Finding the balance between savings and satisfaction

Where business trips are concerned, can there really be a secret to unlocking greater value?

Surely saving a few dollars by cutting back on the non-essentials is the only way to create value? Not necessarily. Recent ACTE (Association of Corporate Travel Executives) research shows that 75% of travel managers believe that service improvements can lead to savings.

That doesn’t mean catering to your travelers’ every whim. This ain’t a vacation. A good business travel experience is a low effort one. The easier it is to do something, the less travelers have to think about, and the more productive they’ll be.

Sometimes simple things can make all the difference; like giving your travelers the opportunity to decide their own itinerary, rather than plan out every single detail of their trip. Meetings overrun. Dinner goes on later than planned. Clients command their attention. Flexibility is important for the business traveler, so why not — for example — give them access to a company Uber account?

While adding value doesn’t have to be expensive, sometimes spending a little extra on things that will improve your travelers’ experience can make a big difference too.

Think of it this way: one of your travelers has a nine hour flight to Paris from Boston. A driver meeting her at airport on arrival isn’t just going to get her to the meeting on time; it’ll reduce the hassle of navigating Charles De Gaulle Airport, save her the trouble of asking where she can get a taxi from in half-remembered high school French, and take out the usual half hour wait for an available cab at peak arrival time.

Penny-pinchers may bemoan the idea of shelling out for incidentals, but ultimately less hassle equals less stress. And it’s the same for you, the travel manager. The less involved you are in every single aspect of your travelers’ plans, the more time you can dedicate to improving the corporate travel experience.

Here at Arbitrip we’re dedicated to finding travel managers the best hotel deals. You just pick where you want to book and leave the rest to us. Our smart algorithm identifies real-time cost savings, and our booking software automatically secures the rooms you want at the lowest possible price.

Ultimately, where business travel’s concerned, satisfaction creates longer-term value. A good trip gives great productivity, and anything that makes your and your travelers’ lives easier is a better result for the business all round.

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The Death of the Booking Window?

Violins ready? It turns out there’s no universal ‘best time to book a hotel room’ — as recent research from TripAdvisor shows.

The booking sweet spot varies between different regions, according to the research. For example: to get the best rates for US hotels, you’d need to book 2 months before. But if you’re traveling to Europe, you’d need to book between 3 and 5 months prior to departure to get a decent discount. Heading to Asia? You’ll need to book 3 months before to make significant savings.

It’s a similar story where cities are concerned:

  • For Berlin, book 2-5 months prior for 33% savings
  • For New York City, book 2-4 months for 25% savings
  • Singapore? Booking’s best between 2 weeks and 5 months beforehand for 26% savings

“Ok… so to get the best deal on hotel rooms I need months of advance notice? Cos that’s gonna happen(!)”

You’re a busy travel manager with multiple trips to book right through the year. Sure, there’s a need to get the best bang for your buck, but you don’t have the luxury of several months notice. Most business trips are decided just a few weeks — or even a few days — beforehand.

Unlike leisure or vacation travel which you can book months in advance, to get a good business travel deal with a few days notice you’d have to book a non-refundable package — which probably wouldn’t happen given the need for flexibility on business trips.

So here’s the thing… there is another way.

Using our price optimization algorithm and real-time automatic booking service, our mission is to make sure you always get the lowest possible price for the rooms you book. As room rates rise, your original price is locked in. But as prices decrease we’ll automatically re-book the rooms you’ve chosen to secure the saving. And if we find a cheaper room, we’ll refund the difference.

With technology like this in your travel toolbox, you can kiss booking windows goodbye. For ever.

All things considered, hotel room prices will continue to fluctuate — as supply and demand dictates. Hoteliers set their prices high for busy periods, low for quieter times, and can often change things around at the drop of a hat. And different parts of the world have different busy/quiet periods.

These factors shouldn’t affect business travelers; who rely on travel managers to minimize risk and ensure they get a seamless experience. So why waste your time chasing booking windows, when we’re ready to do the groundwork for you?

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