The Business Travel Magazine Aug/Sept 2019

77 August/September 2019 

LOUD AND 

CLEAR 

How SMEs are attracting 

the attention of suppliers 

and TMCs 

+ 

UK hotel groups 

Payments & expenses 

The 2019 Tech Hotlist 

TALKING TRAVEL: SIR TREVOR MCDONALD

ARRIVALS 

Contents AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 

2019 

76 

26 

30 

Extended feature 

Travel 

management 

for SMEs 

86 

89 

12 

Features 

16 The 2019 Tech Hotlist 

30 UK hotel groups 

40 Payments & expenses 

63 Extended feature: 

Travel management for SMEs 

Arrivals 

6 Opening Shots 

8 Everyone's Talking About... 

Sustainability 

11 The Knowledge: 

Travelling into a conflict zone 

12 Six of the Best: 

Airport lounge operators 

14 Event report: BTA Conference 

15 Speaking Out 

21 Event report: ITMC Summit 

39 Event report: Travel Counsellors 

Corporate Travel Conference 

91 

48 

47 

(p63-84) 

56 

37 

61 

64 

6 

Regulars 

22 Event preview: The Business 

Travel Conference 2019 

25 The Big Picture 

26 People Awards: winner's interview 

27 Photo gallery: People Awards 

winners' trip 2019 

28 The Conversation: 

with Hubert Viriot, Yotel 

36 Photo gallery: People Awards 

winners' lunch 

37 Meet the buyer: 

Pradeep Nair, NBA 

38 Technology: delays & disruption 

48 Talking Travel: 

Sir Trevor McDonald 

61 Photo gallery: TBTM Golf Masters 

90 Photo gallery: Avis at Henley 

The Review 

51 Ten pages of news, views 

and the latest developments 

28 

Departures 

86 Gadgets & Gear 

87 New Kid on the Block 

89 Meeting in: York 

91 On Business in: Manama 

92 

92 Focus on: East Africa 

96 Reality Check 

98 The Final Word 

THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM 

3

Travel and Events 

Implementing a business travel solution 

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Navigator is our easy to implement, off-the-shelf suite 

of unique travel management solutions. We’ve neatly 

packaged our online travel portal, helping you take control 

of your business travel, including; a personal offline 

booking team, online booking tool, monthly insight 

reports, expert advice, exclusive discounts and much 

more! 

More often than not, you’ll be traveling to a meeting, 

either by train, plane or automobile and there may be a 

hotel awaiting your arrival at the other end. With so much 

to consider in terms of routes, times, suppliers, hotel 

options and price comparisons, not to mention the small 

matter of who’s going to pay for this and how… it’s little 

wonder then, that traveling on business can lead to what 

we know as, ‘traveller friction.’ 

Your company travel policy will be deeply integrated 

into the booking process, so you can be sure all bookings 

follow your rules without you or your travellers having 

to think about it. Travelling on business can be stressful 

and this can impact employee wellbeing, especially 

when travel doesn’t always go to plan. This is why it’s so 

important to make sure your travellers are safe and have 

access to assistance when they need it. With access to our 

full-service options such as; intelligent traveller tracking 

and direct links to our offline support teams, you can 

relax knowing that your travellers have 24/7/365 support, 

whether they need to change their travel plans or have 

been affected by a wider crisis. 

Is there a catch? No… 

Traditionally, there’s a fee associated with your TMC 

doing all of these things on your behalf, however we 

are delighted to be able to offer all of this as a fee free 

booking service. 

We’d love to talk to you about how we might be able to 

improve business travel, duty of care and wellbeing within 

your organisation. Get in touch. 

0330 390 0340 

travelevents@capita.co.uk 

capitatravelevents.co.uk 

Capita Travel and Events Limited. Registered office 30 Berners Street, London, W1T 3LR. 

Registered in England No. 01094729. Part of Capita plc. www.capita.co.uk. All rights reserved.

ARRIVALS 

Welcome 

Small but mighty 

SMEs are small cogs in the economy but 

their output, cumulatively, is mighty. 

Moreover, today’s small business is 

tomorrow’s big-hitter. TMCs and 

suppliers are increasingly wise to the 

rich potential of this sector and SMEs 

are now better catered to in the travel management arena than ever 

before. Find out more in our extended feature on pages 63-84. 

Delegates from small and medium-sized businesses typically account for 

around half of attendees at The Business Travel Conference. Our annual 

two-day event takes place in London on September 17-18 featuring 14 

conference sessions and some 60 exhibitors. It's free to attend and there's 

still time to register, so what are you waiting for? 

Keen-eyed subscribers might have noticed a subtle change when this 

issue landed in their laps. While the magazine has been printed on 

recycled paper for some time now, this is the first edition to be distributed 

in a fully compostable wrapper. Derived from potato starch, it is a 

considerably more environmentally friendly alternative to polythene 

wrapping. It's a small but important change in the way we operate. 

Lastly, this issue marks the end of an era for The Business Travel Magazine 

and my colleague David Clare – it is his last edition as Publisher. David has 

been an instrumental figure at BMI Publishing for more than 20 years. He 

oversaw the launch of The Business Travel Magazine in 2006, has ensured 

its ongoing commercial success, and helped develop our wide portfolio of 

events. We thank him for his dedication and innovation over the years 

and wish him a fond farewell, from myself, Kirsty Hicks and the team. 

the 

Businesstravel 

MAGAZINE 

EDITORIAL 

EDITOR 

Andy Hoskins 

andy.hoskins@thebusinesstravelmag.com 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Emma Allen, Catherine Chetwynd, Nick Easen, Linda Fox, 

Rob Gill, Ramy Salameh, Jenny Southan & Gillian Upton 

JOURNALISTS 

Sasha Wood & April Waterston 

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 

Julie Baxter & Laura Gelder 

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR 

Steve Hartridge 

SALES 

PUBLISHER 

David Clare 

COMMERCIAL HEAD - BUSINESS TRAVEL 

Kirsty Hicks 

DESIGN & PRODUCTION 

SENIOR DESIGNER 

Louisa Horton 

DESIGNERS 

Ross Clifford, Caitlan Francis & Zoe Tarrant 

PRODUCTION & STUDIO MANAGER 

Clare Hunter 

PRODUCTION ADMINISTRATOR 

Steve Hunter 

BMI PUBLISHING 

MANAGING DIRECTOR 

Matt Bonner 

CEO 

Martin Steady 

Andy Hoskins, Editor 

(Print) ISSN 1754-8543. THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY 

BMI PUBLISHING LTD: SUFFOLK HOUSE, GEORGE STREET, CROYDON, 

SURREY, CR9 1SR, UK; E: ENQUIRIES@BMIPUBLISHING.CO.UK; 

T: 020 8649 7233; W: BMIPUBLISHING.CO.UK 

ALL PAPER USED IN THIS PUBLICATION IS SOURCED FROM SUSTAINABLE 

FORESTS AND IS FULLY RECYCLABLE. WHILE EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO 

ENSURE ACCURACY, BMI PUBLISHING LTD CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE 

FOR ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS. ©BMI PUBLISHING LTD 2019 

IMAGES: SOURCED FROM SUPPLIERS, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM 

AND BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM 


5

ARRIVALS 

OPENING SHOTS 

Eye-catching images of the latest news and developments 

The rooms have 

benefitted from 

structural upgrades 

along with daring new 

feature walls, refreshed 

avant-garde furniture 

and atmospheric lighting” 

W Hotels 

suites WOW 

The W London hotel 

has completed a 

multimillion-pound 

transformation of its 

192 guestrooms and 

suites, each of them 

unique. A "provocative 

new look" is paired 

with innovative 

in-room technology 

including DigiValet 

tablets that allow 

guests to control 

various aspects of 

their guestroom and 

stay at the hotel. 

6 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com

Native Manchester 

north star 

Native will open its 

largest aparthotel to 

date in Manchester 

this September. Set 

within a Grade II-listed 

former cotton mill on 

Ducie Street, it has 166 

apartments – including 

eight penthouses – and 

an independent bar, 

restaurant and café. 

Arboretum 

Green giant 

London's new meeting 

and co-working club 

Arboretum is aiming to 

be the venue of choice 

for eco-conscious 

workers in the capital. 

Located close to 

Trafalgar Square, the 

"botanically inspired 

haven" is due to open 

this summer. 

Loews Hotels 

GOING Live 

The new Live! by Loews 

concept makes its debut 

in Arlington, Texas, this 

autumn, with the hotel 

group opening a 300- 

room property within 

the Texas Live! sports, 

entertainment and 

dining district. Located 

between Dallas and Fort 

Worth, the hotel has 

35,000sqft of meeting 

and event space. 

THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com 

7

ARRIVALS 

EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT... 

Sustainability 

“CLIMATE CHANGE 

AFFECTS “TECHNOLOGY EVERY ONE DOESN’T OF US 

RESCUE YOU BUT PROVIDES 

AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO 

CONFIDENCE AND VISIBILITY. YOUR 

ENSURING THAT TRANSPORT 

TMC SHOULD HAVE THE PROCESS 

AND PLAYS PROCEDURES ITS PART TO IN DELIVERING 

RUN REPORTS 

AND NET HELP ZERO YOU GREENHOUSE REACH THOSE GAS 

AFFECTED EMISSIONS BY AN BY INCIDENT” 

2050” 

Ewan Kassir, Head of Sales, Clarity 

Chris Grayling, Former 

Transport secretary 

“Emissions are calculated differently around 

the world and there is little regulation of 

offsetting. Travel managers know they need 

to do it but they don’t know where to start” 

Jo-Anne Lloyd, Partner, Nina & Pinta 

“WE ARE DETERMINED TO PLAY OUR PART 

AND FIND SOLUTIONS TO HELP REDUCE 

AVIATION EMISSIONS WHICH CONTRIBUTE 

2% OF CO2 EMISSIONS GLOBALLY” 

Alex Cruz, Chairman and CEO, British Airways 

Sustainability is high on the 

agenda but it’s driven by 

travellers not travel 

managers. Offsetting 

is not something 

we’re pushing but 

it is something 

that people want” 

Nikki Rogan, Global Travel Manager, Synamedia 

“INTERNATIONAL CARBON OFFSETTING HAS A CRITICAL ROLE TO PLAY 

IN ENABLING AVIATION TO REACH OUR TARGETS. UK AIRLINES ARE 

PARTICIPATING IN THE GLOBAL CARBON OFFSETTING SCHEME, 

CORSIA, WHICH WILL DELIVER CARBON NEUTRAL GLOBAL 

Tim Alderslade, Chief Executive, Airlines UK 

AVIATION GROWTH FROM 2020” 

“We want to work with government to see what 

more we can do in reducing our emissions, including 

through modernising UK airspace, investing in 

the creation of low-carbon technologies and 

delivering sustainable aviation fuels at scale” 

Neil Robinson, Chair, Sustainable Aviation 

8 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM

Delivering what 

really matters TM 

Technology 

that works 

Compliance and 

cost savings 

Traveller safety 

and security 

Consistent 

service worldwide 

Direct ATPI combines the power of 

leading travel management specialists to 

create a scalable solution for multinational 

organisations. We offer access to the 

influence and consistency of a steadfast 

global brand alongside the local knowledge 

and sector-specific expertise of an on-theground 

travel management company. 

Find out more atpi.com

ARRIVALS 

THE KNOWLEDGE 

How to manage... 

Travelling into a conflict zone 

When political upheaval or natural 

disasters strike, most companies are 

moving their staff out. For NGOs and 

charities, however, their challenge is 

getting staff into the danger zone 

the BACKGROUND 

In June this year pro-democracy 

protestors in Khartoum, Sudan, 

were violently dispersed by 

gunmen in military fatigues. 

While the official death toll was 

put at 61, the World Health 

Organisation estimates 748 

were killed or wounded, while 

of the 11 main Khartoum 

hospitals, half were shut or partially closed. 

THE RESPONSE 

While most companies would be seeking to 

get all staff out of such circumstances, other 

organisations are going 

in to offer aid and 

assistance. “We 

focus exclusively 

on arranging 

travel for 

NGOs and 

charities, 

specialising 

in hard-to-reach destinations,” 

says Diversity Travel's President, 

Matthew Truin. 

“We work with charities such as 

Save the Children, the Salvation Army 

and International Rescue Committee 

to enable workers to reach regions 

affected by natural disasters, civil 

unrest and epidemics.” 

The TMC's clients needed to 

arrange travel for staff who 

provide timely services for victims 

of sexual violence, taking in 

supplies to support maternal and 

neonatal care, and transporting 

other staff to provide health 

and emergency services. 

“We use a 24-hour risk 

intelligence system to track 

world events, and when we saw this one 

unfolding we knew there would be a big 

emergency response. Within hours, we were 

co-ordinating plans for clients,” says Truin. 

THE SOLUTION 

In the immediate aftermath of the military 

crackdown, scheduled airlines quickly 

cancelled services to Khartoum, meaning 

the task of getting first responders to the 

affected area wasn’t easy. 

Flights are usually limited 

anyway, and the rapidly 

evolving situation on the 

ground meant the travel 

options changed on a daily 

or even hourly basis. 

A swathe of further 

cancellations across the region meant the 

TMC had to look at airports in different 

countries and road transport into Sudan. 

“Our in-house technology, IQ, allows us 

to look at a variety of options through the 

selection of partners,” explains Truin. 

“Multi-leg journeys, extended layovers and 

transferring across airlines are quite 

common. Going into places where civil 

unrest is unfolding is a daunting experience 

for response workers, so our expertise can 

help ease concerns for our NGO partners.” 

Diversity says having access to an extended 

network of trusted travel suppliers and 

specialised operators provides clients with 

peace of mind, which in turn increases travel 

policy compliance. “We’re able to arrange 

almost any mode of transport – chartering 

aircraft, buses, boats, helicopters,” says Truin. 

THE RESULT 

An NGO working in the 

region at the time of the 

unrest said: “As soon as 

we realised that violence 

had broken out in 

Khartoum, we knew we 

would need to redirect 

our resources into the 

area to offer aid and assistance. 

In these circumstances, time is always 

critical as borders close, perimeters 

are set and getting to those in 

need becomes even harder.” 

The spokesperson continues: 

“When commercial airlines began 

cancelling all flights into Khartoum, 

we were worried that we would be 

unable to get there but we were able to 

enter the city via ground transport instead 

and get to work. 

“We had a global overview of our 

travellers with live-location data, 

direct messaging capabilities, travel 

data for every booking and instant 

travel alerts to advise workers of 

emergencies and potential dangers. In 

providing these services, we can act 

quickly, efficiently and ensure all 

communications to and from our 

travellers are logged and can be 

used to demonstrate compliance 

with duty of care obligations.” 


11

ARRIVALS 

SIX OF THE BEST 

Six of the best... 

Airport lounge operators 

Words by April Waterston 

1 

Plaza Premium 

With over 70 lounges worldwide, 

Plaza Premium offers shower 

rooms, charging stations and 

free wifi, as well as comfortable 

seating and bars. Select lounges 

also offer spa, massage and 

beauty services. Frequent visitors 

can earn discounts with the 

Arrture loyalty programme. 

2 

3 

No 1 Lounges 

For those travelling from the UK, 

No 1 Lounges can be found at 

Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick 

and Heathrow. The lounges are 

designed for “the everyday 

traveller”, with fully tended bars, 

unlimited wifi and fresh food. 

Aspire Lounges 

Found throughout Europe and in 

Canada, Nairobi and South Africa, 

Aspire Lounges can be accessed 

by any traveller, no matter the 

airline or travel class. You'll find 

more Aspire Lounges in the UK 

than any other provider. 

4 

My Lounge 

A subsidiary of No 1 Lounges, 

there are two My Lounges in 

London and one in Brisbane. 

The loft-style lounges offer a 

more casual airport experience, 

and the lounge at Gatwick’s 

South Terminal is home to the 

airport’s only outdoor terrace. 

6 

Marhaba 

If you’re heading east, Marhaba 

lounges are available to help you 

relax, eat and catch up with work 

at airports in Dubai, Singapore 

and Australia. You’ll find all the 

business services you need as 

well as buffets offering 

international cuisine and bars. 

5 

The Club 

The Club lounges are primarily 

found in the USA, with two UK 

affiliate lounges at Gatwick and 

Heathrow. Visit for a comfortable 

environment with complimentary 

snacks and drinks, televisions, 

workstations and free wifi. 


ARRIVALS 

EVENT REPORT 

BTA Conference 

Sustainability in the spotlight 

The GTMC revealed a new name and 

identity at its Netherlands conference 

in July, with the organisation moving 

forward as the Business Travel Association. 

Andy Hoskins reports from the event. 

Sustainable travel initiatives are firmly back 

on the corporate agenda if sentiment at the 

BTA Conference can be presumed to 

emanate across the industry. 

The majority of sessions touched on the 

subject at the annual event, which also saw 

the organisation unveil its new identity as 

the Business Travel Association (see p53). 

“We all need to take responsibility for 

sustainable growth,” said IATA’s Aleks 

Popovich. “We’ve got a good track record [as 

an industry] but we need to be stronger if 

we’re going to grow sustainably. We need to 

deliver more to earn the right to grow.” 

Andy Shand (pictured), General Manager 

of Customer Affairs at NATS, added that in a 

period when the total distance flown in the 

UK domestic air space has grown 39%, 

emissions have risen by only 20%. 

However, he said that UK airspace tools 

and procedures need modernising to cope 

with traffic growth and, in order to do it 

sustainably, the airspace must be managed 

much more efficiently. “It needs NATS, 

airports and airlines to work together,” he 

said. “The government does currently 

understands the need for change.” 

Conservative MP James Heappey claimed 

the aviation industry is “disproportionately 

blamed for not decarbonising quickly 

enough” but added that, in the not-toodistant 

future, “we’re going to have to make 

a robust case for travelling to do business”. 

Birmingham Airport's Aviation Director, 

Tom Screen, suggested that airports 

should offer incentives to airlines using 

greener, more fuel-efficient aircraft. 

Jo-Anne Lloyd of business travel 

consultancy Nina & Pinta believes APD 

could be replaced with a carbon offset tax, 

but also indicated a degree of confusion 

among travel managers as to how to 

address their environmental responsibilities. 

“We need simplification,” said Lloyd. 

“Emissions are calculated differently around 

the world and there is little regulation of 

offsetting,” she claimed. 

NEW IN THE CHAIR 

Suzanne Horner, CEO of 

Gray Dawes Group, is the 

BTA's new Chair of its 

executive board. She takes 

over from Paul Allan who 

steps down following 

Clarity's acquisition 

of Ian Allan Travel 

earlier this year. 

END OF THE TENDER 

“THE RFP PROCESS IS DEAD. 

IT CREATES UNNECESSARY 

WORK FOR BUYERS 

AND SUPPLIERS AND 

WE ARE READY TO 

GET RID OF IT” 

Stephanie Smook, 

ACTE’s Regional Director for EMEA 

CARBON CONSCIENCE 

For its overseas conference 

in Noordwijk, Netherlands, 

the BTA offset the emissions 

of 170 flights from London 

to Amsterdam with 

ClimateCare, 

offsetting 20.47 

tonnes of CO2. 


ARRIVALS 

SPEAKING OUT 

Serviced apartments 

The Holy Grail of online booking 

The serviced apartment sector is booming 

but live online booking is still a rarity. 

Jo Layton of CAP Worldwide explains why 

When I ask a buyer what they think utopia 

looks like in the extended stay sector, the 

answer is often the same: “it’s when a 

traveller can view and book their serviced 

apartment online, without the intervention 

of an agent or consultant”. 

However, the desire of the buying 

community to book apartments just as they 

book hotels is yet to be fully achieved by any 

platforms currently available on the market. 

I often compare booking apartments online 

to booking a meeting or event online. Both 

are complex transactions that require lots of 

research. Bookers need to understand the 

options available, the location, transport, 

parking, terms and conditions and more. 

And there’s even more to it for apartments: 

how to access the unit on arrival, the room 

sizes, the particular facilities, views, the local 

community, proximity to schools, transport 

and more. For a guest staying in a serviced 

apartment for several weeks – or months – 

the minutiae really matters. The details are 

all paramount to achieving a successful stay 

for the guest, and that’s before you include a 

review of the lease and the (sometimes very 

confusing) terms and conditions. 

If you are booking a hotel room for a 

couple of nights and the room doesn’t quite 

meet your standards or your needs, it’s 

annoying, but if you’ve booked a stay for 28 

nights or more and there is no option to 

change it on arrival it is a different story. 

On the other side of the booking, meanwhile, 

the operator is looking to achieve the 

optimum length of stay for their units. For 

the majority of providers, this would be over 

seven nights and ideally a minimum of 30 

nights-plus. The small gaps in between are 

then plugged by loading this distressed 

inventory online – but this kind of business is 

more expensive to manage for operators in 

terms of both administration and servicing. 

Add in the fact that online distribution costs 

for apartment operators can be high – and 

without any guarantee of securing business 

– and it becomes clear why online booking 

options are currently limited, perhaps in the 

best interests of both guests and operators. 

Bridging the gap between hotels and longstay 

apartments is the growing aparthotel 

sector. These properties offer online booking 

and amenities such as staffed front desks, 

cafés and communal areas, plus, in the units 

themselves, basic kitchen facilities and more 

If you book a hotel 

for a night and it 

doesn't meet your standards 

it's annoying, but if you've 

booked an apartment stay for 

28 nights it's a different story” 

living space than a hotel. They are usually 

found in city centre locations and guests also 

have the option to cancel or change a 

reservation at late notice. 

In contrast, most serviced apartment 

providers have built their models in primary 

and secondary residential areas, provide 

more living space, weekly housekeeping, 

limited facilities and more stringent terms 

and conditions for cancellations or changes. 

They are very different business models 

and, for travel managers and guests alike, 

require different approaches. It is difficult to 

build a comprehensive global extended stay 

programme that satisfies all stakeholders, 

with just aparthotels. 

The expectations of bookers must be 

managed as the reservation experience is 

often traded off, wrongly, against suitability 

and value. Travellers need to be protected 

from the pitfalls of instant gratification, but 

operators nonetheless need to make their 

apartments as accessible as possible. 

Travel programmes that incorporate both 

options can of course be built, and that is 

when you will benefit from working with an 

informed agent (like us!) who can help 

corporates build a solid programme. 

JO LAYTON 

Jo Layton is Director of CAP 

Worldwide Serviced Apartments. 

She formed the company in 2019 

after spending nearly 20 years in 

the sector. Jo and her leadership 

team have identified the 

gaps in current global 

programmes and have 

built CAP to bridge them. 


15

The 2019 

TECH HOTLIST 

summer sizzlers 

Change 

MAKERS 

New technology can both disrupt and streamline existing 

business travel processes. 

Nick Easen examines the players 

currently shaking up the market 

The biggest disrupter in the tech 

space right now are business 

travellers themselves. 

Today, we live in an era of great 

expectations, fuelled by the ease with which 

executives book their holidays. Therefore, 

there’s a drive to bring consumer-style tools 

to the corporate market. 

“Turning business travel bookings into a 

buzz instead of a bore is what it’s all about,” 

explains Neil Ruth, Co-founder of Taptrip. 

A user experience that’s as fast as doing 

a Google search is the goal, and there’s 

been a seismic shift in the industry over 

the last couple of years towards being able 

to deliver this. 

At the same time significant venture 

capital, VC money, is moving into business 

travel globally, creating the perfect storm. 

Just ask four-year-old TripActions. It’s 

already had a $4billion valuation. Unicorns 

are now gamely trotting on to the business 

travel scene. 

“This is an exciting time for the industry 

as more start-ups creep into this space. 

Some are working with travel management 

companies – others are going direct,” states 

Jenny Thornton, Director of Digital Services 

at travel management company ATPI. 

“Investors are seeing opportunities and 

supporting start-ups that are spotting new 

niches in the market. For the end traveller 


XXXXX 

it’ll mean a much better experience and for 

the corporate it creates greater choice.” 

New tech-driven solutions are quickly filling 

in so-called black holes that have been 

poorly served by a highly fragmented 

market, whether it’s travel for SMEs, ground 

transportation, expense management or 

better duty of care programmes. 

“Any time that money is invested into the 

space it raises the bar and forces the 

industry to up its game, which can only 

benefit the traveller and their organisation 

in the long run,” says Kirk Hayes, Director of 

Product Partnerships at SAP Concur. 

However, business travel is a hard sector 

to crack and there’s a whole ecosystem of 

players out there. Not all innovations can be 

integrated seamlessly into the industry, 

which is pivotal for widespread adoption. 

And it is why a lot of disruption occurs at the 

fringes rather than at its core. It’s also a 

traditionally conservative industry. 

“It is easy to say, ‘oh but I can have that on 

my favourite leisure site or app,’ but the 

reality is that the value chain of business 

travel is a lot more complex,” says 

Christophe Tcheng, VP of Products & 

Platforms at American Express Global 

Business Travel. 

“You have to consider virtual payments, 

travel policy, reporting or expenses. This is 

where the opportunity lies. The industry goal 

is for business travel to be as seamless as 

possible,” adds Tcheng. 

Recently, there’s been a big focus on 

biometrics and AI, including machine 

learning, as well as big data and cloud 

computing technology. The aim is for 

greater personalisation and automation in 

business travel. Fare tracking and price 

forecasting, as well as the use of chatbots to 

book travel are also increasingly the norm. 

“The Holy Grail is about demonstrating 

ROI and taking traveller experience to the 

next level,” explains Valerio Fuschini, VP 

Chief Architect at CWT. “Whether it’s costcutting 

or revenue-enhancing, the onslaught 

of innovation will continue.” 

These are exciting times for tech disruptors 

and start-ups in the business travel space. 

Not all will survive, but it’s a stark warning 

for incumbents. “As the market develops, 

there will be fewer players, most of whom 

will be tech companies,” says Jill Palmer, CEO 

of Click Travel. “It’s the businesses that blend 

technology with a strong track record and 

customer service that will make the biggest 

difference in the industry.” 

It’s also true that the big boys are fighting 

back, with the titans of industry investing in 

incubating start-ups or improving their own 

platforms. A week doesn’t go by when an 

airline such as American Airlines – which 

has introduced a new management tool for 

travel managers – or a hotel group such as 

Millennium – which has launched a new app 

– announces a new or improved platform to 

service corporate clients. Watch this space. 

TRAVEL 

BOOKING 

TOOLS 

Taptrip: The vast majority of businesses 

in the UK are SMEs yet they’re woefully 

underserved by any form of managed 

business travel. This is where TapTrip 

comes in, allowing executives to book via 

their phone calendar. It has inventory 

around flights, hotels, rail and car services. 

It is a self-service travel and expenses 

solution facilitating bookings with just one 

tap. It was a former finalist at the BTA’s 

Entrepreneurs in Business Travel Awards 

and was the overall winner at the 2019 

Disrupt Awards. 

Tripactions: Business travel platform 

Tripactions is already a unicorn in the US 

and is fast moving into the UK after raising 

$250million in funding. It’s a hybrid between 

a travel management company and an 

online booking tool. It currently works with 

more than 2,000 customers globally and 

claims to reduce booking times from 60 

minutes to six minutes. 

Travelperk: Aggregation is the key word 

for this all-rounder start-up, as is seamless 

business travel management. The 

 


17

XXXXX 


TECH HOTLIST 


 

company has a simple, single platform 

that looks and feels like a leisure site. The 

aim is to make business travellers feel good 

about the booking process and the idea is to 

get away from the legacy booking platforms. 

It features a lot of inventory by plugging into 

major consumer providers – such as 

Booking.com, Expedia and Skyscanner – 

and has healthy financial backing. It has 

recently launched FlexiPerk to cover booking 

changes and cancellations. 

Salestrip: Measuring the real ROI of a 

business trip can be a real issue. Quantifying 

spend against revenues is always a 

challenge. Salestrip allows executives to 

calculate exactly the return on investment. 

The all-in-one travel booking system sits on 

Salesforce, one of the world’s largest 

customer relationship management (CRM) 

platforms. It was a shortlisted finalist at the 

Disrupt Awards in 2019. 

One to watch: Meetings, events and 

travel specialist Inntel has been developing 

a new online booking platform called Logic. 

It’s been well received by pilot clients who 

operate in the financial services, hospitality 

and media sectors. 

TACKLING 

DELAYS AND 

DISRUPTION 

Lumo: Every business traveller hates being 

delayed by bad weather, air strikes or 

cancelled flights. This company predicts the 

potential issues, hours, days and weeks 

before departure using historical data and 

machine learning. Lumo then offers up 

alternative itineraries that are less likely to 

be impacted. Lumo can be seamlessly 

integrated into the platforms of TMCs and 

has recently teamed up with Flight Centre. 

It was a finalist in both this year’s BTA 

Entrepreneurs in Business awards and last 

year’s Disrupt Awards. 

Freebird: Rebooking a flight can be a pain 

if you are disrupted and miss your business 

trip. But if you pay an insurance fee to 

Freebird they will help you deal with it. This 

can be extremely useful if you’ve got a 

complicated series of flights. They guarantee 

rebookings with three taps on your mobile 

phone and are backed by American Express 

Ventures. Users pay per flight and charges 

depend on distance flown, the time of year 

and user location. 

GAINING 

GROUND 

CONTROL 

Your Parking Space: While Airbnb saw 

a market for underutilised rooms and 

apartments, this company is focused on 

another asset – people’s driveways, garages 

and empty spaces. The online marketplace 

has 350,000 of them to rent in the UK via a 

user-friendly app, and it can be integrated 

into the booking platforms of TMCs. The site 

made £15million for owners last year and is 

working with over 150 businesses. It was 

triumphant at this year's Entrepreneurs in 

Business Travel Awards from the BTA. 


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TECH HOTLIST 


One to watch: iGo marketplace 

consolidates taxi and private hire vehicles to 

address the difficulty that UK travel buyers 

face in booking the ground transport 

elements of a business trip. The market is 

extremely fragmented and it’s iGo's tech 

that is helping to solve this. 

MAGNIFICENT 

MEETINGS 

MEASURES 

Asemblr: This online event technology 

platform is trying to disrupt the meetings 

sector by making it easier and more intuitive 

to book events. With this tool you can 

manage conferences, trip incentives and 

team building events all in one place. They 

also offer inspiration, advice and contacts 

on their platform. It is backed by Travelport 

and has recently been adopted by Cresta 

Business Travel. It was shortlisted for 

the BTA’s Entrepreneurs in Business 

Awards in 2018. 

Wizme: This is a smart venue reservations 

tool for travel buyers and business 

travellers. It connects venues and suppliers 

to those that need meeting and event space 

and their specific business needs. Wizme 

version 2.0 has recently been released for 

venues to better manager details, bookings 

and event proposals. 

TRAILBLAZING 

ON RAIL 

TRAVEL 

Seatfrog: This mobile app allows 

passengers to muscle in on a train seat 

in first class. By bidding for an upgrade 

standard class passengers can often get 

cheap access to empty first class seats – 

for as little as £10, in fact. Users can do this 

via an online auction up to 15 minutes 

before departure, with seats released three 

hours before the train is to leave. So far 

Seatfrog has partnered with the likes of 

Virgin Trains and LNER, as well as Capita 

Travel and Events. It has also won a host 

of trade and supplier awards for its 

innovative work to date. 

Railguard: Few passengers claim for 

train delays or cancellations but with poor 

punctuality at a record high it’s a growing 

issue. This app allows employers to claim 

compensation for staff delays which can 

amount to 3% of travel costs. The traveller 

inputs their past or future ticket details 

while Railguard monitors trains in real time 

via national railway data feeds. It will submit 

eligible claims, recoup the money and pay 

users their claim minus a 20% fee. It won 

the BTA’s Entrepreneurs in Business Travel 

Awards 2018 and was also a finalist at the 

Disrupt Awards in 2019. 


EVENT REPORT 

ITMC Summit 

The need to get ‘rewired’ 

TMCs from around the world gathered in 

the UAE in June for the annual ITMC 

Summit where the ‘rewired’ conference 

theme tackled the changing face of 

travel management, writes Andy Hoskins. 

Organised by the WIN Global Travel 

Network, the two-day event was attended 

by suppliers and TMCs responsible, between 

them, for an estimated US$20billion in 

annual business travel spend. 

“We’re often threatened and frequently 

challenged in a constantly changing 

landscape,” said WIN CEO Neil Armorgie in 

his opening remarks, as he urged TMCs to 

“stand up and fight their corner”. 

Festive Road’s Ian Jones urged TMCs to 

differentiate themselves from the competition 

in order to thrive. “People use a TMC 

because they’re told to, not because they 

choose to,” he said. “Business travellers are 

led by loyalty and experience but the 

business is price-led. It’s a precarious 

business model.” 

Jones also discussed the eight types of 

TMC his organisation has identified, 

including high-touch ‘creme de la creme’ 

agencies such as Eton Travel and Reed & 

Mackay, and those ‘holding on to the past’ 

who don’t have “the will, the skill or the bill 

to move forwards”. 

Procurement specialist William Pegg 

advised TMCs to carefully consider what 

business they pitch for. “If the first you hear 

about a tender is the invitation then the 

likelihood of you winning it is slim,” he said. 

He also challenged TMCs to calculate how 

much it actually costs them to go through a 

tender, to build rapport with potential 

clients and to ask questions of the 

organisation during the tender process. 

“Very few say ‘let’s have a chat’ when they 

receive the tender. It doesn’t happen 

enough and it’s a great way to build 

rapport,” he said. 

Meanwhile, John Gray of Rockport Analytics 

revealed $1.4trillion was spent on business 

travel in 2018 but warned the rate of growth 

was slowing – dropping to 3.1% in 2019, 

following growth of 5.7% in 2018 and 5.8% 

in 2017. “This year is projected to be the 

weakest year for global growth since the 

recession,” said Gray. 

JOINING THE CAUSE 

New WIN Global Partners 

include Clyde Travel A.B 

(Sweden and Nordics), 

Options Travel (USA), 

TravelCare 

(Portugal), 

Oceantur 

(Argentina), 

CIT and 

Kopetro 

(Malaysia). 

GETTING TOGETHER 

THE WIN GLOBAL TRAVEL 

NETWORK HAS INTRODUCED 

A MEETINGS AND EVENTS 

MANAGEMENT SERVICE TO 

HELP ITS MEMBERS FULFIL 

CLIENTS’ REQUIREMENTS 

IN THIS AREA. IT IS A 

WHITE-LABELLED FULL- 

SERVICE OFFERING. 

GLOBAL COVERAGE 

WIN is now represented 

in 75 countries with 6,000 

agency locations. Its 

members handle a 

combined 

turnover in 

excess of 

US$25billion. 


21

EVENT PREVIEW 

The Business Travel Conference 

The final countdown... 

It’s the final countdown to The Business 

Travel Conference 2019, taking place on 

17th-18th September at the Hilton 

London Bankside! 

The event brings together buyers and 

suppliers of business travel for a two-day 

exhibition and conference programme. 

Delegates will be able to dip in and out of 

conference sessions that are of interest and 

listen from anywhere within the venue via 

‘silent conference’ headphones – or simply 

meet around 60 leading business travel 

and meetings suppliers in the integrated 

exhibition space. For the very first time, this 

features a Star Alliance meetings zone and 

a dedicated travel wellbeing and advice area 

in collaboration with a number of partners. 

TBTC wellbeing partners 

• Naomi Jones of Shizen Nutrition is a 

registered Nutritional Therapist. Her 

mission is to help clients improve their 

health and wellbeing to manage their 

busy, demanding lives through easilyimplementable 

diet and lifestyle advice, 

DAY ONE: TUESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 

• Opening keynote: Gillian Keegan MP, 

kindly sponsored by Air Europa 

• View from the top: a trio of industry 

figures reflect on the business travel 

sector’s current trends and challenges 

• On the button: how to select, 

implement and drive 

adoption of online 

booking tools 

• Deals on wheels: find 

out how to optimise 

your car hire and rail 

travel spend 

• Sleep talk: is it time for a 

change of approach to your 

accommodation needs? 

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS 

DAY TWO: WEDNESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 

• The travel manager clinic: three 

leading travel managers discuss their 

travel programmes and the challenges 

they currently face 

• Going to market: sourcing the best 

TMC for your particular needs 

• The mavericks: get rogue 

travellers under control 

and gain compliance 

• In safe hands: risk 

mitigation, traveller 

tracking and duty of 

care in the spotlight 

• Fit for purpose: making 

traveller wellbeing central 

to your policy 

The mission is to 

help clients improve 

their health and wellbeing 

to manage their busy, 

demanding lives through 

easily-implementable diet 

and lifestyle advice” 

focusing firstly on boosting their energy and 

vitality, and improving resilience during 

regular travel to maintain productivity. 

Delegates can complete a three-day food 

diary to email to her pre-event (download 

from the TBTC website) for analysis too. 

• Silvia Vizzoni is founder of Trip Unwind 

and will be on hand to give delegates an 

introduction to mindfulness and meditation. 

Trip Unwind works with corporates and 

has designed a range of services that help 

leaders and employees within the travel 

industry to build resilience and live a more 

balanced life. 

• Small wonders: helping SMEs make 

the most of their travel spend 

• New kids on the block: discover a 

new wave of technology, tools and 

TMCs on the market 

• Air time: take your air travel spend to 

new heights with expert guidance 

• Wellbeing advice (group huddles) 

• Mindfulness and meditation 

• Top nutrition tips for more sustained 

energy levels 

• Diverse traveller safety 

• Drinks Reception and Charity Raffle 

Wind down with complimentary drinks 

and canapés plus a charity raffle with 

fabulous prizes kindly donated by our 

exhibitors in aid of London Taxi Drivers’ 

Charity for Children. 

• Wellness advice (group huddles) 

• Diverse traveller safety 

• Mindfulness and mindful eating 

• Closing keynote: Sir Trevor McDonald 

brings the conference to a close with a 

keynote address 


EVENT PREVIEW 

SPONSORS 

THE DETAILS 

What is TBTC? 

Helping organisations 

navigate the gender 

agenda in the business travel 

duty of care space” 

• Maiden Voyage is the leading expert in 

diverse traveller safety. Erica Toase will be 

able to share advice on how organisations 

can navigate the gender agenda in the 

business travel duty of care space. 

Maiden Voyage also provides a range of 

online and offline training solutions to help 

educate and support female and LGBTQ+ 

travellers and provide assistance with 

shaping diverse corporate traveller policies. 

• Gavin Percy is Managing Director of 

Winning Edge Consultancy and a mental 

health first aider. Following some mental 

health issues close to him, Gavin decided 

to specialise in mental health first aid 

training to improve attitudes to mental 

health in the workplace. 

He will be able to share how this can 

improve morale, loyalty, productivity and 

employee wellbeing. Gavin is the nominated 

trainer for the HBAA in this area. 

• Finally, we are pleased to welcome back 

Lloyd Figgins, a former keynote speaker at 

TBTC who is Chairman of the TRIP Group. 

The TRIP Group is made up of like-minded 

risk management professionals, who are 

responsible for the safety and security of 

personnel when they travel overseas. 

Members come from a wide variety of 

industry sectors, including large 

corporations, NGOs, higher education, 

government departments and the travel and 

tourism industry. 

This allows the TRIP group to draw on a 

wide range of experience, knowledge and 

expertise in order to keep travellers safe. 

Delegates will also be able to hear Lloyd on 

stage during the In Safe Hands session. 

All attendees at TBTC will be able to drop 

in and out of the area to catch up with the 

companies featured and attend some small 

group huddles at allocated times. 

TBTC'19's charity of choice 

The Business Travel Conference will be 

supporting the London Taxi Drivers’ 

Charity for Children with a raffle at the 

Monday Drinks and Canape reception. 

The reception is kindly sponsored by 

aparthotel group Native. 

LTCFC, which began 

in 1928, runs annual 

outings and funds 

appeals for special 

needs children 

WELLBEING SPONSORS 

An intimate exhibition and 

conference for bookers, buyers, 

arrangers and managers of business 

travel and meetings 

When? 

Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th 

September, 2019 

Where? 

The London Hilton 

Bankside Hotel, 

Great Suffolk Street, 

London SE1 0UG 

How do I register 

for free? 

thebusinesstravelconference.com 

Find out if you qualify for 

a hosted place 

Exhibition and 

sponsorship 

enquiries? 

Contact Kirsty Hicks 

kirsty.hicks@bmipublishing.co.uk 

Tel: 07747 697 772 


23

EVENT PREVIEW 

TBTC'19 EXHIBITORS 

HEADLINE SPONSOR 

STAR ALLIANCE LAUNCHES 

NEW ROUND THE WORLD 

BOOKING SITE 

Round the World tickets are not just 

for the adventurous. More and more 

business travellers are discovering the 

perks of Round the World tickets for 

their duty travel. 

In fact, the UK ranks among the top ten 

markets for business travel on Star 

Alliance Round the World bookings. 

When choosing a Star Alliance Round 

the World ticket, business travellers 

benefit from an excellent priceperformance-ratio 

when combining 

several duty trips into one, and at the 

same time increase their efficiency by not 

having to return to the point of origin. 

iGo. Anywhere 

For example, one of the most popular 

routes out of London Heathrow for 

business travellers is LHR-NYC-SFO-TYO- 

SIN-FRA-LHR. 

On its mission to improve the customer 

experience, Star Alliance has relaunched 

its Round the World booking tool with a 

completely new look. Based on customer 

feedback, the design is more map-based 

and provides a more intuitive experience. 

Inspiring images and brief descriptions 

of the destinations make it easy to plan 

the ideal routing. In just a few easy steps, 

Round The World or Circle Pacific trips can 

be organised and validated. See: 

staralliance.com/en/round-the-world 


THE BIG PICTURE 

Pricey rides 

Switzerland 

Think twice before 

catching a cab in 

Switzerland – it has 

been declared the most 

expensive destination 

for taxi fares worldwide. 

The average 5km trip 

costs £20.25, which is 

considerably more than 

second-placed Japan 

(£13.97). Germany and 

the Netherlands were 

next most expensive 

while the UK was eighth, 

according to research 

from taxi2airport.com 


25

awards 

meet the winner 

Colin Harvey 

BCD Travel’s Colin Harvey was named Account Manager of the Year 

at the Business Travel People Awards 2019 

How did it feel to 

be named Account 

Manager of the Year 

at the awards? 

I was immensely proud 

and honoured. To be 

recognised personally 

by our industry on a national level feels such 

a huge achievement and is also a great 

reflection on the whole AstraZeneca and 

BCD Travel team. 

Why did you enter the awards or how did 

you come to be nominated? 

I was very humbled to learn that I was 

nominated by our global lead at AstraZeneca 

to show appreciation and recognition for my 

work and contribution to our partnership. It 

was really special to find out that they’d 

done this for me. My colleague Jill Burnett 

was also nominated by our client and it was 

amazing to see her win the Reservations 

Consultant of the Year category too! 

Tell us about your role and the work 

you’ve done that clinched the award. 

I am the EMEA Regional Program 

Manager with the responsibility 

of managing the 

AstraZeneca/BCD Travel 

program across 35 

countries. Although my 

remit is regional, I 

collaborate on many 

global projects. I 

constantly challenge 

the “business as usual” 

thinking, not just looking 

at the “so what” but “so 

what do we have to do”. 

What do you particularly enjoy 

about your role in the industry? 

I really enjoy the varied nature of my work 

and how quickly the industry is changing. 

Working with a client who has a desire to 

innovate allows me to be creative and offer 

The Business Travel 

People Awards recognise 

outstanding individuals 

and teams across all aspects 

of the supplier element of 

corporate travel 

leading-edge solutions to optimise their 

program and increase traveller satisfaction. 

There’s a real spirit of partnership and 

mutual respect across our global team – 

we’re constantly challenging ourselves to do 

better, but we have fun as well. 

What do you think of The 

Business Travel People 

Awards and of the 

winners event? 

This was my first time 

attending these 

awards, and I hadn’t 

quite realised the size 

and scale of the event. 

It’s such a great 

showcase to recognise 

and acknowledge the 

amazing talent that is not 

often represented. It was 

particularly special to share the experience 

on the day with the AstraZeneca/BCD Travel 

team. The opportunity to spend time with 

the other winners on an all-expenses-paid 

trip to Boston is a very generous prize. 

The awards are such 

a great showcase to 

recognise and acknowledge 

the amazing talent that is not 

often represented” 

What impact do you think winning an 

award will have on your career? 

It has certainly given me more exposure 

both internally and externally and I am sure 

this has raised my profile further within BCD. 

Knowing that the client recognises and 

values your work is very rewarding. 

What are some of the biggest challenges 

you’re currently facing in your role? 

New technologies, changes in distribution 

and the amount of disruptors entering our 

space constantly challenge us to find new 

solutions. Sustainability and traveller 

wellbeing are also front and centre right 

now. Removing the complexity associated 

with all of the above – and exploiting the 

opportunities they bring – is essential. 


GALLERY 


People Awards 2019 

Winners’ trip 

to Boston 

The winners of The Business Travel 

People Awards 2019 jetted off to 

Boston last month for a well-deserved 

treat, with flights courtesy of Virgin 

Atlantic and Delta Air Lines and 

accommodation provided by Loews 

Hotels. 

The People Awards winners’ trip ▼ 

Boston’s iconic Fenway 

Park baseball stadium 

Xxxxxx xxxxxxxx ▼ 

▲ 14.07.2019 

Cheers to all our 

2019 winners! 

Having a whale 

of a time... 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 


27

THE CONVERSATION 

Chief Executive Officer, Yotel 

HUBERT VIRIOT 

The distinctive hotel group’s CEO tells Catherine Chetwynd about 

its rapid growth after a relatively low-key beginning 

Yotel’s recent growth has been 

phenomenal. A year and a half ago, 

the company had only one hotel in 

the US that catered primarily to domestic 

New York customers and European guests. 

Now there are also Yotels in Boston, San 

Francisco and Washington, and a recently 

opened tenth US property, in Atlanta. 

And expansion is not just restricted to the 

US. “The announcement in July of our hotel 

in Melbourne [planned for 2022] was the 

turning point for the organisation. Our 

growth is not just wishful thinking, it is a 

strategy and it is happening,” says the 

group's CEO, Hubert Viriot. 

“We are not only a good, efficient operator, 

we need to demonstrate operational 

synergies across hotels and reach our 

customer base. To do that we need to have 

multiple properties within the market.” 

The idea is to follow the same strategy 

elsewhere: Australia, where Yotel Melbourne 

will be joined by YotelAIR and YotelPAD; 

the Far East, in Japan, Singapore and Hong 

Kong; and Dubai. By the end of this year 

there will be 16 Yotels in operation and by 

the end of next year, 24, with the company 

on track to have 60 open by 2023. 

“Our strategy so far has been to open up 

new markets with a flagship, which is what 

we have done in New York, Singapore and 

Istanbul. The next phase of development is 

to grow within these markets.” 

The group's very first properties opened in 

2007 at Gatwick and Heathrow airports. 

They have since been joined by a property 

in Edinburgh (this summer), while Glasgow 

and London Clerkenwell will open later this 

year and Amsterdam and Porto follow in 

September and the year-end respectively. 

Yotel destinations are not chosen to fill a 

gap in the budget hotel market, they are 

based on the group’s target consumer and 

“on certain realistic dynamics”, as Viriot puts 

it. The Yotel customer is urban and well 

travelled and, being independent, will go 

out to explore their surroundings, so their 

requirement is premium accommodation 

and limited facilities. Properties are also in 

locations that suit Yotel’s investors. 

“Two things are unique in our organisation. 

We are going through tremendous growth 

in a new market segment, so we are building 

our own destiny to some extent. We cannot 

follow and cannot do what others have 

done, and that takes a lot,” Viriot explains. 

“The second thing that takes a lot is that 

we immediately decided to occupy a global 

We raised capital 

with Starwood three 

years ago and frankly, had we 

not been located in the UK, 

it would have been a much 

harder job to achieve” 

footprint because our customer is not a 

specific nationality. We find him or her in 

Sydney, or San Francisco or London or 

Paris, so we are meeting the challenges of a 

new segment and building a business with 

the complexity of doing it across the world.” 

Viriot joined Yotel in 2014 and was living in 

Dubai at the time. “At the time, Yotel was a 

small enterprise – 12 people and four hotels 

under management. We could have based 

this business anywhere, it didn’t have to be 

London, but there were several reasons to 

be in London and stay in the UK. 

“Firstly, logistics. If you are going to grow a 

business into a global concern, the centre of 

gravity is London,” he explains. 

“Secondly, looking for capital, and that 

worked out well. We raised capital with 

Starwood three years ago and frankly, had 

we not been in the UK, it would have been a 

much harder job to achieve,” says Viriot. 

“Thirdly, and most importantly, if you are 

going to grow a global business, you need 

to attract the best talent and where else but 

London to do that?” 

The availability of foreign operational 

employees post-Brexit is a concern, 

although its new Edinburgh property 

opened with a full complement of staff. 

“So far, we haven’t suffered much and I 

am a great believer that it is not an endgame 

and there is a bright future ahead,” says 

Viriot. “It might take a few more years than 

it would have, but it will all work out.” 


THE CONVERSATION 

in brief... 

What was it like living in 

Bangkok? 

Bangkok is one of the best 

cities in the world and 

Thailand is a fantastic 

country – a great market. 

Ironically, I was there from 

2008 to 2013 when most 

of the world was going 

through a global financial 

crisis. However Thailand 

was immune because it 

had been the origin of 

another crisis in 1997. 

As a result, all banks and 

companies across the 

country were restructured 

between 1997 and 2008, 

and had very healthy 

balance sheets, which is 

why we were going through 

tremendous growth – triple 

digits year on year. It was a 

great experience. Also, that 

background has helped me 

understand how developers 

think and what is important 

for them; that has facilitated 

our growth to date. 

HUBERT VIRIOT 

Hubert Viriot joined YOTEL in May 2014 to roll out an 

aggressive growth strategy targeting key city centres 

and international airports worldwide. Prior to this, he 

was CEO of Raimon Land PLC, a real estate developer 

listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. During his 

four-year tenure, Viriot orchestrated its successful 

turnaround and increased the company’s development 

portfolio from $200m to $1.1bn. Previously, he spent 

four years as VP of Investments & Acquisitions with 

IFA Hotels & Resorts, YOTEL’s parent company, and 

five years with global consulting firm HVS. 

What do you do when 

you are not 'yotelling'? 

That doesn’t leave much 

time! I don’t know whether 

it’s a good idea but I don’t 

have a very clear border 

between work and not 

work. This is the second 

business I’m growing and 

I know how much it takes 

– and so does my family. 

My job and personal life 

involve a lot of travel. Most 

of my spare time is spent 

with my wife and two kids, 

letting them get used to a 

normal lifestyle and trying 

to build a social life in 

fantastic London, which I 

am very much enjoying. 


29

UK hotel groUps 

Right at 

hoMe 

The UK hotel industry is facing a number of Brexit-related 

challenges but has received a timely boost from the 

government. Catherine Chetwynd charts the changes 

In June, the UK government announced 

it would be making a significant 

investment in tourism and hospitality 

to help reaffirm “the UK’s global role as a 

key player in the industry”. 

It has committed to adding 130,000 new UK 

hotel rooms by 2025 – 75% of which will be 

outside London – and to deliver 10,000 new 

apprenticeships in the sector every year. 

In addition, it will invest in broadband 

connectivity for UK conference centres to 

boost business travel and develop a strategy 

to grow off-season travel. 

easyHotel 

The positive news for this important 

economic sector comes at a time when the 

prospect of leaving the European Union is 

causing headaches for many hoteliers. 

“The biggest concern that Brexit brings for 

the hospitality sector is how it could affect 

staffing,” says SVP Hotel Solutions for BCD 

Travel, April Bridgeman. “Hotels in the UK 

rely heavily on overseas workers, many from 

other EU states. If that labour force leaves, 

by choice or by policy, hotels will face a 

shortage of labour and if that has to be filled 

by local staff, costs will go up which, in turn, 

will increase room rates.” 

Brexit isn't all bad 

However, Advantage Travel Partnership’s 

Hotels Market Report (January to March) 

shows a positive picture compared to 2018: 

UK room nights were up 5.1%, London room 

nights up by 5%, Portsmouth up 68% and 

York up 82%. In addition, a further ten towns 

showed a growth of more than 20%. 

London remains buoyant and seems to be 

a microclimate amid the rest of the country. 

Hotel numbers continue to grow apace and 

as soon as they open, beds fill up and 

average room rates climb. Bookers are 

getting wiser about booking in advance but 

high demand is putting pressure on 

corporate relationships. Conventional 

wisdom might dictate that with properties 

springing up all over the country and 

business slowing down, that competitive 

corporate rates should be plentiful. However, 

the problem is not negotiating them, it is 

being able to use them. 

“In London, hotels are happy to give good 

rates but they are apprehensive about how 

much volume corporates are going to give,” 

says Managing Director of Sirius 

Management, Tom Stone. “You might think 

the more business a company gives a hotel, 

the cheaper it’s going to be, but the pace in 

London is so great that a hotel will give a 

rate on only 100 or 1,000 room nights, not 

for the 30,000 a buyer can potentially give. 

“And there is an elephant in the room. A lot 

of hotels that work with corporates want to 

do so on the basis of longevity and as a 

partnership but hotels in London are 

generally privately owned and managed by 

chains. This means owners are constantly 

putting pressure on management teams – 

the GM, revenue manager or sales manager 

– to deliver higher yield on the rooms and 

that sometimes doesn’t lead to a feeling of 

partnership with a corporate. There is 

nowhere outside London where occupancies 

are so high that that applies,” he says. 


UK hotel groups 

With new properties 

springing up all over 

the country and business 

slowing down, you'd think 

competitive corporate rates 

should be plentiful” 

Hand Picked Hotels' 

Stanbrook Abbey 


31


The ongoing 

uncertainty of Brexit 

presents clear challenges. 

Never has it been more 

important to ensure your 

brand is as strong as possible” 

Travelodge 

Leonardo Royal St Paul's 

There are, however, cities that are 

benefiting from London's ripple effect, 

which extends to Reading, Bristol and Milton 

Keynes, where rates have remained stable. 

There is also considerable construction in 

Manchester, although there is not yet any 

suggestion of oversupply. 

In addition, “Birmingham is one to watch,” 

says Managing Partner for Black Box 

Partnership, Leigh Cowlishaw. “There has 

been a lot of investment in regeneration of 

key areas, it is a central location that people 

want to visit and the NEC pulls in crowds 

who need to stay overnight. 

“There has also been government 

investment in infrastructure, with HS2 

pending, and this all points towards strong 

city growth. Traffic through the airport is also 

increasing, with more international direct 

flights, and the New Street hub has excellent 

links with the rest of the country.” 

Group growth plans 

Travelodge is growing exponentially, while 

there is an increase in mid- to high-range 

hotels too. “There are a lot of groups 

focusing on the UK domestic market and 

doing very well,” says Tom Stone. 

Evidence includes the 17 hotels Travelodge 

expects to open in the UK, in locations that 

include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, 

London, Marlow, Solihull and Swindon, with 

an investment of around £115million. It will 

continue to roll out Travelodge Plus, its 

‘budget chic’ model, having just opened its 

seventh in Marlow-on-Thames, while its 

'premium economy' SuperRooms are now 

available in 50 hotels, with facilities that 

include Lavazza coffee machines, USB power 

outlets, hairdryer and irons. 

“Since Travelodge started its modernisation 

programme more than five years ago, it has 

opened 60-plus hotels and invested more 

than £150million in improving quality and 

choice, while staying true to its budget 

roots,” says spokeswoman Shakila Ahmed. 

“Sales have grown by more than 

£250million, fuelled by a rise in corporate 

and SME business. More than 50% of 

customers are business travellers.” 

These guests benefit from Travelodge 

Business, a new business account card with 

features that include a guaranteed 5% 

discount on all flexible rate bookings, up to 

six weeks' interest free credit, a monthly 

consolidated VAT invoice, and room 

allocation on quiet business floors. 

An abundance of openings 

Bespoke Hotels owns and manages 76 

properties in the UK and has taken on 

agreements for five more. In 2020, it will 

open Hotel Brooklyn in Manchester with 120 

rooms, Coventry Evening Telegraph Hotel 

(66) and Hotel Gotham, Glasgow (56). 

The company offers reduced corporate 

rates to organisations with a high volume 

of demand in a specific location and 

participates in agency and consortium 

programmes nationally. 

The impact of Brexit is mixed, with the low 

value of sterling attracting leisure visitors 

from the rest of Europe and keeping Brits at 

home. But Managing Director Operations, 

Graham Marksell, says: “The corporate and 

conference markets have weakened as 

businesses became nervous about the future 

and companies have focused their resource, 

both in people and finance, on securing their 

Brexit strategies.” 

With five hotels in the UK – located in 

Glasgow (two), Edinburgh, Leeds and 

Manchester, which opened this year – 

Dakota Hotels is now looking at locations 

such as Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, 

Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, the 

M4-corridor, Manchester Airport, Newcastle, 

Oxford and central London. 

The group aims to deliver luxury hotels and 

restaurants at accessible prices, stimulating 

interest from higher management and 

C-Suite executives. It does not offer 

corporate schemes. 

“We focus on recognition and build 

personal relationships, ensuring that every 

guest’s experience is exceptional – our 

ultimate goal is complete satisfaction,” says 

Group Director Andrew Overstone. 

“The ongoing uncertainty of Brexit presents 

clear challenges in terms of planning ahead. 

Never has it been more important to ensure 

your brand is as strong as possible.” 

Scottish-based Apex has ten hotels in 

London (3), Bath, Edinburgh (4), Glasgow and 

Hub by Premier Inn 



Apex City of London 

Dundee. The group is not planning to 

expand but instead spent £12million last 

year on improvements to the portfolio, 

including £6million on restoring and 

refurbishing an extension to the Apex 

Temple Court Hotel on Fleet Street, London, 

adding five suites, large deluxe bedrooms, a 

wine bar and two private dining rooms. 

The group’s Bath property opened in 2017 

with 177 bedrooms and the city’s only 

purpose-built city centre conference facility. 

Since then the property has hosted more 

than £1million of business. 

Brexit has inevitably had an effect: 

“Booking windows from the US have 

shortened from six to eight weeks to three 

to four weeks, particularly in London,” says 

Commercial Director Clinton Campbell. “And 

across the portfolio, properties have seen 

lead times decrease year-on-year, sitting at 

approximately 17 days.” 

In London, Apex saw a slowing of corporate 

bookings in Q1, leading up to the original 

Brexit deadline, and although business has 

picked up, Campbell says it could see a similar 

pattern later in the year as the new deadline 

looms. However conference bookings across 

the group have changed from seasonal to a 

“steadier stream month to month”. 

EasyHotel has 13 hotels in the UK and in 

the past 12 months opened in Leeds, 

Sheffield, Ipswich and Milton Keynes; its 

flagship property in London’s Old Street 

reopened in July after a full renovation. Next 

off the blocks are Chester, Cardiff, Oxford 

and Blackpool, with Cambridge and Bristol to 

follow, subject to planning consent. 

Boutique options 

Country house hotel group Hand Picked 

Hotels has 19 properties and there has been 

recent growth in corporate bookings at 

Bailbrook House Hotel in Bath (35%), 

Crathorne Hall Hotel in North Yorkshire (6%), 

and at two properties in Surrey: Nutfield 

Priory Hotel & Spa in Redhill (30%) and 

Woodlands Park Hotel, Cobham (8%). 

Corporate rates are available for 

businesses giving the right volume of 

bookings and members of the company’s 

Privilege Rewards programme get 5% to 

10% discounts on room rates. 

Malmaison and Hotel du Vin are owned by 

Singaporean company Frasers Hospitality 

and the 29 properties that comprised the 

brands when it acquired them in 2015 have 

grown to 35, with a goal of 50 by 2022. 

Malmaisons open in Edinburgh late this 

year, York in 2020, and in Bournemouth and 

Manchester in 2021. A number of projects 

for Hotel du Vin are also on the cards. 

“Corporate bookings in today’s world are 

more and more difficult to track because a 

lot come through online channels – that 

makes up some 70% of our business,” says 

CEO of EMEA, Guus Bakker. 

“Malmaison, in particular, remains a strong 

brand for corporate bookings. We have Work 

and Play meeting spaces in a number of 

hotels and we are developing it in others, to 

provide smaller flexible spaces. Up to 40% of 

our business is corporate in Malmaison. 

“Trading in the UK has challenges: 

uncertainty around Brexit is not helpful but 

at some stage it will improve and then at 

least there will be clarity. It has had an 

impact on confidence and we continue to 

Premier Inn 


33


[ WHO OFFERS WHAT ] 

Apex Hotels: will have invested £12million in 

its portfolio of ten properties by the end of 

2019, including a £6m project to restore and 

refurbish Apex Temple Court on Fleet Street. 

Bespoke Hotels: owns and manages 

76 properties in the UK, including new 

agreements for five hotels in the past 12 

months. It will add three more in 2020 in 

Manchester, Glasgow and Coventry in time for 

the city’s year as UK City of Culture. 

Dakota Hotels: has only five properties to 

date but is looking for new sites. 

Dakota Hotels 

feel that in consumer spending,” he says. 

“For the time being, we are consolidating and 

making sure we optimise the management 

of our existing portfolio within the UK, rather 

than spreading ourselves thin and going 

abroad,” says Bakker. 

Industry challenges 

Bakker’s comment about booking channels 

reflects the increasing tendency for buyers to 

move away from RFPs, as Tom Stone 

explains. “They still play an important role 

but people are wise to savings that can be 

achieved through dynamic pricing and most 

organisations might, typically, have a 

preferred rate and then underpin that by 

charging the TMC to see what’s available on 

booking.com or Expedia that will potentially 

undercut their negotiated rate,” says Stone. 

“I also think there is a move to see whether 

the hotel RFP can be done on a biannual 

basis rather than annually – it is very labour 

intensive,” he says. “The trick is to try and 

factor in an agreed increase. This might be 

Brexit has stimulated 

conversation and 

debate regarding the future 

of our country, creating 

positive engagement” 

the rate of inflation or the cost of living 

index. I think that’s possible in some markets 

but very difficult in markets like London – 

hoteliers want the ability to increase rates if 

the market dictates,” Stone explains. 

WIN Global Travel Network's CEO Neil 

Armorgie adds: “The top challenges facing 

the hotel industry are similar to other 

industries: uncertainty with the slowdown of 

the global economy; rising costs in salaries 

and utilities; the trade tariff wars between 

China and the USA, and the still unresolved 

Brexit negotiations.” 

He continues: “So despite the strong start 

to the year for our members, there are signs 

that overall economic growth could have an 

effect on slowing hotel booking volumes 

through the rest of the year. That, and 

increased supply in the UK, will mean that 

hotel rates will flatten and could even drop.” 

Dakota's Andrew Overstone ends on a 

positive note. “Brexit's impact, so far, has 

been quite encouraging. It has stimulated 

conversation and debate regarding the 

future of our country, creating genuine 

dialogue and positive engagement. 

“People are actively considering the 

position of the UK, which affects their day to 

day decisions. With last year’s glorious 

summer, and the recent spell of sunshine, 

people have definitely seen the benefit of the 

great British staycation, which has definitely 

been positive for the UK hotels industry.” 

EasyHotels: has an aggregate 37 owned and 

franchised hotels in the UK and Europe, four 

of which opened in the UK in the past year. Its 

pipeline comprises another five, with two 

subject to planning consent. 

Hand Picked Hotels: last year upgraded and 

relaunched its loyalty programme as Privilege 

Rewards, with new awards that include 

exclusive room rate discounts and upgrades. 

Hotel du Vin & Malmaison: is aiming for 

50 properties by 2022, from the current 

19 (Hotel du Vin) and 16 (Malmaison). 

Jurys Inn & Leonardo: has properties in over 

30 cities in the UK and Ireland. It acquired 

and rebranded four Grange Hotels in London 

earlier this year. 

Macdonald Hotels: over 35 luxury hotels 

across the UK and is particularly strong 

in Scotland. 

Premier Inn: has over 800 hotels across 

the UK and Ireland, plus sub-brands 

Zip (just one so far, in Cardiff) and Hub 

(in London and Edinburgh). 

Q Hotels: having launched in 2003 with two 

hotels, it now manages 21 across the UK. 

Travelodge: has more than 560 hotels and 

aims to open another 17 in 2019. Also has a 

£100million expansion plan, targeting the 

UK's largest conference locations. 

Village Hotels: has 30 hotels across the UK; 

strong in the North and Midlands. 

Z Hotels: 13 hotels offering 'affordable luxury' 

in London, Glasgow and Liverpool. 


Isn’t it time you started saving with the 

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travelodge.co.uk

GALLERY 


People Awards 2019 

Winners’ lunch 

Raising a glass 

to success! 

People Awards winners’ lunch ▼ 

All the winners from The Business 

Travel People Awards 2019 were 

hosted at a celebratory lunch courtesy 

of Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts at The 

Shard in June. On a beautiful clear 

day, the winners were treated to a 

Champagne reception, three-course 

meal and some stunning views. 


All seated and ready to tuck 

in to a three-course feast! 

Awesome views from 

the London landmark 


MEET THE BUYER 

meet 

PRADEEP NAIR 

Pradeep Nair is Director of Global Procurement at the NBA. He tells us about 

his organisation’s evolving use of data to inform its travel programme 

I’ve been in my role for two years and 

have been in procurement for much 

longer. I’m based in New Jersey and travel 

management takes up around half of my 

time. The NBA is a global sports and media 

business built around four professional 

sports leagues: The National Basketball 

Association, the Women’s National 

Basketball Association, the NBA G League 

and the NBA 2K League. 

Approximately 60% of our travel spend 

is on domestic travel. We use an online 

booking tool and have a very high adoption 

rate. The transformation of business travel 

started last year for us, in 2018. We’re 

enhancing three things: the traveller 

experience, the policy and our contracts. 

Central to all this are our travellers – they 

are partners in this change. 

Data and technology are evolving at an 

exponential rate and we want to leverage 

these to transform business travel. We 

want to provide a great experience to our 

travellers and reduce the cost of travel by 

aggregating and consolidating data. 

One of our biggest challenges in doing 

this was that we had 13 sources of data, 

internally and externally, and they were 

fragmented and not normalised. The next 

question was whether to develop an 

in-house tool or to use third-party 

technology to bring it all together to get 

a true picture of our travel spend. 

We chose to do it in-house because we 

had the resources and skills. It gave us 

flexibility and produced a solution based on 

our specific needs, enabling us to make factbased 

changes to policy and contracts. It 

took eight months to build but I was working 

on it as a concept for a year before that. 

Our Enterprise Data Warehouse, as the 

tool is called, is a one-stop shop for all our 

sources of data. They all feed into it and 

from there reports and analytics are 

generated. There is a dashboard for senior 

level reporting for CFOs and the leadership 

team. And we can drill down to individual 

travellers or trips to look at advance 

booking behaviour, booking method, high 

value tickets, cabin class, lost savings, 

number of days travel, and a whole lot 

more. We can also move boundaries and 

see what the impact would be of making 

certain changes to policy. 

We also now have real-time savings 

alerts through a third party partner 

which highlights the potential savings 

through rebooking between the time of the 

initial booking and the time of travel. We’ve 

saved more than a million dollars using this. 

What we have achieved so far has 

worked because we have involved people 

right from the start, and we’ve achieved 

pretty good results. We’ve seen a 10% 

reduction in our travel costs and very high 

traveller satisfaction. 

We really listen to our travellers. Getting 

feedback is so important, so we conduct 

regular traveller surveys. These are targeted 

at the people who are travelling frequently. 

We’ve had more than an 80% response rate 

– and 93% favourable response – because 

people know they’ll be listened to and that 

we’ll take action. 

We’re not done yet! This is an ongoing 

process and we continue to evaluate the 

information. What works today might not 

work tomorrow, so we have to keep 

abreast of change. 

We really listen to our 

travellers. Getting 

feedback is so important, so 

we conduct regular surveys. 

We've had more than an 80% 

response rate because people 

know they'll be listened to” 


37

TECHNOLOGY 

[ Delays and disruption ] 

Smooth landings 

Airlines are adopting new technology to help alleviate the 

stress around airline disruptions, writes Linda Fox 

All corporate travellers will have 

suffered them at one time or 

another, be it because of weather 

events, tech problems or something else, 

but flight delays are a bind whatever 

form they take. 

One airline taking action is Cathay Pacific, 

which began looking at how it might 

mitigate the disruption caused by typhoons 

in its home region. The airline says it 

wanted to take a customer-centric approach 

to something that can impact as many as 

100,000 passengers if flights have to be 

cancelled for one day. 

Josh Rogers, Head of Airport Customer 

Service at Cathay Pacific, says the airline 

dealt with 31 typhoon-related events last 

year alone. Speaking at the Amadeus Airline 

Executive Summit, held in Istanbul in June, 

he said the carrier opted for a “designthinking 

approach” by asking itself 

questions around how it can improve the 

experience for passengers, employees and 

the airline’s operations. 

What Cathay ended up with was a threepronged 

solution, with Amadeus Passenger 

Recovery technology used to optimise how 

disruptions are handled, 15Below used for 

communications, and a chatbot tool called 

Vera developed with Accenture to help 

passengers rebook their flights. 

With this technology in place, the hope is 

that when a typhoon is expected, the airline 

can plan ahead more effectively. 

For example, customers on non-essential 

travel have the opportunity to change their 

plans ahead of time and will receive an 

email with options and a link to the chatbot. 

The chatbot is then able to rebook their 

preferred flight in four steps. 

In the aftermath of disruption, the airline 

is hoping that the same four steps to book 

will prevent the chaotic scenes at the airport 

that have made media headlines in the past. 

The airline has so far trialled the solution, 

with all passengers on a cancelled Hong 

Kong to Shanghai flight rebooked within six 

to eight minutes. Scenarios are already 

being run for when typhoon season hits. 

The next step is to work with Amadeus to 

use the Vera chatbot to help with rebooking 

passengers that booked via a travel agency 

or other third party, rather than direct. 

Lufthansa, however, says that it has no 

email or contact details for about 20% of its 

passengers and hopes that it can address 

this challenge, as well as handle disruption 

more effectively, by equipping its staff with 

the Amadeus Airport Companion application. 

Ultimately, the airline’s vision is to remove 

counters and check-in desks and have 

roaming staff at its airports with the app 

able to check them in, handle transfers in a 

disruption and sell ancillaries, among other 

various duties. 

Initially, however, the app is 

focused on helping Lufthansa’s 

passengers during disruption. 

Also speaking at the Amadeus 

event, Vicky Scherber, Senior 

Director of Passenger and Baggage 

Processes for Lufthansa Group, 

said: “In ten years time there will 

be less desks and counters. 

We want to mobilise our agents 

to give them the tools because a 

lot of the time the passenger 

knows more about the status 

of a flight than 

the employee, 

so we really 

need to enable 

the colleague 

to make a 

positive impact.” 

Scherber added 

that some education is also 

required, with the airline 

discovering in tests that between 

50% and 70% of passengers 

queueing at a service desk have 

already been rebooked. 

We want to mobilise 

our agents and give 

them the tools because a lot of 

the time the passenger knows 

more about the status of a 

flight than the employee” 


EVENT REPORT 

Travel Counsellors conference 

The human touch 

Client relationships, technology and the 

‘human touch’ were among the key 

themes discussed at Travel Counsellors’ 

business travel conference in June. 

Travel Counsellors’ biggest corporate travel 

conference to date saw nearly 200 business 

travel specialists and supplier partners 

gather in Birmingham for the two-day event. 

Opening the event, CEO Steve Byrne said 

the organisation – which specialises in the 

SME sector – aims to continue its doubledigit 

growth over the next five years. 

“Each year up to 300 people across the 

globe become entrepreneurs through Travel 

Counsellors, running their own corporate 

travel businesses from home or shared 

offices, supporting their clients to make up 

to 150,000 trips to 175 countries across the 

globe,” said Byrne. 

“We’ve seen 18% global growth year-onyear 

for corporate travel, winning £22million 

in new business in the last 12 months 

alone. This growth trajectory is in no small 

part due to the trusted relationships you 

create with your clients, and the care and 

dedication you show each day to ensure 

they enjoy seamless travel and booking 

experiences,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Travel Counsellors Director 

of Digital and Innovation, Waseem Haq, 

discussed the organisation’s technology 

developments. “The biggest trend we’re 

seeing from our corporate travel clients is 

the desire for an increasingly ‘mobile’ 

experience,” said Haq. 

“60% of our customers use mobile travel 

apps and find push alerts incredibly useful 

to support frictionless journeys. With 81% of 

our customers favouring voice search on 

mobile too, we’re continuously looking for 

opportunities to incorporate artificial 

intelligence where it enhances our client’s 

experiences with us,” he explained. 

Haq said that the company's bespoke 

technology platform Phenix continues to 

receive £2.5million in investment per year, 

with the booking system set to become an 

intelligent tool that will recommend 

personal itineraries according to client 

booking behaviour. 

Virgin Atlantic & Delta Air Lines were 

headline sponsors of the annual event. 

NUMBERS UP 

Travel Counsellors 

generates turnover of more 

than £220million a year 

and has over 1,800 travel 

franchisees supported by 

400 staff across 

its Manchester 

headquarters 

and six 

overseas 

offices. 

DOING IT RIGHT 

“TRAVEL COUNSELLORS 

WILL CONTINUE TO BE 

SUCCESSFUL BY ALWAYS 

DOING THE RIGHT THING BY 

PEOPLE, SUPPORTING THE 

COMMUNITIES WE WORK 

WITHIN AND THE PLACES 

OUR CLIENTS TRAVEL TO.” 

Steve Byrne, CEO, Travel Counsellors 

MEETINGS UP 

Travel Counsellors 

reported an 80% increase 

in sales attached to MICE 

activities in the first half 

of this year in comparison 

to the 

same 

period 

last 

year. 


39

PAYMENTS & EXPENSES 

On the 

MONEY 

Payment processes are set for a shake-up this autumn, 

writes Gillian Upton, while virtual cards and expense 

management systems continue to gain traction 

The prospect of Mark Zuckerberg’s 

Facebook influencing the global 

economy with an alternative 

financial system based on Libra, its 

crypto currency, is sending shockwaves 

throughout the world’s banking system. 

It’s probably second only to concerns over 

the readiness of the European market for 

the new European security legislation, 

Strong Consumer Authentication or SCA, 

intended to launch this September. 

For the UK at least, the Financial Conduct 

Authority (FCA) recognises the challenges of 

meeting the autumn deadline of what is 

also known as the PSD2 directive, a twofactor 

authentication (PIN code, password, 

available device, biometric data etc) on 

online payments, and has announced a 

grace period. Before the FCA announcement, 

banks were predicting that some 30% of 

e-commerce transactions would be 

declined. SCA is already in practice in 

Germany and France. 

Christophe Lacour, Head of Merchant 

Services at Amadeus Payments, believes 

the grace period may add confusion over 

intra-EEA cross-border transactions. 

”The local regulator of the issuer country 

'A' may take a different stance on the grace 

period than the local regulator of the 

acquirer in country 'B',” he says. “In the UK, 

the local regulator (the FCA), has confirmed 

it will consider a grace period for individual 

firms that can provide a documented 

migration plan towards SCA compliance.” 

Lacour advises moving towards SCA 

readiness as soon as possible. 

Industry experts believe SCA will have the 

greatest potential impact on corporate 

travel management companies as all service 

providers will have to build authentication 

into their payment flow and introduce an 

extra step of identification. Merchantinitiated 

transactions that use lodge or 

virtual corporate cards, commonly used by 

TMCs, may not require separate authentication, 

according to the UK’s FCA. 

Exemption confusion 

Who’s exempt from SCA and who’s not is 

still a grey area. However, it appears 

unlikely that all corporate travel cards will 

be exempt from SCA. Complying with it 

won’t necessarily be straightforward in the 

corporate travel space where authorisations 

for card payments are often made as a 

batch. This could explain how the industry 

appears somewhat under prepared. 

Bertrand Blais, Vice President, Product 

Management at KDS says, “For online travel 

booking this will add a step to the online 

booking process for travellers using their 

personal credit card. 

“Meeting the requirements is not only 

a question of compliance, but also a 

technological, strategic and operational 

challenge which extends beyond finance 

and banking. It will require a technological 

change and integration with suppliers – 

that’s time consuming. For SMEs, it’s likely 

to have a huge impact as they are not 

generally using lodge cards or virtual cards.” 

Blais believes there will be disruption, 

whatever the implementation date, and that 

some transactions could be blocked 

because of it. “We might be caught out on 

day one,” agrees Robin Smith, Chief Product 

Engineer at Click Travel. “And we won’t 

know if a card is not going to meet that 

exemption until it happens.” 

Despite these misgivings, adding an 

additional layer of security on electronic 

payments is welcomed as it will help protect 

from fraud, which is a massive global 

problem with physical credit cards. 

It’s a strong argument for using virtual 

cards instead, which can be tightly controlled 

by merchant type, a pre-set value and time 

windows, and are not affected by the new 

SCA regulations (as far as anyone can tell). 



AirPlus says the FCA outlined which 

products could be exempt if the issuer 

met certain requirements and therefore 

submitted an exemption request that 

included “a lengthy explanation of how we 

would fulfil the exemption requirements,” 

explains Paul Spelman, AirPlus’ Managing 

Director UK & Ireland. 

“We had a follow-up call and they have 

said that no further action is required on 

our side, so in essence our lodge and virtual 

products are now covered under the FCA 

exemption,” says Spelman. 

Virtual solutions 

As the use of credit cards declines, it is 

anticipated that virtual cards will be the 

default payment of the future. Virtual cards 

contain the same information as physical 

cards – ie, an expiration date and CVV – 

and are primarily used as an alternative to 

corporate credit cards for hotel payment. 

In the early days there were acceptance 

issues with hotel front desk staff announcing 

to the traveller on arrival that the room 

hadn’t been paid for, but training and 

familiarity have eased the situation, although 

some travellers carry a copy of it on their 

phone as back-up. 

“We had to generate pictures of it and fax 

round copies to prove the card existed,” 

says Click’s Smith. 

“The bread and butter 

locations have adopted 

virtual cards, particularly 

the large hotel chains,” says Maria Parpou, 

Managing Director of Commercial Payments 

at Barclaycard, one of the largest providers 

of virtual cards under its Precision Pay 

branded platform. 

And as far as expenses are concerned, 

they can be sent to a digital wallet which 

makes reconciliation more seamless. Virtual 

cards consolidate spend across multiple 

sources of credits and the corporate 

receives a consolidated invoice from the 

provider with rich, detailed invoices 

including custom data and cost centres. 

Next year a virtual card will be able to be 

sent to an app and payment made via a 

phone via Apple Pay. “That will help bridge 

the gap between a physical and virtual 

card,” says Parpou. 

According to BCD's report on the subject, 

in 2016, fewer than 1% of respondents said 

their company was using a virtual card as 

a method of payment. This figure rose to 

11% by 2017. Germany, in particular, has 

adopted virtual cards in a big way, with 

29% usage according to the BCD report. 

The virtual credit card from AirPlus 

International, called A.I.D.A, is a digital 

version of a MasterCard. Of its three 

products, A.I.D.A, a lodge account card 

(mainly for airline spend), and a physical 

plastic card, AirPlus' Spelman says that by 

far the biggest growth is from virtual cards. 

“We’ve witnessed 25% year-on-year 

growth, which is much higher than the 

other products are growing, and within 

In the early days of 

virtual cards there 

were acceptance issues but 

training and familiarity have 

eased the situation” 


41


We have single digits 

of clients who have 

got their head around the 

whole payments and expenses 

piece. We still come across 

companies doing expenses 

on Excel spreadsheets” 

the next three years virtual cards will be 

our biggest product.” MasterCard is more 

optimistic and predicts 30% year-on-year 

growth of virtual cards. 

Spelman believes usage to date has 

been with non-frequent travellers such as 

contractors and part-time employees, who 

wouldn’t be eligible for a corporate credit 

card. “It means that they can pre-pay for 

hotels,” says Spelman. “Corporates also 

issue them off a central account to keep 

better control of costs which has the knockon 

benefit to improve compliance.” 

The future of cash 

Spelman predicts that, ultimately, cash will 

disappear and that while a physical card will 

continue to be convenient, they will also 

disappear in the long run. “The winner will 

be the virtual card,” he says. The growth in 

Apple Pay and WeChat testifies to the fact 

that consumers no longer want to, or need 

to, carry a wallet full of credit cards. 

John Vasili, Head of Global Sales at 

Conferma, concurs, citing misuse and fraud, 

and the cost to print and manage physical 

card programmes as significantly reducing 

the appetite for both the issuer and 

customer to continue with physical cards. 

He also believes there is another driver to 

grow the market for virtual cards – mobile 

enablement. Virtual cards linked to Apple 

and Google wallets is being delivered today, 

which removes the requirements for physical 

cards for on-the-go corporate spend. 

Disruptors such as Alipay and WeChat 

moving in to the corporate pay arena 

supports the case for the transition to 

virtual cards with mobile contactless and 

NFC enablement. 

It hasn’t stopped Conferma Pay joining 

forces with mid- and back-office technology 

provider Procon Solutions to offer corporates 

a fully automated virtual payment solution 

to streamline invoicing processes and 

remove manual intervention. The news, 

announced in July, is available to clients 

across EMEA and the APAC region. 

TMCs are comfortable switching over to 

a virtual card and are big users of virtual 

technology. And corporates more and more 

so as some will not realise they are even 

using a virtual card as it comes out of a 

central account and they will only see it as 

a transaction. 

Expense management 

Despite the enormous dynamism in the 

marketplace, expense management is still 

in its infancy with corporates, according to 

Dave Bishop, Commercial Director at travel 

management company Gray Dawes. 

“We have single digits of clients who have 

got their head around the whole payments 

and expenses piece,” he says. “We still come 

across companies with paper expenses, 

ExCel spreadsheets and invoices stapled 

together in an envelope.” 

Needing to deliver something that’s easy 

to use and saves travellers’ time, Gray 

Dawes offers the Certify expense tool to 

clients, which allows mobile receipt capture 

by photo (thanks to optical character 

recognition – OCR) to the Certify app and 

then autofills expense entries into an 

expense report to review and submit. It also 

allows faster reimbursement and insightful 

reports on T&E spend. 

Meanwhile, expense management 

specialists are upping the ante when it 

comes to the sort of analytics functionality 

they provide customers. 

Traveldoo, for example, introduced 

Insight this summer, a platform it claims is 

“one of the most sophisticated and dynamic 

business intelligence modules on the 

market”. Users can search over 100 KPIs 

on the platform and filter and drill-down 

into data visualisations to identify trends 

and patterns. 

“Our clients are very excited about this 

new product feature,” says Traveldoo 

analyst Suganya Sivasubramanian. 

“Unlike most other products on the 

market which have static reporting and 

clunky functionality which require 

analytics experts to delve into the 

data, Insight has been designed to 

be flexible, usable and dynamic.” 


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Getting as many of the big-ticket items 

on a central account as possible is the 

seamless way to deal with travel and 

expenses. Then that leaves less to spend on 

the corporate card and makes for greater 

compliance. Consolidate all of that into an 

expenses system attributed by trip and all 

that’s left to capture is the small, on-theroad 

expenses such as a meal or taxi fare or 

roaming charges from an international trip. 

It should all be paperless and seamless. 

The key to achieving this is the TMC, who 

can capture all the data from the disparate 

sources via APIs, as long as you ensure that 

the provider you choose is directly 

integrated with your TMC. 

This seamless travel and expenses flow is 

seen as best practice and is what corporates 

should be aiming for once they see the 

potential of integrating travel and expenses. 

“Look at the US,” says Bishop. “Some 80% 

of the client base is on Concur and, of that, 

50% have successfully integrated travel and 

expenses. That feels like where we could get 

to in the UK.” 

Change resistance 

Resistance to change is one factor slowing 

integration, while trust issues over providing 

employees with cards is another. A third 

reason is losing the beneficial cash flow 

arrangement a TMC provides. 

“Some corporates like to use some TMCs 

as a bank as we give them credit and that’s 

part of our value proposition,” says Bishop. 

“Their cash flow is important, ‘Let them pay 

for it’, they say. I’ve seen glacial movement 

from invoice to card over 20 years.” 

A younger workforce is more accepting of 

change, which translates largely to more 

entrepreneurial SMEs automating travel 

and expenses. 

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direct consumption and this disaggregated 

economy,” says Ian Ferguson, who runs the 

Solutions Consulting Group at Business 

Travel Direct. 

AirPlus’ Spelman adds: “Don’t assume that 

it’s the bigger brands moving ahead. Only 

last week I talked to a very big brand that 

still issues cash advances and leaves it up to 

the individual to sort out what is personal 

expenses and what is not.” 

Another challenge is the silos corporates 

create that must be broken down to 

connect all the pieces together. 

“Rather than log into different sites, take 

all the sources, such as direct bookings, 

expenses invoices, TMC bookings, Uber and 

Starbucks expenses, into one silo,” says 

Brian Tarble, Vice President of Global 

Product Management, Concur Data & 

Analytics at SAP. 

Over the last two years the company has 

re-designed its data platform to integrate all 

the data sources and systems and to selfpopulate 

it all into an expense report. 

Mobile lag 

Mobile payments are also lagging behind in 

the corporate world. The next big step here 

is to store a corporate card in a digital 

wallet in a smartphone from which to make 

payments, “but the technology isn’t quite 

there yet,” says Airplus’ Spelman. 

“I can go to my banking app and do it in 

the leisure space but not in the business 

space. We will see it in the latter end of next 

year,” he says, adding that it will transform 

the way corporate cards are used. 

It’s the ideal application for small expenses 

but not big-ticket items like airfares. 

Moreover, the move away from centralised 

bookings and towards travellers booking 

their own travel will drive growth in mobile 

payments in the long run. 

Corporates can 

wave goodbye to the 

manual inputting of travel 

and expense data and lengthy 

approval times and say hello 

to a sleeker, automated travel 

and expenses process” 

Blockchain hype 

Much has been said about the spectre of 

blockchain and at SAP Concur’s annual 

Fusion conference one session flagged up 

the five forces that will change the face of 

corporate travel. Two of these were virtual 

pay and blockchain (the others were NDC, 

global tax laws and AI). 

Blockchain is a way of securely transferring 

money via intermediary banks to a payment 

wallet in about four seconds rather than 

the traditional two to three days. 

“It’s all fully encrypted – it’s like a big 

database,” explains Martin Biermann, 

Chief Product Officer of HRS. It would see 

an end to the high-profile account hacking, 

experienced by Yahoo in three billion 

accounts, for example. “It’s plug and play 

without doing anything,” he says. 

The downside is that blockchain is 

focussed on crypto currencies currently so, 

for now, the jury is out on what impact, if 

any, it will have on instant payments in 

corporate travel. 

“We haven’t figured out yet how 

blockchain will be used in travel,” says 

Barclaycard’s Parpou. “I put a big question 

mark around it as it needs to solve a 

problem and, in travel, collaboration isn’t an 

issue so I don’t see a primary need for it in 

our business,” she says. 

Other emerging technologies will have an 

impact too. Machine learning – a form of AI 

– will provide self-writing, self-checking 

expenses in the future says BCD's report. 

With hotels and airlines 

demanding upfront 

payment, the ecosystem 

will have to evolve and 

fast. AirPlus’ Spelman 

believes payment will become 

a condition of booking. “It will be a 

case of, ‘if you want full NDC content 

this is how you pay’,“ he says. 

Corporates can wave goodbye to 

the manual inputting of travel and 

expense data and lengthy approval 

times and say hello to a sleeker, 

automated travel and expenses 

process with greater efficiency of 

process, tighter control over 

spend, improved compliance and 

visibility of spend. It’s an exciting 

prospect if they choose 

to embrace it. 


Autumn Sparkle 

PA & EA Networking Evening 

brought to you by The Business Travel Conference 

 

Wednesday 16th October 


Join us for an evening of hospitality and 

networking at this new property from Native. 

The innovative aparthotel and independent 

Cultureplex social hub includes the Bistrotheque 

restaurant, a mini cinema, bar, coffee counter 

and flexible events and workspaces along with 

independent fitness space from BLOK. 

Set in Manchester’s historic Northern Quarter 

and close to Manchester Piccadilly Station, PAs 

and EAs can enjoy the full Native experience, 

seeing the facilities first hand whilst enjoying 

complimentary drinks, delicious food and the 

chance to win some fabulous prizes on the 

evening courtesy of event sponsors. 

PAs & EAs can apply for a free place via 


Suppliers can contact Kirsty.hicks@bmpublishing.co.uk regarding sponsorship opportunities 

An event for buyers and arrangers 

of business travel and meetings 


IN ASSOCIATION WITH

TALKING TRAVEL 

Living legend 

SIR TREVOR MCDONALD 

News veteran and journalist Sir Trevor McDonald loves balmy Caribbean evenings, hates 

airports, and describes himself as a coward in a conflict zone, writes Sasha Wood 

As the leading newscaster of his 

generation, Sir Trevor McDonald 

has been responsible for many 

landmark TV moments and has interviewed 

key historical figures ranging from Saddam 

Hussein to Peace Prize winners such as 

Nelson Mandela and Benazir Bhutto. 

Born in Trinidad, McDonald worked as a 

local news reporter before moving to London 

to join the BBC in 1969, and has since travelled 

far and wide in his profession. 

McDonald says he travelled like a king for 

his most recent documentary, Indian Train 

Adventure, covering his eight-day journey 

between Mumbai and Jaipur aboard the 

legendary Maharajas' Express. 

“India overwhelms the senses. It’s such a 

large country, so populous, so crowded and 

the driving is utterly mad. It’s something you 

have to do once,” says McDonald. 

But it has not always been plain sailing. 

When he joined ITN in the 1970s he was sent 

to Northern Ireland during the height of The 

Troubles. “There were people being shot and 

bombs going off all the time,” he says. “I was 

from Trinidad and used to seeing the odd 

skirmish outside the rum shop on a Friday 

night, but I’d never heard a bomb go off 

before. I must admit there were times when I 

was scared out of my wits. I am very cowardly 

by nature so I learned to run.” 

He reported from Beirut during the Lebanese 

civil war, and went to Baghdad before the first 

Gulf War to interview Saddam Hussein. In fact, 

he lists Beirut among the most surprising 

places he’s visited, partly because it managed 

to remain so civilized even in the midst of 

raging civil war. 

“People were fighting and killing each other 

during the week and on Sunday morning 

people came out and set up little stalls selling 

the finest French perfume and Champagne. 

I turned up to a fine restaurant and I couldn’t 

believe all the tables were full,” he explains. 

But McDonald doesn’t always get the chance 

to explore when he’s on assignment, so he 

frequently revisits places where he’s worked: 

“The west coast of America is one of them – 

I love San Diego and Santa Monica. You 

discover new things every time you go.” 

I'm from Trinidad so I 

was used to seeing the 

odd skirmish outside the rum 

shop, but I'd never heard a 

bomb go off before” 

One of the places McDonald has returned to 

often, after working there for many years, is 

South Africa. He was the first person to 

interview Nelson Mandela when he was 

released from prison in 1990 and again when 

he became president in 1994. The two 

subsequently met on many occasions and 

became firm friends. 

“It was fascinating to watch the country go 

through all the traumas of what it was to what 

it wants to be. I saw a lot of changes, but quite 

frankly on my last visit about a year ago I was 

a little distressed that some of the changes 

have not been greater... and quite shocked to 

see some of the same slums that were there 

when I first visited 25 years ago,” he says. 

As a journalist, he has always been 

fascinated with meeting world leaders. He was 

friends with Benazir Bhutto and interviewees 

have included notorious despots such as 

Colonel Gaddafi in Libya. He has also been 

invited to the White House on several 

occasions, interviewing President Clinton and 

later President Bush the younger. 

McDonald has travelled extensively in the 

Caribbean, from Barbados and Antigua to 

St Kitts and Nevis. “My father was born in 

Grenada and he always used to boast that 

their beaches are better than our beaches in 

Trinidad,” he says. 

“What I like about the Caribbean is that it’s 

always warm after 6 or 7 o’clock. Even on 

summer evenings here you feel you need a 

light sweater, but in the Caribbean you put on 

a short-sleeved shirt and pour yourself a large 

rum punch, and you can sit out there on the 

verandah forever.” 

Barbados is also one of his go-to places for 

a relaxing holiday, along with Cape Town in 

South Africa – “the waterfront area there is 

very nice,” says McDonald. 

Between travelling for work and sojourns 

in South Africa and the Caribbean, the 

broadcaster says he has spent far too long in 

airports, which are his least favourite aspect 

of his globe-trotting exploits: “I approach 

them with dread,” he laughs. 

That said, his time spent working in troubled 

destinations around the globe has nurtured a 

certain warmth for British aviation: “I must 

confess that it was always nice to get on to a 

British Airways flight and hear the captain’s 

voice – you always felt you were heading 

home and out of trouble.” 


TALKING TRAVEL 

SIR TREVOR MCDONALD 

Sir Trevor McDonald is a keynote speaker at The 

Business Travel Conference 2019 in London, from 

17-18 September. His broadcasting career spans five 

decades working for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 

covering everything from politics to travel. He became 

a household name presenting the News at Ten in the 

1990s and regular current affairs programme Tonight 

with Trevor McDonald. He was awarded an OBE in 

1992, a Knighthood in 1999 and has received more 

awards than any other news broadcaster in Britain. 


49

Upcoming destination, Iguazu 

Discover Iguazu with 

Air Europa this summer. 

Two weekly flights from London 

Gatwick starting 1st August 2019. 

All flights are via Madrid.

THE REVIEW 

the 

Review 

THE NEWS & VIEWS 

THAT REALLY MATTER 

[ THE LOWDOWN ] 

Duty of care among managers' 

top travel concerns 

p52-53 

[ ROOM REPORT ] 

The Great Scotland Yard hotel is 

poised to open in London 

p56-57 

[ ON THE GROUND ] 

Overall train passenger 

satisfaction is on the rise 

p58 

[ MEETING PLACE ] 

Events sector is unprepared 

for no-deal Brexit 

p59 

[ IN THE AIR ] 

ANA's new first and business class 

cabins to debut on London services 

p54 

O N T H E M O V E I 

The latest industry appointments p60 


51

THE REVIEW 

T H E L O W D O W N 

IN BRIEF 

Out of line 

One in four travel 

managers (39%) believe 

the biggest challenge to 

booking tool compliance is 

the belief among users 

that they can get a better 

price elsewhere, according 

to new research from 

ACTE and Amex GBT. 

Meanwhile, 18% blamed a 

poor user experience and 

16% said travellers prefer 

to call a consultant. 

ACE options 

ACE Travel Management 

has partnered with Driven 

Airport Transfers to 

provide its clients with 

fully-electric transfers 

using Tesla X vehicles. 

The TMC says it is 

confident that the option 

also provides good value, 

often saving a third 

compared to traditional 

airport transfer services. 

Going mobile 

Frequent business 

travellers – those who 

make more than five trips 

a year – are 13% more 

likely to book flights on 

their smartphones than 

occasional travellers, while 

travellers revisiting a 

location are 11% more 

likely to do so. CWT also 

says travellers are more 

inclined to book flights via 

mobile devices closer to 

their date of departure. 

Duty of care among 

biggest concerns 

ORGANISING correct entry documents, health and medical 

issues, and terrorism and security threats are the top three 

concerns for managers when their staff travel on business 

trips, new research from ABTA has revealed. 

However, there are some marked differences between 

managers’ concerns and the actual problems encountered 

by their staff. For example, 60% of managers expressed 

concerns over terrorism or security related issues, but only 

6% said their staff had actually experienced those problems. 

When asked what problems staff had encountered on 

business trips in the last year, the top three issues were 

natural disasters or severe weather conditions (18%), health 

or medical issues (15%) and issues around organising 

correct entry documents (13%). Over half of managers (51%) 

said that none of their staff had encountered any problems 

on business trips over the last 12 months. 

TRAVELPERK'S 

FLEXIBLE FARES 

ONLINE travel management 

platform TravelPerk has launched 

FlexiPerk – which it claims is a first 

for the business travel industry. 

The scheme enables customers 

to avoid booking expensive flexible 

fares and instead pay a 10% fee 

on bookings upfront. This then 

guarantees a minimum 90% 

refund on any cancelled booking, 

be it hotel, flight or car rental. 

Customers taking part in a trial 

achieved savings of 26%, on 

average, compared to the cost of 

booking flexible fares and paying 

last-minute cancellation fees. 

58% 

of European millennials 

believe that business 

travel has the potential 

to stimulate creativity 

and productivity, says a 

new report from CWT 

LANDING 

IN YOUR INBOX 

Subscribe to our weekly news bulletin at thebusinesstravelmag.com/subscribe 

TBTM SOCIAL ADS_NEW.indd 1 

5/30/19 05:37 PM

THE REVIEW 

T H E L O W D O W N 

IN BRIEF 

BCD moves 

BCD Travel has signed up 

to Qantas Airways’ Qantas 

Channel, giving its users 

access to a wider range of 

fares and content through 

the NDC channel. The 

TMC has also signed an 

agreement to take a 

majority ownership in its 

Japanese partner Hitachi 

Travel Bureau, one of the 

country's leading TMCs 

with annual sales of more 

than $330million. 

Asia addition 

Travel management 

company Reed & Mackay 

has enhanced its reach in 

Asia with Connexus Travel 

joining its International 

Partnership. It is Hong 

Kong's largest TMC and 

additionally has offices in 

China and Taiwan. 

Cash injection 

TripActions has raised a 

further $250million in 

funding as it aims to “solve 

the antiquated product, 

service and experience of 

the corporate travel 

management industry”. 

The California-based 

company has achieved 

“hyper-growth while 

maintaining 93% traveller 

satisfaction”. It handles 

more than $1.1billion in 

annual travel spend. 

Hull of a Good job 

Hull-based Good Travel 

Management is targeting 

SMEs with the launch of a 

new website that includes 

a range of downloadable 

resources. The TMC offers 

a range of services such as 

a personal travel team, 

strategic account 

manager, real-time travel 

analytics, online booking, 

expense management and 

travel risk technology. 

GTMC reveals new 

identity as the BTA 

THE Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC) 

announced a new name and identity at its annual 

conference in the Netherlands in July, with the organisation 

moving forward as the Business Travel Association (BTA). 

Its new name reflects a “more inclusive, more ambitious, 

more collaborative and bolder outlook”, said Adrian Parkes, 

the association's Chief Executive, who steps down this 

summer. “We've developed as an organisation in recent 

years and the time was right [to rebrand],” he said, pointing 

to its growing number of supplier partners and increasing 

lobbying activity. “This evolution to the BTA celebrates a 

step-change for the association and allows us to more 

clearly communicate the board’s broadened strategy,” said 

Parkes. A new CEO will be announced this summer. 

58% OF BUSINESS LEADERS BELIEVE A 

STRONG TRAVEL CULTURE IS VERY 

IMPORTANT TO THEIR ORGANISATION’S 

BUSINESS PERFORMANCE, ACCORDING TO 

A REPORT FROM EGENCIA AND THE 

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW 

ITM UPDATE 

Scott Davies 

Chief Executive, ITM 

Sustainability used to be a 

term presented in relation to 

fuels and resources, but our 

travel buyer community tells 

us it is now also applied to 

the most precious resource a 

business has – their people. 

In order to have a sustainable 

travel programme, travel 

buyers and managers are 

being increasingly guided to 

make travel options available 

that place minimum strain on 

the individual as well as the 

ecosystem and local 

communities too. 

There are broadly two ways 

to do this. The first is to work 

with partners who minimise 

emissions, support environmental 

reparations and that 

travellers enjoy using. The 

second is to help with 

employee travel frequency 

and work/life balance, which 

could be perceived to 

negatively hit productivity 

(but probably doesn't). 

Now, I’ve worked for airlines 

and other organisations who 

benefit from increased 

demand, so both of these 

remedies could sound like 

bad news. 

The truth is they’re not 

because a) we’ve all got to 

take care of the big round 

rock we call home or we’ll 

have to go somewhere else 

one day, and b) frazzled, 

burned out people physically 

can’t travel anymore any way. 


53

THE REVIEW 

I N T H E A I R 

Virgin and Delta up 

the ante on US routes 

UK DEBUT FOR NEW ANA CABINS 

ALL Nippon Airways (ANA) will The airline says the new first 

debut its new business and first class Suites are inspired by luxury 

class seating on services between Japanese hotels, with new features 

London and Tokyo in August. including privacy doors and 

The new first class product, 43-inch 4K screens. Business class 

The Suite, and business class seat, ‘Rooms’ are in a forward and 

The Room (pictured), will be fitted rear-facing configuration and have 

on 12 B777-300ER aircraft, the first privacy doors that can be adjusted 

of which will fly between London so passengers can dine together 

and Tokyo Haneda from August 2. or conduct meetings. 

FLIGHTS operated by Virgin 

Atlantic's new A350s and 

featuring its new-look Upper 

Class cabins are now on 

sale, with the aircraft due 

to enter service between 

London Heathrow and New 

York JFK on September 10. 

Four A350s will join the 

airline’s fleet by the end of 

2019 to operate daily flights 

between London and New 

York. The airline will take 

delivery of a further eight 

A350’s from 2020-2021. 

The A350 is the first Virgin 

Atlantic aircraft to feature a 

new social space, the Loft, 

as well as new Upper Class 

suites with window-facing 

seats and privacy screens. 

Meanwhile, Virgin's joint 

venture partner Delta Air 

Lines will bring its new cabin 

concepts to the UK for the 

first time this winter. Its four 

upgraded seat products – 

Delta One, Delta Premium 

Select, Delta Comfort+ and 

Main Cabin – will feature on 

services from London to 

Atlanta (from November 13), 

New York-JFK (Nov 17) and 

Boston (Nov 21). 

manUfacTUring hUb becomes 

heaThrow's laTesT china link 

CHINA Southern has commenced services between 

London Heathrow and Zhenghou in eastern China. 

The twice-weekly service to the Chinese manufacturing 

hub is the only direct operation from Europe. Some 

70% of the world’s Apple iPhones are manufactured in 

the city and it is a key player in the textiles industry. 

Heathrow now has 13 direct services to destinations 

across China, having more than doubled since 2018. 

4% 

of passenger traffic travelled 

in airlines' premium classes 

The number of 

passengers flying in 

premium cabins has 

dropped marginally, to 

4% for the first four 

months of 2019, down 

from 4.1% a year ago. 

IATA's latest Financial 

Monitor also shows 

that premium traffic 

accounts for 27.4% of 

total international 

passenger revenues 

CHECK-IN 

WITH US ON TWITTER 

Follow us on Twitter @thebiztravmag 


5/30/19 05:37 PM

THE REVIEW 

I N T H E A I R 

IN BRIEF 

Eastern's Leeds boost 

Eastern Airways will 

increase services between 

Southampton Airport and 

Leeds Bradford Airport 

from September 9. 

A new afternoon flight will 

take the operation to up to 

three flights a day, offering 

more choice on its Flybe 

franchise services. 

Great Dane arrival 

Great Dane Airlines has 

launched twice-weekly 

services between 

Edinburgh and Aalborg – 

the airline’s first service 

to the UK. 

Canadian deal 

Air Canada and fellow 

Canadian airline Air 

Transat are set to merge. 

The deal will see the Air 

Transat and Transat 

brands retained alongside 

the Air Canada and Air 

Canada Rouge brands. 

Cathay purchase 

Cathay Pacific has 

completed the acquisition 

of Hong Kong Express 

Airways which will 

continue to operate as a 

standalone low-cost airline. 

Virgin for SMEs 

Virgin Atlantic has closed 

its Flying Co scheme and 

joined the Bluebiz 

corporate loyalty 

programme for SMEs 

alongside Air France, 

KLM, Delta Air Lines and 

Kenya Airways. 

Bristol to Brussels 

Brussels Airlines will 

relaunch services between 

Bristol and Brussels this 

September (served by 

CityJet CRJ900 aircraft), a 

route previously operated 

by its defunct partner 

airline Flybmi. 

minneapolis-ST.PAUL has become 

aer lingus' 16th transatlantic route 

from Dublin. It is expected to become 

a key business service, with the 

‘Twin Cities’ a growing tech hub and 

home to 17 Fortune 500 companies 

Delays worsen as UK 

flight numbers grow 

NEW research has revealed that flight delays are getting 

worse at nearly every major airport in the UK, highlighting 

the need to modernise the way the UK and Europe’s air 

space is managed. 

Consumer association Which? analysed flight delay 

statistics for the last five years and found that 6.2% of all 

incoming and outgoing flights were delayed by more than an 

hour last year, up from 4% in 2014, though Which? notes 

delays are often out of the control of the airlines themselves. 

Aircraft movements in the UK have increased from just 

over 1.5million in 2014 to 2.25m in 2018. “UK airspace has 

failed to keep pace with this surge in traffic,” says Which?. 

“It hasn’t fundamentally changed since the 1950s and the 

CAA acknowledges that this is a reason for increased delays.” 

BTA update 

The latest from the 

Business Travel Association 

(formerly the GTMC) 

It’s been an eventful year so 

far, with lots of changes, not 

least for us. In April, we 

announced that CEO, Adrian 

Parkes, was stepping down 

and embracing retirement. 

Adrian’s work at the helm of 

our association reflected his 

passion for the business 

travel industry. He led the 

organisation during major 

regulatory changes, the 

advancement of NDC and the 

uncertainty of Brexit, all of 

which required our focus. 

The most substantial 

change however, was 

announced in early July 

during our 2019 Overseas 

Conference in the Netherlands, 

where we unveiled our 

move to become the BTA 

(Business Travel Association). 

The new brand is a natural 

step as our association 

seamlessly expanded our 

scope of work over the past 

few years. Initiatives have 

been designed to futureproof 

the industry and look at 

talent development, engage 

with government, promote 

the economic benefits of 

business travel and 

collaborate with our wide 

range of partners to unite 

over our industry’s challenges 

and celebrate its successes. 

While Adrian Parkes steps 

down, we welcome Suzanne 

Horner of Gray Dawes as our 

new Chair of the executive 

board. We all look forward 

to working together under 

the new name, not only 

implementing the BTA’s 

strategy but also carrying the 

association’s commitment 

even further. 


55

THE REVIEW 

R O O M R E P O R T 

LIVERPooL 

LaunCH 

FoR QuEsT 

ausTralia's largest serviced 

apartment company Quest will 

open its first European property 

in Liverpool this September. 

Quest Liverpool City Centre will 

be the first of eight to 12 planned 

European openings for the group 

over the next five years. 

The new property has 100 

studio, one-bedroom and 

two-bedroom units, all featuring 

fully equipped kitchenettes. 

Facilities at the Church Street 

property include a gym, laundry, 

conference facilities, staffed 

reception and housekeeping. 

Operating a franchise model, 

Quest has 170 properties across 

Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, 

and is part of Singapore's The 

Ascott Limited hospitality group. 

Hyatt opens 

at famous 

London 

address 

THE Great Scotland Yard 

Hotel, London, will open late 

this summer as the first 

hotel in the UK under 

Hyatt's Unbound Collection. 

The historical home of law 

and order in Westminster, 

the building has been 

converted to feature 152 

luxury guestooms plus a 

number of dining options. 

They include The Yard, 

championing home-grown 

dining; cocktail bar The Forty 

Elephants, named after a 

notorious all-female gang of 

thieves; the India-inspired 

modern tearoom, The 

Parlour; and Sibin, a more 

intimate drinking space. The 

hotel's basement will include 

a range of event spaces and 

co-working areas. 

Hyatt says the hotel will 

offer "a modern British 

experience that’s rooted in 

hospitality and suited to 

such a historic landmark." 

[ NEW AND IMPROVED ] 

>> The RAMADA BOURNEMOUTH hotel has been refurbished 

and reopened as a Holiday Inn >> Cheshire's WYCHWOOD PARK 

HOTEL is undergoing a £3million makeover of its guestrooms, bar, 

restaurant and public areas, due for completion this autumn >> 

The 369-room HILTON GARDEN INN London Heathrow Terminal 

2 has now opened for business >> GRANTLEY HALL in Yorkshire 

has opened after an extensive three-year renovation. It is a member 

of Relais & Châteaux >> The HOLIDAY INN London Kensington 

Forum has unveiled a new look following a multi-million-pound 

refurbishment >> Aparthotel brand LOCKE will open a 142-key 

development in London’s Tower Bridge area in summer 2020. 

84% 

Wifi is the biggest factor 

influencing hotel selection 

W i fi ( 84%), room rate 

(81%), distance from 

business site (81%) and 

breakfast (79%) are the 

most important factors 

influencing a business 

traveller's choice of 

hotel, says RoomIt by 

CWT. In addition, 

research showed that 

service is a stronger 

driver than image or 

amenities offered 

NOW BOARDING 

JOIN US ON LINKEDIN 

Find us on Linkedin at The Business Travel Magazine 


5/30/19 05:37 PM

THE REVIEW 

R O O M R E P O R T 

IN BRIEF 

Layton's launch 

Serviced apartment 

industry stalwart Jo Layton 

has formally launched new 

global booking agency CAP 

Worldwide. The company 

serves the corporate 

market and promises to 

deliver a “consistent, 

cost-effective, secure and 

sustainable evolving global 

programme, so that 

travellers experience 

caring service and safe 

solutions through a 

blended integration of 

people and technology”. 

BCD gets radical 

BCD Travel has launched a 

dedicated global hotel 

division in what it says is 

a “dramatically new 

approach to managing 

hotel programmes”. Called 

Stay by BCD Travel, the 

division offers spend 

management, content 

aggregation, shopping and 

booking, virtual payment 

and digital invoice 

management, price 

assurance, hotel rate 

availability management, 

analytics and awareness 

and adoption campaigns. 

Red Carnation blooms 

The Red Carnation Hotel 

Collection will open its 

first hotel in Scotland next 

year following the 

'respectful renovation' of 

100 Princes Street in the 

heart of Edinburgh. The 

group says the hotel will 

replicate the boutique 

atmosphere of its five-star 

sister property Hotel 41 in 

London. “It has been a 

dream of ours to open a 

hotel in Edinburgh for 

some time, and with the 

best address in the city, it 

was well worth the wait,” 

says Jonathan Raggett, the 

group's Managing Director. 

Japan's Prince Hotels 

set for London debut 

THE Arch London Hotel will re-open as the Prince Akatoki 

this September, becoming the group’s first UK hotel. 

It will also be the first hotel to open worldwide under the 

Prince group's new Akatoki brand. The opening is scheduled 

for September 16 and will “take the best of Japan and 

introduce it to London”. 

Located close to Marble Arch, the five-star property will 

have 82 guestrooms – including a range of rooms and suites 

– featuring minimal designs, natural elements, calming 

colours and premium amenities. 

Dining options will include fusion food restaurant Liquid 

Spoon and cocktails and whisky bar The Malt Lounge, while 

further amenities include a gym and The Prince Room for 

meetings and events of up to 36 guests. 

Marriott opens the luxury 

Langley Hotel in Bucks 

Buckinghamshire's Langley 

Hotel has opened as part of 

Marriott’s Luxury Collection. 

The high-end property has 41 

rooms across a former hunting 

lodge and Grade II-listed 18th 

century brew house. It is the result 

of a six-year, multimillion-pound 

renovation that sees it open as a 

hotel for the first time. The main 

house is home to the three-bedroom 

Duke of Marlborough Suite 

while historic features are 

preserved throughout the hotel. 

Drinking and dining options 

include the Churchill Bar, Cedar 

restaurant and the Drawing Room 

for afternoon teas. Meeting and 

event facilities comprise the Winter 

Garden and six further rooms for 

up to 120 guests, plus a private 

screening room. There is also an 

extensive spa, indoor pool, gym 

and a range of outdoor activities. 

capital gains 

sustainable 

hotel brand 

Starwood Capital Group has 

revealed a new hotel brand, 

Treehouse Hotels, that will make 

its debut in London later this year. 

The brand is the creation of 

Barry Stenlicht – Chairman and 

CEO of Starwood Capital Group 

– who was the original founder 

of W Hotels and is also known for 

his nature-inspired 1 Hotel and 

Baccarat hotel brands. 

Treehouse Hotels is described as 

“the little brother of the 1” and 

“less serious, more torn jeans and 

t-shirts, and infinitely accessible”. 

All Treehouse properties will 

embrace sustainable protocols 

and the group is targeting 

business and leisure travellers 

alike. Its first hotel will open in 

London later this year with 

additional locations to follow in 

the United States and beyond. 

Treehouse London is located 

across the street from BBC 

headquarters on Regent Street 

and will comprise 95 guestrooms, 

a restaurant and rooftop bar. 

dedica hotel 

collection 

arrives in UK 

luxury hotel collection The 

Dedica Anthology is launching in 

the UK this summer. Headquartered 

in Milan and established 

last year, the collection of seven 

high-end, independent hotels is 

united by a “sense of curation 

and dedication to the guest 

experience”. 

The seven ‘landmark’ European 

hotels – all additionally members 

of the Autograph Collection – include 

the Palazzo Naiadi in Rome, 

Palazzo Matteotti in Milan, the 

Grand Hotel dei Dogi in Venice, the 

New York Palace in Budapest, and 

the Carlo IV in Prague. 


57

THE REVIEW 

O N T H E G R O U N D 

Transpennine express takes on 

super nova trains 

The scores are in... 

THE latest National Rail Passenger Survey shows that overall 

journey satisfaction has reached 83%, up from 79% last 

autumn and from 81% last spring. 

At a national level, the proportion of journeys rated as 

satisfactory by passengers regarding punctuality/reliability 

was 77% – up from 72% a year ago. Heathrow Express once 

again emerged as the best-performing operator among 

passengers, followed by Virgin Trains. 

[ rolling out ] 

>> Transportation platform Bolt has launched in London 

promising lower fares, improved safety and greater competition in 

the on-demand market >> Virgin Trains has applied to the rail 

regulator to launch hourly services between London and Liverpool 

from May 2021. The ‘open access’ application would deliver the 

“UK’s most advanced and customer-focussed train service”, says 

the operator >> Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty customers can 

now use debit card payments across selected European locations 

instead of a credit card >> Enterprise has introduced eight 

Toyota C-HR hybrid SUVs to its Car Club network in Edinburgh. 

TRAIN operator TransPennine Express (TPE) has 

received its first new Nova 1 trains. TPE says the 

Hitachi-built trains – of which there will be 19 in total 

– mark a “major milestone for rail customers across 

the North and Scotland”. 

The bullet train-style, five-carriage trains will bring 

additional capacity on services between Manchester, 

Leeds, York, Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh. 

All the new trains will offer free wifi access in both first 

and standard class, plus plug sockets and USB points 

and access to complimentary Exstream entertainment. 

Testing of Nova 2 and Nova 3 trains continues, with 

the latter entering service towards the end of the 

summer. A date for Nova 1 trains entering service is 

still to be confirmed. 

Car hire's bumpy road 

Consumer organisation Which? says it receives more 

complaints about car hire than any other travel service. 

Its recent research revealed that nearly half (47%) of 

Interrent customers and more than four in ten (42%) Goldcar 

customers reported a problem with their rental. The next 

worst offenders were Thrifty (31%), Dollar (29%) and Firefly 

(29%). Larger rental brands fared better, with 18% of Sixt 

customers reporting problems, 21% of Enterprise 

customers, 24% of Europcar customers, and 27% of both 

Avis and Hertz customers encountering issues. 

The organisation is launching a more extensive investigation 

into three key issues that came to attention, focussing 

on high insurance excesses, unauthorised and unfair 

charges, and questionable damage repairs. 

ARRIVING NOW 

ON INSTAGRAM 

Follow us on Instagram at @thebiztravmag 


5/30/19 05:37 PM

THE REVIEW 

M e e t i n g p l a c e 

IN BRIEF 

Red Bull events 

Red Bull Racing has 

unveiled its vibrant new 

event space, MK-7, in 

Buckinghamshire. The 

stylish new venue centres 

around an auditorium that 

houses the team’s 

collection of race cars 

dating back to 2005. 

The space can be hired 

exclusively for up to 450 

guests, while a boardroom 

can seat 22 people. 

UK meetings market 

booming 

The UK Conference and 

Meeting Survey 2019 has 

revealed that the UK 

meetings industry is 

flourishing, with an 

estimated £20billion 

direct expenditure 

generated by conference 

and meeting delegates in 

2018. The overall number 

of conferences and 

meetings held in 2018 was 

the highest in recent years, 

with an average of 428 

conferences and meetings 

per venue. 

New Manchester venue 

Plans have been unveiled 

for Depot, a new 10,000 

capacity venue in 

Manchester's historic 

Mayfield, next to Piccadilly 

station. The proposed 

performance, community 

and studio space at the 

Mayfield site could 

welcome up to a million 

visitors next year. 

Alongside the main 

performance space there 

will be two smaller areas 

that will provide a range of 

free-to-attend community 

events, seasonal activities 

and food experiences. The 

venue will launch this 

summer when it hosts 

Manchester Pride Live on 

August 24-25. 

Sector is unprepared 

for no-deal Brexit 

half of the UK’s event and hospitality businesses admit to 

having made little or no preparation for a ‘no-deal’ Brexit. 

In a survey conducted by trade association the HBAA, 

businesses appear to be more pessimistic about their 

prospects while the ongoing uncertainty about the UK’s exit 

from the EU continues. When asked whether Brexit has had 

a noticeable impact on their business as a whole, only 15.6% 

this year say it has had none – a significant shift from a year 

ago when 57.7% reported no impact. 

Recruitment was the biggest concern, with 18.7% of 

respondents saying Brexit had hit the hiring and availability 

of staff. That figure has leapt from just 2.3% in 2017. 

Top of the pops 

the Hilton London Metropole is the UK's most popular hotel for meetings 

and events, according to Cvent, an event management technology 

company that sourced more than $16billion's worth of business and more 

than 42 million hotel nights in 2018. 

The Sofitel London Heathrow was runner-up, the Radisson Blu Edwardian 

Heathrow was third, The Tower Hotel fourth and Hilton London Paddington 

fifth. The Hilton Birmingham Metropole, in sixth, was the only hotel 

outside the capital city to feature in the top 20, and also has one of the 

largest meeting space offerings, 6,000sqm, in the top 50. 

Hilton's strong showing also included the Hilton London Bankside in 

seventh, the DoubleTree Tower of London in eighth, Hilton Heathrow 

Terminal 5 in ninth, and the Hilton Heathrow in tenth. Outside the capital, 

the De Vere Beaumont Estate was 23rd, the DoubleTree Manchester 

Piccadilly 31st, The Runnymede On Thames was 34th, the Radisson Blu 

Edinburgh 36th and the Sheraton Grand Edinburgh was 37th. 

Cresta’s MICE 

booking tool 

milestone 

cresta Business Travel has 

launched what it claims is the first 

complete travel and events online 

booking tool for MICE customers. 

The TMC has partnered with 

Asemblr to introduce the new 

online MICE booking solution 

which will “streamline and simplify 

the way corporate meetings, 

events and incentives are sourced, 

planned and booked”. 

The tool will give MICE bookers 

instant access to thousands of 

event suppliers globally, with costs, 

availability and booking options all 

available within a few clicks. 

“As workloads continue to 

increase, budgets tighten and KPI 

expectations soar, the partnership 

is providing a unique, smarter, 

cost-effective service solution 

across MICE and business travel,” 

says a spokesperson for the travel 

management company. 

The service includes complimentary 

insurance on event booking 

investment, a budget tracker and 

messaging system. 

boost for 

event budgets 

mARKETING budgets for events 

rose in the second quarter of the 

year, according to the IPA's latest 

Bellwether Report, despite overall 

marketing budgets flatlining. 

The net balance of marketing 

executives reporting a rise in 

events spending increased to 

+4.8% from +3.5% previously. 

The figure is at its highest since 

the first quarter of 2018 and 

corroborates earlier forecasts that 

events budgets would grow over 

the 2019/20 financial year. 

“Until a clearer political and 

economic path is outlined, the vast 

majority of companies are locked 

in stasis,” says Paul Bainsfair, 

IPA Director General. 


59

THE REVIEW 

O N T H E M O V E 

EVENTS 

AUGUST 3-7 

GBTA CONVENTION 

Chicago 

CORNEEL KOSTER 

KERRY SMITH 

EDWARD FOTHERINGHAM 

gbta.org 

SEPTEMBER 4-6 

JOINS: Virgin Atlantic 

AS: Executive Vice President, Customer 

FROM: Delta Air Lines 

JOINS: Quest Apartments 

AS: Business Development Manager UK 

FROM: Independent business owner 

JOINS: Cathay Pacific 

AS: Regional Head of Marketing & Sales 

FROM: Whitbread 

WORLD AVIATION FESTIVAL 

Business Design Centre, London 

terrapinn.com/conference 

Corneel Koster has moved over 

to Virgin Atlantic from joint 

venture partner Delta Air Lines. 

Kerry Smith has been appointed 

to develop sales at Quest 

Apartments' first European 

Based in London, Edward 

Fortheringham will oversee the 

airline's European operation 

SEPTEMBER 17-18 

In his new role he will lead 

property, in Liverpool. She has 

together with newly-appointed 

THE BUSINESS TRAVEL CONFERENCE 

Hilton Bankside, London 

Virgin Atlantic’s customer, 

product and service strategy. 

previously worked for Pullman 

Hotels and Staybridge Suites. 

Lisa Delaney whose remit 

covers digital sales. 


OCTOBER 4 

ITM SCOTLAND CHARITY BALL 

The Principal Edinburgh 

itm.org.uk 

OCTOBER 15 

TBTM DINNER CLUB 

London 

thebusinesstravelmag.com 

OCTOBER 16 

TBTC'S AUTUMN SPARKLE 



ROBERT FEATHERSTONE 

JOINS: De Vere Latimer Estate 

AS: Director of Sales 

FROM: Maybourne Hotel Group 

Robert Featherstone has joined 

the De Vere group to head up 

LEIGH COWLISHAW 

JOINS: Black Box Partnerships 

AS: Managing Partner 

FROM: Capita Travel and Events 

Leigh Cowlishaw has left Capita 

Travel and Events to join 

DAVID DI FELICIANTONIO 

JOINS: Corporate Travel Management 

AS: Director of Client Services 

FROM: Flight Centre 

David Di Feliciantonio will 

head up implementation 

OCTOBER 23-25 

ACTE EUROPEAN SUMMIT 

Amsterdam 

acte.org 

sales at its Latimer Estate in 

Buckinghamshire. He has more 

than ten years' experience in 

the hospitality sector. 

business travel consultancy 

Black Box Partnerships as 

Managing Partner specialising 

in accommodation and events. 

projects and manage business 

growth in his new role at CTM. 

He has six years' experience 

in corporate travel. 

NOVEMBER 4-6 

WORLD TRAVEL MARKET 

ExCel, London 

london.wtm.com 

NOVEMBER 19-21 

GBTA CONFERENCE EUROPE 

Munich 

europeconference.gbta.org 

ALSO ON THE MOVE... Flight Centre Business Travel has strengthened its senior team with the 

appointment of Joe Beevis as General Manager UK & Ireland and Aisha Battersby as Head of 

Customer Experience >> Garry Moroney is the new Chief Executive Officer at Roomex >> Travelport 

has appointed Greg Webb as Chief Executive Officer >> Alistair Rowland has been elected as the 

new ABTA Chairman >> Linda Hodgson has been promoted to Commercial Director at The Savoy, 

London >> The Board of Eurostar has named Dominique Reiniche as its new Chair >> Chris Darch 

is the new Director of Operations at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport 

DECEMBER 10 

TBTM'S CHRISTMAS PARTY 

London 

thebusinesstravelmag.com 

FEBRUARY 26-27 

BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW 

Olympia London 

businesstravelshow.com 


GALLERY 

The Business Travel Magazine 

Golf Masters 

2019 

ANA gets things off 

to a flying start at 

the first tee 

The ninth annual TBTM Golf Masters 

took place at Mannings Heath, West 

Sussex, in June, with teams from 

across the business travel industry 

competing to be crowned champions. 

Participants were blessed with fine 

weather and a strong breeze, but the 

team from Emirates conquered the 

conditions to emerge triumphant. 

The TBTM Golf Masters 2019 ▼ 



Sunshine and smiles 

at Mannings Heath 

16 teams all raring to go! 

With thanks to our partners 


61

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE 

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS 

Wings Travel Management gives SME clients dedicated local 

servicing backed by global travel risk management support 

Managing a travel programme 

within an SME company can 

often be a juggling act of 

balancing the day-to-day requirements 

of your travellers with compliance, 

whilst seeking out the best value. 

Often missed or overlooked is planning a 

strategy for travel risk management. Yet 

traveller safety is just as important for an 

SME as a large corporate. 

Wings Travel Management has wholly 

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Notably at Wings’ office in London, staff 

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needs of SMEs as some 60 per cent of 

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spend of up to £1million. 

“Our UK-based SME clients have the best 

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their Wings travel consultant, backed by the 

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Management. 

“As part of an SME’s duty of care as an 

employer, it’s vital that they can locate their 

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“Most SMEs don’t have the resources 

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But travel risk management 

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with Wings. Because the 

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“Most other TMCs do not own their own 

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“This means that our clients – whether 

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Small companies might not 

have the spending power of 

multinationals, but that doesn't 

mean suppliers and TMCs aren't 

interested in their business. Find 

out more in our guide to... 

travel 

management 

for SMEs 

Introduction, 64-66 / The TMC conundrum, 68-72 

Back to basics: travel policy, 74 / Spend management, 76-80 

Six of the best: digital banks, 82 / Data, 84 


63

SMEs / Introduction 

Big 

IDEAS 

Are the challenges that SMEs face really that different 

to those encountered by larger companies? Catherine 

Chetwynd explores the challenges and solutions at hand 

Small and medium-sized enterprises 

are often said to face a whole raft 

of size-related challenges when it 

comes to managing their business travel 

needs, but in fact they are often contending 

with many of the same issues faced 

by larger companies but on a smaller 

scale. Nevertheless, there are some 

notable differences. 

Although SMEs benefit from greater agility 

and willingness to innovate, they also have 

fewer people to dedicate to the task: the 

person organising travel is often doing so in 

addition to their day job and their expertise 

might lie elsewhere. And while large 

corporates have higher compliance to policy 

and therefore greater ability to control costs, 

smaller organisations are more likely to 

undergo speedy growth and have sporadic 

travel patterns that do not allow them to 

negotiate airfares or hotel rates. 

Reliable sources of advice include the ITM, 

Business Travel Association (formerly the 

GTMC) and the Advantage Travel Partnership, 

the UK’s largest group of independent travel 

agencies, whose aggregate business gives it 

good negotiating clout. 

Dedicated supplier products are also 

available to SMEs. Millennium Hotels & 

Resorts this year introduced Millennium for 

Business, a digital platform where users can 

manage travel, make itinerary-style bookings, 

cater to individual needs and earn rewards. 

It includes a Best Rate Promise, is integrated 

with the MyMillennium rewards programme, 

and gives bookers access to aggregated 

insights and reporting. 

Tricks of the trade 

Also launched this year was TapTrip, a 

business and expense app and website for 

booking all elements of travel, allowing users 

to see what they are spending and where, 

and to customise travel policies. 

TapTrip derives content from Skyscanner, 

Booking.com, Goeuro, Uber and more, and 

integrates with expense management 

systems such as Xero. There is no contract, 

with a charge per transaction. “Thanks to 

centralised visibility, clients save on average 

£1,200 per year,” says founder Neil Ruth. 

Expense management tool Traveldoo is 

available to SMEs through partner TMCs, 

ensuring all expenditure is captured, 

providing management information to 

power negotiations. 

“A lot of SMEs do not have a full understanding 

of technology; they think it’s simple 

because they use Expedia, but someone 

needs to extract the information behind that 

to do contract negotiations,” says UK Country 

Manager for Traveldoo, Sam Cande. 

Small companies often rely on consumer 

booking sites before they switch to a 

managed travel programme. “To manage 

that change, it is important to meet 

 


Introduction / SMEs 

Although SMEs 

benefit from greater 

agility and willingness to 

innovate, they also have fewer 

people to dedicate to the task” 


65

SMEs / Introduction 

expectations of a consumer-grade 

experience in booking and expense 

management tools, but there also needs to 

be added value to drive adoption; for 

example, layering policy onto the booking 

experience makes it easier for employees to 

follow the rules,” says Vice President Product 

Management for KDS, Bertrand Blais. 

A helping hand 

A TMC is not an unnecessary expense for an 

SME: with the ever-rising threshold for 

negotiated rates, the alternative is trawling 

through supplier and aggregator websites to 

find the best tariffs. 

A TMC can access widespread content 

within one search, bringing together 

standard pricing, promotional rates and 

aggregated content. Also, if travellers are 

handling travel individually and the SME 

does not have an HR structure in place, 

the company will be hard pressed to find 

travellers in an emergency – a requirement 

of duty of care. 

“Someone looking for a TMC can do no 

better than speak with the BTA, the 

representative body for UK TMCs,” says 

Managing Director of Traveleads, Gary 

McLeod. “All members are vetted, required 

to operate to professional standards and 

uphold the integrity of the industry; and the 

BTA website provides information about 

members.” He also recommends looking at 

this magazine's annual listing of the top UK 

TMCs, which gives size, specialisms and the 

‘flavour’ of their business. 

The next step is to do due diligence to 

ensure potential suppliers provide the 

expertise you need, such as an online 

booking tool for a large volume of domestic 

travel or global relationships to handle 

international travel needs. Several TMCs 

have a dedicated SME operation. 

“SMEs are definitely getting smarter, more 

demanding – and that is absolutely right, 

they should be looking for more from their 

travel provider,” says UK General Manager 

for Corporate Traveller, Andy Hegley. 

“If an SME goes to a travel partner, they 

should meet the person who is going to be 

providing the service on a day-to-day basis; 

and as they grow and their travel needs and 

priorities change, they should have agreed 

business objectives for each quarter.” 

Partnering up 

The right TMC will provide quick and easy 

access to the best travel options with 

guaranteed best-price availability and can 

provide support for travel policy creation, 

mandation and more. 

“It is vital that a provider goes beyond just 

booking travel. To ensure adherence and 

adoption, it is important that the client and 

the TMC communicate clearly the reasons 

behind working with a travel partner,” says 

Head of Client Development for Gray Dawes 

Group, Gavin Sanderson. 

“Educating the audience as to the benefit 

and value to individual travellers and the 

wider business ensures they are far more 

likely to book via the TMC,” he adds. 

Good Travel Management often sees a 

tipping point when a company needs 

external support to manage business travel. 

“For the most part, that is driven by positive 

requirements such as business growth, 

where an increased amount of travel means 

it is not being managed efficiently and a 

travel management company is required,” 

says Head of Sales, Account Management 

and Marketing, Wayne Durkin. 

“A good SME TMC should be offering 

account management as standard, as well as 

managing corporate supplier programmes 

on their behalf.” 

Some years ago, dedicated SME services 

from a TMC were few and far between. Now, 

says Adrian Parkes, CEO of the BTA: “Several 

of our members have specific products 

dedicated to the SME marketplace.” 

If an SME goes to a 

travel partner, they 

should meet the person who 

is going to be providing the 

service on a day-to-day basis; 

they should have agreed 

business objectives” 


The Travel 

Management 

Company behind 

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goodtravel 

management

SMEs / The TMC conundrum 

Getting 

TOGETHER 

SMEs are firmly in the sights of TMCs these days but are 

they strictly necessary for small travel budgets? Rob Gill 

assesses the pros and cons of working with a TMC 

To misquote Shakespeare, 

“To TMC, or not to TMC”, that is 

the question worth considering 

when it comes to how small and 

medium-sized enterprises choose to 

manage their business travel. 

During the past few years, travel management 

companies have increasingly 

targeted smaller organisations, who may 

never have considered using a business 

travel agency, instead relying on leisure- 

orientated platforms to book flights, 

hotels, rail tickets and more. 

TMCs see the SME market as a 

vast untapped market for their 

services – and it’s hard to doubt their 

logic: SMEs in the UK employ 16.3 million 

people with a collective turnover of 

£2trillion per year. 

Previously, larger TMCs have 

struggled to come up with 

products to effectively serve 

the SME market but this is 

changing rapidly as 

improved technology 

and automation 

reduces the costs 

of them reaching 

smaller clients. 

Even American Express Global Business 

Travel, for example, is offering a “bundle” 

of services to SMEs through its Business 

Travel Made Simple platform. 

For an SME new to the concept of 

managed travel, the choice can be 

daunting as it’s not just TMCs vying for 

their business. Technology companies, 

including online booking tool providers 

and travel management platforms such as 

TravelPerk, as well as big-name leisure 

travel brands, including Booking.com, 

are also making a play for the market. 

TMC offerings 

Click Travel’s Chief Executive Jill Palmer 

says SME clients should look beyond 

whether a company has a “TMC 

badge” or not, and instead 

consider the advantages of 

managing travel. 

“There’s a huge benefit to 

having all your business 

travel booked in one 

place,” she says. 

“You can implement 

a travel policy to 

get travellers 

to make the 

right choices and get reporting to know how 

much they are spending. It also means PAs 

don’t have to spend a lot of time booking 

travel on three different consumer sites.” 

Simone Buckley, CEO of Fello, adds that 

“speed and ease of service” are two of a 

TMC’s top selling points, alongside the 

ability to change bookings either online or 

by calling a consultant familiar with the 

SME’s requirements. 

“They also benefit from 24-hour emergency 

service, traveller risk management, a single 

point of payment and credit facility, as well 

as consolidated reporting of travel spend 

and booking patterns,” says Buckley. 

Other TMCs are also keen to stress that 

managing business travel effectively goes 

far beyond making bookings. 

“We can bring more value to a business 

especially when it comes to controlling 

costs – both in terms of the best rates and 

ensuring bookings are within travel policy,” 

says Tyler Buckley, Strategic Business 

Proposal Manager at Business Travel Direct. 

“The value we bring to SME clients is often 

quite significant compared with larger clients 

with mature programmes. We can achieve a 

significant ROI for clients in the earlier 

stages of managing their travel spend.” 


The TMC conundrum / SMEs 

Payment plans 

One of the first questions on the lips of any 

SME thinking about using a TMC for the first 

time is 'how much is it going to cost us?' 

The answer is not always simple as TMCs 

now offer a plethora of payment options 

and strategies, which are largely dependent 

on the level of service required. 

The general rule of thumb is the more 

automated the process, the cheaper it’s 

going to be. For those wanting a “higher 

touch” human experience, the cost is always 

going to be higher. 

Click Travel offers SMEs use of its online 

booking tool for free with no transaction 

fees – the TMC makes its money from 

suppliers. Click has also just introduced a 

new upgraded “Plus” package for £399 per 

year, including extra functions such as the 

ability to customise travel policy, sync 

calendars and automate pre-trip approvals. 

Similarly, TravelPerk offers a basic booking 

option for free and then charges £9 per trip 

for a premium plan offering a higher level 

of service to clients, including priority 

customer and concierge services. 

Earlier this year, travel management 

company Amber Road launched a new 

SME service called TRAQ, which charges 

clients a monthly flat fee of £29 per 

traveller, which is only paid if the traveller 

is active during the month. 

While this sort of subscription-based 

model is becoming more 

popular, transaction fees 

remain common among 

TMCs specialising in the 

SME market, including 

Corporate Traveller, 

which is part of the 

Flight Centre Group along with FCM. 

“We don’t tie clients into contracts and our 

payment model is based on transaction 

fees, but we provide flexible payment 

options so clients can choose whether to 

pay by credit card or on account,” says 

Andy Hegley, UK General Manager at 

Corporate Traveller. 

Offering flexibility to SMEs is also crucial 

for Gary McLeod, Managing Director of 

Traveleads. “When business travel might be 

sporadic, we would usually recommend the 

transaction fee route. Once they develop a 

more regular pattern of travel, we can look 

at management fees or subscription 

One of the first 

questions on the 

lips of any SME thinking 

about using a TMC for the 

first time is 'how much is it 

going to cost us?'” 


69


models where we tailor charges against 

agreed activity,” he explains. 

Most SMEs recognise that there is a “cost 

to managing travel”, says Kevin Harrison, 

Good Travel Management’s Managing 

Director, with TMCs needing to 

“demonstrate broader value”, he says. 

“There is no such thing as a free travel 

management service. If there isn’t a fee, 

it will be somewhere within the pricing 

model,” adds Harrison. 

Size matters – or does it? 

Another key question is how much does a 

SME have to spend on business travel each 

year to make using a TMC worthwhile? The 

answer varies, with some suggesting at least 

£50,000 per year and others being more 

flexible, depending on the client’s current 

needs and potential growth. 

“A business is never too small for a TMC,” 

says Brett Gerrett, General Manager, 

Isleworth Travel Management, which looks 

after clients with a business travel spend of 

up to £1.5million per year. 

“Clients spending less have access to the 

same great fares and service that all clients 

access,” says Gerrett. “And an offline service 

is perfectly suited to a client with a budget 

of less than £60k.” 

Kyle Daniels, Product Marketing Manager 

for Clarity, adds: “If we judge companies 

based on annual spend or number of 

journeys each year, we aren’t taking into 

account their ability to grow. 

“Everyone has to start somewhere. It’s 

about having open and honest conversations 

with prospects to determine if they need a 

TMC or just a better way of booking their 

current volume of travel,” says Daniels. 

Mark Wilson, Corporate Travel General 

Manager at Travel Counsellors for Business, 

adds: “We aren’t interested in the number 

of transactions a client does. Our operating 

model flexibility allows Travel Counsellors to 

operate in a way that ensures a personal 

service, with a single point of contact for 

all aspects of travel – SMEs value this 

connection the most.” 

Jason Geall, VP Northern Europe for 

American Express Global Business Travel, 

says travel management is becoming 

“more accessible” to SMEs because of 

“digitally-driven services”. 

“Depending on the customer’s factors 

and circumstances, we already offer 

services to clients with annual spend from 

£250,000,” Geall adds. 

“And we are continuing to explore new 

tech-based travel management solutions to 

help businesses with even smaller spend.” 

Alternative routes 

Of course, there are other options for those 

companies keen to better manage their 

travel but wary of using a TMC. 

One of these alternatives is to start using 

an online booking tool offered by specialist 

companies such as SAP Concur, KDS or 

Traveldoo, among others. 

 

If we judge companies 

based on their annual 

spend or the number of 

journeys they make each year, 

we aren’t taking into account 

their ability to grow” 


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Darryl McGarvey, Director of Channel 

Development at SAP Concur, says they 

work with SMEs both through TMCs and 

directly with the client - the same booking 

platforms and technology are offered to all 

sizes of organisations. 

“Some SMEs are not of a size to engage 

with a TMC to gain access to their services 

and expertise – our TripLink product is a 

much better fit for them,” says McGarvey. 

“This allows businesses to manage their 

own travel programmes, but still have 

access to the consolidation of data they 

would usually get through working with a 

travel management company.” 

There is also the option of using a high 

street travel agency chain. It may seem like 

an 'old school' approach but brands such as 

Flight Centre and STA Travel – who both 

have numerous retail stores – have each 

been targeting the SME business travel 

sector, recognising its potential. 

“We stand out from typical TMCs because 

we are a truly global company,” says Ellen 

Rayner, Director of STA Travel’s travel 

management division. 

“Our global network of stores means 

hands-on support is never too far away. 

Getting the best price is our priority. SME 

business clients are treated to bespoke 

corporate hotel rates and we also negotiate 

exclusive corporate airfares and rail 

bookings,” Rayner explains. 

The choice of travel management options 

for SMEs has never been greater and 

continues to grow – whether they want to 

go down the full TMC route or simply dip 

their toes by using an online booking tool 

for little or no initial cost. 

We are continuing 

to explore new techbased 

travel management 

solutions to help businesses 

with even smaller spend” 

[ BUILDING FROM SCRATCH ] 

A UK-based technology start-up saw their 

workforce grow from two to 50 people in five 

years, with business travel also increasing 

quickly to Europe and the US. 

The SME originally had no TMC, travel policy 

or anybody in charge of travel internally. 

The company wanted to work with a TMC to 

make savings on airfares, improve booking 

efficiency and implement a travel policy to 

enhance the safety and security of travellers. 

The financial director was appointed as the 

internal “travel owner” and then implemented 

a travel policy with the help and advice of 

CTM Europe. 

CTM assisted the company in signing up to 

airline loyalty agreements, including both 

corporate and individual traveller schemes, 

and securing specific SME airfares and hotel 

rates. It also began weekly pre- and post-trip 

reporting to monitor spending and 

compliance with policy. 

After the first 12 months, the client had 

achieved 97% policy compliance and 74% 

online booking adoption, as well as savings of 

23% on airfares and hotel savings of 5%. The 

company also saved an estimated four hours 

per person per week by using a booking tool. 


All change 

The way we work, the way we interact with our products and services, has 

changed. Travellers want to book and manage their itinerary in their own 

environment, with their own devices, on their own terms. 

And we’re leading that change with the new Go2Book booking tool. 

Built with the changing needs of travellers in mind, Go2Book works 

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QUALITY 

EFFICIENCY 

SECURITY

SMEs / Back to basics 

the importance of policy 

Writing and implementing a company travel policy is a key first step for getting your business 

travel spend under control. Jenny Southan examines the essential components 

Managing travel relies on drafting a solid 

travel policy to make sure there is a 

consistent approach to booking flights 

and hotels, for example, and parameters 

in place about how much can be spent 

on what. It also needs to have guidelines 

in place to keep people safe. 

Divide your travel policy 

into sections 

A travel policy will usually need to 

cover quite a bit of ground so dividing it into 

sections is a good place to start. Things you 

need to account for are safety and security, 

flights (rules related to bookings, upgrades, 

cabin classes, air miles, lounges and so on), 

public transport, hotels, incidentals, meals, 

tips, taxis, car rental, entertainment, 

corporate credit cards, business hospitality 

and other travel expenses (visas, passports 

and currency). You may also want a clause 

relating to combining business trips with 

add-on stays for leisure. 

Do your due diligence 

Firstly, assess what locations you 

and your employees will be 

travelling to and check the Foreign and 

Commonwealth Office for country-specific 

advice. Decide what kinds of accommodation 

will be suitable. For example, in some riskier 

cities only five-star international chains will 

guarantee the security you are after and 

should be booked whatever the price. 

However, for companies frequenting the 

United States, for example, using mid-range 

hotels or even Airbnb for Work apartments 

could be the benchmark. 

Decide on your boundaries 

State hotel categories or nightly 

rate limits that you are happy for 

travellers to book. This might be on a cityby-city 

basis. You might want to specify 

particular chains or airlines but it’s a good 

idea to provide a choice. Having rules about 

when it’s appropriate to fly premium 

economy or business class will also be 

important. For some companies, flights 

under six hours must be flown in economy, 

while 10 hours-plus could be in business. 

Specify how bookings 

should be made 

If you are using a travel agency, the 

policy will probably need to state that all 

trips must be booked by them as they will 

get preferential rates. If you are using a 

TMC, there may be a mobile booking tool to 

use for less complex journeys. However, in 

an SME, everyone might have to book their 

own trips. Highlight who has sign-off and 

outline your approval process flow. 

Outline how trips 

should be paid for 

You might want to issue a company 

credit card to certain managers. Giving 

employees pre-paid cards is a good way of 

controlling expenses. Or try digital banks 

such as Tide and Starling (see page 82). 

How will you keep 

track of travellers? 

Make sure provisions are in place 

to keep track of travellers’ itineraries and 

contact details. If travelling to hostile 

territories, will there be training 

requirements? You should specify if any 

particular tracking technology is required or 

simply an email update. Staff all need to 

know what to do in an emergency. Overall, 

a decision needs to be made on how strict 

or relaxed you are as a company. Your 

policy should reflect this. 

Make sure provisions 

are in place to keep 

track of travellers’ itineraries 

and contact details. Staff all 

need to know what to do in 

an emergency” 


SMEs / Spend management 


Spend management / SMEs 

SAVE 

the pennies 

SMEs needn't play second fiddle to 

multinationals when it comes to supplier 

negotiations, writes Gillian Upton 

It’s ironic how a global financial 

meltdown can change the course of a 

company’s sales strategy but that’s 

exactly what happened after the Stock 

Market crash in 2008. 

TMCs previously ignoring the rich seam of 

SME business turned their attention to 

these entrepreneurs with potentially 

growing businesses. It means that for the 

last decade or so small and medium-sized 

companies have been taken far more 

seriously by the wider TMC community. 

The penny has dropped for some that 

SMEs may be small but gathered in large 

numbers are a far less risky strategy than 

relying totally on a smaller number of larger 

clients. “They had holes to fill in revenues,” 

suggests Gary McLeod, MD of Traveleads. 

The opportunity is huge as The Federation 

of Small Businesses says that SMEs account 

for 99.9% of all private sector companies in 

the UK, and over 5.7 million companies fall 

into the SME definition. 

Those SMEs employing between 10 and 

250 staff make up a group of 250,000 

companies, compared with approximately 

7,500 in the private sector's large employer 

category, employing over 250 staff. 

Once an SME of 10-15 staff grows to 30-50 

staff, a lot of travel and meetings begin as 

they seek to expand and open offices 

further afield. Annual travel spend of 

between £100,000 and £500,000 is the 

benchmark for SMEs but very often that can 

quickly rise to £5million. 

Scott Davies, CEO of the Institute of Travel 

Management, highlights other attractions of 

the SME market: “The business is generally 

less volatile [than larger corporates] so 

there's lower risk and higher margin, since 

the buying power of multinational 

companies drive fees downwards. 

“In addition, SMEs usually have simpler 

requirements and so can be serviced via off 

the shelf propositions,” he adds. 

A product embracing an online booking 

tool has been the core provision for SMEs 

from the larger TMCs, with just telephone 

account management, which is fine if travel 

is largely point-to-point. However, American 

Express GBT has an offering called Business 

Travel Made Simple (BTMS) which offers 

online and offline servicing, based on a per 

transaction cost model and designed for 

quick deployment. It offers discounts with 

suppliers, streamlined booking, robust 

reporting and 24/7 support, plus personalised 

service before, during and post-trip. 

“SMEs naturally gravitate towards small 

and mid-size TMCs,“ believes Adrian Parkes, 

of the Business Travel Association, many of 

which are part of global buying groups such 

as Advantage and Uniglobe and can pass on 

deals and perks. 

“We use leisure fares and IT fares too,” 

says Kevin Harrison, Managing Director of 

Good Travel Management, who thinks that 

SMEs can buy as well as the big boys. 

facing up to the challenges 

TMCs can aggregate spend and arrange 

cluster deals with airlines and hotels and 

offer best value solutions. 

However, it’s not all plain sailing as Raj 

Sachdave of Black Box warns that some 

suppliers will not accept aggregation as they 

want to know client names rather than 

receive consolidated volume made of 

We are keen to work 

directly with SMEs, 

but the challenge is that it is 

a very fragmented sector and 

many SMEs book in the same 

way as leisure customers, 

such as through OTAs” 


77


anonymous multiple SME spend. 

Traveleads is typical of the TMC approach, 

spending time in the discovery and 

educational process with clients as many of 

them have no travel policy, approvals 

process or have considered data needs. 

“Often it’s a case of spending time showing 

them how sophisticated a programme we 

can create for them, which is often an eye 

opener if they’ve been used to the 

experience of ‘give us your credit card and 

go away’ online booking,” says McLeod of 

Traveleads, one of the smaller TMCs which 

has long focussed on this market. 

The availability of technology has helped 

level the playing field as SMEs can benefit 

from mobile solutions and data analysis 

software for very little outlay. 

Suppliers raise their game 

SimiIarly, suppliers are waking up to the 

SME opportunity. “Suppliers certainly 

recognise the critical mass which the SME 

market generates in terms of travellers and 

combined spend,” says McLeod. And ITM’s 

Davies adds: “Suppliers need a lot of SMEs 

to match or replace revenue generated by 

large corporates. For this reason, the sales 

support tends to be virtual or delivered 

online through web portals.” 

Accor Hotels, for example, has a team 

looking after SMEs and has developed 

products and services for them, most 

recently Business Offer which offers a 

discount off BAR (see panel for details). Its 

LeClub Member Offer (for those booking 

leisure travel) includes perks. 

“We are keen to work directly with SMEs, 

but the challenge is that it is a very 

fragmented sector, and many SMEs book in 

the same way as leisure customers, such as 

through OTAs, perhaps unaware of the 

advantages of corporate accounts and 

booking direct,” says Jonathan Pettifer, 

Director of Corporate Sales and TMC 

partners, Accor UK & Ireland. 

TMCs can offer consortia rates from 

independent hotels says Mark Bevan, 

Head of Strategic Partnerships at Business 

Travel Direct, where SMEs are a core part of 

the client portfolio. 

“Consortia rates from independent hotels 

discount the rate by 5%-15% and more like 

10%-15% regionally, both on transient and 

day delegate business,” he says. Forwardthinking 

suppliers are targetting SMEs, says 

Bevan, citing Best Western as an example. 

Perks aside, SMEs need help managing the 

travel spend. “Collecting Nectar points from 

The spending power 

of smaller corporates 

should never be underestimated, 

which is why we 

offer our loyalty progamme 

OnBusiness, so they can 

benefit from free flights” 

a train company might not be meaningful 

but a hotel billback facility that gives you 14 

days credit to help cashflow is much more 

valuable,” says Black Box’s Sachdave. “A TMC 

will give an SME resource and cashflow so 

that’s the real saving.” 

Airlines move in 

On the airline front, despite it being a more 

challenging spend category, SMEs can 

benefit from nett fares and discounted 

fares. “We use rate analysing tools from 

time of booking to time of departure and 

the same flight can be reduced by 20-30%, 

particularly on long-haul,” says Bevan. 

Airline loyalty schemes can be of benefit 

too, providing discounts, extra points or 

value-added items. Fortunately, they have 

moved away from perks and towards more 

tangible benefits such as discounted rates 

and flights in response to buyer feedback. 

“Most airlines offer fares targeted towards 

SMEs,” says Brett Gerrett, General Manager, 

Isleworth Travel Management. “British 

Airways offers discounted and increased 

flexibility on Business Bespoke fares 

 

A MEMBER OF THE GLOBAL TRAVEL SOLUTIONS GROUP 

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CORPORATE SPORTS & GROUPS MEDIA MARINE & OFFSHORE SCHOOLS & ACADEMIA CHARITY 

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Even if a business isn't 

large enough to justify 

a full-time travel manager, 

having someone responsible 

for this area, and with the 

authority to enforce any 

policies, is vitally important” 

while Air France-KLM and Virgin-Delta 

offers the Bluebiz scheme with some 

excellent perks such as free name changes 

and an enhanced points structure.” 

British Airways OnBusiness and the 

Bluebiz schemes are two of the most 

popular schemes for SMEs. Other airlines, 

such as Emirates, have low thresholds for 

deals. “The non-dominant carriers have 

lower thresholds as they have a desire to 

gain marketshare from companies whose 

business is more moveable,” says Harrison. 

TMCs claim to generate savings of their 

own on behalf of a client. “We save our 

clients thousands of pounds every year by 

managing these programmes effectively, all 

as part of our service, but it’s imperative 

that you have an agent who can manage 

them for you, ” says Rebecca Deadman, 

Commercial Director of Blue Cube Travel. 

“Businesses of all sizes are incredibly 

important to us,” says Marie Hilditch, Head 

of UK & Ireland Corporate Sales at BA. “The 

spend power of smaller corporates should 

never be under-estimated, which is why we 

offer our loyalty programme OnBusiness, so 

they can benefit from free flights, upgrades 

and other travel management benefits.” 

Accor’s Pettifer reckons creating a travel 

policy and getting staff to stick to it is the 

most beneficial way of SMEs making the 

most of their spending power. “Having a 

properly applied policy will enable them to 

benefit from the best deals. Ensuring that 

travellers are aware of the deals that are in 

place and understand the value in following 

this policy can make an immediate impact.” 

Pettifer adds: “Even if a business isn’t large 

enough to justify a full-time travel manager, 

having someone responsible for this area, 

and with the authority to enforce policy, is 

important in making the most of their 

buying power and any deals agreed.” 

Bluebiz 

Bluebiz has over 200,000 members in 125- 

plus markets. Every flight booked on Bluebiz 

member airlines earns blue credits, worth £1 

each, which can be knocked off future flights. 

UK members can earn and burn credits on 

five airlines: KLM, Air France, Delta Air Lines, 

Kenya Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which 

joined this summer. Taxes and surcharges 

are included in the price of award tickets. 

Etihad Airways’ BusinessConnect 

Etihad Airways’ BusinessConnect is open to 

companies with two to 50 business travellers. 

Travellers earn Guest Miles for themselves 

while the business earns an additional 

percentage. Accounts can be managed online 

and miles can be redeemed for free flights, 

upgrades and gifts. New sign-ups get a bonus 

of 5,000 Miles. The airline is running a double 

mileage promotion from Aug 1 to Nov 30. 

IHG business edge 

The global hotel group's SME offering offers 

guaranteed discounts at more than 5,400 

hotels globally and a management portal 

book trips, monitor spend and savings data 

and access premium content. Registered 

travellers receive an upgrade to IHG Rewards 

Club Gold Elite status after their first IHG 

Business Edge stay. There is no fee to join 

and no minimum annual spend. 

[ SME loyalty schemes ] 

BA Onbusiness 

Offers discounts of at least 5% on many 

flights (excluding taxes, fees and charges), 

and allows pooling of points. They can be 

spent on Reward Flights with BA, AA and 

Iberia. Flights can be changed free of charge 

before the outbound flight. Points can also 

be spent on upgrades, including Club Europe/ 

Club World. Execs can collect personal Avios 

points for themselves at the same time. 

Accor Business Offer 

Eligibility is 50 nights per year booked across 

any participating Accor property. It offers 

discounted rates of up to 10% off the best 

available rates in its luxury, upscale and 

mid-market hotels, and 5% in the group’s 

economy hotels. Event organisers can earn 

points for personal trips by arranging events 

at the group's 2,400 hotels worldwide with 

Le Club Meeting Planner. 


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SMEs / Six of the best 

Six of the best... 

Digital banks for SMEs 

Words by Jenny Southan 

1 

STARLING 

Starling’s business account can be 

set up in a few minutes, has no 

monthly fees, zero transaction 

charges on overseas payments, 

real-time notifications when 

money goes in or out and a slick 

app that presents finances 

visually. All deposits are protected 

by the FSCS up to £85,000. 

2 

3 

TIDE 

Used by more than 85,000 

business owners, another smart 

digital-only bank is Tide, which 

issues free business Mastercards, 

doesn’t charge foreign transaction 

fees, and lets users instantly 

freeze their PIN via the app. 

MONZO 

Known for its orange debit cards, 

Monzo launched its first business 

accounts in February as part of a 

trial. With income and outgoings 

all managed within a user-friendly 

app, Monzo wants to become “the 

financial hub for your business”. 

4 

REVOLUT 

Sign up for a global business 

account with Revolut and you can 

issue employees with prepaid 

business cards to help manage 

expenses, set up multiple accounts 

for different offices, hold, receive 

and exchange 29 different 

currencies, and make up to 1,000 

bulk payments in one click. 

6 

N26 

Aimed at freelancers and the 

self-employed, N26 issues trendy 

transparent Mastercards that 

sync with an app that gives 

0.1% cashback on all purchases 

and uses AI to categorise your 

spending so you don’t have to 

mess around with spreadsheets. 

5 

CURVE 

Curve combines all your existing 

bank accounts in one – just 

choose which one you want to 

make a transaction with on the 

app and then swipe or tap with 

your Curve card. There are five 

cards – Blue is free, while Metal is 

£14.99 and includes various perks. 


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Private check-in with drinks welcome 

Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout 

Luxury bath amenities 

24hr room service 

Packing and unpacking of luggage 

Pressing of one shirt per day 

Complimentary access to the exclusive 

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can enjoy a selection of drinks and 

snacks throughout the day 

Book via melia.com or call +44 (0)20 7391 3000

SMEs / Data 

Cash flow 

CONCERNS 

Managing business travel costs and expenses administration are 

the biggest headaches for SMEs in the UK, according to research 

from Allstar Business Solutions... 

THE FOUR MOST 

COMMON BUSINESS 

EXPENSES HEADACHES 

£4,000 

BY 

THE AVERAGE MONTHLY SPEND 

SMEs ON TRAVEL EXPENSES 

MISLAID RECEIPTS 

A PARTICULARLY COMMON ISSUE AMONG 

WORKERS, WITH MANY WORRYING ABOUT 

LOSING BILLS AND, WITH THEM, ANY 

PROSPECT OF BEING REIMBURSED 

50 

% 

HALF OF SME EMPLOYEES SAY THEY 

ARE LEFT OUT OF POCKET EVERY MONTH 

AFTER USING THEIR OWN MONEY WHEN 

TRAVELLING FOR WORK 

% 

26 

MANAGING TRAVEL 

COSTS IS THE BIGGEST 

HEADACHE FOR UK SMEs 

OF SMEs SAY THAT COST SAVINGS, 

SPENDING CONTROL FEATURES AND EASE OF 

MANAGEMENT WERE THE KEY BENEFITS THEY 

WOULD LOOK FOR IN A MORE ADVANCED 

BUSINESS CREDIT CARD PROGRAMME 

MONTHLY SPEND 

39% 

OF SME 

OWNERS SAY 

HELPING 

CASHFLOW WAS 

A KEY 

REQUIREMENT 

OF BUSINESS 

CREDIT CARDS 

21% 

OF SME OWNERS SAY THAT 

BALANCING CASH FLOW 

‘KEEPS THEM UP 

AT NIGHT’ 

THE ADMIN LOGJAM 

LONG-WINDED WAYS TO SUBMIT CLAIMS, 

OFTEN WITH A BIG PAPER TRAIL, MEAN 

EXPENSES BUILD UP, CAUSING CASHFLOW 

ISSUES FOR BOTH THE EMPLOYER AND 

THE EMPLOYEE 

FAILURE TO KEEP AND 

SUBMIT FUEL RECEIPTS 

THIS HAMPERS OR PREVENTS BUSINESSES 

MAKING AN HMRC CLAIM TO GET VAT 

REFUNDED ON FUEL 

LATE CLAIMS 

ANOTHER STRESS POINT FOR WORKERS 

ARE MONTHLY CLAIM CYCLES. FOR 

EMPLOYEES WHO MISS THE DEADLINE, 

IT CAN MEAN WAITING ANOTHER ENTIRE 

MONTH TO BE REIMBURSED. FOR THE 

BUSINESS, IT CAN MEAN EXTRA RESOURCES 

PROCESSING LATE CLAIMS 


Get with the programme! 

REGISTER NOW 

View from the top: industry 

figures reflect on travel’s 

current trends and challenges 

On the button: how to select, 

implement and drive adoption 

of online booking tools 

Deals on wheels: find out how 

to optimise your car hire and 

rail travel spend 

Sleep talk: is it time for a 

change of approach to your 

accommodation needs? 

Small wonders: helping SMEs 

make the most of their 

travel spend 

New kids on the block: 

discover a new wave of tools 

and TMCs on the market 

Air time: take your air travel 

spend to new heights with 

expert guidance 

The clinic: three travel 

managers discuss their travel 

programmes 

Going to market: sourcing the 

best TMC for your needs in a 

slowly shrinking market 

The mavericks: get rogue 

travellers under control and 

gain compliance 

In safe hands: risk mitigation, 

traveller tracking and duty of 

care in the spotlight 

Fit for purpose: making 

wellbeing central to your policy 

Book your free place now at thebusinesstravelconference.com 

With thanks to our headline sponsor 

Star Alliance, and Executive sponsors, 

Amadeus and Air Europa. TBTC'19 

is proudly supporting London Taxi 

Drivers' Charity for Children

DEPARTURES 

The best new... Gadgets & gear 

Stow it! 

Luxury travel brand Stow is showcasing its 

products at Heathrow Airport’s VIP private 

lounge in Terminal 5 this summer, with a 

25% discount being offered for a limited 

time. The Duchess of Sussex Meghan 

Markle is said to be among fans of the 

designer wallets, cases and accessories. The 

tech case, pictured, normally retails at £305. 

stowlondon.co.uk 

zip it up 

with Briggs 

& riley 

stow 

claims royal 

approval 

A first 

for B&R 

Swanky luggage brand 

Briggs & Riley has 

launched its first femalefocused 

collection this 

summer. Called 

Rhapsody, the range 

includes backpacks, a 

crossbody bag, slim 

business brief, essential 

tote and a cabin spinner 

carry-on case in plum, 

navy and black. Prices 

start from £109. 

briggs-riley.com 

high five... 

Business travel podcasts 

Absolute Clarity 

Clarity Travel Management 

launched its series of topical 

podcasts last year. There are now 30 

episodes available online featuring a 

range of guests tackling industry topics. 

Singapore Airlines 

Called Make your Productivity 

Fly, this 30-minute podcast is 

designed to help the airline’s business 

class passengers make better use of 

their time onboard. 

TED Talks Business 

There’s a massive choice of 

the popular TED Talks 

podcasts available online featuring a 

hugely diverse range of topics and 

ranging from five to 20 minutes. 

TUNE in AND 

ZONE OUT! 

Liquid solutions 

Beat airport liquid limits by bagging some of 

Men-U’s concentrated shaving foams, 

moisturisers and shampoos. The 100ml 

products cost from £8.95. Or for a 

refreshing scent without any liquids 

whatsoever, try a tiny tin of Solid Cologne. 

The wax-based substance comes in several 

scents and costs from £14.95. 

get fresh 

with cologne 

in a tin 

Airplane Geeks 

As the name suggests, this US 

podcast is only for those with a 

serious penchant for all things 

planes and aviation. It’s now 

released over 550 episodes. 

ITM 

The Institute of 

Travel Management 

will release its very 

first podcast this summer – 

we look forward to hearing 

more from them. 


DEPARTURES 

New kid on the block 

the standard, london 

THE LOWDOWN Standard 

International has transformed a 

Brutalist 1970s building in London’s 

King Cross – the former Camden 

Town Hall – into a unique 266-room 

hotel that draws inspiration from the 

area’s political, intellectual and 

cultural history. Designed in 

partnership with Shawn Hausman, 

the hotel is Standard’s first outside 

the US and marks the beginning of 

planned global expansion. The 

Standard has 42 different styles of 

room, from ingeniously designed 

windowless ‘Cosy Core’ rooms to 

terraced suites with outdoor 

bathtubs overlooking St Pancras. 

Public spaces include a library 

lounge, two restaurants, and – 

opening in September – a third, 

tenth-floor restaurant featuring 

live fire cooking and offering 360 

degree views of London. 

that's a FACT The hotel includes 

a wood-panelled, sound proofed 

studio to host, stream and record 

DJ sets, interviews, podcasts and 

intimate live shows. 

they said it “We could not be 

more proud of what The Standard 

team and our many collaborators 

have created in a beautiful, 

overlooked building that was almost 

left for naught. We look forward to 

welcoming the world in to see, and 

more importantly, feel what it is that 

makes The Standard so special.” 

rates Cosy Core rooms 

start at £199 while prices rise to 

£1,050 per night for the top suite. 


87

BECAUSE GOOD CONNECTIONS 

ALWAYS HELP 

On the move worldwide with the Lufthansa Group airlines 

FRANKFURT 

BRUSSELS MUNICH 

VIENNA 

ZURICH 

NORTH AMERICA 

23 destinations in 

2 countries 

EUROPE 


44 countries 

MIDDLE EAST 


10 countries 

ASIA 


11 countries 

CENTRAL AND 

SOUTH AMERICA 


9 countries 

AFRICA 


29 countries 

The Lufthansa Group airlines are Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, 

SWISS, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings. Via the Brussels, 

Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich hubs, and with numerous 

direct connections, they offer their passengers more than 11,000 

flights a week to more than 270 business and holiday destinations 

worldwide. Passengers therefore benefit from a large choice of 

destinations and many combination options. The Lufthansa Group 

airlines stand for high-quality products and services. With more 

than 700 aircraft, they have one of the largest and, above all, most 

modern fleets in the world. 

2018/2019 winter timetable, as at: 09/2018, subject to changes.

DEPARTURES 

Meeting in York 

The attractive walled city 

of York is one of the UK’s 

most visited tourist 

hotspots but it has much 

to win over business 

travellers too, with its 

plentiful choice of historic 

and cultural venues and a 

vibrant restaurant and 

nightlife scene, writes 

WOW FACTOR 

Merchant 

Adventurers Hall 

The atmospheric Grade I listed 

Merchant Adventurers Hall is 

one of Europe’s best surviving 

examples of a medieval guild 

hall. Its impressive interior 

lends itself perfectly to grand 

dinners and events. Groups of 

up to 180 can be seated in the 

main hall, and outside there 

are scenic walled gardens, 

bordered by the River Foss. 

Hall hire starts at £1,100. 

QUIRKY VENUE 

The York Dungeon 

The York Dungeon is part of 

the national Dungeon group 

and it hosts interactive shows 

and live action events that 

bring historical stories to life, 

with actors taking visitors 

through more than 2,000 years 

of York history. Private events 

during the day or evening can 

be catered for in the Dungeon’s 

cellar rooms. Visitors can also 

go on tours after hours, with 

prices starting at £20pp. 

ON A SHOESTRING 

Clements Hall 

Just outside the city walls, 

Clements Hall is a community 

run events hall located a short 

walk from the railway station. 

The light-filled main room is 

suitable for receptions and 

presentations, seating up to 

120, while the first-floor art 

room can seat 20. A separate 

meeting space is available for 

up to 18. Room hire starts from 

£18 per hour for the main hall 

and catering can be organised. 

Emma Allen 

Fossgate, York YO1 9XD 

merchantshallyork.org 

12 Clifford St, York YO1 9RD 

thedungeons.com/york 

Nunthorpe Road, York YO23 1BW 

clementshall.org.uk 

STEP BACK 

IN TIME 

SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED 

WIRED UP 

OUT OF TOWN 

Getting there 

York is less than two 

hours from London by train, 

and around two hours from 

Edinburgh. There are also 

direct services from Liverpool, 

Manchester, Birmingham and 

the South West. The nearest 

airport is Leeds/Bradford, 

which is around 50 minutes 

away by road. 

York’s Chocolate Story 

Set in the historic Minster 

Quarter, York’s Chocolate Story 

sets out the history behind 

York’s chocolate-making 

industry, and the building 

makes an interesting 

backdrop for dinners and 

receptions. Tastings and 

workshops can be arranged, as 

well as tours and hiring of the 

Factory Zone. Prices start at 

£100 per hour for evening hire, 

and 20-75 can be catered for. 

3-4 Kings Square, York YO1 7LD 

yorkschocolatestory.com 

KEEPING IT 

SWEET 

Spring Lane Building 

In the city centre, the modern 

Spring Lane building is part of 

the University of York. It 

re-opened in 2016 after a 

£13.8m refit. It now offers 

a 350-seat lecture theatre 

and 26 seminar rooms, 

along with state-of-the-art AV 

and an on-site technical team. 

In the York Conferences 

university portfolio there are 

more than 200 venues, most 

with free high-speed wifi. 

397 Harewood Way, Heslington, York 

YO10 5DS yorkconferences.com 

A DAY AT 

THE RACES 

York Racecourse 

York Racecourse is located a 

mile outside of the city centre, 

and has a wide range of 

conference and meeting space 

available, along with hospitality 

suites suitable for groups up to 

650. The venue also has more 

than 2,000sqm of exhibition 

space, as well as 2,500sqm of 

external tarmac courtyard 

areas, allowing events to be 

extended outdoors. There are 

2,000 free parking spaces. 

Racecourse Road, Knavesmire Road, 

York yorkracecourse.co.uk 

Further information 

VisitYork4meetings is the 

official conference bureau for 

York. See: visityork.org; Tel: 

01904 555676; email: 

conference@visityork.org 


89

GALLERY 

Avis Budget UK at 

Henley Royal 

Regatta 

Guests from across the industry 

gathered on the banks of the River 

Thames in July to enjoy a day of fine 

hospitality at the Henley Royal Regatta 

courtesy of Avis Budget Group. A 

charity auction raised nearly £10,000 

for Prostate Cancer UK. The Business 

Travel Magazine was once again 

delighted to be an event partner. 

Avis Budget Group at Henley Royal Regatta ▼ 



Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

The Business Travel Magazine in partnership with Avis Budget Group 


DEPARTURES 

On business in... Manama 

Bahrain's capital city, 

Manama, is the largest 

of its six inhabited 

islands. Its financial 

harbour, dominated 

by the iconic twin 

towers of the World 

Trade Centre, is home 

to the Kingdom’s 

strong banking sector, 

second only to oil. 

Diversification into 

other sectors is part 

of the Kingdom’s 

‘Economic Vision 2030’ 

strategy, writes 

Ramy Salameh 

VISIT THE AL 

FATEH GRAND 

MOSQUE 

SLEEPING 

EATING 

GETTING DOWNTOWN 

Getting there 

Gulf Air operates 14 direct 

flights a week – two a day – 

from London Heathrow to 

Bahrain International Airport. 

The flight takes around 6.5 

hours. British Airways operates 

a daily service from London 

Heathrow. Bahrain International 

Airport is located on Muhurraq 

Island, 7km north of the capital 

city Manama and a 16-minute 

drive away. 

Further information 

For more details on planning a 

trip to Bahrain visit: btea.bh 

Centrally located beside Bab 

Stay put at The Merchant House’s 

Al-Bahrain (historic gate) and 

rooftop Indigo Restaurant and 

bustling Manama Souk, the 

savour the ever popular 'Hamour' 

recently opened Merchant 

fish dish or head to Block 338, 

House is Campbell Gray 

located in the heart of 

BRUNCHING IN 

Hotel Group's first foray 

BAHRAIN 

Adliya, and search out ATTIC 

into the region and the first 

restaurant. It's a beautifully 

official luxury boutique hotel 

designed eatery with plenty 

in Bahrain. The 46-suite property of terrace space offering 

is defined by original art and design; Mediterranean cuisine. A tip for 

Chagall, Hirst and Warhol hang brunch would be to find the 

beside a host of Bahraini and GCC atmospheric Lukmatina Cafe on 

artists of international repute. For Muharraq Island. 

the glitz and glamour of major hotel 

brands, the likes of the Ritz-Carlton 

AFTER HOURS 

and Four Seasons are close by. 

By day, Block 338 is a pedestrianised 

quarter of restaurants, galleries and 

boutiques. By night, it becomes a 

nightlife hot-spot with super-cars 

queuing to be seen, as the fine 

diners and bars start to fill up. For 

nightclubs head to the nearby Juffair 

district for headline venues klub360, 

Apollo Club and Club Wrangler to 

dance into the early hours. 

Although walking is an option, the 

primary means of transport is by car 

or taxi. Rent a car from one of the 

many city rental companies or jump 

into one of the relatively inexpensive 

metered cabs that traverse the city. 

MUST-SEE SIGHTS 

Journey through 5,000 years of 

history at Bahrain National Museum 

or visit the UNESCO World Heritage 

listed Bahrain Fort. Divers can go in 

search of pearls or a submerged 

Boeing 747 within the world’s largest 

eco-friendly underwater theme park. 


91

DEPARTURES 

Focus on... East Africa 

Buoyant economies, 

abundant resources and 

a growing population 

could make East Africa 

the next big economic 

success story, and its 

historic ties to the UK 

make it a promising 

prospect for trade 

cooperation post-Brexit, 

writes Sasha Wood 

The new Scramble for Africa is well 

underway, according to Alex Vines, 

head of the Africa program at London 

thinktank Chatham House. Foreign 

powers are vying for a stake in the 

economies of the world’s second most 

populous continent, expected to 

overtake China by 2025. 

The continent is entering a period of 

unprecedented growth with foreign 

embassies popping up all over, and a 

slew of new investment and trade 

deals with foreign powers and 

multinationals. As a whole, Africa has 

the second fastest-growing economy 

in the world, with strong signs its 

emerging markets are set to replicate 

Asian growth in the next decade. 

The six-nation East African trade 

bloc that includes Tanzania, Kenya, 

Uganda and Rwanda has been the 

most successful and stable of 

Africa’s regional blocs since it was 

re-established in 2000. It’s formed a 

customs union and the basis of a 

common market, and is aiming for a 

single currency by 2024. 

According to the African Development 

Bank’s East Africa Economic 

Outlook Report 2019, the region’s 

economy is racing ahead of the rest of 

the continent with annual growth at 

7% "making it a promising investment 

and manufacturing destination”. The 

report notes that job creation and 

ramping up manufacturing will 

continue to be major priority areas for 

creating growth. 

So it’s small wonder that governments 

and businesses from around 

the world, including the UK, are 

rushing to strengthen diplomatic and 

commercial ties. Especially in light of 

Brexit, UK Trade Minister for Africa, 

Emma Wade-Smith points out: “One 

of the opportunities that Brexit 

affords us is increased interest from 

UK companies in Africa as they have 

to expand outside their normal 

trading blocs.” 

In preparation for leaving the EU, 

the UK recently signed the UK-Eastern 

and Southern Africa Agreement, 

intended to replicate the existing EPA 

Time zones: GMT +3hrs in 

Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia & 

Uganda; GMT +2hrs in Rwanda. 

Local currency: 

Ethiopian Birr: £1 = ETB 36; 

Kenyan Shilling: £1 = KES 129; 

Tanzanian Shilling: £1 = TZS 2,872 

Ugandan Shilling: £1 = UGX 4,613 

Rwandan Franc: £1 = RWF 1,124 

Visas: UK passport holders need 

a visa to visit all East African 

countries. The East Africa Tourist 

Visa is also available, allowing 

multiple entry into Kenya, 

Rwanda and Uganda. Visas for 

Tanzania can be obtained from 

the Tanzanian High Commission 

or from a main port of entry. 

Kenya offers e-visas or visas 

upon arrival. Uganda requires an 

e-visa or visa from the Ugandan 

High Commission; Rwanda offers 

30-day visas upon arrival for £20. 

Ethiopia also offers e-visas or 

visas upon arrival at Addis Ababa 

airport. To obtain a business visa, 

check the latest instructions 

from the Ethiopian Embassy. 


DEPARTURES 

between East Africa and the EU, and 

ensuring free trade. 

Last year the government actively 

courted business in the region, setting 

a new goal for the UK to be the largest 

G7 investor in Africa by 2022. The 

ambition was announced alongside a 

range of measures to boost trade and 

encourage UK investment in the 

region, including the creation of a new 

Africa Investors Board. 

Trade between the UK and African 

nations, which is already worth more 

than £31billion, continues to grow. 

The UK already has a firm foothold 

in Kenya, with more than 60 British 

companies operating there. And 

thanks to strong political and 

historical links, the UK remains the 

country’s strongest trading partner 

with more than £1.3billion of annual 

bilateral trade. Marks & Spencer alone 

buys products worth £100 million per 

year from Kenya, with other British 

supermarkets close behind. On the 

reverse, machinery and chemicals 

form the bulk of UK imports. 

Ethiopia, meanwhile, is expected to 

maintain the rapid pace of growth it 

has experienced over the last decade. 

The continent’s fourth largest city and 

Africa’s diplomatic capital, Addis 

Ababa is another major gateway to 

the region. Trade between UK and 

Ethiopia has increased considerably in 

recent years and UK exports to 

Ethiopia have grown by 135%. Like 

many East African nations, major 

imports include machinery, oil and 

petrol, while coffee makes up more 

than a third of total exports. 

A free market economy and 

abundant natural resources make 

Tanzania equally attractive to foreign 

investors, and the UK is one of its 

largest. The country is rich in gems 

and minerals such as rubies and 

diamonds, sapphires and tanzanite, 

with large mining operations for gold, 

silver, copper and platinum in the 

north of the country. 

The nation’s economy has been 

expanding steadily over the last 

decade partly due to an increase in 

agriculture and manufacturing, while 

vehicles and machinery are the 

mainstay of exports from the UK. 

Rwanda and Uganda are also ones 

to watch. Rwanda’s mining industry is 

going from strength to strength and 

its main imports include industrial 

machinery, something the UK can 

capitalise on. The population of capital 

Kigali is set to triple by 2040 and plans 

are afoot to decentralise the city. 

With Brexit looming and economic 

indicators across the region positive, 

all signs point to East Africa being a 

strong prospect for future 

cooperation on trade. But with stiff 

competition from China, India and the 

US, businesses need to act fast. 


93

DEPARTURES 

Factfile: East Africa 

FLIGHTS 

BRITISH AIRWAYS: Has daily 

direct flights between London 

Heathrow and Nairobi, Kenya. 

KENYA AIRWAYS: Has daily 

direct flights between London 

Heathrow and Nairobi, Kenya. 

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES: 

Flies ten times per week 

between London 

Heathrow and Addis 

Ababa, Ethiopia. 

Time out 

in Tropical 

Zanzibar 

RWANDAIR: Has five weekly 

services between London 

Gatwick and Rwanda’s capital, 

Kigali. Outbound flights on 

Fridays and Sundays are nonstop 

services, while outbound 

flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays 

and Saturdays are connecting 

services via Brussels. 

ONE-STOP SERVICES: 

There are no direct services 

to Uganda's international 

gateway, Entebbe (25 miles 

from capital city Kampala), 

nor to Tanzania's commercial 

centre, Dar Es Salaam, but 

convenient connecting options 

are offered by the likes of 

Emirates, Turkish Airlines, KLM, 

Qatar Airways and Brussels 

Airlines via their respective 

hubs. Alternatively, fly via 

Nairobi with Kenya Airways or 

via Addis Ababa with Ethiopian 

Airlines. Qatar Airways also 

flies from Doha to Zanzibar, 

Kilimanjaro and Mombasa. 

• Information kindly supplied 

by travel data and analytics 

specialist Cirium 

QATAR 

AIRWAYS has 

it covered 

HOTELS 

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS: 

Runs 28 hotels in Africa including 

the Intercontinental Nairobi and 

Holiday Inn Dar Es Salaam City 

Centre. Crowne Plaza Nairobi 

Airport hotel opened recently. 

LOUVRE HOTELS GROUP: Has 

properties across sub-Saharan 

Africa under its Tulip brands 

including the Golden Tulip 

Westlands Nairobi, another in 

Addis Ababa and one in Kigali. 

BEST WESTERN: Has 24 hotels 

across ten African countries 

including Kenya, Uganda and 

Tanzania, and three hotels in 

Nairobi alone. 

HILTON: Has 39 hotels in Africa, 

with 100 new properties in the 

pipeline. The Hilton Nairobi 

Upper Hill is set to open in the 

continent’s tallest building. 

RADISSON HOTEL GROUP: 

Recently added the Pearl of 

Africa Hotel Kampala in 

Uganda, as well as the Park Inn 

Addis Ababa to its collection of 

42 hotels across 20 countries. 

ACCOR HOTELS: The group 

ontinues to grow its portfolio in 

Africa, where it currently has 114 

hotels across its Ibis, Sofitel, 

MGallery and Novotel brands, 

including four in Kenya. 

MARRIOTT: Has a strong 

presence in Africa with 149 

hotels across 29 countries 

including Rwanda, with new 

hotels slated for Nairobi, 

Dar Es Salaam and Kampala. 

OFF DUTY 

DAR ES SALAAM: The city on 

the Indian Ocean is East Africa’s 

second busiest port with 

frequent ferries to the tropical 

island of Zanzibar famous for its 

snorkelling and diving spots. The 

city's National Museum is a great 

introduction to the country. 

NAIROBI: Just 7km south of the 

city, Nairobi National Park let’s 

you see lions, leopards, rhinos 

and giraffes in their natural 

savannah home, and there's an 

elephant orphanage too. 

play the big 

five game in 

nairobi 

set sail 

from dar es 

salaam 

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia's 

colourful cultural portal boasts 

great music and museums 

including the National Museum 

of Ethiopia featuring the threemillion-year-old 

Lucy skeleton. 

The bustling open-air Mercato 

market is Africa’s biggest. Take 

some time to visit the Great Rift 

Valley lakes or take a boat trip 

to see the local hippos and 

UNESCO-listed Adadi Mariam 

rock-cut churches. 

KAMPALA: Uganda’s capital 

borders Africa’s largest lake, 

Lake Victoria, and it's a short 

drive south-west to the source 

of the Nile River at Jinja, which 

offers rafting and boat trips. 

The Uganda Museum explores 

the country’s tribal heritage. 

Tours of Lubiri royal compound 

reveal the fascinating and dark 

history of the region. 

KIGALI: Rwanda’s capital Kigali 

is safe, attractive and modern. 

Two hours’ drive from the capital, 

mountain gorilla trekking in 

Volcanoes National Park is a oneoff 

experience not-to-be-missed. 


TIME FOR 

AFRICA! 

Fly to 17 sub-saharan destinations 

with Brussels Airlines. 

Abidjan, Accra, Banjul, Bujumbura, Conakry, 

Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Entebbe, Freetown, 

Kigali, Kinshasa, Lomé, Luanda, Monrovia, 

Ouagadougou and Yaoundé. 

Untitled-3 1 15/07/2019 11:38 

brusselsairlines.com 

bair-uk-ghana-businesstraveler-ad-255x190-en-jul19.indd 1 09/07/2019 13:28

DEPARTURES 

Reality check 

HOTEL: DAKOTA, MANCHESTER 

THE HOTEL 

This chic boutique 

THE ROOM 

The design scheme 

addition to the Manchester hotel scene is 

flows seamlessly throughout the hotel. 

fast becoming a favourite haunt of celebs 

My room featured muted grey tones with 

and savvy business travellers. On Ducie 

plush armchairs, framed vintage prints, 

Street in the heart of Manchester’s old 

floor-to-ceiling windows and a large 

mill district, it’s one of a clutch of trendy 

flatscreen TV. The very comfortable king 

venues to open as the neighbourhood 

sized bed had an upholstered leather 

undergoes rapid regeneration. Interiors 

headboard and crisp white Egyptian 

are dominated by dark slate tones, 

cotton linen. Tucked inside an alcove, 

complemented by warm yellow lighting, 

there was a nice leather desk area with 

fire places and candles. Studded leather 

USB charging ports and thoughtful 

chairs and tables, and vintage photos on 

touches like a magnifying mirror and 

the walls featuring stars such as Clarke 

slate board for heated appliances. The 

Gable, are a nod to the 1930s New York 

stylish tiled bathroom had a walk-in 

influence. Tellingly, the brand is named 

rainshower with Dakota toiletries. 

after the pioneering US passenger aircraft 

THE FACILITIES 

With dark marble, 

perfect for entertaining clients. 

that transformed travel in the 1930s by 

leather seating, framed photos from old 

Complimentary wifi was faultless. 

offering an affordable service in an age 

Hollywood, low lighting, and cool bespoke 

THE VERDICT 

It’s a clear contender 

when flying was reserved for the elite. 

The buildng is perched beside a canal 

and is just a five-minute walk from 

Manchester Piccadilly train station. 

THE CHECK-IN My late afternoon 

cocktails, nowhere is the moody 

Manhattan influence more apparent than 

in the bar – it feels glamorous without 

being glitzy. The Dakota Grill’s classic 

gourmet dishes draw locals as well as 

IT'S A CLEAR 

CONTENDER FOR BEST 

BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN 

MANCHESTER 

for best boutique hotel in Manchester. 

Even though it’s a tad more pricey than 

other properties in the area, I would 

choose to stay here again. 

THE DETAILS 29 Ducie Sreet, 

check-in was smooth with a warm 

guests, and the buffet breakfast offers a 

Manchester M1 2JL. Rates from £203 

welcome from staff. I was given a quick 

tour and shown to my Classic King Room. 

brilliant selection. An atmospheric lounge, 

cigar terrace and Champagne room are 

per night. dakotahotels.co.uk 

Sasha Wood 

AIRLINE: EMIRATES 

THE FLIGHT 

I was travelling in 

although that might be put down to the 

economy class on Emirates flight EK9 

long walk between lounge and gate! 

from Dubai to London Gatwick, 

THE SEAT 

I'd chosen an aisle seat 

departing at 14.55 and arriving at 19.45 

(47C) in the forwardmost section of the 

(local times). The service is one of three 

lower deck of the A380. Just a few 

Emirates flights a day on the route and 

rows from the front, it enabled swift 

was flown by an Airbus A380. 

disembarkation on arrival and is in a 

PRE-BOARDING 

After being dropped 

more 'intimate' space than the some- 

off at Dubai International I headed 

what cavernous economy sections on 

straight to security as I'd checked-in via 

the rest of the lower deck. Seating was 

the Emirates app the previous day (and 

in a 3-4-3 configuration with most seats 

selected a seat) and as I was only 

occupied. It's a pretty standard economy 

travelling with hand luggage. It took 

seat offering with a small amount of 

around 20 minutes to pass through 

recline and in-seat USB points. I was 

security and passport control, and then 

impressed by the seatback screens 

I hopped on the airport train for the 

(better than one business class offering 

THE VERDICT 

A good, comfortable 

short transit to Terminal 3. I used my 

I'd recently experienced) and the huge 

economy class product and a slick 

Priority Pass membership to visit a 

range of films, TV and music on offer. 

experience on the ground too. 

Marhaba lounge for a quick drink and 

bite to eat, before heading to the 

allocated gate almost as soon as it was 

announced. I was therefore surprised 

to see the boarding process already 

Wifi connectivity included limited free 

access, plus several paid-for options. 

THE SERVICE The truly global cabin 

crew were pleasant throughout the 

flight as they served a choice of three 

THE RANGE OF 

ENTERTAINMENT ON 

OFFER WAS SERIOUSLY 

IMPRESSIVE 

THE DETAILS Emirates flies to Dubai 

six times a day from Heathrow, three 

times a day from Manchester and 

Gatwick, twice daily from Birmingham, 

Glasgow and Stansted, and daily from 

underway (and in surprisingly orderly 

hot dinners and, later, afternoon tea. An 

Newcastle and Edinburgh. Return fares 

fashion, given the number of 

passengers travelling on this A380), 

additional drinks run or two would have 

been appreciated. 

start from around £379. emirates.com 

Andy Hoskins 


DEPARTURES 

HOTEL: LOEWS BOSTON HOTEL, BOSTON, USA 

THE HOTEL 

The hotel is housed in 

range of toiletries. A nightly turn-down 

the former headquarters of the Boston 

service was also offered. 

Police Force in the Back Bay area of the 

THE BUSINESS 

The hotel has 

city. It's just a five-minute walk from the 

approximately 4,200 square feet of 

railway station and a 15-minute drive 

meeting space divided into six rooms, 

from the international airport. Boston 

the largest having a capacity for 125 

Common was a ten-minute walk away 

persons. The business centre offered 

and two of Boston’s major malls and 

24-hour access and there was free wifi 

shops were also in close proximity. The 

throughout the hotel. Premium wifi 

stately limestone building has 222 

access with larger bandwidths was 

guestrooms, two luxury suites and an 

available for an additional cost. 

expansive Presidential Suite. 

THE FACILITIES 

The hotel lobby 

THE CHECK-IN 

A friendly welcome was 

adjoins the Apothecary lounge area 

offered by the bellboys and front desk 

with plenty of seating for guests. The 

staff. Check-in was swift and after an 

lounge has a media wall, complimentary 

explanation about hotel facilities I was 

tea and coffee are provided and there's 

most welcoming. The hotel’s free fitness 

handed my key and shown to the 

plenty of space for casual meetings. The 

centre was open 24 hours. 

elevator. My bags arrived shortly after. 

THE ROOM I stayed in a Deluxe 

King Room. As well as the king-size bed, 

the room had workspace, a reading chair 

and a flatscreen Smart TV. Amenities 

included a Nespresso coffee machine, 

hotel’s restaurant is named Precinct 

after the hotel's former incarnation and 

is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, 

serving a range of American and 

international dishes within its open 

kitchen. The Precinct also doubles as a 

THE HOTEL'S 

RESTAURANT IS 

NAMED PRECINCT 

AFTER ITS FORMER 

INCARNATION 

THE VERDICT The superb location was 

a definite plus point. I was travelling to 

New York after my stay so the proximity 

to Back Bay station was a bonus. Overall 

a very pleasant stay in a lovely hotel. 

THE DETAILS Loews Boston Hotel, 154 

iron and ironing board, laptop friendly 

bar and is obviously a popular meeting 

Berkeley Street, Boston. Loews' lead-in 

safe and a mini-fridge. My bathroom 

had a bath and separate shower plus a 

point for after-work drinks. In warm 

weather the outdoor seating areas are 

price is $195 per night. loewshotels.com 

David Clare 

TRAIN: LNER AZUMA, FIRST CLASS 

THE JOURNEY 

I travelled first class on 

THE SERVICE 

The LNER service 

LNER's new super-fast Azuma train 

provides an inclusive first-class offering, 

service between London King's Cross 

which includes food and drink. All 

and Peterborough, which took less than 

First Class travellers are offered a 

an hour. It was the first of 65 new LNER 

complimentary two-course meal, with 

trains using Japanese bullet train 

three-course meals served on evening 

technology engineered with the help of 

trains coming out of King's Cross. New 

Hitachi. This month the new East Coast 

dishes prepared in the onboard kitchens 

service will extend its reach from London 

using locally-sourced ingredients and 

King's Cross to Edinburgh and the North 

served by attentive staff include stilton 

East of England, cutting the journey time 

and broccoli quiche, vegetable curry and 

from London to Edinburgh from an 

chicken cassava, all of which tasted 

average five-and-a-half hours to four. 

surprisingly delicious. Proper cutlery and 

Upon boarding, I was greeted by friendly 

crockery made my on-board experience 

staff and shown to my seat. 

feel much more civilized than your 

THE SEAT 

Compared with the 

standard commute. There's a seemingly 

THE DETAILS 

LNER operates more 

existing trains, the Azuma’s First Class 

limitless supply of tea and coffee and 

than 1,000 services a week between 

carriages have more leg room, larger 

tables, reclining seats with adjustable 

headrests, and both USB charging and 

plug sockets at every seat. Coaches on 

nine-carriage Azuma trains are longer, 

enabling space for 101 First Class seats, 

passengers travelling in standard class 

have access to the Let’s Eats Café Bar 

and on-board trolley service. 

THE VERDICT The First Class 

experience was akin to the service you 

would expect on a decent airline. I was 

MY ON-BOARD 

EXPERIENCE FELT 

MUCH MORE CIVILIZED 

THAN YOUR STANDARD 

COMMUTE 

London King's Cross and Inverness, 

calling at key East Coast cities in the 

East Midlands, North East and Scotland. 

Advance First Class single fares between 

London King's Cross and Edinburgh can 

be found for as little as £79.50 when 

510 Standard seats and 10 toilets. The 

well fed and watered, the carriage felt 

booked well ahead. For more 

on-board wifi worked really well for 

simple tasks such as checking emails. 

quiet, and I had plenty of space to 

spread out and work. 

information see: lner.co.uk 

Sasha Wood 


97

DEPARTURES 

The final word 

Nowt better than a nice cuppa… 

As a tea-loving nation 

it comes as no surprise 

that we drink an 

excessive amount of the stuff, 

and this doesn't change when 

we take flight. 

According to holiday company 

TUI, its airline passengers will 

drink enough English breakfast 

tea onboard its flights to fill 920 

bathtubs this summer. 

The nation is also a fan of 

snacking as we head off on our 

holidays, and passengers are 

expected to eat enough ham 

and cheese toasties onboard to 

feed Wembley Stadium twice, 

and munch through a marathon 

amount of Sour Cream & Chive 

Pringles – literally! 

Laid back-to-back, the number 

of pots of Pringles expected to 

be consumed on TUI flights this 

summer would stretch along 

the entire London Marathon 

route. You know what they say 

– once you pop, you can't stop... 

THE INFLUENCE OF 

REALITY TV 

Hotel booking site alpharooms 

says one in five holidaymakers 

has booked a holiday to a 

destination after seeing it 

featured in a reality TV series. 

For example, it noted a 73% 

rise in trips to Mallorca after 

the 2018 finale of Love Island. 

The most influential series are: 

1 Benidorm (23%) 

2 Love Island (22%) 

3 Ibiza Weekender (20%) 

4 TOWIE (19%) 

5 Ex On The Beach (11%) 

6 The Only Way is Marbs (5%) 

Out of this world! 

DoubleTree by Hilton 

has some serious 

bragging rights, 

with its famous chocolate 

chip cookies poised to 

become the first food 

baked in space. 

Later this year, its iconic 

cookie dough will take off 

onboard a rocket bound for 

the International Space 

Station and will be baked 

using a prototype oven that 

is designed to make longduration 

space flight more 

hospitable. “Hilton has long 

been an industry innovator, 

and as we celebrate our 100th 

year, we’re excited to send 

our hospitality into orbit,” 

says Hilton's Shawn McAteer. 

Around 80% of Brits have experienced a 

life-changing 'Sliding Doors moment', 

says rail company LNER, 

referring to the film in 

which two versions of a life 

pan out. LNER’s survey 

found that one in 20 

people came home earlier 

than expected and caught 

their partner cheating, 

while a similar number 

believe they missed out 

on their dream job after 

being late for an interview 

because of delays or 

cancellations. 


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both travellers and arrangers. 

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The FREE event for buyers and arrangers 

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Join us at TBTC'19 and hear from keynote 

speakers: one of the UK's most popular 

journalists and TV presenters, 

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for Chichester. 

Hilton London Bankside, Southwark 

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The Business Travel Magazine Aug/Sept 2019

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