Booking a corporate trip can be difficult, especially when you have endless options to choose from and what seems like continuously increasing, ever-changing travel complexities.
Working with some of the world’s leading travel management companies, at HotelHub we understand the challenges travellers experience when booking hotels for business trips.
Our experts have put together six key points to consider when choosing a hotel for your upcoming business trip.
1. Know where it is
Location will always be one of the key factors when booking a hotel for your business trip. Having your hotel closer to the office or meeting venue offers the win-win combination of reducing commuting time and saving you money on travel costs.
And anyone who’s booked a hotel stay online or via an app knows a map view comes in handy. So why should booking hotels for your business trip be any different?
Modern corporate online booking tools are increasingly offering the same level of user experience. They allow you to quickly identify hotels close to your office or meeting location. Plus, you can easily check out the local amenities and transport links nearby.
HotelHub’s self-booking tool automatically displays hotels within a five kilometre radius of an office/meeting location. It also allows users to check out the local amenities by easily switching between the list and map views.
2. Make it personal
Finding the right hotel for your business trip can be hard. And the last thing you want is to waste your time searching endlessly for a property that’s in-budget and meets your company’s travel policy…
Or trawling for that great hotel you stayed in the last time you were there on business, but can’t quite remember the name of…
Or that place your colleague recommended just around the corner from the amazing bakery with the ‘out-of-this-world’ pain au chocolat (the ones with dark, milk and white chocolate)…
Having a booking tool that provides you with a personalised list of hotels, based not only on your own booking history, but your colleagues’ as well, can be a serious time-saver. One that prioritises search results that comply with your business’s travel policy also makes it easy to choose a hotel that’s not going to result in a passive-aggressive, company-wide email from Janet in the travel team!
HotelHub’s AI-powered personalisation automatically displays a selection of hotel search results based on your past bookings, your colleagues’ previous stays and your company’s preferred suppliers.
3. Check out the latest reviews
If you’re like us, one of the first things you look at when booking a hotel is the reviews (after a quick pit-stop at the photo gallery).
Hotel star ratings can give you a pretty good picture of the guest experience, but they’re not always 100% reliable. This is especially true when you’re travelling to a country without a recognised hotel rating system.
Reviews, on the other hand, provide first-hand accounts from previous guests. Plus, they’re usually packed with handy travel tips and local insider information.
Modern corporate booking tools provide an overall review score, for a quick overview, as well as access to more detailed feedback from past guests. So, you can rest assured that you’re booking the best hotel for your business trip.
Every hotel listed in HotelHub’s self-booking tool is paired with its aggregated review score, with more in-depth reviews available for further insight and information. HotelHub can also incorporate reviews from third party sources, such as TripAdvisor and AAA.
4. Look for creature comforts
Being away from home can be tough. Having all of the mod cons you need to keep you feeling physically and mentally on-point can make the difference between a good trip and a great one.
From in-room WiFi access for those video calls home and fitness facilities for your morning sweat sesh, to spa and laundry services to keep you looking and feeling sharp – the right facilities can be a game-changer for business travellers.
Which makes being able to quickly check what’s available at a hotel all the more important.
You’re no doubt used to having this information at your fingertips when booking hotels for your holidays. So why should it be any different when it comes to business travel?
The good news is it doesn’t have to be. A modern booking tool should provide the same consumer-grade user experience you get from your favourite travel sites and apps, including information on all of the available amenities.
HotelHub gives you all of the important hotel information up-front, with amenities conveniently displayed, so you can tell, at a glance, whether a hotel’s right for you.
5. Keep your travel team happy
Corporate travel policies can feel overly restrictive and difficult to follow, but they play an important role.
Your travel team (including Janet) works hard to negotiate with preferred hotels to lock in the little extras that make your travel experience more enjoyable. Booking a cheaper rate at a non-preferred property can mean saying goodbye to unsung perks like included breakfast and free WiFi.
Using approved online booking tools and booking through designated travel management partners puts all of your business travel information in one place, ensuring that your company can provide the support you need, where and when you need it.
Having access to a hotel booking tool that incorporates your business’s travel programme and clearly labels in-policy properties means picking a compliant hotel couldn’t be easier – plus you don’t have to worry about getting another email from Janet.
HotelHub’s self-booking tool prioritises and clearly labels in-policy hotel search results for easy booking. Additionally, our tech automatically updates your travel itinerary, providing your company with a single, centralised view of your travel plans.
6. Have a plan B
If recent events have taught us anything, it’s that plans can change. And, while countries continue to relax their travel restrictions, there can be any number of reasons for rearranging a business trip.
In this day and age, being able to easily modify a hotel reservation via your designated booking tool sounds like a given. But, it’s not always that straight-forward. And believe us, you never miss it until it’s gone.
HotelHub’s self-booking tool allows you to easily make changes to your hotel bookings. So, if your plans change, so can your business travel arrangements.
