a shortage of rental cars. Inclement weather, a lack of crew members and pilots, and other operational issues have caused a “perfect storm” of issues for airlines, and there’s a higher chance that fliers will have a flight delayed or canceled this summer compared to previous years. 

When you or your travelers head out on the road or to the airport, be prepared for delays and disruptions by knowing who to contact or where to go if your travel is disrupted. Have your airlines’ website bookmarked and your in-house administrators’ contact information saved so you can contact them quickly.

4. Partner with a travel management company.

Travel management companies, like Travelcor, provide comprehensive travel solutions so that your employees can get back to what matters most: growing your business. Take the responsibility of making hotel reservations off of your administrators and give it to dedicated travel experts who have the time and tools to support your travelers at any time.

Simply better business travel with Travelcor.

Travelcor provides solutions that simplify travel for every member of your team—from the employees flying to their next business meeting, to your in-house administrators managing your budget and finances. Visit travelcor.com to learn how we save teams time and money on travel and sign-up for free.