You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
77 <strong>Aug</strong>ust/<strong>Sept</strong>ember <strong>2019</strong><br />
LOUD AND<br />
CLEAR<br />
How SMEs are attracting<br />
the attention of suppliers<br />
and TMCs<br />
+<br />
UK hotel groups<br />
Payments & expenses<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>2019</strong> Tech Hotlist<br />
TALKING TRAVEL: SIR TREVOR MCDONALD
ARRIVALS<br />
Contents AUGUST/SEPTEMBER<br />
<strong>2019</strong><br />
76<br />
26<br />
30<br />
Extended feature<br />
<strong>Travel</strong><br />
management<br />
for SMEs<br />
86<br />
89<br />
12<br />
Features<br />
16 <strong>The</strong> <strong>2019</strong> Tech Hotlist<br />
30 UK hotel groups<br />
40 Payments & expenses<br />
63 Extended feature:<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> management for SMEs<br />
Arrivals<br />
6 Opening Shots<br />
8 Everyone's Talking About...<br />
Sustainability<br />
11 <strong>The</strong> Knowledge:<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>ling into a conflict zone<br />
12 Six of the Best:<br />
Airport lounge operators<br />
14 Event report: BTA Conference<br />
15 Speaking Out<br />
21 Event report: ITMC Summit<br />
39 Event report: <strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors<br />
Corporate <strong>Travel</strong> Conference<br />
91<br />
48<br />
47<br />
(p63-84)<br />
56<br />
37<br />
61<br />
64<br />
6<br />
Regulars<br />
22 Event preview: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Conference <strong>2019</strong><br />
25 <strong>The</strong> Big Picture<br />
26 People Awards: winner's interview<br />
27 Photo gallery: People Awards<br />
winners' trip <strong>2019</strong><br />
28 <strong>The</strong> Conversation:<br />
with Hubert Viriot, Yotel<br />
36 Photo gallery: People Awards<br />
winners' lunch<br />
37 Meet the buyer:<br />
Pradeep Nair, NBA<br />
38 Technology: delays & disruption<br />
48 Talking <strong>Travel</strong>:<br />
Sir Trevor McDonald<br />
61 Photo gallery: TBTM Golf Masters<br />
90 Photo gallery: Avis at Henley<br />
<strong>The</strong> Review<br />
51 Ten pages of news, views<br />
and the latest developments<br />
28<br />
Departures<br />
86 Gadgets & Gear<br />
87 New Kid on the Block<br />
89 Meeting in: York<br />
91 On <strong>Business</strong> in: Manama<br />
92<br />
92 Focus on: East Africa<br />
96 Reality Check<br />
98 <strong>The</strong> Final Word<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
3
<strong>Travel</strong> and Events<br />
Implementing a business travel solution<br />
has never been easier.<br />
Navigator is our easy to implement, off-the-shelf suite<br />
of unique travel management solutions. We’ve neatly<br />
packaged our online travel portal, helping you take control<br />
of your business travel, including; a personal offline<br />
booking team, online booking tool, monthly insight<br />
reports, expert advice, exclusive discounts and much<br />
more!<br />
More often than not, you’ll be traveling to a meeting,<br />
either by train, plane or automobile and there may be a<br />
hotel awaiting your arrival at the other end. With so much<br />
to consider in terms of routes, times, suppliers, hotel<br />
options and price comparisons, not to mention the small<br />
matter of who’s going to pay for this and how… it’s little<br />
wonder then, that traveling on business can lead to what<br />
we know as, ‘traveller friction.’<br />
Your company travel policy will be deeply integrated<br />
into the booking process, so you can be sure all bookings<br />
follow your rules without you or your travellers having<br />
to think about it. <strong>Travel</strong>ling on business can be stressful<br />
and this can impact employee wellbeing, especially<br />
when travel doesn’t always go to plan. This is why it’s so<br />
important to make sure your travellers are safe and have<br />
access to assistance when they need it. With access to our<br />
full-service options such as; intelligent traveller tracking<br />
and direct links to our offline support teams, you can<br />
relax knowing that your travellers have 24/7/365 support,<br />
whether they need to change their travel plans or have<br />
been affected by a wider crisis.<br />
Is there a catch? No…<br />
Traditionally, there’s a fee associated with your TMC<br />
doing all of these things on your behalf, however we<br />
are delighted to be able to offer all of this as a fee free<br />
booking service.<br />
We’d love to talk to you about how we might be able to<br />
improve business travel, duty of care and wellbeing within<br />
your organisation. Get in touch.<br />
0330 390 0340<br />
travelevents@capita.co.uk<br />
capitatravelevents.co.uk<br />
Capita <strong>Travel</strong> and Events Limited. Registered office 30 Berners Street, London, W1T 3LR.<br />
Registered in England No. 01094729. Part of Capita plc. www.capita.co.uk. All rights reserved.
ARRIVALS<br />
Welcome<br />
Small but mighty<br />
SMEs are small cogs in the economy but<br />
their output, cumulatively, is mighty.<br />
Moreover, today’s small business is<br />
tomorrow’s big-hitter. TMCs and<br />
suppliers are increasingly wise to the<br />
rich potential of this sector and SMEs<br />
are now better catered to in the travel management arena than ever<br />
before. Find out more in our extended feature on pages 63-84.<br />
Delegates from small and medium-sized businesses typically account for<br />
around half of attendees at <strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Conference. Our annual<br />
two-day event takes place in London on <strong>Sept</strong>ember 17-18 featuring 14<br />
conference sessions and some 60 exhibitors. It's free to attend and there's<br />
still time to register, so what are you waiting for?<br />
Keen-eyed subscribers might have noticed a subtle change when this<br />
issue landed in their laps. While the magazine has been printed on<br />
recycled paper for some time now, this is the first edition to be distributed<br />
in a fully compostable wrapper. Derived from potato starch, it is a<br />
considerably more environmentally friendly alternative to polythene<br />
wrapping. It's a small but important change in the way we operate.<br />
Lastly, this issue marks the end of an era for <strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
and my colleague David Clare – it is his last edition as Publisher. David has<br />
been an instrumental figure at BMI Publishing for more than 20 years. He<br />
oversaw the launch of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> in 2006, has ensured<br />
its ongoing commercial success, and helped develop our wide portfolio of<br />
events. We thank him for his dedication and innovation over the years<br />
and wish him a fond farewell, from myself, Kirsty Hicks and the team.<br />
the<br />
<strong>Business</strong>travel<br />
MAGAZINE<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
EDITOR<br />
Andy Hoskins<br />
andy.hoskins@thebusinesstravelmag.com<br />
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Emma Allen, Catherine Chetwynd, Nick Easen, Linda Fox,<br />
Rob Gill, Ramy Salameh, Jenny Southan & Gillian Upton<br />
JOURNALISTS<br />
Sasha Wood & April Waterston<br />
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS<br />
Julie Baxter & Laura Gelder<br />
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR<br />
Steve Hartridge<br />
SALES<br />
PUBLISHER<br />
David Clare<br />
COMMERCIAL HEAD - BUSINESS TRAVEL<br />
Kirsty Hicks<br />
DESIGN & PRODUCTION<br />
SENIOR DESIGNER<br />
Louisa Horton<br />
DESIGNERS<br />
Ross Clifford, Caitlan Francis & Zoe Tarrant<br />
PRODUCTION & STUDIO MANAGER<br />
Clare Hunter<br />
PRODUCTION ADMINISTRATOR<br />
Steve Hunter<br />
BMI PUBLISHING<br />
MANAGING DIRECTOR<br />
Matt Bonner<br />
CEO<br />
Martin Steady<br />
Andy Hoskins, Editor<br />
(Print) ISSN 1754-8543. THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY<br />
BMI PUBLISHING LTD: SUFFOLK HOUSE, GEORGE STREET, CROYDON,<br />
SURREY, CR9 1SR, UK; E: ENQUIRIES@BMIPUBLISHING.CO.UK;<br />
T: 020 8649 7233; W: BMIPUBLISHING.CO.UK<br />
ALL PAPER USED IN THIS PUBLICATION IS SOURCED FROM SUSTAINABLE<br />
FORESTS AND IS FULLY RECYCLABLE. WHILE EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO<br />
ENSURE ACCURACY, BMI PUBLISHING LTD CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE<br />
FOR ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS. ©BMI PUBLISHING LTD <strong>2019</strong><br />
IMAGES: SOURCED FROM SUPPLIERS, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM<br />
AND BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
5
ARRIVALS<br />
OPENING SHOTS<br />
Eye-catching images of the latest news and developments<br />
<strong>The</strong> rooms have<br />
benefitted from<br />
structural upgrades<br />
along with daring new<br />
feature walls, refreshed<br />
avant-garde furniture<br />
and atmospheric lighting”<br />
W Hotels<br />
suites WOW<br />
<strong>The</strong> W London hotel<br />
has completed a<br />
multimillion-pound<br />
transformation of its<br />
192 guestrooms and<br />
suites, each of them<br />
unique. A "provocative<br />
new look" is paired<br />
with innovative<br />
in-room technology<br />
including DigiValet<br />
tablets that allow<br />
guests to control<br />
various aspects of<br />
their guestroom and<br />
stay at the hotel.<br />
6 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
Native Manchester<br />
north star<br />
Native will open its<br />
largest aparthotel to<br />
date in Manchester<br />
this <strong>Sept</strong>ember. Set<br />
within a Grade II-listed<br />
former cotton mill on<br />
Ducie Street, it has 166<br />
apartments – including<br />
eight penthouses – and<br />
an independent bar,<br />
restaurant and café.<br />
Arboretum<br />
Green giant<br />
London's new meeting<br />
and co-working club<br />
Arboretum is aiming to<br />
be the venue of choice<br />
for eco-conscious<br />
workers in the capital.<br />
Located close to<br />
Trafalgar Square, the<br />
"botanically inspired<br />
haven" is due to open<br />
this summer.<br />
Loews Hotels<br />
GOING Live<br />
<strong>The</strong> new Live! by Loews<br />
concept makes its debut<br />
in Arlington, Texas, this<br />
autumn, with the hotel<br />
group opening a 300-<br />
room property within<br />
the Texas Live! sports,<br />
entertainment and<br />
dining district. Located<br />
between Dallas and Fort<br />
Worth, the hotel has<br />
35,000sqft of meeting<br />
and event space.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
7
ARRIVALS<br />
EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT...<br />
Sustainability<br />
“CLIMATE CHANGE<br />
AFFECTS “TECHNOLOGY EVERY ONE DOESN’T OF US<br />
RESCUE YOU BUT PROVIDES<br />
AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO<br />
CONFIDENCE AND VISIBILITY. YOUR<br />
ENSURING THAT TRANSPORT<br />
TMC SHOULD HAVE THE PROCESS<br />
AND PLAYS PROCEDURES ITS PART TO IN DELIVERING<br />
RUN REPORTS<br />
AND NET HELP ZERO YOU GREENHOUSE REACH THOSE GAS<br />
AFFECTED EMISSIONS BY AN BY INCIDENT”<br />
2050”<br />
Ewan Kassir, Head of Sales, Clarity<br />
Chris Grayling, Former<br />
Transport secretary<br />
“Emissions are calculated differently around<br />
the world and there is little regulation of<br />
offsetting. <strong>Travel</strong> managers know they need<br />
to do it but they don’t know where to start”<br />
Jo-Anne Lloyd, Partner, Nina & Pinta<br />
“WE ARE DETERMINED TO PLAY OUR PART<br />
AND FIND SOLUTIONS TO HELP REDUCE<br />
AVIATION EMISSIONS WHICH CONTRIBUTE<br />
2% OF CO2 EMISSIONS GLOBALLY”<br />
Alex Cruz, Chairman and CEO, British Airways<br />
Sustainability is high on the<br />
agenda but it’s driven by<br />
travellers not travel<br />
managers. Offsetting<br />
is not something<br />
we’re pushing but<br />
it is something<br />
that people want”<br />
Nikki Rogan, Global <strong>Travel</strong> Manager, Synamedia<br />
“INTERNATIONAL CARBON OFFSETTING HAS A CRITICAL ROLE TO PLAY<br />
IN ENABLING AVIATION TO REACH OUR TARGETS. UK AIRLINES ARE<br />
PARTICIPATING IN THE GLOBAL CARBON OFFSETTING SCHEME,<br />
CORSIA, WHICH WILL DELIVER CARBON NEUTRAL GLOBAL<br />
Tim Alderslade, Chief Executive, Airlines UK<br />
AVIATION GROWTH FROM 2020”<br />
“We want to work with government to see what<br />
more we can do in reducing our emissions, including<br />
through modernising UK airspace, investing in<br />
the creation of low-carbon technologies and<br />
delivering sustainable aviation fuels at scale”<br />
Neil Robinson, Chair, Sustainable Aviation<br />
8 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
Delivering what<br />
really matters TM<br />
Technology<br />
that works<br />
Compliance and<br />
cost savings<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>ler safety<br />
and security<br />
Consistent<br />
service worldwide<br />
Direct ATPI combines the power of<br />
leading travel management specialists to<br />
create a scalable solution for multinational<br />
organisations. We offer access to the<br />
influence and consistency of a steadfast<br />
global brand alongside the local knowledge<br />
and sector-specific expertise of an on-theground<br />
travel management company.<br />
Find out more atpi.com
ARRIVALS<br />
THE KNOWLEDGE<br />
How to manage...<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>ling into a conflict zone<br />
When political upheaval or natural<br />
disasters strike, most companies are<br />
moving their staff out. For NGOs and<br />
charities, however, their challenge is<br />
getting staff into the danger zone<br />
the BACKGROUND<br />
In June this year pro-democracy<br />
protestors in Khartoum, Sudan,<br />
were violently dispersed by<br />
gunmen in military fatigues.<br />
While the official death toll was<br />
put at 61, the World Health<br />
Organisation estimates 748<br />
were killed or wounded, while<br />
of the 11 main Khartoum<br />
hospitals, half were shut or partially closed.<br />
THE RESPONSE<br />
While most companies would be seeking to<br />
get all staff out of such circumstances, other<br />
organisations are going<br />
in to offer aid and<br />
assistance. “We<br />
focus exclusively<br />
on arranging<br />
travel for<br />
NGOs and<br />
charities,<br />
specialising<br />
in hard-to-reach destinations,”<br />
says Diversity <strong>Travel</strong>'s President,<br />
Matthew Truin.<br />
“We work with charities such as<br />
Save the Children, the Salvation Army<br />
and International Rescue Committee<br />
to enable workers to reach regions<br />
affected by natural disasters, civil<br />
unrest and epidemics.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> TMC's clients needed to<br />
arrange travel for staff who<br />
provide timely services for victims<br />
of sexual violence, taking in<br />
supplies to support maternal and<br />
neonatal care, and transporting<br />
other staff to provide health<br />
and emergency services.<br />
“We use a 24-hour risk<br />
intelligence system to track<br />
world events, and when we saw this one<br />
unfolding we knew there would be a big<br />
emergency response. Within hours, we were<br />
co-ordinating plans for clients,” says Truin.<br />
THE SOLUTION<br />
In the immediate aftermath of the military<br />
crackdown, scheduled airlines quickly<br />
cancelled services to Khartoum, meaning<br />
the task of getting first responders to the<br />
affected area wasn’t easy.<br />
Flights are usually limited<br />
anyway, and the rapidly<br />
evolving situation on the<br />
ground meant the travel<br />
options changed on a daily<br />
or even hourly basis.<br />
A swathe of further<br />
cancellations across the region meant the<br />
TMC had to look at airports in different<br />
countries and road transport into Sudan.<br />
“Our in-house technology, IQ, allows us<br />
to look at a variety of options through the<br />
selection of partners,” explains Truin.<br />
“Multi-leg journeys, extended layovers and<br />
transferring across airlines are quite<br />
common. Going into places where civil<br />
unrest is unfolding is a daunting experience<br />
for response workers, so our expertise can<br />
help ease concerns for our NGO partners.”<br />
Diversity says having access to an extended<br />
network of trusted travel suppliers and<br />
specialised operators provides clients with<br />
peace of mind, which in turn increases travel<br />
policy compliance. “We’re able to arrange<br />
almost any mode of transport – chartering<br />
aircraft, buses, boats, helicopters,” says Truin.<br />
THE RESULT<br />
An NGO working in the<br />
region at the time of the<br />
unrest said: “As soon as<br />
we realised that violence<br />
had broken out in<br />
Khartoum, we knew we<br />
would need to redirect<br />
our resources into the<br />
area to offer aid and assistance.<br />
In these circumstances, time is always<br />
critical as borders close, perimeters<br />
are set and getting to those in<br />
need becomes even harder.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> spokesperson continues:<br />
“When commercial airlines began<br />
cancelling all flights into Khartoum,<br />
we were worried that we would be<br />
unable to get there but we were able to<br />
enter the city via ground transport instead<br />
and get to work.<br />
“We had a global overview of our<br />
travellers with live-location data,<br />
direct messaging capabilities, travel<br />
data for every booking and instant<br />
travel alerts to advise workers of<br />
emergencies and potential dangers. In<br />
providing these services, we can act<br />
quickly, efficiently and ensure all<br />
communications to and from our<br />
travellers are logged and can be<br />
used to demonstrate compliance<br />
with duty of care obligations.”<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
11
ARRIVALS<br />
SIX OF THE BEST<br />
Six of the best...<br />
Airport lounge operators<br />
Words by April Waterston<br />
1<br />
Plaza Premium<br />
With over 70 lounges worldwide,<br />
Plaza Premium offers shower<br />
rooms, charging stations and<br />
free wifi, as well as comfortable<br />
seating and bars. Select lounges<br />
also offer spa, massage and<br />
beauty services. Frequent visitors<br />
can earn discounts with the<br />
Arrture loyalty programme.<br />
2<br />
3<br />
No 1 Lounges<br />
For those travelling from the UK,<br />
No 1 Lounges can be found at<br />
Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick<br />
and Heathrow. <strong>The</strong> lounges are<br />
designed for “the everyday<br />
traveller”, with fully tended bars,<br />
unlimited wifi and fresh food.<br />
Aspire Lounges<br />
Found throughout Europe and in<br />
Canada, Nairobi and South Africa,<br />
Aspire Lounges can be accessed<br />
by any traveller, no matter the<br />
airline or travel class. You'll find<br />
more Aspire Lounges in the UK<br />
than any other provider.<br />
4<br />
My Lounge<br />
A subsidiary of No 1 Lounges,<br />
there are two My Lounges in<br />
London and one in Brisbane.<br />
<strong>The</strong> loft-style lounges offer a<br />
more casual airport experience,<br />
and the lounge at Gatwick’s<br />
South Terminal is home to the<br />
airport’s only outdoor terrace.<br />
6<br />
Marhaba<br />
If you’re heading east, Marhaba<br />
lounges are available to help you<br />
relax, eat and catch up with work<br />
at airports in Dubai, Singapore<br />
and Australia. You’ll find all the<br />
business services you need as<br />
well as buffets offering<br />
international cuisine and bars.<br />
5<br />
<strong>The</strong> Club<br />
<strong>The</strong> Club lounges are primarily<br />
found in the USA, with two UK<br />
affiliate lounges at Gatwick and<br />
Heathrow. Visit for a comfortable<br />
environment with complimentary<br />
snacks and drinks, televisions,<br />
workstations and free wifi.<br />
12 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
ARRIVALS<br />
EVENT REPORT<br />
BTA Conference<br />
Sustainability in the spotlight<br />
<strong>The</strong> GTMC revealed a new name and<br />
identity at its Netherlands conference<br />
in July, with the organisation moving<br />
forward as the <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Association.<br />
Andy Hoskins reports from the event.<br />
Sustainable travel initiatives are firmly back<br />
on the corporate agenda if sentiment at the<br />
BTA Conference can be presumed to<br />
emanate across the industry.<br />
<strong>The</strong> majority of sessions touched on the<br />
subject at the annual event, which also saw<br />
the organisation unveil its new identity as<br />
the <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Association (see p53).<br />
“We all need to take responsibility for<br />
sustainable growth,” said IATA’s Aleks<br />
Popovich. “We’ve got a good track record [as<br />
an industry] but we need to be stronger if<br />
we’re going to grow sustainably. We need to<br />
deliver more to earn the right to grow.”<br />
Andy Shand (pictured), General Manager<br />
of Customer Affairs at NATS, added that in a<br />
period when the total distance flown in the<br />
UK domestic air space has grown 39%,<br />
emissions have risen by only 20%.<br />
However, he said that UK airspace tools<br />
and procedures need modernising to cope<br />
with traffic growth and, in order to do it<br />
sustainably, the airspace must be managed<br />
much more efficiently. “It needs NATS,<br />
airports and airlines to work together,” he<br />
said. “<strong>The</strong> government does currently<br />
understands the need for change.”<br />
Conservative MP James Heappey claimed<br />
the aviation industry is “disproportionately<br />
blamed for not decarbonising quickly<br />
enough” but added that, in the not-toodistant<br />
future, “we’re going to have to make<br />
a robust case for travelling to do business”.<br />
Birmingham Airport's Aviation Director,<br />
Tom Screen, suggested that airports<br />
should offer incentives to airlines using<br />
greener, more fuel-efficient aircraft.<br />
Jo-Anne Lloyd of business travel<br />
consultancy Nina & Pinta believes APD<br />
could be replaced with a carbon offset tax,<br />
but also indicated a degree of confusion<br />
among travel managers as to how to<br />
address their environmental responsibilities.<br />
“We need simplification,” said Lloyd.<br />
“Emissions are calculated differently around<br />
the world and there is little regulation of<br />
offsetting,” she claimed.<br />
NEW IN THE CHAIR<br />
Suzanne Horner, CEO of<br />
Gray Dawes Group, is the<br />
BTA's new Chair of its<br />
executive board. She takes<br />
over from Paul Allan who<br />
steps down following<br />
Clarity's acquisition<br />
of Ian Allan <strong>Travel</strong><br />
earlier this year.<br />
END OF THE TENDER<br />
“THE RFP PROCESS IS DEAD.<br />
IT CREATES UNNECESSARY<br />
WORK FOR BUYERS<br />
AND SUPPLIERS AND<br />
WE ARE READY TO<br />
GET RID OF IT”<br />
Stephanie Smook,<br />
ACTE’s Regional Director for EMEA<br />
CARBON CONSCIENCE<br />
For its overseas conference<br />
in Noordwijk, Netherlands,<br />
the BTA offset the emissions<br />
of 170 flights from London<br />
to Amsterdam with<br />
ClimateCare,<br />
offsetting 20.47<br />
tonnes of CO2.<br />
14 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
ARRIVALS<br />
SPEAKING OUT<br />
Serviced apartments<br />
<strong>The</strong> Holy Grail of online booking<br />
<strong>The</strong> serviced apartment sector is booming<br />
but live online booking is still a rarity.<br />
Jo Layton of CAP Worldwide explains why<br />
When I ask a buyer what they think utopia<br />
looks like in the extended stay sector, the<br />
answer is often the same: “it’s when a<br />
traveller can view and book their serviced<br />
apartment online, without the intervention<br />
of an agent or consultant”.<br />
However, the desire of the buying<br />
community to book apartments just as they<br />
book hotels is yet to be fully achieved by any<br />
platforms currently available on the market.<br />
I often compare booking apartments online<br />
to booking a meeting or event online. Both<br />
are complex transactions that require lots of<br />
research. Bookers need to understand the<br />
options available, the location, transport,<br />
parking, terms and conditions and more.<br />
And there’s even more to it for apartments:<br />
how to access the unit on arrival, the room<br />
sizes, the particular facilities, views, the local<br />
community, proximity to schools, transport<br />
and more. For a guest staying in a serviced<br />
apartment for several weeks – or months –<br />
the minutiae really matters. <strong>The</strong> details are<br />
all paramount to achieving a successful stay<br />
for the guest, and that’s before you include a<br />
review of the lease and the (sometimes very<br />
confusing) terms and conditions.<br />
If you are booking a hotel room for a<br />
couple of nights and the room doesn’t quite<br />
meet your standards or your needs, it’s<br />
annoying, but if you’ve booked a stay for 28<br />
nights or more and there is no option to<br />
change it on arrival it is a different story.<br />
On the other side of the booking, meanwhile,<br />
the operator is looking to achieve the<br />
optimum length of stay for their units. For<br />
the majority of providers, this would be over<br />
seven nights and ideally a minimum of 30<br />
nights-plus. <strong>The</strong> small gaps in between are<br />
then plugged by loading this distressed<br />
inventory online – but this kind of business is<br />
more expensive to manage for operators in<br />
terms of both administration and servicing.<br />
Add in the fact that online distribution costs<br />
for apartment operators can be high – and<br />
without any guarantee of securing business<br />
– and it becomes clear why online booking<br />
options are currently limited, perhaps in the<br />
best interests of both guests and operators.<br />
Bridging the gap between hotels and longstay<br />
apartments is the growing aparthotel<br />
sector. <strong>The</strong>se properties offer online booking<br />
and amenities such as staffed front desks,<br />
cafés and communal areas, plus, in the units<br />
themselves, basic kitchen facilities and more<br />
If you book a hotel<br />
for a night and it<br />
doesn't meet your standards<br />
it's annoying, but if you've<br />
booked an apartment stay for<br />
28 nights it's a different story”<br />
living space than a hotel. <strong>The</strong>y are usually<br />
found in city centre locations and guests also<br />
have the option to cancel or change a<br />
reservation at late notice.<br />
In contrast, most serviced apartment<br />
providers have built their models in primary<br />
and secondary residential areas, provide<br />
more living space, weekly housekeeping,<br />
limited facilities and more stringent terms<br />
and conditions for cancellations or changes.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are very different business models<br />
and, for travel managers and guests alike,<br />
require different approaches. It is difficult to<br />
build a comprehensive global extended stay<br />
programme that satisfies all stakeholders,<br />
with just aparthotels.<br />
<strong>The</strong> expectations of bookers must be<br />
managed as the reservation experience is<br />
often traded off, wrongly, against suitability<br />
and value. <strong>Travel</strong>lers need to be protected<br />
from the pitfalls of instant gratification, but<br />
operators nonetheless need to make their<br />
apartments as accessible as possible.<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> programmes that incorporate both<br />
options can of course be built, and that is<br />
when you will benefit from working with an<br />
informed agent (like us!) who can help<br />
corporates build a solid programme.<br />
JO LAYTON<br />
Jo Layton is Director of CAP<br />
Worldwide Serviced Apartments.<br />
She formed the company in <strong>2019</strong><br />
after spending nearly 20 years in<br />
the sector. Jo and her leadership<br />
team have identified the<br />
gaps in current global<br />
programmes and have<br />
built CAP to bridge them.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
15
<strong>The</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
TECH HOTLIST<br />
summer sizzlers<br />
Change<br />
MAKERS<br />
New technology can both disrupt and streamline existing<br />
business travel processes.<br />
Nick Easen examines the players<br />
currently shaking up the market<br />
<strong>The</strong> biggest disrupter in the tech<br />
space right now are business<br />
travellers themselves.<br />
Today, we live in an era of great<br />
expectations, fuelled by the ease with which<br />
executives book their holidays. <strong>The</strong>refore,<br />
there’s a drive to bring consumer-style tools<br />
to the corporate market.<br />
“Turning business travel bookings into a<br />
buzz instead of a bore is what it’s all about,”<br />
explains Neil Ruth, Co-founder of Taptrip.<br />
A user experience that’s as fast as doing<br />
a Google search is the goal, and there’s<br />
been a seismic shift in the industry over<br />
the last couple of years towards being able<br />
to deliver this.<br />
At the same time significant venture<br />
capital, VC money, is moving into business<br />
travel globally, creating the perfect storm.<br />
Just ask four-year-old TripActions. It’s<br />
already had a $4billion valuation. Unicorns<br />
are now gamely trotting on to the business<br />
travel scene.<br />
“This is an exciting time for the industry<br />
as more start-ups creep into this space.<br />
Some are working with travel management<br />
companies – others are going direct,” states<br />
Jenny Thornton, Director of Digital Services<br />
at travel management company ATPI.<br />
“Investors are seeing opportunities and<br />
supporting start-ups that are spotting new<br />
niches in the market. For the end traveller<br />
16 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
XXXXX<br />
it’ll mean a much better experience and for<br />
the corporate it creates greater choice.”<br />
New tech-driven solutions are quickly filling<br />
in so-called black holes that have been<br />
poorly served by a highly fragmented<br />
market, whether it’s travel for SMEs, ground<br />
transportation, expense management or<br />
better duty of care programmes.<br />
“Any time that money is invested into the<br />
space it raises the bar and forces the<br />
industry to up its game, which can only<br />
benefit the traveller and their organisation<br />
in the long run,” says Kirk Hayes, Director of<br />
Product Partnerships at SAP Concur.<br />
However, business travel is a hard sector<br />
to crack and there’s a whole ecosystem of<br />
players out there. Not all innovations can be<br />
integrated seamlessly into the industry,<br />
which is pivotal for widespread adoption.<br />
And it is why a lot of disruption occurs at the<br />
fringes rather than at its core. It’s also a<br />
traditionally conservative industry.<br />
“It is easy to say, ‘oh but I can have that on<br />
my favourite leisure site or app,’ but the<br />
reality is that the value chain of business<br />
travel is a lot more complex,” says<br />
Christophe Tcheng, VP of Products &<br />
Platforms at American Express Global<br />
<strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong>.<br />
“You have to consider virtual payments,<br />
travel policy, reporting or expenses. This is<br />
where the opportunity lies. <strong>The</strong> industry goal<br />
is for business travel to be as seamless as<br />
possible,” adds Tcheng.<br />
Recently, there’s been a big focus on<br />
biometrics and AI, including machine<br />
learning, as well as big data and cloud<br />
computing technology. <strong>The</strong> aim is for<br />
greater personalisation and automation in<br />
business travel. Fare tracking and price<br />
forecasting, as well as the use of chatbots to<br />
book travel are also increasingly the norm.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Holy Grail is about demonstrating<br />
ROI and taking traveller experience to the<br />
next level,” explains Valerio Fuschini, VP<br />
Chief Architect at CWT. “Whether it’s costcutting<br />
or revenue-enhancing, the onslaught<br />
of innovation will continue.”<br />
<strong>The</strong>se are exciting times for tech disruptors<br />
and start-ups in the business travel space.<br />
Not all will survive, but it’s a stark warning<br />
for incumbents. “As the market develops,<br />
there will be fewer players, most of whom<br />
will be tech companies,” says Jill Palmer, CEO<br />
of Click <strong>Travel</strong>. “It’s the businesses that blend<br />
technology with a strong track record and<br />
customer service that will make the biggest<br />
difference in the industry.”<br />
It’s also true that the big boys are fighting<br />
back, with the titans of industry investing in<br />
incubating start-ups or improving their own<br />
platforms. A week doesn’t go by when an<br />
airline such as American Airlines – which<br />
has introduced a new management tool for<br />
travel managers – or a hotel group such as<br />
Millennium – which has launched a new app<br />
– announces a new or improved platform to<br />
service corporate clients. Watch this space.<br />
TRAVEL<br />
BOOKING<br />
TOOLS<br />
Taptrip: <strong>The</strong> vast majority of businesses<br />
in the UK are SMEs yet they’re woefully<br />
underserved by any form of managed<br />
business travel. This is where TapTrip<br />
comes in, allowing executives to book via<br />
their phone calendar. It has inventory<br />
around flights, hotels, rail and car services.<br />
It is a self-service travel and expenses<br />
solution facilitating bookings with just one<br />
tap. It was a former finalist at the BTA’s<br />
Entrepreneurs in <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Awards<br />
and was the overall winner at the <strong>2019</strong><br />
Disrupt Awards.<br />
Tripactions: <strong>Business</strong> travel platform<br />
Tripactions is already a unicorn in the US<br />
and is fast moving into the UK after raising<br />
$250million in funding. It’s a hybrid between<br />
a travel management company and an<br />
online booking tool. It currently works with<br />
more than 2,000 customers globally and<br />
claims to reduce booking times from 60<br />
minutes to six minutes.<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>perk: Aggregation is the key word<br />
for this all-rounder start-up, as is seamless<br />
business travel management. <strong>The</strong><br />
<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
17
XXXXX<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
TECH HOTLIST<br />
summer sizzlers<br />
<br />
company has a simple, single platform<br />
that looks and feels like a leisure site. <strong>The</strong><br />
aim is to make business travellers feel good<br />
about the booking process and the idea is to<br />
get away from the legacy booking platforms.<br />
It features a lot of inventory by plugging into<br />
major consumer providers – such as<br />
Booking.com, Expedia and Skyscanner –<br />
and has healthy financial backing. It has<br />
recently launched FlexiPerk to cover booking<br />
changes and cancellations.<br />
Salestrip: Measuring the real ROI of a<br />
business trip can be a real issue. Quantifying<br />
spend against revenues is always a<br />
challenge. Salestrip allows executives to<br />
calculate exactly the return on investment.<br />
<strong>The</strong> all-in-one travel booking system sits on<br />
Salesforce, one of the world’s largest<br />
customer relationship management (CRM)<br />
platforms. It was a shortlisted finalist at the<br />
Disrupt Awards in <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
One to watch: Meetings, events and<br />
travel specialist Inntel has been developing<br />
a new online booking platform called Logic.<br />
It’s been well received by pilot clients who<br />
operate in the financial services, hospitality<br />
and media sectors.<br />
TACKLING<br />
DELAYS AND<br />
DISRUPTION<br />
Lumo: Every business traveller hates being<br />
delayed by bad weather, air strikes or<br />
cancelled flights. This company predicts the<br />
potential issues, hours, days and weeks<br />
before departure using historical data and<br />
machine learning. Lumo then offers up<br />
alternative itineraries that are less likely to<br />
be impacted. Lumo can be seamlessly<br />
integrated into the platforms of TMCs and<br />
has recently teamed up with Flight Centre.<br />
It was a finalist in both this year’s BTA<br />
Entrepreneurs in <strong>Business</strong> awards and last<br />
year’s Disrupt Awards.<br />
Freebird: Rebooking a flight can be a pain<br />
if you are disrupted and miss your business<br />
trip. But if you pay an insurance fee to<br />
Freebird they will help you deal with it. This<br />
can be extremely useful if you’ve got a<br />
complicated series of flights. <strong>The</strong>y guarantee<br />
rebookings with three taps on your mobile<br />
phone and are backed by American Express<br />
Ventures. Users pay per flight and charges<br />
depend on distance flown, the time of year<br />
and user location.<br />
GAINING<br />
GROUND<br />
CONTROL<br />
Your Parking Space: While Airbnb saw<br />
a market for underutilised rooms and<br />
apartments, this company is focused on<br />
another asset – people’s driveways, garages<br />
and empty spaces. <strong>The</strong> online marketplace<br />
has 350,000 of them to rent in the UK via a<br />
user-friendly app, and it can be integrated<br />
into the booking platforms of TMCs. <strong>The</strong> site<br />
made £15million for owners last year and is<br />
working with over 150 businesses. It was<br />
triumphant at this year's Entrepreneurs in<br />
<strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Awards from the BTA. <br />
18 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
Advertisement feature<br />
<strong>The</strong> Most Flexible<br />
<strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong>.<br />
Ever.<br />
<strong>Business</strong> trips get cancelled for endless reasons, most of them out of your<br />
control. FlexiPerk by <strong>Travel</strong>Perk gives you a 90% refund for all cancellations,<br />
no questions asked. <strong>Travel</strong>Perk is Europe’s leading business travel management<br />
platform. Helping de-stress travellers and travel managers is what we love to do.<br />
FlexiPerk is the newest addition to<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>Perk, Europe’s fastest growing<br />
online travel management platform<br />
which offers the world’s largest<br />
travel inventory, automated travel<br />
policies, smooth UX, and consumer<br />
prices alongside 24/7 support.<br />
When booking business trips,<br />
travellers have to choose between<br />
flexible fares that are on average<br />
60% more expensive, or risking the<br />
cost of a cancellation.<br />
With FlexiPerk, businesses pay 10%<br />
of the price of a trip to receive a<br />
90% refund—for any reason. You<br />
can choose to cover trips for all<br />
travellers or just a specific group.<br />
Cancel the entire trip if you need to,<br />
or just one reservation, such as the<br />
hotel, flight, train, or car. With<br />
FlexiPerk, business travel is finally<br />
flexible.<br />
To learn more about FlexiPerk and<br />
sign up for the Beta program, visit<br />
travelperk.com/flexiperk<br />
But for trips whose cancellation<br />
was covered, there are big issues:<br />
• Flexible fares cost on average<br />
60% more than a traditional ticket<br />
• Traditional cancellation coverage<br />
is for illness and injury only<br />
• Some old coverage can be<br />
unavailable to business travelers<br />
FlexiPerk<br />
Key Points<br />
Traditional flexi fares don’t<br />
cover business-related<br />
cancellations<br />
Research shows that cancellation<br />
rates for businesses are<br />
consistently over 20%.<br />
10%<br />
cost per trip.<br />
90%<br />
minimum refund.<br />
No questions.<br />
100%<br />
of trips are<br />
eligible.<br />
All<br />
your travel is<br />
covered. Flights,<br />
trains, hotels, cars.<br />
26%<br />
average savings.<br />
Companies that<br />
love FlexiPerk
XXXXX<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
TECH HOTLIST<br />
summer sizzlers<br />
One to watch: iGo marketplace<br />
consolidates taxi and private hire vehicles to<br />
address the difficulty that UK travel buyers<br />
face in booking the ground transport<br />
elements of a business trip. <strong>The</strong> market is<br />
extremely fragmented and it’s iGo's tech<br />
that is helping to solve this.<br />
MAGNIFICENT<br />
MEETINGS<br />
MEASURES<br />
Asemblr: This online event technology<br />
platform is trying to disrupt the meetings<br />
sector by making it easier and more intuitive<br />
to book events. With this tool you can<br />
manage conferences, trip incentives and<br />
team building events all in one place. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
also offer inspiration, advice and contacts<br />
on their platform. It is backed by <strong>Travel</strong>port<br />
and has recently been adopted by Cresta<br />
<strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong>. It was shortlisted for<br />
the BTA’s Entrepreneurs in <strong>Business</strong><br />
Awards in 2018.<br />
Wizme: This is a smart venue reservations<br />
tool for travel buyers and business<br />
travellers. It connects venues and suppliers<br />
to those that need meeting and event space<br />
and their specific business needs. Wizme<br />
version 2.0 has recently been released for<br />
venues to better manager details, bookings<br />
and event proposals.<br />
TRAILBLAZING<br />
ON RAIL<br />
TRAVEL<br />
Seatfrog: This mobile app allows<br />
passengers to muscle in on a train seat<br />
in first class. By bidding for an upgrade<br />
standard class passengers can often get<br />
cheap access to empty first class seats –<br />
for as little as £10, in fact. Users can do this<br />
via an online auction up to 15 minutes<br />
before departure, with seats released three<br />
hours before the train is to leave. So far<br />
Seatfrog has partnered with the likes of<br />
Virgin Trains and LNER, as well as Capita<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> and Events. It has also won a host<br />
of trade and supplier awards for its<br />
innovative work to date.<br />
Railguard: Few passengers claim for<br />
train delays or cancellations but with poor<br />
punctuality at a record high it’s a growing<br />
issue. This app allows employers to claim<br />
compensation for staff delays which can<br />
amount to 3% of travel costs. <strong>The</strong> traveller<br />
inputs their past or future ticket details<br />
while Railguard monitors trains in real time<br />
via national railway data feeds. It will submit<br />
eligible claims, recoup the money and pay<br />
users their claim minus a 20% fee. It won<br />
the BTA’s Entrepreneurs in <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong><br />
Awards 2018 and was also a finalist at the<br />
Disrupt Awards in <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
20 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
EVENT REPORT<br />
ITMC Summit<br />
<strong>The</strong> need to get ‘rewired’<br />
TMCs from around the world gathered in<br />
the UAE in June for the annual ITMC<br />
Summit where the ‘rewired’ conference<br />
theme tackled the changing face of<br />
travel management, writes Andy Hoskins.<br />
Organised by the WIN Global <strong>Travel</strong><br />
Network, the two-day event was attended<br />
by suppliers and TMCs responsible, between<br />
them, for an estimated US$20billion in<br />
annual business travel spend.<br />
“We’re often threatened and frequently<br />
challenged in a constantly changing<br />
landscape,” said WIN CEO Neil Armorgie in<br />
his opening remarks, as he urged TMCs to<br />
“stand up and fight their corner”.<br />
Festive Road’s Ian Jones urged TMCs to<br />
differentiate themselves from the competition<br />
in order to thrive. “People use a TMC<br />
because they’re told to, not because they<br />
choose to,” he said. “<strong>Business</strong> travellers are<br />
led by loyalty and experience but the<br />
business is price-led. It’s a precarious<br />
business model.”<br />
Jones also discussed the eight types of<br />
TMC his organisation has identified,<br />
including high-touch ‘creme de la creme’<br />
agencies such as Eton <strong>Travel</strong> and Reed &<br />
Mackay, and those ‘holding on to the past’<br />
who don’t have “the will, the skill or the bill<br />
to move forwards”.<br />
Procurement specialist William Pegg<br />
advised TMCs to carefully consider what<br />
business they pitch for. “If the first you hear<br />
about a tender is the invitation then the<br />
likelihood of you winning it is slim,” he said.<br />
He also challenged TMCs to calculate how<br />
much it actually costs them to go through a<br />
tender, to build rapport with potential<br />
clients and to ask questions of the<br />
organisation during the tender process.<br />
“Very few say ‘let’s have a chat’ when they<br />
receive the tender. It doesn’t happen<br />
enough and it’s a great way to build<br />
rapport,” he said.<br />
Meanwhile, John Gray of Rockport Analytics<br />
revealed $1.4trillion was spent on business<br />
travel in 2018 but warned the rate of growth<br />
was slowing – dropping to 3.1% in <strong>2019</strong>,<br />
following growth of 5.7% in 2018 and 5.8%<br />
in 2017. “This year is projected to be the<br />
weakest year for global growth since the<br />
recession,” said Gray.<br />
JOINING THE CAUSE<br />
New WIN Global Partners<br />
include Clyde <strong>Travel</strong> A.B<br />
(Sweden and Nordics),<br />
Options <strong>Travel</strong> (USA),<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>Care<br />
(Portugal),<br />
Oceantur<br />
(Argentina),<br />
CIT and<br />
Kopetro<br />
(Malaysia).<br />
GETTING TOGETHER<br />
THE WIN GLOBAL TRAVEL<br />
NETWORK HAS INTRODUCED<br />
A MEETINGS AND EVENTS<br />
MANAGEMENT SERVICE TO<br />
HELP ITS MEMBERS FULFIL<br />
CLIENTS’ REQUIREMENTS<br />
IN THIS AREA. IT IS A<br />
WHITE-LABELLED FULL-<br />
SERVICE OFFERING.<br />
GLOBAL COVERAGE<br />
WIN is now represented<br />
in 75 countries with 6,000<br />
agency locations. Its<br />
members handle a<br />
combined<br />
turnover in<br />
excess of<br />
US$25billion.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
21
EVENT PREVIEW<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Conference<br />
<strong>The</strong> final countdown...<br />
It’s the final countdown to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Conference <strong>2019</strong>, taking place on<br />
17th-18th <strong>Sept</strong>ember at the Hilton<br />
London Bankside!<br />
<strong>The</strong> event brings together buyers and<br />
suppliers of business travel for a two-day<br />
exhibition and conference programme.<br />
Delegates will be able to dip in and out of<br />
conference sessions that are of interest and<br />
listen from anywhere within the venue via<br />
‘silent conference’ headphones – or simply<br />
meet around 60 leading business travel<br />
and meetings suppliers in the integrated<br />
exhibition space. For the very first time, this<br />
features a Star Alliance meetings zone and<br />
a dedicated travel wellbeing and advice area<br />
in collaboration with a number of partners.<br />
TBTC wellbeing partners<br />
• Naomi Jones of Shizen Nutrition is a<br />
registered Nutritional <strong>The</strong>rapist. Her<br />
mission is to help clients improve their<br />
health and wellbeing to manage their<br />
busy, demanding lives through easilyimplementable<br />
diet and lifestyle advice,<br />
DAY ONE: TUESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER<br />
• Opening keynote: Gillian Keegan MP,<br />
kindly sponsored by Air Europa<br />
• View from the top: a trio of industry<br />
figures reflect on the business travel<br />
sector’s current trends and challenges<br />
• On the button: how to select,<br />
implement and drive<br />
adoption of online<br />
booking tools<br />
• Deals on wheels: find<br />
out how to optimise<br />
your car hire and rail<br />
travel spend<br />
• Sleep talk: is it time for a<br />
change of approach to your<br />
accommodation needs?<br />
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS<br />
DAY TWO: WEDNESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER<br />
• <strong>The</strong> travel manager clinic: three<br />
leading travel managers discuss their<br />
travel programmes and the challenges<br />
they currently face<br />
• Going to market: sourcing the best<br />
TMC for your particular needs<br />
• <strong>The</strong> mavericks: get rogue<br />
travellers under control<br />
and gain compliance<br />
• In safe hands: risk<br />
mitigation, traveller<br />
tracking and duty of<br />
care in the spotlight<br />
• Fit for purpose: making<br />
traveller wellbeing central<br />
to your policy<br />
<strong>The</strong> mission is to<br />
help clients improve<br />
their health and wellbeing<br />
to manage their busy,<br />
demanding lives through<br />
easily-implementable diet<br />
and lifestyle advice”<br />
focusing firstly on boosting their energy and<br />
vitality, and improving resilience during<br />
regular travel to maintain productivity.<br />
Delegates can complete a three-day food<br />
diary to email to her pre-event (download<br />
from the TBTC website) for analysis too.<br />
• Silvia Vizzoni is founder of Trip Unwind<br />
and will be on hand to give delegates an<br />
introduction to mindfulness and meditation.<br />
Trip Unwind works with corporates and<br />
has designed a range of services that help<br />
leaders and employees within the travel<br />
industry to build resilience and live a more<br />
balanced life.<br />
• Small wonders: helping SMEs make<br />
the most of their travel spend<br />
• New kids on the block: discover a<br />
new wave of technology, tools and<br />
TMCs on the market<br />
• Air time: take your air travel spend to<br />
new heights with expert guidance<br />
• Wellbeing advice (group huddles)<br />
• Mindfulness and meditation<br />
• Top nutrition tips for more sustained<br />
energy levels<br />
• Diverse traveller safety<br />
• Drinks Reception and Charity Raffle<br />
Wind down with complimentary drinks<br />
and canapés plus a charity raffle with<br />
fabulous prizes kindly donated by our<br />
exhibitors in aid of London Taxi Drivers’<br />
Charity for Children.<br />
• Wellness advice (group huddles)<br />
• Diverse traveller safety<br />
• Mindfulness and mindful eating<br />
• Closing keynote: Sir Trevor McDonald<br />
brings the conference to a close with a<br />
keynote address<br />
22 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
EVENT PREVIEW<br />
SPONSORS<br />
THE DETAILS<br />
What is TBTC?<br />
Helping organisations<br />
navigate the gender<br />
agenda in the business travel<br />
duty of care space”<br />
• Maiden Voyage is the leading expert in<br />
diverse traveller safety. Erica Toase will be<br />
able to share advice on how organisations<br />
can navigate the gender agenda in the<br />
business travel duty of care space.<br />
Maiden Voyage also provides a range of<br />
online and offline training solutions to help<br />
educate and support female and LGBTQ+<br />
travellers and provide assistance with<br />
shaping diverse corporate traveller policies.<br />
• Gavin Percy is Managing Director of<br />
Winning Edge Consultancy and a mental<br />
health first aider. Following some mental<br />
health issues close to him, Gavin decided<br />
to specialise in mental health first aid<br />
training to improve attitudes to mental<br />
health in the workplace.<br />
He will be able to share how this can<br />
improve morale, loyalty, productivity and<br />
employee wellbeing. Gavin is the nominated<br />
trainer for the HBAA in this area.<br />
• Finally, we are pleased to welcome back<br />
Lloyd Figgins, a former keynote speaker at<br />
TBTC who is Chairman of the TRIP Group.<br />
<strong>The</strong> TRIP Group is made up of like-minded<br />
risk management professionals, who are<br />
responsible for the safety and security of<br />
personnel when they travel overseas.<br />
Members come from a wide variety of<br />
industry sectors, including large<br />
corporations, NGOs, higher education,<br />
government departments and the travel and<br />
tourism industry.<br />
This allows the TRIP group to draw on a<br />
wide range of experience, knowledge and<br />
expertise in order to keep travellers safe.<br />
Delegates will also be able to hear Lloyd on<br />
stage during the In Safe Hands session.<br />
All attendees at TBTC will be able to drop<br />
in and out of the area to catch up with the<br />
companies featured and attend some small<br />
group huddles at allocated times.<br />
TBTC'19's charity of choice<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Conference will be<br />
supporting the London Taxi Drivers’<br />
Charity for Children with a raffle at the<br />
Monday Drinks and Canape reception.<br />
<strong>The</strong> reception is kindly sponsored by<br />
aparthotel group Native.<br />
LTCFC, which began<br />
in 1928, runs annual<br />
outings and funds<br />
appeals for special<br />
needs children<br />
WELLBEING SPONSORS<br />
An intimate exhibition and<br />
conference for bookers, buyers,<br />
arrangers and managers of business<br />
travel and meetings<br />
When?<br />
Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th<br />
<strong>Sept</strong>ember, <strong>2019</strong><br />
Where?<br />
<strong>The</strong> London Hilton<br />
Bankside Hotel,<br />
Great Suffolk Street,<br />
London SE1 0UG<br />
How do I register<br />
for free?<br />
thebusinesstravelconference.com<br />
Find out if you qualify for<br />
a hosted place<br />
Exhibition and<br />
sponsorship<br />
enquiries?<br />
Contact Kirsty Hicks<br />
kirsty.hicks@bmipublishing.co.uk<br />
Tel: 07747 697 772<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
23
EVENT PREVIEW<br />
TBTC'19 EXHIBITORS<br />
HEADLINE SPONSOR<br />
STAR ALLIANCE LAUNCHES<br />
NEW ROUND THE WORLD<br />
BOOKING SITE<br />
Round the World tickets are not just<br />
for the adventurous. More and more<br />
business travellers are discovering the<br />
perks of Round the World tickets for<br />
their duty travel.<br />
In fact, the UK ranks among the top ten<br />
markets for business travel on Star<br />
Alliance Round the World bookings.<br />
When choosing a Star Alliance Round<br />
the World ticket, business travellers<br />
benefit from an excellent priceperformance-ratio<br />
when combining<br />
several duty trips into one, and at the<br />
same time increase their efficiency by not<br />
having to return to the point of origin.<br />
iGo. Anywhere<br />
For example, one of the most popular<br />
routes out of London Heathrow for<br />
business travellers is LHR-NYC-SFO-TYO-<br />
SIN-FRA-LHR.<br />
On its mission to improve the customer<br />
experience, Star Alliance has relaunched<br />
its Round the World booking tool with a<br />
completely new look. Based on customer<br />
feedback, the design is more map-based<br />
and provides a more intuitive experience.<br />
Inspiring images and brief descriptions<br />
of the destinations make it easy to plan<br />
the ideal routing. In just a few easy steps,<br />
Round <strong>The</strong> World or Circle Pacific trips can<br />
be organised and validated. See:<br />
staralliance.com/en/round-the-world<br />
24 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
THE BIG PICTURE<br />
Pricey rides<br />
Switzerland<br />
Think twice before<br />
catching a cab in<br />
Switzerland – it has<br />
been declared the most<br />
expensive destination<br />
for taxi fares worldwide.<br />
<strong>The</strong> average 5km trip<br />
costs £20.25, which is<br />
considerably more than<br />
second-placed Japan<br />
(£13.97). Germany and<br />
the Netherlands were<br />
next most expensive<br />
while the UK was eighth,<br />
according to research<br />
from taxi2airport.com<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
25
awards<br />
meet the winner<br />
Colin Harvey<br />
BCD <strong>Travel</strong>’s Colin Harvey was named Account Manager of the Year<br />
at the <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> People Awards <strong>2019</strong><br />
How did it feel to<br />
be named Account<br />
Manager of the Year<br />
at the awards?<br />
I was immensely proud<br />
and honoured. To be<br />
recognised personally<br />
by our industry on a national level feels such<br />
a huge achievement and is also a great<br />
reflection on the whole AstraZeneca and<br />
BCD <strong>Travel</strong> team.<br />
Why did you enter the awards or how did<br />
you come to be nominated?<br />
I was very humbled to learn that I was<br />
nominated by our global lead at AstraZeneca<br />
to show appreciation and recognition for my<br />
work and contribution to our partnership. It<br />
was really special to find out that they’d<br />
done this for me. My colleague Jill Burnett<br />
was also nominated by our client and it was<br />
amazing to see her win the Reservations<br />
Consultant of the Year category too!<br />
Tell us about your role and the work<br />
you’ve done that clinched the award.<br />
I am the EMEA Regional Program<br />
Manager with the responsibility<br />
of managing the<br />
AstraZeneca/BCD <strong>Travel</strong><br />
program across 35<br />
countries. Although my<br />
remit is regional, I<br />
collaborate on many<br />
global projects. I<br />
constantly challenge<br />
the “business as usual”<br />
thinking, not just looking<br />
at the “so what” but “so<br />
what do we have to do”.<br />
What do you particularly enjoy<br />
about your role in the industry?<br />
I really enjoy the varied nature of my work<br />
and how quickly the industry is changing.<br />
Working with a client who has a desire to<br />
innovate allows me to be creative and offer<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong><br />
People Awards recognise<br />
outstanding individuals<br />
and teams across all aspects<br />
of the supplier element of<br />
corporate travel<br />
leading-edge solutions to optimise their<br />
program and increase traveller satisfaction.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s a real spirit of partnership and<br />
mutual respect across our global team –<br />
we’re constantly challenging ourselves to do<br />
better, but we have fun as well.<br />
What do you think of <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> People<br />
Awards and of the<br />
winners event?<br />
This was my first time<br />
attending these<br />
awards, and I hadn’t<br />
quite realised the size<br />
and scale of the event.<br />
It’s such a great<br />
showcase to recognise<br />
and acknowledge the<br />
amazing talent that is not<br />
often represented. It was<br />
particularly special to share the experience<br />
on the day with the AstraZeneca/BCD <strong>Travel</strong><br />
team. <strong>The</strong> opportunity to spend time with<br />
the other winners on an all-expenses-paid<br />
trip to Boston is a very generous prize.<br />
<strong>The</strong> awards are such<br />
a great showcase to<br />
recognise and acknowledge<br />
the amazing talent that is not<br />
often represented”<br />
What impact do you think winning an<br />
award will have on your career?<br />
It has certainly given me more exposure<br />
both internally and externally and I am sure<br />
this has raised my profile further within BCD.<br />
Knowing that the client recognises and<br />
values your work is very rewarding.<br />
What are some of the biggest challenges<br />
you’re currently facing in your role?<br />
New technologies, changes in distribution<br />
and the amount of disruptors entering our<br />
space constantly challenge us to find new<br />
solutions. Sustainability and traveller<br />
wellbeing are also front and centre right<br />
now. Removing the complexity associated<br />
with all of the above – and exploiting the<br />
opportunities they bring – is essential.<br />
26 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
GALLERY<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong><br />
People Awards <strong>2019</strong><br />
Winners’ trip<br />
to Boston<br />
<strong>The</strong> winners of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong><br />
People Awards <strong>2019</strong> jetted off to<br />
Boston last month for a well-deserved<br />
treat, with flights courtesy of Virgin<br />
Atlantic and Delta Air Lines and<br />
accommodation provided by Loews<br />
Hotels.<br />
<strong>The</strong> People Awards winners’ trip ▼<br />
Boston’s iconic Fenway<br />
Park baseball stadium<br />
Xxxxxx xxxxxxxx ▼<br />
▲ 14.07.<strong>2019</strong><br />
Cheers to all our<br />
<strong>2019</strong> winners!<br />
Having a whale<br />
of a time...<br />
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
27
THE CONVERSATION<br />
Chief Executive Officer, Yotel<br />
HUBERT VIRIOT<br />
<strong>The</strong> distinctive hotel group’s CEO tells Catherine Chetwynd about<br />
its rapid growth after a relatively low-key beginning<br />
Yotel’s recent growth has been<br />
phenomenal. A year and a half ago,<br />
the company had only one hotel in<br />
the US that catered primarily to domestic<br />
New York customers and European guests.<br />
Now there are also Yotels in Boston, San<br />
Francisco and Washington, and a recently<br />
opened tenth US property, in Atlanta.<br />
And expansion is not just restricted to the<br />
US. “<strong>The</strong> announcement in July of our hotel<br />
in Melbourne [planned for 2022] was the<br />
turning point for the organisation. Our<br />
growth is not just wishful thinking, it is a<br />
strategy and it is happening,” says the<br />
group's CEO, Hubert Viriot.<br />
“We are not only a good, efficient operator,<br />
we need to demonstrate operational<br />
synergies across hotels and reach our<br />
customer base. To do that we need to have<br />
multiple properties within the market.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> idea is to follow the same strategy<br />
elsewhere: Australia, where Yotel Melbourne<br />
will be joined by YotelAIR and YotelPAD;<br />
the Far East, in Japan, Singapore and Hong<br />
Kong; and Dubai. By the end of this year<br />
there will be 16 Yotels in operation and by<br />
the end of next year, 24, with the company<br />
on track to have 60 open by 2023.<br />
“Our strategy so far has been to open up<br />
new markets with a flagship, which is what<br />
we have done in New York, Singapore and<br />
Istanbul. <strong>The</strong> next phase of development is<br />
to grow within these markets.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> group's very first properties opened in<br />
2007 at Gatwick and Heathrow airports.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y have since been joined by a property<br />
in Edinburgh (this summer), while Glasgow<br />
and London Clerkenwell will open later this<br />
year and Amsterdam and Porto follow in<br />
<strong>Sept</strong>ember and the year-end respectively.<br />
Yotel destinations are not chosen to fill a<br />
gap in the budget hotel market, they are<br />
based on the group’s target consumer and<br />
“on certain realistic dynamics”, as Viriot puts<br />
it. <strong>The</strong> Yotel customer is urban and well<br />
travelled and, being independent, will go<br />
out to explore their surroundings, so their<br />
requirement is premium accommodation<br />
and limited facilities. Properties are also in<br />
locations that suit Yotel’s investors.<br />
“Two things are unique in our organisation.<br />
We are going through tremendous growth<br />
in a new market segment, so we are building<br />
our own destiny to some extent. We cannot<br />
follow and cannot do what others have<br />
done, and that takes a lot,” Viriot explains.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> second thing that takes a lot is that<br />
we immediately decided to occupy a global<br />
We raised capital<br />
with Starwood three<br />
years ago and frankly, had we<br />
not been located in the UK,<br />
it would have been a much<br />
harder job to achieve”<br />
footprint because our customer is not a<br />
specific nationality. We find him or her in<br />
Sydney, or San Francisco or London or<br />
Paris, so we are meeting the challenges of a<br />
new segment and building a business with<br />
the complexity of doing it across the world.”<br />
Viriot joined Yotel in 2014 and was living in<br />
Dubai at the time. “At the time, Yotel was a<br />
small enterprise – 12 people and four hotels<br />
under management. We could have based<br />
this business anywhere, it didn’t have to be<br />
London, but there were several reasons to<br />
be in London and stay in the UK.<br />
“Firstly, logistics. If you are going to grow a<br />
business into a global concern, the centre of<br />
gravity is London,” he explains.<br />
“Secondly, looking for capital, and that<br />
worked out well. We raised capital with<br />
Starwood three years ago and frankly, had<br />
we not been in the UK, it would have been a<br />
much harder job to achieve,” says Viriot.<br />
“Thirdly, and most importantly, if you are<br />
going to grow a global business, you need<br />
to attract the best talent and where else but<br />
London to do that?”<br />
<strong>The</strong> availability of foreign operational<br />
employees post-Brexit is a concern,<br />
although its new Edinburgh property<br />
opened with a full complement of staff.<br />
“So far, we haven’t suffered much and I<br />
am a great believer that it is not an endgame<br />
and there is a bright future ahead,” says<br />
Viriot. “It might take a few more years than<br />
it would have, but it will all work out.”<br />
28 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
THE CONVERSATION<br />
in brief...<br />
What was it like living in<br />
Bangkok?<br />
Bangkok is one of the best<br />
cities in the world and<br />
Thailand is a fantastic<br />
country – a great market.<br />
Ironically, I was there from<br />
2008 to 2013 when most<br />
of the world was going<br />
through a global financial<br />
crisis. However Thailand<br />
was immune because it<br />
had been the origin of<br />
another crisis in 1997.<br />
As a result, all banks and<br />
companies across the<br />
country were restructured<br />
between 1997 and 2008,<br />
and had very healthy<br />
balance sheets, which is<br />
why we were going through<br />
tremendous growth – triple<br />
digits year on year. It was a<br />
great experience. Also, that<br />
background has helped me<br />
understand how developers<br />
think and what is important<br />
for them; that has facilitated<br />
our growth to date.<br />
HUBERT VIRIOT<br />
Hubert Viriot joined YOTEL in May 2014 to roll out an<br />
aggressive growth strategy targeting key city centres<br />
and international airports worldwide. Prior to this, he<br />
was CEO of Raimon Land PLC, a real estate developer<br />
listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. During his<br />
four-year tenure, Viriot orchestrated its successful<br />
turnaround and increased the company’s development<br />
portfolio from $200m to $1.1bn. Previously, he spent<br />
four years as VP of Investments & Acquisitions with<br />
IFA Hotels & Resorts, YOTEL’s parent company, and<br />
five years with global consulting firm HVS.<br />
What do you do when<br />
you are not 'yotelling'?<br />
That doesn’t leave much<br />
time! I don’t know whether<br />
it’s a good idea but I don’t<br />
have a very clear border<br />
between work and not<br />
work. This is the second<br />
business I’m growing and<br />
I know how much it takes<br />
– and so does my family.<br />
My job and personal life<br />
involve a lot of travel. Most<br />
of my spare time is spent<br />
with my wife and two kids,<br />
letting them get used to a<br />
normal lifestyle and trying<br />
to build a social life in<br />
fantastic London, which I<br />
am very much enjoying.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
29
UK hotel groUps<br />
Right at<br />
hoMe<br />
<strong>The</strong> UK hotel industry is facing a number of Brexit-related<br />
challenges but has received a timely boost from the<br />
government. Catherine Chetwynd charts the changes<br />
In June, the UK government announced<br />
it would be making a significant<br />
investment in tourism and hospitality<br />
to help reaffirm “the UK’s global role as a<br />
key player in the industry”.<br />
It has committed to adding 130,000 new UK<br />
hotel rooms by 2025 – 75% of which will be<br />
outside London – and to deliver 10,000 new<br />
apprenticeships in the sector every year.<br />
In addition, it will invest in broadband<br />
connectivity for UK conference centres to<br />
boost business travel and develop a strategy<br />
to grow off-season travel.<br />
easyHotel<br />
<strong>The</strong> positive news for this important<br />
economic sector comes at a time when the<br />
prospect of leaving the European Union is<br />
causing headaches for many hoteliers.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> biggest concern that Brexit brings for<br />
the hospitality sector is how it could affect<br />
staffing,” says SVP Hotel Solutions for BCD<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>, April Bridgeman. “Hotels in the UK<br />
rely heavily on overseas workers, many from<br />
other EU states. If that labour force leaves,<br />
by choice or by policy, hotels will face a<br />
shortage of labour and if that has to be filled<br />
by local staff, costs will go up which, in turn,<br />
will increase room rates.”<br />
Brexit isn't all bad<br />
However, Advantage <strong>Travel</strong> Partnership’s<br />
Hotels Market Report (January to March)<br />
shows a positive picture compared to 2018:<br />
UK room nights were up 5.1%, London room<br />
nights up by 5%, Portsmouth up 68% and<br />
York up 82%. In addition, a further ten towns<br />
showed a growth of more than 20%.<br />
London remains buoyant and seems to be<br />
a microclimate amid the rest of the country.<br />
Hotel numbers continue to grow apace and<br />
as soon as they open, beds fill up and<br />
average room rates climb. Bookers are<br />
getting wiser about booking in advance but<br />
high demand is putting pressure on<br />
corporate relationships. Conventional<br />
wisdom might dictate that with properties<br />
springing up all over the country and<br />
business slowing down, that competitive<br />
corporate rates should be plentiful. However,<br />
the problem is not negotiating them, it is<br />
being able to use them.<br />
“In London, hotels are happy to give good<br />
rates but they are apprehensive about how<br />
much volume corporates are going to give,”<br />
says Managing Director of Sirius<br />
Management, Tom Stone. “You might think<br />
the more business a company gives a hotel,<br />
the cheaper it’s going to be, but the pace in<br />
London is so great that a hotel will give a<br />
rate on only 100 or 1,000 room nights, not<br />
for the 30,000 a buyer can potentially give.<br />
“And there is an elephant in the room. A lot<br />
of hotels that work with corporates want to<br />
do so on the basis of longevity and as a<br />
partnership but hotels in London are<br />
generally privately owned and managed by<br />
chains. This means owners are constantly<br />
putting pressure on management teams –<br />
the GM, revenue manager or sales manager<br />
– to deliver higher yield on the rooms and<br />
that sometimes doesn’t lead to a feeling of<br />
partnership with a corporate. <strong>The</strong>re is<br />
nowhere outside London where occupancies<br />
are so high that that applies,” he says. <br />
30 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
UK hotel groups<br />
With new properties<br />
springing up all over<br />
the country and business<br />
slowing down, you'd think<br />
competitive corporate rates<br />
should be plentiful”<br />
Hand Picked Hotels'<br />
Stanbrook Abbey<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
31
UK hotel groUps<br />
<strong>The</strong> ongoing<br />
uncertainty of Brexit<br />
presents clear challenges.<br />
Never has it been more<br />
important to ensure your<br />
brand is as strong as possible”<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>odge<br />
Leonardo Royal St Paul's<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are, however, cities that are<br />
benefiting from London's ripple effect,<br />
which extends to Reading, Bristol and Milton<br />
Keynes, where rates have remained stable.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is also considerable construction in<br />
Manchester, although there is not yet any<br />
suggestion of oversupply.<br />
In addition, “Birmingham is one to watch,”<br />
says Managing Partner for Black Box<br />
Partnership, Leigh Cowlishaw. “<strong>The</strong>re has<br />
been a lot of investment in regeneration of<br />
key areas, it is a central location that people<br />
want to visit and the NEC pulls in crowds<br />
who need to stay overnight.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re has also been government<br />
investment in infrastructure, with HS2<br />
pending, and this all points towards strong<br />
city growth. Traffic through the airport is also<br />
increasing, with more international direct<br />
flights, and the New Street hub has excellent<br />
links with the rest of the country.”<br />
Group growth plans<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>odge is growing exponentially, while<br />
there is an increase in mid- to high-range<br />
hotels too. “<strong>The</strong>re are a lot of groups<br />
focusing on the UK domestic market and<br />
doing very well,” says Tom Stone.<br />
Evidence includes the 17 hotels <strong>Travel</strong>odge<br />
expects to open in the UK, in locations that<br />
include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool,<br />
London, Marlow, Solihull and Swindon, with<br />
an investment of around £115million. It will<br />
continue to roll out <strong>Travel</strong>odge Plus, its<br />
‘budget chic’ model, having just opened its<br />
seventh in Marlow-on-Thames, while its<br />
'premium economy' SuperRooms are now<br />
available in 50 hotels, with facilities that<br />
include Lavazza coffee machines, USB power<br />
outlets, hairdryer and irons.<br />
“Since <strong>Travel</strong>odge started its modernisation<br />
programme more than five years ago, it has<br />
opened 60-plus hotels and invested more<br />
than £150million in improving quality and<br />
choice, while staying true to its budget<br />
roots,” says spokeswoman Shakila Ahmed.<br />
“Sales have grown by more than<br />
£250million, fuelled by a rise in corporate<br />
and SME business. More than 50% of<br />
customers are business travellers.”<br />
<strong>The</strong>se guests benefit from <strong>Travel</strong>odge<br />
<strong>Business</strong>, a new business account card with<br />
features that include a guaranteed 5%<br />
discount on all flexible rate bookings, up to<br />
six weeks' interest free credit, a monthly<br />
consolidated VAT invoice, and room<br />
allocation on quiet business floors.<br />
An abundance of openings<br />
Bespoke Hotels owns and manages 76<br />
properties in the UK and has taken on<br />
agreements for five more. In 2020, it will<br />
open Hotel Brooklyn in Manchester with 120<br />
rooms, Coventry Evening Telegraph Hotel<br />
(66) and Hotel Gotham, Glasgow (56).<br />
<strong>The</strong> company offers reduced corporate<br />
rates to organisations with a high volume<br />
of demand in a specific location and<br />
participates in agency and consortium<br />
programmes nationally.<br />
<strong>The</strong> impact of Brexit is mixed, with the low<br />
value of sterling attracting leisure visitors<br />
from the rest of Europe and keeping Brits at<br />
home. But Managing Director Operations,<br />
Graham Marksell, says: “<strong>The</strong> corporate and<br />
conference markets have weakened as<br />
businesses became nervous about the future<br />
and companies have focused their resource,<br />
both in people and finance, on securing their<br />
Brexit strategies.”<br />
With five hotels in the UK – located in<br />
Glasgow (two), Edinburgh, Leeds and<br />
Manchester, which opened this year –<br />
Dakota Hotels is now looking at locations<br />
such as Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol,<br />
Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, the<br />
M4-corridor, Manchester Airport, Newcastle,<br />
Oxford and central London.<br />
<strong>The</strong> group aims to deliver luxury hotels and<br />
restaurants at accessible prices, stimulating<br />
interest from higher management and<br />
C-Suite executives. It does not offer<br />
corporate schemes.<br />
“We focus on recognition and build<br />
personal relationships, ensuring that every<br />
guest’s experience is exceptional – our<br />
ultimate goal is complete satisfaction,” says<br />
Group Director Andrew Overstone.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> ongoing uncertainty of Brexit presents<br />
clear challenges in terms of planning ahead.<br />
Never has it been more important to ensure<br />
your brand is as strong as possible.”<br />
Scottish-based Apex has ten hotels in<br />
London (3), Bath, Edinburgh (4), Glasgow and<br />
Hub by Premier Inn<br />
32 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
UK hotel groUps<br />
Apex City of London<br />
Dundee. <strong>The</strong> group is not planning to<br />
expand but instead spent £12million last<br />
year on improvements to the portfolio,<br />
including £6million on restoring and<br />
refurbishing an extension to the Apex<br />
Temple Court Hotel on Fleet Street, London,<br />
adding five suites, large deluxe bedrooms, a<br />
wine bar and two private dining rooms.<br />
<strong>The</strong> group’s Bath property opened in 2017<br />
with 177 bedrooms and the city’s only<br />
purpose-built city centre conference facility.<br />
Since then the property has hosted more<br />
than £1million of business.<br />
Brexit has inevitably had an effect:<br />
“Booking windows from the US have<br />
shortened from six to eight weeks to three<br />
to four weeks, particularly in London,” says<br />
Commercial Director Clinton Campbell. “And<br />
across the portfolio, properties have seen<br />
lead times decrease year-on-year, sitting at<br />
approximately 17 days.”<br />
In London, Apex saw a slowing of corporate<br />
bookings in Q1, leading up to the original<br />
Brexit deadline, and although business has<br />
picked up, Campbell says it could see a similar<br />
pattern later in the year as the new deadline<br />
looms. However conference bookings across<br />
the group have changed from seasonal to a<br />
“steadier stream month to month”.<br />
EasyHotel has 13 hotels in the UK and in<br />
the past 12 months opened in Leeds,<br />
Sheffield, Ipswich and Milton Keynes; its<br />
flagship property in London’s Old Street<br />
reopened in July after a full renovation. Next<br />
off the blocks are Chester, Cardiff, Oxford<br />
and Blackpool, with Cambridge and Bristol to<br />
follow, subject to planning consent.<br />
Boutique options<br />
Country house hotel group Hand Picked<br />
Hotels has 19 properties and there has been<br />
recent growth in corporate bookings at<br />
Bailbrook House Hotel in Bath (35%),<br />
Crathorne Hall Hotel in North Yorkshire (6%),<br />
and at two properties in Surrey: Nutfield<br />
Priory Hotel & Spa in Redhill (30%) and<br />
Woodlands Park Hotel, Cobham (8%).<br />
Corporate rates are available for<br />
businesses giving the right volume of<br />
bookings and members of the company’s<br />
Privilege Rewards programme get 5% to<br />
10% discounts on room rates.<br />
Malmaison and Hotel du Vin are owned by<br />
Singaporean company Frasers Hospitality<br />
and the 29 properties that comprised the<br />
brands when it acquired them in 2015 have<br />
grown to 35, with a goal of 50 by 2022.<br />
Malmaisons open in Edinburgh late this<br />
year, York in 2020, and in Bournemouth and<br />
Manchester in 2021. A number of projects<br />
for Hotel du Vin are also on the cards.<br />
“Corporate bookings in today’s world are<br />
more and more difficult to track because a<br />
lot come through online channels – that<br />
makes up some 70% of our business,” says<br />
CEO of EMEA, Guus Bakker.<br />
“Malmaison, in particular, remains a strong<br />
brand for corporate bookings. We have Work<br />
and Play meeting spaces in a number of<br />
hotels and we are developing it in others, to<br />
provide smaller flexible spaces. Up to 40% of<br />
our business is corporate in Malmaison.<br />
“Trading in the UK has challenges:<br />
uncertainty around Brexit is not helpful but<br />
at some stage it will improve and then at<br />
least there will be clarity. It has had an<br />
impact on confidence and we continue to <br />
Premier Inn<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
33
UK hotel groUps<br />
[ WHO OFFERS WHAT ]<br />
Apex Hotels: will have invested £12million in<br />
its portfolio of ten properties by the end of<br />
<strong>2019</strong>, including a £6m project to restore and<br />
refurbish Apex Temple Court on Fleet Street.<br />
Bespoke Hotels: owns and manages<br />
76 properties in the UK, including new<br />
agreements for five hotels in the past 12<br />
months. It will add three more in 2020 in<br />
Manchester, Glasgow and Coventry in time for<br />
the city’s year as UK City of Culture.<br />
Dakota Hotels: has only five properties to<br />
date but is looking for new sites.<br />
Dakota Hotels<br />
feel that in consumer spending,” he says.<br />
“For the time being, we are consolidating and<br />
making sure we optimise the management<br />
of our existing portfolio within the UK, rather<br />
than spreading ourselves thin and going<br />
abroad,” says Bakker.<br />
Industry challenges<br />
Bakker’s comment about booking channels<br />
reflects the increasing tendency for buyers to<br />
move away from RFPs, as Tom Stone<br />
explains. “<strong>The</strong>y still play an important role<br />
but people are wise to savings that can be<br />
achieved through dynamic pricing and most<br />
organisations might, typically, have a<br />
preferred rate and then underpin that by<br />
charging the TMC to see what’s available on<br />
booking.com or Expedia that will potentially<br />
undercut their negotiated rate,” says Stone.<br />
“I also think there is a move to see whether<br />
the hotel RFP can be done on a biannual<br />
basis rather than annually – it is very labour<br />
intensive,” he says. “<strong>The</strong> trick is to try and<br />
factor in an agreed increase. This might be<br />
Brexit has stimulated<br />
conversation and<br />
debate regarding the future<br />
of our country, creating<br />
positive engagement”<br />
the rate of inflation or the cost of living<br />
index. I think that’s possible in some markets<br />
but very difficult in markets like London –<br />
hoteliers want the ability to increase rates if<br />
the market dictates,” Stone explains.<br />
WIN Global <strong>Travel</strong> Network's CEO Neil<br />
Armorgie adds: “<strong>The</strong> top challenges facing<br />
the hotel industry are similar to other<br />
industries: uncertainty with the slowdown of<br />
the global economy; rising costs in salaries<br />
and utilities; the trade tariff wars between<br />
China and the USA, and the still unresolved<br />
Brexit negotiations.”<br />
He continues: “So despite the strong start<br />
to the year for our members, there are signs<br />
that overall economic growth could have an<br />
effect on slowing hotel booking volumes<br />
through the rest of the year. That, and<br />
increased supply in the UK, will mean that<br />
hotel rates will flatten and could even drop.”<br />
Dakota's Andrew Overstone ends on a<br />
positive note. “Brexit's impact, so far, has<br />
been quite encouraging. It has stimulated<br />
conversation and debate regarding the<br />
future of our country, creating genuine<br />
dialogue and positive engagement.<br />
“People are actively considering the<br />
position of the UK, which affects their day to<br />
day decisions. With last year’s glorious<br />
summer, and the recent spell of sunshine,<br />
people have definitely seen the benefit of the<br />
great British staycation, which has definitely<br />
been positive for the UK hotels industry.”<br />
EasyHotels: has an aggregate 37 owned and<br />
franchised hotels in the UK and Europe, four<br />
of which opened in the UK in the past year. Its<br />
pipeline comprises another five, with two<br />
subject to planning consent.<br />
Hand Picked Hotels: last year upgraded and<br />
relaunched its loyalty programme as Privilege<br />
Rewards, with new awards that include<br />
exclusive room rate discounts and upgrades.<br />
Hotel du Vin & Malmaison: is aiming for<br />
50 properties by 2022, from the current<br />
19 (Hotel du Vin) and 16 (Malmaison).<br />
Jurys Inn & Leonardo: has properties in over<br />
30 cities in the UK and Ireland. It acquired<br />
and rebranded four Grange Hotels in London<br />
earlier this year.<br />
Macdonald Hotels: over 35 luxury hotels<br />
across the UK and is particularly strong<br />
in Scotland.<br />
Premier Inn: has over 800 hotels across<br />
the UK and Ireland, plus sub-brands<br />
Zip (just one so far, in Cardiff) and Hub<br />
(in London and Edinburgh).<br />
Q Hotels: having launched in 2003 with two<br />
hotels, it now manages 21 across the UK.<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>odge: has more than 560 hotels and<br />
aims to open another 17 in <strong>2019</strong>. Also has a<br />
£100million expansion plan, targeting the<br />
UK's largest conference locations.<br />
Village Hotels: has 30 hotels across the UK;<br />
strong in the North and Midlands.<br />
Z Hotels: 13 hotels offering 'affordable luxury'<br />
in London, Glasgow and Liverpool.<br />
34 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
Isn’t it time you started saving with the<br />
BEST BUDGET<br />
HOTEL BRAND?<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>odge SuperRoom <br />
<strong>Travel</strong>odge Standard Room<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>odge PLUS Bar Café<br />
We know what business travellers are looking for.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y want great locations – we have over 560.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y want a blissful sleep – we give them a comfy king size bed so they’re ready to take on tomorrow.<br />
And they want great savings – so we make sure their budget works as hard as they do.<br />
So go on, discover how <strong>Travel</strong>odge takes care of business and start saving now.<br />
To find out more visit travelodge.co.uk/best<br />
travelodge.co.uk
GALLERY<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong><br />
People Awards <strong>2019</strong><br />
Winners’ lunch<br />
Raising a glass<br />
to success!<br />
People Awards winners’ lunch ▼<br />
All the winners from <strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>Travel</strong> People Awards <strong>2019</strong> were<br />
hosted at a celebratory lunch courtesy<br />
of Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts at <strong>The</strong><br />
Shard in June. On a beautiful clear<br />
day, the winners were treated to a<br />
Champagne reception, three-course<br />
meal and some stunning views.<br />
▲ 28.06.<strong>2019</strong><br />
All seated and ready to tuck<br />
in to a three-course feast!<br />
Awesome views from<br />
the London landmark<br />
36 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
MEET THE BUYER<br />
meet<br />
PRADEEP NAIR<br />
Pradeep Nair is Director of Global Procurement at the NBA. He tells us about<br />
his organisation’s evolving use of data to inform its travel programme<br />
I’ve been in my role for two years and<br />
have been in procurement for much<br />
longer. I’m based in New Jersey and travel<br />
management takes up around half of my<br />
time. <strong>The</strong> NBA is a global sports and media<br />
business built around four professional<br />
sports leagues: <strong>The</strong> National Basketball<br />
Association, the Women’s National<br />
Basketball Association, the NBA G League<br />
and the NBA 2K League.<br />
Approximately 60% of our travel spend<br />
is on domestic travel. We use an online<br />
booking tool and have a very high adoption<br />
rate. <strong>The</strong> transformation of business travel<br />
started last year for us, in 2018. We’re<br />
enhancing three things: the traveller<br />
experience, the policy and our contracts.<br />
Central to all this are our travellers – they<br />
are partners in this change.<br />
Data and technology are evolving at an<br />
exponential rate and we want to leverage<br />
these to transform business travel. We<br />
want to provide a great experience to our<br />
travellers and reduce the cost of travel by<br />
aggregating and consolidating data.<br />
One of our biggest challenges in doing<br />
this was that we had 13 sources of data,<br />
internally and externally, and they were<br />
fragmented and not normalised. <strong>The</strong> next<br />
question was whether to develop an<br />
in-house tool or to use third-party<br />
technology to bring it all together to get<br />
a true picture of our travel spend.<br />
We chose to do it in-house because we<br />
had the resources and skills. It gave us<br />
flexibility and produced a solution based on<br />
our specific needs, enabling us to make factbased<br />
changes to policy and contracts. It<br />
took eight months to build but I was working<br />
on it as a concept for a year before that.<br />
Our Enterprise Data Warehouse, as the<br />
tool is called, is a one-stop shop for all our<br />
sources of data. <strong>The</strong>y all feed into it and<br />
from there reports and analytics are<br />
generated. <strong>The</strong>re is a dashboard for senior<br />
level reporting for CFOs and the leadership<br />
team. And we can drill down to individual<br />
travellers or trips to look at advance<br />
booking behaviour, booking method, high<br />
value tickets, cabin class, lost savings,<br />
number of days travel, and a whole lot<br />
more. We can also move boundaries and<br />
see what the impact would be of making<br />
certain changes to policy.<br />
We also now have real-time savings<br />
alerts through a third party partner<br />
which highlights the potential savings<br />
through rebooking between the time of the<br />
initial booking and the time of travel. We’ve<br />
saved more than a million dollars using this.<br />
What we have achieved so far has<br />
worked because we have involved people<br />
right from the start, and we’ve achieved<br />
pretty good results. We’ve seen a 10%<br />
reduction in our travel costs and very high<br />
traveller satisfaction.<br />
We really listen to our travellers. Getting<br />
feedback is so important, so we conduct<br />
regular traveller surveys. <strong>The</strong>se are targeted<br />
at the people who are travelling frequently.<br />
We’ve had more than an 80% response rate<br />
– and 93% favourable response – because<br />
people know they’ll be listened to and that<br />
we’ll take action.<br />
We’re not done yet! This is an ongoing<br />
process and we continue to evaluate the<br />
information. What works today might not<br />
work tomorrow, so we have to keep<br />
abreast of change.<br />
We really listen to our<br />
travellers. Getting<br />
feedback is so important, so<br />
we conduct regular surveys.<br />
We've had more than an 80%<br />
response rate because people<br />
know they'll be listened to”<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
37
TECHNOLOGY<br />
[ Delays and disruption ]<br />
Smooth landings<br />
Airlines are adopting new technology to help alleviate the<br />
stress around airline disruptions, writes Linda Fox<br />
All corporate travellers will have<br />
suffered them at one time or<br />
another, be it because of weather<br />
events, tech problems or something else,<br />
but flight delays are a bind whatever<br />
form they take.<br />
One airline taking action is Cathay Pacific,<br />
which began looking at how it might<br />
mitigate the disruption caused by typhoons<br />
in its home region. <strong>The</strong> airline says it<br />
wanted to take a customer-centric approach<br />
to something that can impact as many as<br />
100,000 passengers if flights have to be<br />
cancelled for one day.<br />
Josh Rogers, Head of Airport Customer<br />
Service at Cathay Pacific, says the airline<br />
dealt with 31 typhoon-related events last<br />
year alone. Speaking at the Amadeus Airline<br />
Executive Summit, held in Istanbul in June,<br />
he said the carrier opted for a “designthinking<br />
approach” by asking itself<br />
questions around how it can improve the<br />
experience for passengers, employees and<br />
the airline’s operations.<br />
What Cathay ended up with was a threepronged<br />
solution, with Amadeus Passenger<br />
Recovery technology used to optimise how<br />
disruptions are handled, 15Below used for<br />
communications, and a chatbot tool called<br />
Vera developed with Accenture to help<br />
passengers rebook their flights.<br />
With this technology in place, the hope is<br />
that when a typhoon is expected, the airline<br />
can plan ahead more effectively.<br />
For example, customers on non-essential<br />
travel have the opportunity to change their<br />
plans ahead of time and will receive an<br />
email with options and a link to the chatbot.<br />
<strong>The</strong> chatbot is then able to rebook their<br />
preferred flight in four steps.<br />
In the aftermath of disruption, the airline<br />
is hoping that the same four steps to book<br />
will prevent the chaotic scenes at the airport<br />
that have made media headlines in the past.<br />
<strong>The</strong> airline has so far trialled the solution,<br />
with all passengers on a cancelled Hong<br />
Kong to Shanghai flight rebooked within six<br />
to eight minutes. Scenarios are already<br />
being run for when typhoon season hits.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next step is to work with Amadeus to<br />
use the Vera chatbot to help with rebooking<br />
passengers that booked via a travel agency<br />
or other third party, rather than direct.<br />
Lufthansa, however, says that it has no<br />
email or contact details for about 20% of its<br />
passengers and hopes that it can address<br />
this challenge, as well as handle disruption<br />
more effectively, by equipping its staff with<br />
the Amadeus Airport Companion application.<br />
Ultimately, the airline’s vision is to remove<br />
counters and check-in desks and have<br />
roaming staff at its airports with the app<br />
able to check them in, handle transfers in a<br />
disruption and sell ancillaries, among other<br />
various duties.<br />
Initially, however, the app is<br />
focused on helping Lufthansa’s<br />
passengers during disruption.<br />
Also speaking at the Amadeus<br />
event, Vicky Scherber, Senior<br />
Director of Passenger and Baggage<br />
Processes for Lufthansa Group,<br />
said: “In ten years time there will<br />
be less desks and counters.<br />
We want to mobilise our agents<br />
to give them the tools because a<br />
lot of the time the passenger<br />
knows more about the status<br />
of a flight than<br />
the employee,<br />
so we really<br />
need to enable<br />
the colleague<br />
to make a<br />
positive impact.”<br />
Scherber added<br />
that some education is also<br />
required, with the airline<br />
discovering in tests that between<br />
50% and 70% of passengers<br />
queueing at a service desk have<br />
already been rebooked.<br />
We want to mobilise<br />
our agents and give<br />
them the tools because a lot of<br />
the time the passenger knows<br />
more about the status of a<br />
flight than the employee”<br />
38 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
EVENT REPORT<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors conference<br />
<strong>The</strong> human touch<br />
Client relationships, technology and the<br />
‘human touch’ were among the key<br />
themes discussed at <strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors’<br />
business travel conference in June.<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors’ biggest corporate travel<br />
conference to date saw nearly 200 business<br />
travel specialists and supplier partners<br />
gather in Birmingham for the two-day event.<br />
Opening the event, CEO Steve Byrne said<br />
the organisation – which specialises in the<br />
SME sector – aims to continue its doubledigit<br />
growth over the next five years.<br />
“Each year up to 300 people across the<br />
globe become entrepreneurs through <strong>Travel</strong><br />
Counsellors, running their own corporate<br />
travel businesses from home or shared<br />
offices, supporting their clients to make up<br />
to 150,000 trips to 175 countries across the<br />
globe,” said Byrne.<br />
“We’ve seen 18% global growth year-onyear<br />
for corporate travel, winning £22million<br />
in new business in the last 12 months<br />
alone. This growth trajectory is in no small<br />
part due to the trusted relationships you<br />
create with your clients, and the care and<br />
dedication you show each day to ensure<br />
they enjoy seamless travel and booking<br />
experiences,” he added.<br />
Meanwhile, <strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors Director<br />
of Digital and Innovation, Waseem Haq,<br />
discussed the organisation’s technology<br />
developments. “<strong>The</strong> biggest trend we’re<br />
seeing from our corporate travel clients is<br />
the desire for an increasingly ‘mobile’<br />
experience,” said Haq.<br />
“60% of our customers use mobile travel<br />
apps and find push alerts incredibly useful<br />
to support frictionless journeys. With 81% of<br />
our customers favouring voice search on<br />
mobile too, we’re continuously looking for<br />
opportunities to incorporate artificial<br />
intelligence where it enhances our client’s<br />
experiences with us,” he explained.<br />
Haq said that the company's bespoke<br />
technology platform Phenix continues to<br />
receive £2.5million in investment per year,<br />
with the booking system set to become an<br />
intelligent tool that will recommend<br />
personal itineraries according to client<br />
booking behaviour.<br />
Virgin Atlantic & Delta Air Lines were<br />
headline sponsors of the annual event.<br />
NUMBERS UP<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors<br />
generates turnover of more<br />
than £220million a year<br />
and has over 1,800 travel<br />
franchisees supported by<br />
400 staff across<br />
its Manchester<br />
headquarters<br />
and six<br />
overseas<br />
offices.<br />
DOING IT RIGHT<br />
“TRAVEL COUNSELLORS<br />
WILL CONTINUE TO BE<br />
SUCCESSFUL BY ALWAYS<br />
DOING THE RIGHT THING BY<br />
PEOPLE, SUPPORTING THE<br />
COMMUNITIES WE WORK<br />
WITHIN AND THE PLACES<br />
OUR CLIENTS TRAVEL TO.”<br />
Steve Byrne, CEO, <strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors<br />
MEETINGS UP<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors<br />
reported an 80% increase<br />
in sales attached to MICE<br />
activities in the first half<br />
of this year in comparison<br />
to the<br />
same<br />
period<br />
last<br />
year.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
39
PAYMENTS & EXPENSES<br />
On the<br />
MONEY<br />
Payment processes are set for a shake-up this autumn,<br />
writes Gillian Upton, while virtual cards and expense<br />
management systems continue to gain traction<br />
<strong>The</strong> prospect of Mark Zuckerberg’s<br />
Facebook influencing the global<br />
economy with an alternative<br />
financial system based on Libra, its<br />
crypto currency, is sending shockwaves<br />
throughout the world’s banking system.<br />
It’s probably second only to concerns over<br />
the readiness of the European market for<br />
the new European security legislation,<br />
Strong Consumer Authentication or SCA,<br />
intended to launch this <strong>Sept</strong>ember.<br />
For the UK at least, the Financial Conduct<br />
Authority (FCA) recognises the challenges of<br />
meeting the autumn deadline of what is<br />
also known as the PSD2 directive, a twofactor<br />
authentication (PIN code, password,<br />
available device, biometric data etc) on<br />
online payments, and has announced a<br />
grace period. Before the FCA announcement,<br />
banks were predicting that some 30% of<br />
e-commerce transactions would be<br />
declined. SCA is already in practice in<br />
Germany and France.<br />
Christophe Lacour, Head of Merchant<br />
Services at Amadeus Payments, believes<br />
the grace period may add confusion over<br />
intra-EEA cross-border transactions.<br />
”<strong>The</strong> local regulator of the issuer country<br />
'A' may take a different stance on the grace<br />
period than the local regulator of the<br />
acquirer in country 'B',” he says. “In the UK,<br />
the local regulator (the FCA), has confirmed<br />
it will consider a grace period for individual<br />
firms that can provide a documented<br />
migration plan towards SCA compliance.”<br />
Lacour advises moving towards SCA<br />
readiness as soon as possible.<br />
Industry experts believe SCA will have the<br />
greatest potential impact on corporate<br />
travel management companies as all service<br />
providers will have to build authentication<br />
into their payment flow and introduce an<br />
extra step of identification. Merchantinitiated<br />
transactions that use lodge or<br />
virtual corporate cards, commonly used by<br />
TMCs, may not require separate authentication,<br />
according to the UK’s FCA.<br />
Exemption confusion<br />
Who’s exempt from SCA and who’s not is<br />
still a grey area. However, it appears<br />
unlikely that all corporate travel cards will<br />
be exempt from SCA. Complying with it<br />
won’t necessarily be straightforward in the<br />
corporate travel space where authorisations<br />
for card payments are often made as a<br />
batch. This could explain how the industry<br />
appears somewhat under prepared.<br />
Bertrand Blais, Vice President, Product<br />
Management at KDS says, “For online travel<br />
booking this will add a step to the online<br />
booking process for travellers using their<br />
personal credit card.<br />
“Meeting the requirements is not only<br />
a question of compliance, but also a<br />
technological, strategic and operational<br />
challenge which extends beyond finance<br />
and banking. It will require a technological<br />
change and integration with suppliers –<br />
that’s time consuming. For SMEs, it’s likely<br />
to have a huge impact as they are not<br />
generally using lodge cards or virtual cards.”<br />
Blais believes there will be disruption,<br />
whatever the implementation date, and that<br />
some transactions could be blocked<br />
because of it. “We might be caught out on<br />
day one,” agrees Robin Smith, Chief Product<br />
Engineer at Click <strong>Travel</strong>. “And we won’t<br />
know if a card is not going to meet that<br />
exemption until it happens.”<br />
Despite these misgivings, adding an<br />
additional layer of security on electronic<br />
payments is welcomed as it will help protect<br />
from fraud, which is a massive global<br />
problem with physical credit cards.<br />
It’s a strong argument for using virtual<br />
cards instead, which can be tightly controlled<br />
by merchant type, a pre-set value and time<br />
windows, and are not affected by the new<br />
SCA regulations (as far as anyone can tell).<br />
40 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
PAYMENTS & EXPENSES<br />
AirPlus says the FCA outlined which<br />
products could be exempt if the issuer<br />
met certain requirements and therefore<br />
submitted an exemption request that<br />
included “a lengthy explanation of how we<br />
would fulfil the exemption requirements,”<br />
explains Paul Spelman, AirPlus’ Managing<br />
Director UK & Ireland.<br />
“We had a follow-up call and they have<br />
said that no further action is required on<br />
our side, so in essence our lodge and virtual<br />
products are now covered under the FCA<br />
exemption,” says Spelman.<br />
Virtual solutions<br />
As the use of credit cards declines, it is<br />
anticipated that virtual cards will be the<br />
default payment of the future. Virtual cards<br />
contain the same information as physical<br />
cards – ie, an expiration date and CVV –<br />
and are primarily used as an alternative to<br />
corporate credit cards for hotel payment.<br />
In the early days there were acceptance<br />
issues with hotel front desk staff announcing<br />
to the traveller on arrival that the room<br />
hadn’t been paid for, but training and<br />
familiarity have eased the situation, although<br />
some travellers carry a copy of it on their<br />
phone as back-up.<br />
“We had to generate pictures of it and fax<br />
round copies to prove the card existed,”<br />
says Click’s Smith.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> bread and butter<br />
locations have adopted<br />
virtual cards, particularly<br />
the large hotel chains,” says Maria Parpou,<br />
Managing Director of Commercial Payments<br />
at Barclaycard, one of the largest providers<br />
of virtual cards under its Precision Pay<br />
branded platform.<br />
And as far as expenses are concerned,<br />
they can be sent to a digital wallet which<br />
makes reconciliation more seamless. Virtual<br />
cards consolidate spend across multiple<br />
sources of credits and the corporate<br />
receives a consolidated invoice from the<br />
provider with rich, detailed invoices<br />
including custom data and cost centres.<br />
Next year a virtual card will be able to be<br />
sent to an app and payment made via a<br />
phone via Apple Pay. “That will help bridge<br />
the gap between a physical and virtual<br />
card,” says Parpou.<br />
According to BCD's report on the subject,<br />
in 2016, fewer than 1% of respondents said<br />
their company was using a virtual card as<br />
a method of payment. This figure rose to<br />
11% by 2017. Germany, in particular, has<br />
adopted virtual cards in a big way, with<br />
29% usage according to the BCD report.<br />
<strong>The</strong> virtual credit card from AirPlus<br />
International, called A.I.D.A, is a digital<br />
version of a MasterCard. Of its three<br />
products, A.I.D.A, a lodge account card<br />
(mainly for airline spend), and a physical<br />
plastic card, AirPlus' Spelman says that by<br />
far the biggest growth is from virtual cards.<br />
“We’ve witnessed 25% year-on-year<br />
growth, which is much higher than the<br />
other products are growing, and within <br />
In the early days of<br />
virtual cards there<br />
were acceptance issues but<br />
training and familiarity have<br />
eased the situation”<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
41
PAYMENTS & EXPENSES<br />
We have single digits<br />
of clients who have<br />
got their head around the<br />
whole payments and expenses<br />
piece. We still come across<br />
companies doing expenses<br />
on Excel spreadsheets”<br />
the next three years virtual cards will be<br />
our biggest product.” MasterCard is more<br />
optimistic and predicts 30% year-on-year<br />
growth of virtual cards.<br />
Spelman believes usage to date has<br />
been with non-frequent travellers such as<br />
contractors and part-time employees, who<br />
wouldn’t be eligible for a corporate credit<br />
card. “It means that they can pre-pay for<br />
hotels,” says Spelman. “Corporates also<br />
issue them off a central account to keep<br />
better control of costs which has the knockon<br />
benefit to improve compliance.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> future of cash<br />
Spelman predicts that, ultimately, cash will<br />
disappear and that while a physical card will<br />
continue to be convenient, they will also<br />
disappear in the long run. “<strong>The</strong> winner will<br />
be the virtual card,” he says. <strong>The</strong> growth in<br />
Apple Pay and WeChat testifies to the fact<br />
that consumers no longer want to, or need<br />
to, carry a wallet full of credit cards.<br />
John Vasili, Head of Global Sales at<br />
Conferma, concurs, citing misuse and fraud,<br />
and the cost to print and manage physical<br />
card programmes as significantly reducing<br />
the appetite for both the issuer and<br />
customer to continue with physical cards.<br />
He also believes there is another driver to<br />
grow the market for virtual cards – mobile<br />
enablement. Virtual cards linked to Apple<br />
and Google wallets is being delivered today,<br />
which removes the requirements for physical<br />
cards for on-the-go corporate spend.<br />
Disruptors such as Alipay and WeChat<br />
moving in to the corporate pay arena<br />
supports the case for the transition to<br />
virtual cards with mobile contactless and<br />
NFC enablement.<br />
It hasn’t stopped Conferma Pay joining<br />
forces with mid- and back-office technology<br />
provider Procon Solutions to offer corporates<br />
a fully automated virtual payment solution<br />
to streamline invoicing processes and<br />
remove manual intervention. <strong>The</strong> news,<br />
announced in July, is available to clients<br />
across EMEA and the APAC region.<br />
TMCs are comfortable switching over to<br />
a virtual card and are big users of virtual<br />
technology. And corporates more and more<br />
so as some will not realise they are even<br />
using a virtual card as it comes out of a<br />
central account and they will only see it as<br />
a transaction.<br />
Expense management<br />
Despite the enormous dynamism in the<br />
marketplace, expense management is still<br />
in its infancy with corporates, according to<br />
Dave Bishop, Commercial Director at travel<br />
management company Gray Dawes.<br />
“We have single digits of clients who have<br />
got their head around the whole payments<br />
and expenses piece,” he says. “We still come<br />
across companies with paper expenses,<br />
ExCel spreadsheets and invoices stapled<br />
together in an envelope.”<br />
Needing to deliver something that’s easy<br />
to use and saves travellers’ time, Gray<br />
Dawes offers the Certify expense tool to<br />
clients, which allows mobile receipt capture<br />
by photo (thanks to optical character<br />
recognition – OCR) to the Certify app and<br />
then autofills expense entries into an<br />
expense report to review and submit. It also<br />
allows faster reimbursement and insightful<br />
reports on T&E spend.<br />
Meanwhile, expense management<br />
specialists are upping the ante when it<br />
comes to the sort of analytics functionality<br />
they provide customers.<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>doo, for example, introduced<br />
Insight this summer, a platform it claims is<br />
“one of the most sophisticated and dynamic<br />
business intelligence modules on the<br />
market”. Users can search over 100 KPIs<br />
on the platform and filter and drill-down<br />
into data visualisations to identify trends<br />
and patterns.<br />
“Our clients are very excited about this<br />
new product feature,” says <strong>Travel</strong>doo<br />
analyst Suganya Sivasubramanian.<br />
“Unlike most other products on the<br />
market which have static reporting and<br />
clunky functionality which require<br />
analytics experts to delve into the<br />
data, Insight has been designed to<br />
be flexible, usable and dynamic.” <br />
42 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
Your <strong>Travel</strong> Payment Company<br />
Taking care<br />
of payment<br />
Our business is your business travel payment. As a multi-award winning business travel<br />
payment specialist, we are the experts. Our customised products and solutions save time<br />
and money for over 50,000 companies worldwide. We focus on payment so that you can<br />
focus on the journey of your traveller.<br />
01 02 03<br />
BEFORE TRAVEL<br />
SOLUTIONS<br />
DURING TRAVEL<br />
SOLUTIONS<br />
AFTER TRAVEL<br />
SOLUTIONS<br />
Lodge Account<br />
A.I.D.A Virtual Cards<br />
Multiple GDS integration<br />
Worldwide acceptance<br />
Category blocking<br />
Multi-award winning<br />
Corporate Card available<br />
in multiple currencies<br />
Real-time changes to<br />
limits and cash access<br />
24/7 customer support<br />
Direct integration with<br />
the leading expense<br />
management solutions<br />
and accountings systems<br />
Unique data capture<br />
with unrivaled matching<br />
capabilities<br />
30 years in business travel<br />
TRAVEL AGENTS<br />
that we work with<br />
STAFF MEMBERS<br />
that we employ globally<br />
TRANSACTIONS<br />
processed in 2017<br />
CUSTOMERS<br />
we have worldwide<br />
COUNTRIES<br />
AirPlus solutions<br />
400+<br />
1,300+ 182m+ 50,000+ 60<br />
+44 (0) 20 8994 4725<br />
London @ AirPlus .com<br />
AirPlus .com
Visa, everywhere<br />
your corporate<br />
Visa, everywhere<br />
travellers need to be<br />
your corporate<br />
travellers need to be
PAYMENTS & EXPENSES<br />
Getting as many of the big-ticket items<br />
on a central account as possible is the<br />
seamless way to deal with travel and<br />
expenses. <strong>The</strong>n that leaves less to spend on<br />
the corporate card and makes for greater<br />
compliance. Consolidate all of that into an<br />
expenses system attributed by trip and all<br />
that’s left to capture is the small, on-theroad<br />
expenses such as a meal or taxi fare or<br />
roaming charges from an international trip.<br />
It should all be paperless and seamless.<br />
<strong>The</strong> key to achieving this is the TMC, who<br />
can capture all the data from the disparate<br />
sources via APIs, as long as you ensure that<br />
the provider you choose is directly<br />
integrated with your TMC.<br />
This seamless travel and expenses flow is<br />
seen as best practice and is what corporates<br />
should be aiming for once they see the<br />
potential of integrating travel and expenses.<br />
“Look at the US,” says Bishop. “Some 80%<br />
of the client base is on Concur and, of that,<br />
50% have successfully integrated travel and<br />
expenses. That feels like where we could get<br />
to in the UK.”<br />
Change resistance<br />
Resistance to change is one factor slowing<br />
integration, while trust issues over providing<br />
employees with cards is another. A third<br />
reason is losing the beneficial cash flow<br />
arrangement a TMC provides.<br />
“Some corporates like to use some TMCs<br />
as a bank as we give them credit and that’s<br />
part of our value proposition,” says Bishop.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>ir cash flow is important, ‘Let them pay<br />
for it’, they say. I’ve seen glacial movement<br />
from invoice to card over 20 years.”<br />
A younger workforce is more accepting of<br />
change, which translates largely to more<br />
entrepreneurial SMEs automating travel<br />
and expenses.<br />
“Some 50% of millennials will be in the<br />
workforce next year who are used to <br />
Automating<br />
Expense<br />
Management.<br />
Capture receipts on the go with OCR<br />
Expense policy management<br />
Advanced approval workflow<br />
Integration with HR and accounting systems<br />
PCI-DSS compliant security<br />
Request a Demo<br />
Learn how <strong>Travel</strong>doo can simplify the way you<br />
manage your expense processes and reporting<br />
0203 810 1448 • info@traveldoo.com<br />
© <strong>2019</strong> <strong>Travel</strong>doo SAS. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
PAYMENTS & EXPENSES<br />
direct consumption and this disaggregated<br />
economy,” says Ian Ferguson, who runs the<br />
Solutions Consulting Group at <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Direct.<br />
AirPlus’ Spelman adds: “Don’t assume that<br />
it’s the bigger brands moving ahead. Only<br />
last week I talked to a very big brand that<br />
still issues cash advances and leaves it up to<br />
the individual to sort out what is personal<br />
expenses and what is not.”<br />
Another challenge is the silos corporates<br />
create that must be broken down to<br />
connect all the pieces together.<br />
“Rather than log into different sites, take<br />
all the sources, such as direct bookings,<br />
expenses invoices, TMC bookings, Uber and<br />
Starbucks expenses, into one silo,” says<br />
Brian Tarble, Vice President of Global<br />
Product Management, Concur Data &<br />
Analytics at SAP.<br />
Over the last two years the company has<br />
re-designed its data platform to integrate all<br />
the data sources and systems and to selfpopulate<br />
it all into an expense report.<br />
Mobile lag<br />
Mobile payments are also lagging behind in<br />
the corporate world. <strong>The</strong> next big step here<br />
is to store a corporate card in a digital<br />
wallet in a smartphone from which to make<br />
payments, “but the technology isn’t quite<br />
there yet,” says Airplus’ Spelman.<br />
“I can go to my banking app and do it in<br />
the leisure space but not in the business<br />
space. We will see it in the latter end of next<br />
year,” he says, adding that it will transform<br />
the way corporate cards are used.<br />
It’s the ideal application for small expenses<br />
but not big-ticket items like airfares.<br />
Moreover, the move away from centralised<br />
bookings and towards travellers booking<br />
their own travel will drive growth in mobile<br />
payments in the long run.<br />
Corporates can<br />
wave goodbye to the<br />
manual inputting of travel<br />
and expense data and lengthy<br />
approval times and say hello<br />
to a sleeker, automated travel<br />
and expenses process”<br />
Blockchain hype<br />
Much has been said about the spectre of<br />
blockchain and at SAP Concur’s annual<br />
Fusion conference one session flagged up<br />
the five forces that will change the face of<br />
corporate travel. Two of these were virtual<br />
pay and blockchain (the others were NDC,<br />
global tax laws and AI).<br />
Blockchain is a way of securely transferring<br />
money via intermediary banks to a payment<br />
wallet in about four seconds rather than<br />
the traditional two to three days.<br />
“It’s all fully encrypted – it’s like a big<br />
database,” explains Martin Biermann,<br />
Chief Product Officer of HRS. It would see<br />
an end to the high-profile account hacking,<br />
experienced by Yahoo in three billion<br />
accounts, for example. “It’s plug and play<br />
without doing anything,” he says.<br />
<strong>The</strong> downside is that blockchain is<br />
focussed on crypto currencies currently so,<br />
for now, the jury is out on what impact, if<br />
any, it will have on instant payments in<br />
corporate travel.<br />
“We haven’t figured out yet how<br />
blockchain will be used in travel,” says<br />
Barclaycard’s Parpou. “I put a big question<br />
mark around it as it needs to solve a<br />
problem and, in travel, collaboration isn’t an<br />
issue so I don’t see a primary need for it in<br />
our business,” she says.<br />
Other emerging technologies will have an<br />
impact too. Machine learning – a form of AI<br />
– will provide self-writing, self-checking<br />
expenses in the future says BCD's report.<br />
With hotels and airlines<br />
demanding upfront<br />
payment, the ecosystem<br />
will have to evolve and<br />
fast. AirPlus’ Spelman<br />
believes payment will become<br />
a condition of booking. “It will be a<br />
case of, ‘if you want full NDC content<br />
this is how you pay’,“ he says.<br />
Corporates can wave goodbye to<br />
the manual inputting of travel and<br />
expense data and lengthy approval<br />
times and say hello to a sleeker,<br />
automated travel and expenses<br />
process with greater efficiency of<br />
process, tighter control over<br />
spend, improved compliance and<br />
visibility of spend. It’s an exciting<br />
prospect if they choose<br />
to embrace it.<br />
46 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
Autumn Sparkle<br />
PA & EA Networking Evening<br />
brought to you by <strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Conference<br />
<br />
Wednesday 16th October<br />
Native Manchester<br />
Join us for an evening of hospitality and<br />
networking at this new property from Native.<br />
<strong>The</strong> innovative aparthotel and independent<br />
Cultureplex social hub includes the Bistrotheque<br />
restaurant, a mini cinema, bar, coffee counter<br />
and flexible events and workspaces along with<br />
independent fitness space from BLOK.<br />
Set in Manchester’s historic Northern Quarter<br />
and close to Manchester Piccadilly Station, PAs<br />
and EAs can enjoy the full Native experience,<br />
seeing the facilities first hand whilst enjoying<br />
complimentary drinks, delicious food and the<br />
chance to win some fabulous prizes on the<br />
evening courtesy of event sponsors.<br />
PAs & EAs can apply for a free place via<br />
thebusinesstravelconference.com<br />
Suppliers can contact Kirsty.hicks@bmpublishing.co.uk regarding sponsorship opportunities<br />
An event for buyers and arrangers<br />
of business travel and meetings<br />
thebusinesstravelconference.com<br />
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
TALKING TRAVEL<br />
Living legend<br />
SIR TREVOR MCDONALD<br />
News veteran and journalist Sir Trevor McDonald loves balmy Caribbean evenings, hates<br />
airports, and describes himself as a coward in a conflict zone, writes Sasha Wood<br />
As the leading newscaster of his<br />
generation, Sir Trevor McDonald<br />
has been responsible for many<br />
landmark TV moments and has interviewed<br />
key historical figures ranging from Saddam<br />
Hussein to Peace Prize winners such as<br />
Nelson Mandela and Benazir Bhutto.<br />
Born in Trinidad, McDonald worked as a<br />
local news reporter before moving to London<br />
to join the BBC in 1969, and has since travelled<br />
far and wide in his profession.<br />
McDonald says he travelled like a king for<br />
his most recent documentary, Indian Train<br />
Adventure, covering his eight-day journey<br />
between Mumbai and Jaipur aboard the<br />
legendary Maharajas' Express.<br />
“India overwhelms the senses. It’s such a<br />
large country, so populous, so crowded and<br />
the driving is utterly mad. It’s something you<br />
have to do once,” says McDonald.<br />
But it has not always been plain sailing.<br />
When he joined ITN in the 1970s he was sent<br />
to Northern Ireland during the height of <strong>The</strong><br />
Troubles. “<strong>The</strong>re were people being shot and<br />
bombs going off all the time,” he says. “I was<br />
from Trinidad and used to seeing the odd<br />
skirmish outside the rum shop on a Friday<br />
night, but I’d never heard a bomb go off<br />
before. I must admit there were times when I<br />
was scared out of my wits. I am very cowardly<br />
by nature so I learned to run.”<br />
He reported from Beirut during the Lebanese<br />
civil war, and went to Baghdad before the first<br />
Gulf War to interview Saddam Hussein. In fact,<br />
he lists Beirut among the most surprising<br />
places he’s visited, partly because it managed<br />
to remain so civilized even in the midst of<br />
raging civil war.<br />
“People were fighting and killing each other<br />
during the week and on Sunday morning<br />
people came out and set up little stalls selling<br />
the finest French perfume and Champagne.<br />
I turned up to a fine restaurant and I couldn’t<br />
believe all the tables were full,” he explains.<br />
But McDonald doesn’t always get the chance<br />
to explore when he’s on assignment, so he<br />
frequently revisits places where he’s worked:<br />
“<strong>The</strong> west coast of America is one of them –<br />
I love San Diego and Santa Monica. You<br />
discover new things every time you go.”<br />
I'm from Trinidad so I<br />
was used to seeing the<br />
odd skirmish outside the rum<br />
shop, but I'd never heard a<br />
bomb go off before”<br />
One of the places McDonald has returned to<br />
often, after working there for many years, is<br />
South Africa. He was the first person to<br />
interview Nelson Mandela when he was<br />
released from prison in 1990 and again when<br />
he became president in 1994. <strong>The</strong> two<br />
subsequently met on many occasions and<br />
became firm friends.<br />
“It was fascinating to watch the country go<br />
through all the traumas of what it was to what<br />
it wants to be. I saw a lot of changes, but quite<br />
frankly on my last visit about a year ago I was<br />
a little distressed that some of the changes<br />
have not been greater... and quite shocked to<br />
see some of the same slums that were there<br />
when I first visited 25 years ago,” he says.<br />
As a journalist, he has always been<br />
fascinated with meeting world leaders. He was<br />
friends with Benazir Bhutto and interviewees<br />
have included notorious despots such as<br />
Colonel Gaddafi in Libya. He has also been<br />
invited to the White House on several<br />
occasions, interviewing President Clinton and<br />
later President Bush the younger.<br />
McDonald has travelled extensively in the<br />
Caribbean, from Barbados and Antigua to<br />
St Kitts and Nevis. “My father was born in<br />
Grenada and he always used to boast that<br />
their beaches are better than our beaches in<br />
Trinidad,” he says.<br />
“What I like about the Caribbean is that it’s<br />
always warm after 6 or 7 o’clock. Even on<br />
summer evenings here you feel you need a<br />
light sweater, but in the Caribbean you put on<br />
a short-sleeved shirt and pour yourself a large<br />
rum punch, and you can sit out there on the<br />
verandah forever.”<br />
Barbados is also one of his go-to places for<br />
a relaxing holiday, along with Cape Town in<br />
South Africa – “the waterfront area there is<br />
very nice,” says McDonald.<br />
Between travelling for work and sojourns<br />
in South Africa and the Caribbean, the<br />
broadcaster says he has spent far too long in<br />
airports, which are his least favourite aspect<br />
of his globe-trotting exploits: “I approach<br />
them with dread,” he laughs.<br />
That said, his time spent working in troubled<br />
destinations around the globe has nurtured a<br />
certain warmth for British aviation: “I must<br />
confess that it was always nice to get on to a<br />
British Airways flight and hear the captain’s<br />
voice – you always felt you were heading<br />
home and out of trouble.”<br />
48 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
TALKING TRAVEL<br />
SIR TREVOR MCDONALD<br />
Sir Trevor McDonald is a keynote speaker at <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Conference <strong>2019</strong> in London, from<br />
17-18 <strong>Sept</strong>ember. His broadcasting career spans five<br />
decades working for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4<br />
covering everything from politics to travel. He became<br />
a household name presenting the News at Ten in the<br />
1990s and regular current affairs programme Tonight<br />
with Trevor McDonald. He was awarded an OBE in<br />
1992, a Knighthood in 1999 and has received more<br />
awards than any other news broadcaster in Britain.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
49
Upcoming destination, Iguazu<br />
Discover Iguazu with<br />
Air Europa this summer.<br />
Two weekly flights from London<br />
Gatwick starting 1st <strong>Aug</strong>ust <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
All flights are via Madrid.
THE REVIEW<br />
the<br />
Review<br />
THE NEWS & VIEWS<br />
THAT REALLY MATTER<br />
[ THE LOWDOWN ]<br />
Duty of care among managers'<br />
top travel concerns<br />
p52-53<br />
[ ROOM REPORT ]<br />
<strong>The</strong> Great Scotland Yard hotel is<br />
poised to open in London<br />
p56-57<br />
[ ON THE GROUND ]<br />
Overall train passenger<br />
satisfaction is on the rise<br />
p58<br />
[ MEETING PLACE ]<br />
Events sector is unprepared<br />
for no-deal Brexit<br />
p59<br />
[ IN THE AIR ]<br />
ANA's new first and business class<br />
cabins to debut on London services<br />
p54<br />
O N T H E M O V E I<br />
<strong>The</strong> latest industry appointments p60<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
51
THE REVIEW<br />
T H E L O W D O W N<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
Out of line<br />
One in four travel<br />
managers (39%) believe<br />
the biggest challenge to<br />
booking tool compliance is<br />
the belief among users<br />
that they can get a better<br />
price elsewhere, according<br />
to new research from<br />
ACTE and Amex GBT.<br />
Meanwhile, 18% blamed a<br />
poor user experience and<br />
16% said travellers prefer<br />
to call a consultant.<br />
ACE options<br />
ACE <strong>Travel</strong> Management<br />
has partnered with Driven<br />
Airport Transfers to<br />
provide its clients with<br />
fully-electric transfers<br />
using Tesla X vehicles.<br />
<strong>The</strong> TMC says it is<br />
confident that the option<br />
also provides good value,<br />
often saving a third<br />
compared to traditional<br />
airport transfer services.<br />
Going mobile<br />
Frequent business<br />
travellers – those who<br />
make more than five trips<br />
a year – are 13% more<br />
likely to book flights on<br />
their smartphones than<br />
occasional travellers, while<br />
travellers revisiting a<br />
location are 11% more<br />
likely to do so. CWT also<br />
says travellers are more<br />
inclined to book flights via<br />
mobile devices closer to<br />
their date of departure.<br />
Duty of care among<br />
biggest concerns<br />
ORGANISING correct entry documents, health and medical<br />
issues, and terrorism and security threats are the top three<br />
concerns for managers when their staff travel on business<br />
trips, new research from ABTA has revealed.<br />
However, there are some marked differences between<br />
managers’ concerns and the actual problems encountered<br />
by their staff. For example, 60% of managers expressed<br />
concerns over terrorism or security related issues, but only<br />
6% said their staff had actually experienced those problems.<br />
When asked what problems staff had encountered on<br />
business trips in the last year, the top three issues were<br />
natural disasters or severe weather conditions (18%), health<br />
or medical issues (15%) and issues around organising<br />
correct entry documents (13%). Over half of managers (51%)<br />
said that none of their staff had encountered any problems<br />
on business trips over the last 12 months.<br />
TRAVELPERK'S<br />
FLEXIBLE FARES<br />
ONLINE travel management<br />
platform <strong>Travel</strong>Perk has launched<br />
FlexiPerk – which it claims is a first<br />
for the business travel industry.<br />
<strong>The</strong> scheme enables customers<br />
to avoid booking expensive flexible<br />
fares and instead pay a 10% fee<br />
on bookings upfront. This then<br />
guarantees a minimum 90%<br />
refund on any cancelled booking,<br />
be it hotel, flight or car rental.<br />
Customers taking part in a trial<br />
achieved savings of 26%, on<br />
average, compared to the cost of<br />
booking flexible fares and paying<br />
last-minute cancellation fees.<br />
58%<br />
of European millennials<br />
believe that business<br />
travel has the potential<br />
to stimulate creativity<br />
and productivity, says a<br />
new report from CWT<br />
LANDING<br />
IN YOUR INBOX<br />
Subscribe to our weekly news bulletin at thebusinesstravelmag.com/subscribe<br />
TBTM SOCIAL ADS_NEW.indd 1<br />
5/30/19 05:37 PM
THE REVIEW<br />
T H E L O W D O W N<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
BCD moves<br />
BCD <strong>Travel</strong> has signed up<br />
to Qantas Airways’ Qantas<br />
Channel, giving its users<br />
access to a wider range of<br />
fares and content through<br />
the NDC channel. <strong>The</strong><br />
TMC has also signed an<br />
agreement to take a<br />
majority ownership in its<br />
Japanese partner Hitachi<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Bureau, one of the<br />
country's leading TMCs<br />
with annual sales of more<br />
than $330million.<br />
Asia addition<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> management<br />
company Reed & Mackay<br />
has enhanced its reach in<br />
Asia with Connexus <strong>Travel</strong><br />
joining its International<br />
Partnership. It is Hong<br />
Kong's largest TMC and<br />
additionally has offices in<br />
China and Taiwan.<br />
Cash injection<br />
TripActions has raised a<br />
further $250million in<br />
funding as it aims to “solve<br />
the antiquated product,<br />
service and experience of<br />
the corporate travel<br />
management industry”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> California-based<br />
company has achieved<br />
“hyper-growth while<br />
maintaining 93% traveller<br />
satisfaction”. It handles<br />
more than $1.1billion in<br />
annual travel spend.<br />
Hull of a Good job<br />
Hull-based Good <strong>Travel</strong><br />
Management is targeting<br />
SMEs with the launch of a<br />
new website that includes<br />
a range of downloadable<br />
resources. <strong>The</strong> TMC offers<br />
a range of services such as<br />
a personal travel team,<br />
strategic account<br />
manager, real-time travel<br />
analytics, online booking,<br />
expense management and<br />
travel risk technology.<br />
GTMC reveals new<br />
identity as the BTA<br />
THE Guild of <strong>Travel</strong> Management Companies (GTMC)<br />
announced a new name and identity at its annual<br />
conference in the Netherlands in July, with the organisation<br />
moving forward as the <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Association (BTA).<br />
Its new name reflects a “more inclusive, more ambitious,<br />
more collaborative and bolder outlook”, said Adrian Parkes,<br />
the association's Chief Executive, who steps down this<br />
summer. “We've developed as an organisation in recent<br />
years and the time was right [to rebrand],” he said, pointing<br />
to its growing number of supplier partners and increasing<br />
lobbying activity. “This evolution to the BTA celebrates a<br />
step-change for the association and allows us to more<br />
clearly communicate the board’s broadened strategy,” said<br />
Parkes. A new CEO will be announced this summer.<br />
58% OF BUSINESS LEADERS BELIEVE A<br />
STRONG TRAVEL CULTURE IS VERY<br />
IMPORTANT TO THEIR ORGANISATION’S<br />
BUSINESS PERFORMANCE, ACCORDING TO<br />
A REPORT FROM EGENCIA AND THE<br />
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW<br />
ITM UPDATE<br />
Scott Davies<br />
Chief Executive, ITM<br />
Sustainability used to be a<br />
term presented in relation to<br />
fuels and resources, but our<br />
travel buyer community tells<br />
us it is now also applied to<br />
the most precious resource a<br />
business has – their people.<br />
In order to have a sustainable<br />
travel programme, travel<br />
buyers and managers are<br />
being increasingly guided to<br />
make travel options available<br />
that place minimum strain on<br />
the individual as well as the<br />
ecosystem and local<br />
communities too.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are broadly two ways<br />
to do this. <strong>The</strong> first is to work<br />
with partners who minimise<br />
emissions, support environmental<br />
reparations and that<br />
travellers enjoy using. <strong>The</strong><br />
second is to help with<br />
employee travel frequency<br />
and work/life balance, which<br />
could be perceived to<br />
negatively hit productivity<br />
(but probably doesn't).<br />
Now, I’ve worked for airlines<br />
and other organisations who<br />
benefit from increased<br />
demand, so both of these<br />
remedies could sound like<br />
bad news.<br />
<strong>The</strong> truth is they’re not<br />
because a) we’ve all got to<br />
take care of the big round<br />
rock we call home or we’ll<br />
have to go somewhere else<br />
one day, and b) frazzled,<br />
burned out people physically<br />
can’t travel anymore any way.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
53
THE REVIEW<br />
I N T H E A I R<br />
Virgin and Delta up<br />
the ante on US routes<br />
UK DEBUT FOR NEW ANA CABINS<br />
ALL Nippon Airways (ANA) will <strong>The</strong> airline says the new first<br />
debut its new business and first class Suites are inspired by luxury<br />
class seating on services between Japanese hotels, with new features<br />
London and Tokyo in <strong>Aug</strong>ust. including privacy doors and<br />
<strong>The</strong> new first class product, 43-inch 4K screens. <strong>Business</strong> class<br />
<strong>The</strong> Suite, and business class seat, ‘Rooms’ are in a forward and<br />
<strong>The</strong> Room (pictured), will be fitted rear-facing configuration and have<br />
on 12 B777-300ER aircraft, the first privacy doors that can be adjusted<br />
of which will fly between London so passengers can dine together<br />
and Tokyo Haneda from <strong>Aug</strong>ust 2. or conduct meetings.<br />
FLIGHTS operated by Virgin<br />
Atlantic's new A350s and<br />
featuring its new-look Upper<br />
Class cabins are now on<br />
sale, with the aircraft due<br />
to enter service between<br />
London Heathrow and New<br />
York JFK on <strong>Sept</strong>ember 10.<br />
Four A350s will join the<br />
airline’s fleet by the end of<br />
<strong>2019</strong> to operate daily flights<br />
between London and New<br />
York. <strong>The</strong> airline will take<br />
delivery of a further eight<br />
A350’s from 2020-2021.<br />
<strong>The</strong> A350 is the first Virgin<br />
Atlantic aircraft to feature a<br />
new social space, the Loft,<br />
as well as new Upper Class<br />
suites with window-facing<br />
seats and privacy screens.<br />
Meanwhile, Virgin's joint<br />
venture partner Delta Air<br />
Lines will bring its new cabin<br />
concepts to the UK for the<br />
first time this winter. Its four<br />
upgraded seat products –<br />
Delta One, Delta Premium<br />
Select, Delta Comfort+ and<br />
Main Cabin – will feature on<br />
services from London to<br />
Atlanta (from November 13),<br />
New York-JFK (Nov 17) and<br />
Boston (Nov 21).<br />
manUfacTUring hUb becomes<br />
heaThrow's laTesT china link<br />
CHINA Southern has commenced services between<br />
London Heathrow and Zhenghou in eastern China.<br />
<strong>The</strong> twice-weekly service to the Chinese manufacturing<br />
hub is the only direct operation from Europe. Some<br />
70% of the world’s Apple iPhones are manufactured in<br />
the city and it is a key player in the textiles industry.<br />
Heathrow now has 13 direct services to destinations<br />
across China, having more than doubled since 2018.<br />
4%<br />
of passenger traffic travelled<br />
in airlines' premium classes<br />
<strong>The</strong> number of<br />
passengers flying in<br />
premium cabins has<br />
dropped marginally, to<br />
4% for the first four<br />
months of <strong>2019</strong>, down<br />
from 4.1% a year ago.<br />
IATA's latest Financial<br />
Monitor also shows<br />
that premium traffic<br />
accounts for 27.4% of<br />
total international<br />
passenger revenues<br />
CHECK-IN<br />
WITH US ON TWITTER<br />
Follow us on Twitter @thebiztravmag<br />
TBTM SOCIAL ADS_NEW.indd 2<br />
5/30/19 05:37 PM
THE REVIEW<br />
I N T H E A I R<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
Eastern's Leeds boost<br />
Eastern Airways will<br />
increase services between<br />
Southampton Airport and<br />
Leeds Bradford Airport<br />
from <strong>Sept</strong>ember 9.<br />
A new afternoon flight will<br />
take the operation to up to<br />
three flights a day, offering<br />
more choice on its Flybe<br />
franchise services.<br />
Great Dane arrival<br />
Great Dane Airlines has<br />
launched twice-weekly<br />
services between<br />
Edinburgh and Aalborg –<br />
the airline’s first service<br />
to the UK.<br />
Canadian deal<br />
Air Canada and fellow<br />
Canadian airline Air<br />
Transat are set to merge.<br />
<strong>The</strong> deal will see the Air<br />
Transat and Transat<br />
brands retained alongside<br />
the Air Canada and Air<br />
Canada Rouge brands.<br />
Cathay purchase<br />
Cathay Pacific has<br />
completed the acquisition<br />
of Hong Kong Express<br />
Airways which will<br />
continue to operate as a<br />
standalone low-cost airline.<br />
Virgin for SMEs<br />
Virgin Atlantic has closed<br />
its Flying Co scheme and<br />
joined the Bluebiz<br />
corporate loyalty<br />
programme for SMEs<br />
alongside Air France,<br />
KLM, Delta Air Lines and<br />
Kenya Airways.<br />
Bristol to Brussels<br />
Brussels Airlines will<br />
relaunch services between<br />
Bristol and Brussels this<br />
<strong>Sept</strong>ember (served by<br />
CityJet CRJ900 aircraft), a<br />
route previously operated<br />
by its defunct partner<br />
airline Flybmi.<br />
minneapolis-ST.PAUL has become<br />
aer lingus' 16th transatlantic route<br />
from Dublin. It is expected to become<br />
a key business service, with the<br />
‘Twin Cities’ a growing tech hub and<br />
home to 17 Fortune 500 companies<br />
Delays worsen as UK<br />
flight numbers grow<br />
NEW research has revealed that flight delays are getting<br />
worse at nearly every major airport in the UK, highlighting<br />
the need to modernise the way the UK and Europe’s air<br />
space is managed.<br />
Consumer association Which? analysed flight delay<br />
statistics for the last five years and found that 6.2% of all<br />
incoming and outgoing flights were delayed by more than an<br />
hour last year, up from 4% in 2014, though Which? notes<br />
delays are often out of the control of the airlines themselves.<br />
Aircraft movements in the UK have increased from just<br />
over 1.5million in 2014 to 2.25m in 2018. “UK airspace has<br />
failed to keep pace with this surge in traffic,” says Which?.<br />
“It hasn’t fundamentally changed since the 1950s and the<br />
CAA acknowledges that this is a reason for increased delays.”<br />
BTA update<br />
<strong>The</strong> latest from the<br />
<strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Association<br />
(formerly the GTMC)<br />
It’s been an eventful year so<br />
far, with lots of changes, not<br />
least for us. In April, we<br />
announced that CEO, Adrian<br />
Parkes, was stepping down<br />
and embracing retirement.<br />
Adrian’s work at the helm of<br />
our association reflected his<br />
passion for the business<br />
travel industry. He led the<br />
organisation during major<br />
regulatory changes, the<br />
advancement of NDC and the<br />
uncertainty of Brexit, all of<br />
which required our focus.<br />
<strong>The</strong> most substantial<br />
change however, was<br />
announced in early July<br />
during our <strong>2019</strong> Overseas<br />
Conference in the Netherlands,<br />
where we unveiled our<br />
move to become the BTA<br />
(<strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Association).<br />
<strong>The</strong> new brand is a natural<br />
step as our association<br />
seamlessly expanded our<br />
scope of work over the past<br />
few years. Initiatives have<br />
been designed to futureproof<br />
the industry and look at<br />
talent development, engage<br />
with government, promote<br />
the economic benefits of<br />
business travel and<br />
collaborate with our wide<br />
range of partners to unite<br />
over our industry’s challenges<br />
and celebrate its successes.<br />
While Adrian Parkes steps<br />
down, we welcome Suzanne<br />
Horner of Gray Dawes as our<br />
new Chair of the executive<br />
board. We all look forward<br />
to working together under<br />
the new name, not only<br />
implementing the BTA’s<br />
strategy but also carrying the<br />
association’s commitment<br />
even further.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
55
THE REVIEW<br />
R O O M R E P O R T<br />
LIVERPooL<br />
LaunCH<br />
FoR QuEsT<br />
ausTralia's largest serviced<br />
apartment company Quest will<br />
open its first European property<br />
in Liverpool this <strong>Sept</strong>ember.<br />
Quest Liverpool City Centre will<br />
be the first of eight to 12 planned<br />
European openings for the group<br />
over the next five years.<br />
<strong>The</strong> new property has 100<br />
studio, one-bedroom and<br />
two-bedroom units, all featuring<br />
fully equipped kitchenettes.<br />
Facilities at the Church Street<br />
property include a gym, laundry,<br />
conference facilities, staffed<br />
reception and housekeeping.<br />
Operating a franchise model,<br />
Quest has 170 properties across<br />
Australia, New Zealand and Fiji,<br />
and is part of Singapore's <strong>The</strong><br />
Ascott Limited hospitality group.<br />
Hyatt opens<br />
at famous<br />
London<br />
address<br />
THE Great Scotland Yard<br />
Hotel, London, will open late<br />
this summer as the first<br />
hotel in the UK under<br />
Hyatt's Unbound Collection.<br />
<strong>The</strong> historical home of law<br />
and order in Westminster,<br />
the building has been<br />
converted to feature 152<br />
luxury guestooms plus a<br />
number of dining options.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y include <strong>The</strong> Yard,<br />
championing home-grown<br />
dining; cocktail bar <strong>The</strong> Forty<br />
Elephants, named after a<br />
notorious all-female gang of<br />
thieves; the India-inspired<br />
modern tearoom, <strong>The</strong><br />
Parlour; and Sibin, a more<br />
intimate drinking space. <strong>The</strong><br />
hotel's basement will include<br />
a range of event spaces and<br />
co-working areas.<br />
Hyatt says the hotel will<br />
offer "a modern British<br />
experience that’s rooted in<br />
hospitality and suited to<br />
such a historic landmark."<br />
[ NEW AND IMPROVED ]<br />
>> <strong>The</strong> RAMADA BOURNEMOUTH hotel has been refurbished<br />
and reopened as a Holiday Inn >> Cheshire's WYCHWOOD PARK<br />
HOTEL is undergoing a £3million makeover of its guestrooms, bar,<br />
restaurant and public areas, due for completion this autumn >><br />
<strong>The</strong> 369-room HILTON GARDEN INN London Heathrow Terminal<br />
2 has now opened for business >> GRANTLEY HALL in Yorkshire<br />
has opened after an extensive three-year renovation. It is a member<br />
of Relais & Châteaux >> <strong>The</strong> HOLIDAY INN London Kensington<br />
Forum has unveiled a new look following a multi-million-pound<br />
refurbishment >> Aparthotel brand LOCKE will open a 142-key<br />
development in London’s Tower Bridge area in summer 2020.<br />
84%<br />
Wifi is the biggest factor<br />
influencing hotel selection<br />
W i fi ( 84%), room rate<br />
(81%), distance from<br />
business site (81%) and<br />
breakfast (79%) are the<br />
most important factors<br />
influencing a business<br />
traveller's choice of<br />
hotel, says RoomIt by<br />
CWT. In addition,<br />
research showed that<br />
service is a stronger<br />
driver than image or<br />
amenities offered<br />
NOW BOARDING<br />
JOIN US ON LINKEDIN<br />
Find us on Linkedin at <strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
TBTM SOCIAL ADS_NEW.indd 3<br />
5/30/19 05:37 PM
THE REVIEW<br />
R O O M R E P O R T<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
Layton's launch<br />
Serviced apartment<br />
industry stalwart Jo Layton<br />
has formally launched new<br />
global booking agency CAP<br />
Worldwide. <strong>The</strong> company<br />
serves the corporate<br />
market and promises to<br />
deliver a “consistent,<br />
cost-effective, secure and<br />
sustainable evolving global<br />
programme, so that<br />
travellers experience<br />
caring service and safe<br />
solutions through a<br />
blended integration of<br />
people and technology”.<br />
BCD gets radical<br />
BCD <strong>Travel</strong> has launched a<br />
dedicated global hotel<br />
division in what it says is<br />
a “dramatically new<br />
approach to managing<br />
hotel programmes”. Called<br />
Stay by BCD <strong>Travel</strong>, the<br />
division offers spend<br />
management, content<br />
aggregation, shopping and<br />
booking, virtual payment<br />
and digital invoice<br />
management, price<br />
assurance, hotel rate<br />
availability management,<br />
analytics and awareness<br />
and adoption campaigns.<br />
Red Carnation blooms<br />
<strong>The</strong> Red Carnation Hotel<br />
Collection will open its<br />
first hotel in Scotland next<br />
year following the<br />
'respectful renovation' of<br />
100 Princes Street in the<br />
heart of Edinburgh. <strong>The</strong><br />
group says the hotel will<br />
replicate the boutique<br />
atmosphere of its five-star<br />
sister property Hotel 41 in<br />
London. “It has been a<br />
dream of ours to open a<br />
hotel in Edinburgh for<br />
some time, and with the<br />
best address in the city, it<br />
was well worth the wait,”<br />
says Jonathan Raggett, the<br />
group's Managing Director.<br />
Japan's Prince Hotels<br />
set for London debut<br />
THE Arch London Hotel will re-open as the Prince Akatoki<br />
this <strong>Sept</strong>ember, becoming the group’s first UK hotel.<br />
It will also be the first hotel to open worldwide under the<br />
Prince group's new Akatoki brand. <strong>The</strong> opening is scheduled<br />
for <strong>Sept</strong>ember 16 and will “take the best of Japan and<br />
introduce it to London”.<br />
Located close to Marble Arch, the five-star property will<br />
have 82 guestrooms – including a range of rooms and suites<br />
– featuring minimal designs, natural elements, calming<br />
colours and premium amenities.<br />
Dining options will include fusion food restaurant Liquid<br />
Spoon and cocktails and whisky bar <strong>The</strong> Malt Lounge, while<br />
further amenities include a gym and <strong>The</strong> Prince Room for<br />
meetings and events of up to 36 guests.<br />
Marriott opens the luxury<br />
Langley Hotel in Bucks<br />
Buckinghamshire's Langley<br />
Hotel has opened as part of<br />
Marriott’s Luxury Collection.<br />
<strong>The</strong> high-end property has 41<br />
rooms across a former hunting<br />
lodge and Grade II-listed 18th<br />
century brew house. It is the result<br />
of a six-year, multimillion-pound<br />
renovation that sees it open as a<br />
hotel for the first time. <strong>The</strong> main<br />
house is home to the three-bedroom<br />
Duke of Marlborough Suite<br />
while historic features are<br />
preserved throughout the hotel.<br />
Drinking and dining options<br />
include the Churchill Bar, Cedar<br />
restaurant and the Drawing Room<br />
for afternoon teas. Meeting and<br />
event facilities comprise the Winter<br />
Garden and six further rooms for<br />
up to 120 guests, plus a private<br />
screening room. <strong>The</strong>re is also an<br />
extensive spa, indoor pool, gym<br />
and a range of outdoor activities.<br />
capital gains<br />
sustainable<br />
hotel brand<br />
Starwood Capital Group has<br />
revealed a new hotel brand,<br />
Treehouse Hotels, that will make<br />
its debut in London later this year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> brand is the creation of<br />
Barry Stenlicht – Chairman and<br />
CEO of Starwood Capital Group<br />
– who was the original founder<br />
of W Hotels and is also known for<br />
his nature-inspired 1 Hotel and<br />
Baccarat hotel brands.<br />
Treehouse Hotels is described as<br />
“the little brother of the 1” and<br />
“less serious, more torn jeans and<br />
t-shirts, and infinitely accessible”.<br />
All Treehouse properties will<br />
embrace sustainable protocols<br />
and the group is targeting<br />
business and leisure travellers<br />
alike. Its first hotel will open in<br />
London later this year with<br />
additional locations to follow in<br />
the United States and beyond.<br />
Treehouse London is located<br />
across the street from BBC<br />
headquarters on Regent Street<br />
and will comprise 95 guestrooms,<br />
a restaurant and rooftop bar.<br />
dedica hotel<br />
collection<br />
arrives in UK<br />
luxury hotel collection <strong>The</strong><br />
Dedica Anthology is launching in<br />
the UK this summer. Headquartered<br />
in Milan and established<br />
last year, the collection of seven<br />
high-end, independent hotels is<br />
united by a “sense of curation<br />
and dedication to the guest<br />
experience”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> seven ‘landmark’ European<br />
hotels – all additionally members<br />
of the Autograph Collection – include<br />
the Palazzo Naiadi in Rome,<br />
Palazzo Matteotti in Milan, the<br />
Grand Hotel dei Dogi in Venice, the<br />
New York Palace in Budapest, and<br />
the Carlo IV in Prague.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
57
THE REVIEW<br />
O N T H E G R O U N D<br />
Transpennine express takes on<br />
super nova trains<br />
<strong>The</strong> scores are in...<br />
THE latest National Rail Passenger Survey shows that overall<br />
journey satisfaction has reached 83%, up from 79% last<br />
autumn and from 81% last spring.<br />
At a national level, the proportion of journeys rated as<br />
satisfactory by passengers regarding punctuality/reliability<br />
was 77% – up from 72% a year ago. Heathrow Express once<br />
again emerged as the best-performing operator among<br />
passengers, followed by Virgin Trains.<br />
[ rolling out ]<br />
>> Transportation platform Bolt has launched in London<br />
promising lower fares, improved safety and greater competition in<br />
the on-demand market >> Virgin Trains has applied to the rail<br />
regulator to launch hourly services between London and Liverpool<br />
from May 2021. <strong>The</strong> ‘open access’ application would deliver the<br />
“UK’s most advanced and customer-focussed train service”, says<br />
the operator >> Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty customers can<br />
now use debit card payments across selected European locations<br />
instead of a credit card >> Enterprise has introduced eight<br />
Toyota C-HR hybrid SUVs to its Car Club network in Edinburgh.<br />
TRAIN operator TransPennine Express (TPE) has<br />
received its first new Nova 1 trains. TPE says the<br />
Hitachi-built trains – of which there will be 19 in total<br />
– mark a “major milestone for rail customers across<br />
the North and Scotland”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> bullet train-style, five-carriage trains will bring<br />
additional capacity on services between Manchester,<br />
Leeds, York, Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh.<br />
All the new trains will offer free wifi access in both first<br />
and standard class, plus plug sockets and USB points<br />
and access to complimentary Exstream entertainment.<br />
Testing of Nova 2 and Nova 3 trains continues, with<br />
the latter entering service towards the end of the<br />
summer. A date for Nova 1 trains entering service is<br />
still to be confirmed.<br />
Car hire's bumpy road<br />
Consumer organisation Which? says it receives more<br />
complaints about car hire than any other travel service.<br />
Its recent research revealed that nearly half (47%) of<br />
Interrent customers and more than four in ten (42%) Goldcar<br />
customers reported a problem with their rental. <strong>The</strong> next<br />
worst offenders were Thrifty (31%), Dollar (29%) and Firefly<br />
(29%). Larger rental brands fared better, with 18% of Sixt<br />
customers reporting problems, 21% of Enterprise<br />
customers, 24% of Europcar customers, and 27% of both<br />
Avis and Hertz customers encountering issues.<br />
<strong>The</strong> organisation is launching a more extensive investigation<br />
into three key issues that came to attention, focussing<br />
on high insurance excesses, unauthorised and unfair<br />
charges, and questionable damage repairs.<br />
ARRIVING NOW<br />
ON INSTAGRAM<br />
Follow us on Instagram at @thebiztravmag<br />
TBTM SOCIAL ADS_NEW.indd 4<br />
5/30/19 05:37 PM
THE REVIEW<br />
M e e t i n g p l a c e<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
Red Bull events<br />
Red Bull Racing has<br />
unveiled its vibrant new<br />
event space, MK-7, in<br />
Buckinghamshire. <strong>The</strong><br />
stylish new venue centres<br />
around an auditorium that<br />
houses the team’s<br />
collection of race cars<br />
dating back to 2005.<br />
<strong>The</strong> space can be hired<br />
exclusively for up to 450<br />
guests, while a boardroom<br />
can seat 22 people.<br />
UK meetings market<br />
booming<br />
<strong>The</strong> UK Conference and<br />
Meeting Survey <strong>2019</strong> has<br />
revealed that the UK<br />
meetings industry is<br />
flourishing, with an<br />
estimated £20billion<br />
direct expenditure<br />
generated by conference<br />
and meeting delegates in<br />
2018. <strong>The</strong> overall number<br />
of conferences and<br />
meetings held in 2018 was<br />
the highest in recent years,<br />
with an average of 428<br />
conferences and meetings<br />
per venue.<br />
New Manchester venue<br />
Plans have been unveiled<br />
for Depot, a new 10,000<br />
capacity venue in<br />
Manchester's historic<br />
Mayfield, next to Piccadilly<br />
station. <strong>The</strong> proposed<br />
performance, community<br />
and studio space at the<br />
Mayfield site could<br />
welcome up to a million<br />
visitors next year.<br />
Alongside the main<br />
performance space there<br />
will be two smaller areas<br />
that will provide a range of<br />
free-to-attend community<br />
events, seasonal activities<br />
and food experiences. <strong>The</strong><br />
venue will launch this<br />
summer when it hosts<br />
Manchester Pride Live on<br />
<strong>Aug</strong>ust 24-25.<br />
Sector is unprepared<br />
for no-deal Brexit<br />
half of the UK’s event and hospitality businesses admit to<br />
having made little or no preparation for a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.<br />
In a survey conducted by trade association the HBAA,<br />
businesses appear to be more pessimistic about their<br />
prospects while the ongoing uncertainty about the UK’s exit<br />
from the EU continues. When asked whether Brexit has had<br />
a noticeable impact on their business as a whole, only 15.6%<br />
this year say it has had none – a significant shift from a year<br />
ago when 57.7% reported no impact.<br />
Recruitment was the biggest concern, with 18.7% of<br />
respondents saying Brexit had hit the hiring and availability<br />
of staff. That figure has leapt from just 2.3% in 2017.<br />
Top of the pops<br />
the Hilton London Metropole is the UK's most popular hotel for meetings<br />
and events, according to Cvent, an event management technology<br />
company that sourced more than $16billion's worth of business and more<br />
than 42 million hotel nights in 2018.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Sofitel London Heathrow was runner-up, the Radisson Blu Edwardian<br />
Heathrow was third, <strong>The</strong> Tower Hotel fourth and Hilton London Paddington<br />
fifth. <strong>The</strong> Hilton Birmingham Metropole, in sixth, was the only hotel<br />
outside the capital city to feature in the top 20, and also has one of the<br />
largest meeting space offerings, 6,000sqm, in the top 50.<br />
Hilton's strong showing also included the Hilton London Bankside in<br />
seventh, the DoubleTree Tower of London in eighth, Hilton Heathrow<br />
Terminal 5 in ninth, and the Hilton Heathrow in tenth. Outside the capital,<br />
the De Vere Beaumont Estate was 23rd, the DoubleTree Manchester<br />
Piccadilly 31st, <strong>The</strong> Runnymede On Thames was 34th, the Radisson Blu<br />
Edinburgh 36th and the Sheraton Grand Edinburgh was 37th.<br />
Cresta’s MICE<br />
booking tool<br />
milestone<br />
cresta <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> has<br />
launched what it claims is the first<br />
complete travel and events online<br />
booking tool for MICE customers.<br />
<strong>The</strong> TMC has partnered with<br />
Asemblr to introduce the new<br />
online MICE booking solution<br />
which will “streamline and simplify<br />
the way corporate meetings,<br />
events and incentives are sourced,<br />
planned and booked”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> tool will give MICE bookers<br />
instant access to thousands of<br />
event suppliers globally, with costs,<br />
availability and booking options all<br />
available within a few clicks.<br />
“As workloads continue to<br />
increase, budgets tighten and KPI<br />
expectations soar, the partnership<br />
is providing a unique, smarter,<br />
cost-effective service solution<br />
across MICE and business travel,”<br />
says a spokesperson for the travel<br />
management company.<br />
<strong>The</strong> service includes complimentary<br />
insurance on event booking<br />
investment, a budget tracker and<br />
messaging system.<br />
boost for<br />
event budgets<br />
mARKETING budgets for events<br />
rose in the second quarter of the<br />
year, according to the IPA's latest<br />
Bellwether Report, despite overall<br />
marketing budgets flatlining.<br />
<strong>The</strong> net balance of marketing<br />
executives reporting a rise in<br />
events spending increased to<br />
+4.8% from +3.5% previously.<br />
<strong>The</strong> figure is at its highest since<br />
the first quarter of 2018 and<br />
corroborates earlier forecasts that<br />
events budgets would grow over<br />
the <strong>2019</strong>/20 financial year.<br />
“Until a clearer political and<br />
economic path is outlined, the vast<br />
majority of companies are locked<br />
in stasis,” says Paul Bainsfair,<br />
IPA Director General.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
59
THE REVIEW<br />
O N T H E M O V E<br />
EVENTS<br />
AUGUST 3-7<br />
GBTA CONVENTION<br />
Chicago<br />
CORNEEL KOSTER<br />
KERRY SMITH<br />
EDWARD FOTHERINGHAM<br />
gbta.org<br />
SEPTEMBER 4-6<br />
JOINS: Virgin Atlantic<br />
AS: Executive Vice President, Customer<br />
FROM: Delta Air Lines<br />
JOINS: Quest Apartments<br />
AS: <strong>Business</strong> Development Manager UK<br />
FROM: Independent business owner<br />
JOINS: Cathay Pacific<br />
AS: Regional Head of Marketing & Sales<br />
FROM: Whitbread<br />
WORLD AVIATION FESTIVAL<br />
<strong>Business</strong> Design Centre, London<br />
terrapinn.com/conference<br />
Corneel Koster has moved over<br />
to Virgin Atlantic from joint<br />
venture partner Delta Air Lines.<br />
Kerry Smith has been appointed<br />
to develop sales at Quest<br />
Apartments' first European<br />
Based in London, Edward<br />
Fortheringham will oversee the<br />
airline's European operation<br />
SEPTEMBER 17-18<br />
In his new role he will lead<br />
property, in Liverpool. She has<br />
together with newly-appointed<br />
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL CONFERENCE<br />
Hilton Bankside, London<br />
Virgin Atlantic’s customer,<br />
product and service strategy.<br />
previously worked for Pullman<br />
Hotels and Staybridge Suites.<br />
Lisa Delaney whose remit<br />
covers digital sales.<br />
thebusinesstravelconference.com<br />
OCTOBER 4<br />
ITM SCOTLAND CHARITY BALL<br />
<strong>The</strong> Principal Edinburgh<br />
itm.org.uk<br />
OCTOBER 15<br />
TBTM DINNER CLUB<br />
London<br />
thebusinesstravelmag.com<br />
OCTOBER 16<br />
TBTC'S AUTUMN SPARKLE<br />
Native Manchester<br />
thebusinesstravelconference.com<br />
ROBERT FEATHERSTONE<br />
JOINS: De Vere Latimer Estate<br />
AS: Director of Sales<br />
FROM: Maybourne Hotel Group<br />
Robert Featherstone has joined<br />
the De Vere group to head up<br />
LEIGH COWLISHAW<br />
JOINS: Black Box Partnerships<br />
AS: Managing Partner<br />
FROM: Capita <strong>Travel</strong> and Events<br />
Leigh Cowlishaw has left Capita<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> and Events to join<br />
DAVID DI FELICIANTONIO<br />
JOINS: Corporate <strong>Travel</strong> Management<br />
AS: Director of Client Services<br />
FROM: Flight Centre<br />
David Di Feliciantonio will<br />
head up implementation<br />
OCTOBER 23-25<br />
ACTE EUROPEAN SUMMIT<br />
Amsterdam<br />
acte.org<br />
sales at its Latimer Estate in<br />
Buckinghamshire. He has more<br />
than ten years' experience in<br />
the hospitality sector.<br />
business travel consultancy<br />
Black Box Partnerships as<br />
Managing Partner specialising<br />
in accommodation and events.<br />
projects and manage business<br />
growth in his new role at CTM.<br />
He has six years' experience<br />
in corporate travel.<br />
NOVEMBER 4-6<br />
WORLD TRAVEL MARKET<br />
ExCel, London<br />
london.wtm.com<br />
NOVEMBER 19-21<br />
GBTA CONFERENCE EUROPE<br />
Munich<br />
europeconference.gbta.org<br />
ALSO ON THE MOVE... Flight Centre <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> has strengthened its senior team with the<br />
appointment of Joe Beevis as General Manager UK & Ireland and Aisha Battersby as Head of<br />
Customer Experience >> Garry Moroney is the new Chief Executive Officer at Roomex >> <strong>Travel</strong>port<br />
has appointed Greg Webb as Chief Executive Officer >> Alistair Rowland has been elected as the<br />
new ABTA Chairman >> Linda Hodgson has been promoted to Commercial Director at <strong>The</strong> Savoy,<br />
London >> <strong>The</strong> Board of Eurostar has named Dominique Reiniche as its new Chair >> Chris Darch<br />
is the new Director of Operations at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport<br />
DECEMBER 10<br />
TBTM'S CHRISTMAS PARTY<br />
London<br />
thebusinesstravelmag.com<br />
FEBRUARY 26-27<br />
BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW<br />
Olympia London<br />
businesstravelshow.com<br />
60 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
GALLERY<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
Golf Masters<br />
<strong>2019</strong><br />
ANA gets things off<br />
to a flying start at<br />
the first tee<br />
<strong>The</strong> ninth annual TBTM Golf Masters<br />
took place at Mannings Heath, West<br />
Sussex, in June, with teams from<br />
across the business travel industry<br />
competing to be crowned champions.<br />
Participants were blessed with fine<br />
weather and a strong breeze, but the<br />
team from Emirates conquered the<br />
conditions to emerge triumphant.<br />
<strong>The</strong> TBTM Golf Masters <strong>2019</strong> ▼<br />
Xxxxxx xxxxxxxx ▼<br />
▲ 27.06.<strong>2019</strong><br />
Sunshine and smiles<br />
at Mannings Heath<br />
16 teams all raring to go!<br />
With thanks to our partners<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
61
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE<br />
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS<br />
Wings <strong>Travel</strong> Management gives SME clients dedicated local<br />
servicing backed by global travel risk management support<br />
Managing a travel programme<br />
within an SME company can<br />
often be a juggling act of<br />
balancing the day-to-day requirements<br />
of your travellers with compliance,<br />
whilst seeking out the best value.<br />
Often missed or overlooked is planning a<br />
strategy for travel risk management. Yet<br />
traveller safety is just as important for an<br />
SME as a large corporate.<br />
Wings <strong>Travel</strong> Management has wholly<br />
owned operations around the globe – from<br />
London, Lagos and Luanda to Dubai,<br />
Durban and Damman – and the TMC’s staff<br />
are experts in handling complex travel,<br />
logistics and traveller safety for corporates<br />
of all sizes in the finance, construction,<br />
security, energy and marine sectors,<br />
particularly those travelling to high-risk<br />
destinations.<br />
Notably at Wings’ office in London, staff<br />
are also experts in looking after the travel<br />
needs of SMEs as some 60 per cent of<br />
customers have an annual business travel<br />
spend of up to £1million.<br />
“Our UK-based SME clients have the best<br />
of both worlds as they receive local,<br />
personal and dedicated offline service from<br />
their Wings travel consultant, backed by the<br />
capabilities and risk management expertise<br />
of a leading independent global TMC,” says<br />
Colin Goldney, Managing Director UK,<br />
Europe & Russia, Wings <strong>Travel</strong><br />
Management.<br />
“As part of an SME’s duty of care as an<br />
employer, it’s vital that they can locate their<br />
travelling employees quickly in an<br />
emergency and that they have access to<br />
immediate assistance,” he added.<br />
“Most SMEs don’t have the resources<br />
in-house to handle traveller safety and risk<br />
management, so they rely on us to provide<br />
this critical support. Our services and<br />
expertise in this respect are especially<br />
suited to SMEs due to the menu of options<br />
and flexible pricing we can provide.”<br />
But travel risk management<br />
isn’t the only advantage<br />
SMEs gain from working<br />
with Wings. Because the<br />
TMC owns all its operations<br />
globally, this means it operates<br />
off a single GDS technology platform<br />
as well as a proprietary front/mid-end<br />
reservations system TMA (<strong>Travel</strong><br />
Management Application).<br />
“Most other TMCs do not own their own<br />
operations in high-risk markets such as<br />
Nigeria and Angola; they use partner<br />
agencies or franchisees. But the difference<br />
at Wings is that we own and manage all of<br />
our global operations,” explains Goldney.<br />
“This means that our clients – whether<br />
UK-based SME or large multinational<br />
corporate – not only benefit from consistent<br />
technology and servicing across our<br />
standardised global operational platform,<br />
but in times of emergency, our teams can<br />
access travel records regardless of where or<br />
when the reservation was made and<br />
provide support immediately.”<br />
www.wings.travel<br />
infouk@wings.travel<br />
@Wings<strong>Travel</strong>Mgmt
Small companies might not<br />
have the spending power of<br />
multinationals, but that doesn't<br />
mean suppliers and TMCs aren't<br />
interested in their business. Find<br />
out more in our guide to...<br />
travel<br />
management<br />
for SMEs<br />
Introduction, 64-66 / <strong>The</strong> TMC conundrum, 68-72<br />
Back to basics: travel policy, 74 / Spend management, 76-80<br />
Six of the best: digital banks, 82 / Data, 84<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
63
SMEs / Introduction<br />
Big<br />
IDEAS<br />
Are the challenges that SMEs face really that different<br />
to those encountered by larger companies? Catherine<br />
Chetwynd explores the challenges and solutions at hand<br />
Small and medium-sized enterprises<br />
are often said to face a whole raft<br />
of size-related challenges when it<br />
comes to managing their business travel<br />
needs, but in fact they are often contending<br />
with many of the same issues faced<br />
by larger companies but on a smaller<br />
scale. Nevertheless, there are some<br />
notable differences.<br />
Although SMEs benefit from greater agility<br />
and willingness to innovate, they also have<br />
fewer people to dedicate to the task: the<br />
person organising travel is often doing so in<br />
addition to their day job and their expertise<br />
might lie elsewhere. And while large<br />
corporates have higher compliance to policy<br />
and therefore greater ability to control costs,<br />
smaller organisations are more likely to<br />
undergo speedy growth and have sporadic<br />
travel patterns that do not allow them to<br />
negotiate airfares or hotel rates.<br />
Reliable sources of advice include the ITM,<br />
<strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Association (formerly the<br />
GTMC) and the Advantage <strong>Travel</strong> Partnership,<br />
the UK’s largest group of independent travel<br />
agencies, whose aggregate business gives it<br />
good negotiating clout.<br />
Dedicated supplier products are also<br />
available to SMEs. Millennium Hotels &<br />
Resorts this year introduced Millennium for<br />
<strong>Business</strong>, a digital platform where users can<br />
manage travel, make itinerary-style bookings,<br />
cater to individual needs and earn rewards.<br />
It includes a Best Rate Promise, is integrated<br />
with the MyMillennium rewards programme,<br />
and gives bookers access to aggregated<br />
insights and reporting.<br />
Tricks of the trade<br />
Also launched this year was TapTrip, a<br />
business and expense app and website for<br />
booking all elements of travel, allowing users<br />
to see what they are spending and where,<br />
and to customise travel policies.<br />
TapTrip derives content from Skyscanner,<br />
Booking.com, Goeuro, Uber and more, and<br />
integrates with expense management<br />
systems such as Xero. <strong>The</strong>re is no contract,<br />
with a charge per transaction. “Thanks to<br />
centralised visibility, clients save on average<br />
£1,200 per year,” says founder Neil Ruth.<br />
Expense management tool <strong>Travel</strong>doo is<br />
available to SMEs through partner TMCs,<br />
ensuring all expenditure is captured,<br />
providing management information to<br />
power negotiations.<br />
“A lot of SMEs do not have a full understanding<br />
of technology; they think it’s simple<br />
because they use Expedia, but someone<br />
needs to extract the information behind that<br />
to do contract negotiations,” says UK Country<br />
Manager for <strong>Travel</strong>doo, Sam Cande.<br />
Small companies often rely on consumer<br />
booking sites before they switch to a<br />
managed travel programme. “To manage<br />
that change, it is important to meet<br />
<br />
64 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
Introduction / SMEs<br />
Although SMEs<br />
benefit from greater<br />
agility and willingness to<br />
innovate, they also have fewer<br />
people to dedicate to the task”<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
65
SMEs / Introduction<br />
expectations of a consumer-grade<br />
experience in booking and expense<br />
management tools, but there also needs to<br />
be added value to drive adoption; for<br />
example, layering policy onto the booking<br />
experience makes it easier for employees to<br />
follow the rules,” says Vice President Product<br />
Management for KDS, Bertrand Blais.<br />
A helping hand<br />
A TMC is not an unnecessary expense for an<br />
SME: with the ever-rising threshold for<br />
negotiated rates, the alternative is trawling<br />
through supplier and aggregator websites to<br />
find the best tariffs.<br />
A TMC can access widespread content<br />
within one search, bringing together<br />
standard pricing, promotional rates and<br />
aggregated content. Also, if travellers are<br />
handling travel individually and the SME<br />
does not have an HR structure in place,<br />
the company will be hard pressed to find<br />
travellers in an emergency – a requirement<br />
of duty of care.<br />
“Someone looking for a TMC can do no<br />
better than speak with the BTA, the<br />
representative body for UK TMCs,” says<br />
Managing Director of <strong>Travel</strong>eads, Gary<br />
McLeod. “All members are vetted, required<br />
to operate to professional standards and<br />
uphold the integrity of the industry; and the<br />
BTA website provides information about<br />
members.” He also recommends looking at<br />
this magazine's annual listing of the top UK<br />
TMCs, which gives size, specialisms and the<br />
‘flavour’ of their business.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next step is to do due diligence to<br />
ensure potential suppliers provide the<br />
expertise you need, such as an online<br />
booking tool for a large volume of domestic<br />
travel or global relationships to handle<br />
international travel needs. Several TMCs<br />
have a dedicated SME operation.<br />
“SMEs are definitely getting smarter, more<br />
demanding – and that is absolutely right,<br />
they should be looking for more from their<br />
travel provider,” says UK General Manager<br />
for Corporate <strong>Travel</strong>ler, Andy Hegley.<br />
“If an SME goes to a travel partner, they<br />
should meet the person who is going to be<br />
providing the service on a day-to-day basis;<br />
and as they grow and their travel needs and<br />
priorities change, they should have agreed<br />
business objectives for each quarter.”<br />
Partnering up<br />
<strong>The</strong> right TMC will provide quick and easy<br />
access to the best travel options with<br />
guaranteed best-price availability and can<br />
provide support for travel policy creation,<br />
mandation and more.<br />
“It is vital that a provider goes beyond just<br />
booking travel. To ensure adherence and<br />
adoption, it is important that the client and<br />
the TMC communicate clearly the reasons<br />
behind working with a travel partner,” says<br />
Head of Client Development for Gray Dawes<br />
Group, Gavin Sanderson.<br />
“Educating the audience as to the benefit<br />
and value to individual travellers and the<br />
wider business ensures they are far more<br />
likely to book via the TMC,” he adds.<br />
Good <strong>Travel</strong> Management often sees a<br />
tipping point when a company needs<br />
external support to manage business travel.<br />
“For the most part, that is driven by positive<br />
requirements such as business growth,<br />
where an increased amount of travel means<br />
it is not being managed efficiently and a<br />
travel management company is required,”<br />
says Head of Sales, Account Management<br />
and Marketing, Wayne Durkin.<br />
“A good SME TMC should be offering<br />
account management as standard, as well as<br />
managing corporate supplier programmes<br />
on their behalf.”<br />
Some years ago, dedicated SME services<br />
from a TMC were few and far between. Now,<br />
says Adrian Parkes, CEO of the BTA: “Several<br />
of our members have specific products<br />
dedicated to the SME marketplace.”<br />
If an SME goes to a<br />
travel partner, they<br />
should meet the person who<br />
is going to be providing the<br />
service on a day-to-day basis;<br />
they should have agreed<br />
business objectives”<br />
66 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Travel</strong><br />
Management<br />
Company behind<br />
hundreds of<br />
growing small<br />
and medium-sized<br />
UK businesses<br />
BUSINESS<br />
TRAVEL<br />
EXPENSE<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
TRAVEL<br />
ANALYTICS<br />
TRAVELLER SAFETY<br />
AND WELLBEING<br />
Trusted by 350<br />
small and medium<br />
sized businesses<br />
99.1% 99.3%<br />
of our clients think our<br />
business travel consultants are<br />
professional and knowledgeable<br />
of our clients would<br />
recommend our<br />
services to others<br />
Let’s talk about your<br />
business travel needs.<br />
Call us on 0330 004 0520<br />
Email us on sales@good-travel.co.uk<br />
www.good-travel.co.uk<br />
goodtravel<br />
management
SMEs / <strong>The</strong> TMC conundrum<br />
Getting<br />
TOGETHER<br />
SMEs are firmly in the sights of TMCs these days but are<br />
they strictly necessary for small travel budgets? Rob Gill<br />
assesses the pros and cons of working with a TMC<br />
To misquote Shakespeare,<br />
“To TMC, or not to TMC”, that is<br />
the question worth considering<br />
when it comes to how small and<br />
medium-sized enterprises choose to<br />
manage their business travel.<br />
During the past few years, travel management<br />
companies have increasingly<br />
targeted smaller organisations, who may<br />
never have considered using a business<br />
travel agency, instead relying on leisure-<br />
orientated platforms to book flights,<br />
hotels, rail tickets and more.<br />
TMCs see the SME market as a<br />
vast untapped market for their<br />
services – and it’s hard to doubt their<br />
logic: SMEs in the UK employ 16.3 million<br />
people with a collective turnover of<br />
£2trillion per year.<br />
Previously, larger TMCs have<br />
struggled to come up with<br />
products to effectively serve<br />
the SME market but this is<br />
changing rapidly as<br />
improved technology<br />
and automation<br />
reduces the costs<br />
of them reaching<br />
smaller clients.<br />
Even American Express Global <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>Travel</strong>, for example, is offering a “bundle”<br />
of services to SMEs through its <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Made Simple platform.<br />
For an SME new to the concept of<br />
managed travel, the choice can be<br />
daunting as it’s not just TMCs vying for<br />
their business. Technology companies,<br />
including online booking tool providers<br />
and travel management platforms such as<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>Perk, as well as big-name leisure<br />
travel brands, including Booking.com,<br />
are also making a play for the market.<br />
TMC offerings<br />
Click <strong>Travel</strong>’s Chief Executive Jill Palmer<br />
says SME clients should look beyond<br />
whether a company has a “TMC<br />
badge” or not, and instead<br />
consider the advantages of<br />
managing travel.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re’s a huge benefit to<br />
having all your business<br />
travel booked in one<br />
place,” she says.<br />
“You can implement<br />
a travel policy to<br />
get travellers<br />
to make the<br />
right choices and get reporting to know how<br />
much they are spending. It also means PAs<br />
don’t have to spend a lot of time booking<br />
travel on three different consumer sites.”<br />
Simone Buckley, CEO of Fello, adds that<br />
“speed and ease of service” are two of a<br />
TMC’s top selling points, alongside the<br />
ability to change bookings either online or<br />
by calling a consultant familiar with the<br />
SME’s requirements.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>y also benefit from 24-hour emergency<br />
service, traveller risk management, a single<br />
point of payment and credit facility, as well<br />
as consolidated reporting of travel spend<br />
and booking patterns,” says Buckley.<br />
Other TMCs are also keen to stress that<br />
managing business travel effectively goes<br />
far beyond making bookings.<br />
“We can bring more value to a business<br />
especially when it comes to controlling<br />
costs – both in terms of the best rates and<br />
ensuring bookings are within travel policy,”<br />
says Tyler Buckley, Strategic <strong>Business</strong><br />
Proposal Manager at <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Direct.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> value we bring to SME clients is often<br />
quite significant compared with larger clients<br />
with mature programmes. We can achieve a<br />
significant ROI for clients in the earlier<br />
stages of managing their travel spend.”<br />
68 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
<strong>The</strong> TMC conundrum / SMEs<br />
Payment plans<br />
One of the first questions on the lips of any<br />
SME thinking about using a TMC for the first<br />
time is 'how much is it going to cost us?'<br />
<strong>The</strong> answer is not always simple as TMCs<br />
now offer a plethora of payment options<br />
and strategies, which are largely dependent<br />
on the level of service required.<br />
<strong>The</strong> general rule of thumb is the more<br />
automated the process, the cheaper it’s<br />
going to be. For those wanting a “higher<br />
touch” human experience, the cost is always<br />
going to be higher.<br />
Click <strong>Travel</strong> offers SMEs use of its online<br />
booking tool for free with no transaction<br />
fees – the TMC makes its money from<br />
suppliers. Click has also just introduced a<br />
new upgraded “Plus” package for £399 per<br />
year, including extra functions such as the<br />
ability to customise travel policy, sync<br />
calendars and automate pre-trip approvals.<br />
Similarly, <strong>Travel</strong>Perk offers a basic booking<br />
option for free and then charges £9 per trip<br />
for a premium plan offering a higher level<br />
of service to clients, including priority<br />
customer and concierge services.<br />
Earlier this year, travel management<br />
company Amber Road launched a new<br />
SME service called TRAQ, which charges<br />
clients a monthly flat fee of £29 per<br />
traveller, which is only paid if the traveller<br />
is active during the month.<br />
While this sort of subscription-based<br />
model is becoming more<br />
popular, transaction fees<br />
remain common among<br />
TMCs specialising in the<br />
SME market, including<br />
Corporate <strong>Travel</strong>ler,<br />
which is part of the<br />
Flight Centre Group along with FCM.<br />
“We don’t tie clients into contracts and our<br />
payment model is based on transaction<br />
fees, but we provide flexible payment<br />
options so clients can choose whether to<br />
pay by credit card or on account,” says<br />
Andy Hegley, UK General Manager at<br />
Corporate <strong>Travel</strong>ler.<br />
Offering flexibility to SMEs is also crucial<br />
for Gary McLeod, Managing Director of<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>eads. “When business travel might be<br />
sporadic, we would usually recommend the<br />
transaction fee route. Once they develop a<br />
more regular pattern of travel, we can look<br />
at management fees or subscription <br />
One of the first<br />
questions on the<br />
lips of any SME thinking<br />
about using a TMC for the<br />
first time is 'how much is it<br />
going to cost us?'”<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
69
SMEs / <strong>The</strong> TMC conundrum<br />
models where we tailor charges against<br />
agreed activity,” he explains.<br />
Most SMEs recognise that there is a “cost<br />
to managing travel”, says Kevin Harrison,<br />
Good <strong>Travel</strong> Management’s Managing<br />
Director, with TMCs needing to<br />
“demonstrate broader value”, he says.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re is no such thing as a free travel<br />
management service. If there isn’t a fee,<br />
it will be somewhere within the pricing<br />
model,” adds Harrison.<br />
Size matters – or does it?<br />
Another key question is how much does a<br />
SME have to spend on business travel each<br />
year to make using a TMC worthwhile? <strong>The</strong><br />
answer varies, with some suggesting at least<br />
£50,000 per year and others being more<br />
flexible, depending on the client’s current<br />
needs and potential growth.<br />
“A business is never too small for a TMC,”<br />
says Brett Gerrett, General Manager,<br />
Isleworth <strong>Travel</strong> Management, which looks<br />
after clients with a business travel spend of<br />
up to £1.5million per year.<br />
“Clients spending less have access to the<br />
same great fares and service that all clients<br />
access,” says Gerrett. “And an offline service<br />
is perfectly suited to a client with a budget<br />
of less than £60k.”<br />
Kyle Daniels, Product Marketing Manager<br />
for Clarity, adds: “If we judge companies<br />
based on annual spend or number of<br />
journeys each year, we aren’t taking into<br />
account their ability to grow.<br />
“Everyone has to start somewhere. It’s<br />
about having open and honest conversations<br />
with prospects to determine if they need a<br />
TMC or just a better way of booking their<br />
current volume of travel,” says Daniels.<br />
Mark Wilson, Corporate <strong>Travel</strong> General<br />
Manager at <strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors for <strong>Business</strong>,<br />
adds: “We aren’t interested in the number<br />
of transactions a client does. Our operating<br />
model flexibility allows <strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors to<br />
operate in a way that ensures a personal<br />
service, with a single point of contact for<br />
all aspects of travel – SMEs value this<br />
connection the most.”<br />
Jason Geall, VP Northern Europe for<br />
American Express Global <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong>,<br />
says travel management is becoming<br />
“more accessible” to SMEs because of<br />
“digitally-driven services”.<br />
“Depending on the customer’s factors<br />
and circumstances, we already offer<br />
services to clients with annual spend from<br />
£250,000,” Geall adds.<br />
“And we are continuing to explore new<br />
tech-based travel management solutions to<br />
help businesses with even smaller spend.”<br />
Alternative routes<br />
Of course, there are other options for those<br />
companies keen to better manage their<br />
travel but wary of using a TMC.<br />
One of these alternatives is to start using<br />
an online booking tool offered by specialist<br />
companies such as SAP Concur, KDS or<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>doo, among others.<br />
<br />
If we judge companies<br />
based on their annual<br />
spend or the number of<br />
journeys they make each year,<br />
we aren’t taking into account<br />
their ability to grow”<br />
70 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
FOR BUSINESS<br />
AWARD-WINNING<br />
BUSINESS TRAVEL<br />
Welcome to the unique business travel<br />
service built around your company and<br />
travellers.<br />
At <strong>Travel</strong> Counsellors for <strong>Business</strong> you will work with dedicated,<br />
experienced travel professionals to benefit from a tailored,<br />
personal service.<br />
We deliver everything you expect from a top 20 <strong>Travel</strong><br />
Management Company plus extras like managing airline<br />
loyalty programmes, online check-in and even restaurant<br />
reservations.<br />
It’s this attention to detail that has seen us develop in to one of<br />
the UK’s fastest growing travel companies and the only one to<br />
obtain a 96% customer satisfaction rating.<br />
Experience the award-winning customer service of <strong>Travel</strong><br />
Counsellors for yourself and contact us today.<br />
96%<br />
of travel bookers<br />
would recommend their<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Counsellor<br />
Finalist<br />
Best<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Management Company<br />
(£50-£200 million UK annual sales)
SMEs / <strong>The</strong> TMC conundrum<br />
Darryl McGarvey, Director of Channel<br />
Development at SAP Concur, says they<br />
work with SMEs both through TMCs and<br />
directly with the client - the same booking<br />
platforms and technology are offered to all<br />
sizes of organisations.<br />
“Some SMEs are not of a size to engage<br />
with a TMC to gain access to their services<br />
and expertise – our TripLink product is a<br />
much better fit for them,” says McGarvey.<br />
“This allows businesses to manage their<br />
own travel programmes, but still have<br />
access to the consolidation of data they<br />
would usually get through working with a<br />
travel management company.”<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is also the option of using a high<br />
street travel agency chain. It may seem like<br />
an 'old school' approach but brands such as<br />
Flight Centre and STA <strong>Travel</strong> – who both<br />
have numerous retail stores – have each<br />
been targeting the SME business travel<br />
sector, recognising its potential.<br />
“We stand out from typical TMCs because<br />
we are a truly global company,” says Ellen<br />
Rayner, Director of STA <strong>Travel</strong>’s travel<br />
management division.<br />
“Our global network of stores means<br />
hands-on support is never too far away.<br />
Getting the best price is our priority. SME<br />
business clients are treated to bespoke<br />
corporate hotel rates and we also negotiate<br />
exclusive corporate airfares and rail<br />
bookings,” Rayner explains.<br />
<strong>The</strong> choice of travel management options<br />
for SMEs has never been greater and<br />
continues to grow – whether they want to<br />
go down the full TMC route or simply dip<br />
their toes by using an online booking tool<br />
for little or no initial cost.<br />
We are continuing<br />
to explore new techbased<br />
travel management<br />
solutions to help businesses<br />
with even smaller spend”<br />
[ BUILDING FROM SCRATCH ]<br />
A UK-based technology start-up saw their<br />
workforce grow from two to 50 people in five<br />
years, with business travel also increasing<br />
quickly to Europe and the US.<br />
<strong>The</strong> SME originally had no TMC, travel policy<br />
or anybody in charge of travel internally.<br />
<strong>The</strong> company wanted to work with a TMC to<br />
make savings on airfares, improve booking<br />
efficiency and implement a travel policy to<br />
enhance the safety and security of travellers.<br />
<strong>The</strong> financial director was appointed as the<br />
internal “travel owner” and then implemented<br />
a travel policy with the help and advice of<br />
CTM Europe.<br />
CTM assisted the company in signing up to<br />
airline loyalty agreements, including both<br />
corporate and individual traveller schemes,<br />
and securing specific SME airfares and hotel<br />
rates. It also began weekly pre- and post-trip<br />
reporting to monitor spending and<br />
compliance with policy.<br />
After the first 12 months, the client had<br />
achieved 97% policy compliance and 74%<br />
online booking adoption, as well as savings of<br />
23% on airfares and hotel savings of 5%. <strong>The</strong><br />
company also saved an estimated four hours<br />
per person per week by using a booking tool.<br />
72 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
All change<br />
<strong>The</strong> way we work, the way we interact with our products and services, has<br />
changed. <strong>Travel</strong>lers want to book and manage their itinerary in their own<br />
environment, with their own devices, on their own terms.<br />
And we’re leading that change with the new Go2Book booking tool.<br />
Built with the changing needs of travellers in mind, Go2Book works<br />
seamlessly across mobile, tablet and desktop; streamlined, simple and<br />
intuitive, giving users more control and more functionality… with fewer clicks.<br />
Find out how Go2Book<br />
can change your travellers’<br />
experience and transform your<br />
business travel programme:<br />
Call 0800 731 1627<br />
Visit claritybusinesstravel.com<br />
QUALITY<br />
EFFICIENCY<br />
SECURITY
SMEs / Back to basics<br />
the importance of policy<br />
Writing and implementing a company travel policy is a key first step for getting your business<br />
travel spend under control. Jenny Southan examines the essential components<br />
Managing travel relies on drafting a solid<br />
travel policy to make sure there is a<br />
consistent approach to booking flights<br />
and hotels, for example, and parameters<br />
in place about how much can be spent<br />
on what. It also needs to have guidelines<br />
in place to keep people safe.<br />
Divide your travel policy<br />
into sections<br />
A travel policy will usually need to<br />
cover quite a bit of ground so dividing it into<br />
sections is a good place to start. Things you<br />
need to account for are safety and security,<br />
flights (rules related to bookings, upgrades,<br />
cabin classes, air miles, lounges and so on),<br />
public transport, hotels, incidentals, meals,<br />
tips, taxis, car rental, entertainment,<br />
corporate credit cards, business hospitality<br />
and other travel expenses (visas, passports<br />
and currency). You may also want a clause<br />
relating to combining business trips with<br />
add-on stays for leisure.<br />
Do your due diligence<br />
Firstly, assess what locations you<br />
and your employees will be<br />
travelling to and check the Foreign and<br />
Commonwealth Office for country-specific<br />
advice. Decide what kinds of accommodation<br />
will be suitable. For example, in some riskier<br />
cities only five-star international chains will<br />
guarantee the security you are after and<br />
should be booked whatever the price.<br />
However, for companies frequenting the<br />
United States, for example, using mid-range<br />
hotels or even Airbnb for Work apartments<br />
could be the benchmark.<br />
Decide on your boundaries<br />
State hotel categories or nightly<br />
rate limits that you are happy for<br />
travellers to book. This might be on a cityby-city<br />
basis. You might want to specify<br />
particular chains or airlines but it’s a good<br />
idea to provide a choice. Having rules about<br />
when it’s appropriate to fly premium<br />
economy or business class will also be<br />
important. For some companies, flights<br />
under six hours must be flown in economy,<br />
while 10 hours-plus could be in business.<br />
Specify how bookings<br />
should be made<br />
If you are using a travel agency, the<br />
policy will probably need to state that all<br />
trips must be booked by them as they will<br />
get preferential rates. If you are using a<br />
TMC, there may be a mobile booking tool to<br />
use for less complex journeys. However, in<br />
an SME, everyone might have to book their<br />
own trips. Highlight who has sign-off and<br />
outline your approval process flow.<br />
Outline how trips<br />
should be paid for<br />
You might want to issue a company<br />
credit card to certain managers. Giving<br />
employees pre-paid cards is a good way of<br />
controlling expenses. Or try digital banks<br />
such as Tide and Starling (see page 82).<br />
How will you keep<br />
track of travellers?<br />
Make sure provisions are in place<br />
to keep track of travellers’ itineraries and<br />
contact details. If travelling to hostile<br />
territories, will there be training<br />
requirements? You should specify if any<br />
particular tracking technology is required or<br />
simply an email update. Staff all need to<br />
know what to do in an emergency. Overall,<br />
a decision needs to be made on how strict<br />
or relaxed you are as a company. Your<br />
policy should reflect this.<br />
Make sure provisions<br />
are in place to keep<br />
track of travellers’ itineraries<br />
and contact details. Staff all<br />
need to know what to do in<br />
an emergency”<br />
74 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
SMEs / Spend management<br />
76 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
Spend management / SMEs<br />
SAVE<br />
the pennies<br />
SMEs needn't play second fiddle to<br />
multinationals when it comes to supplier<br />
negotiations, writes Gillian Upton<br />
It’s ironic how a global financial<br />
meltdown can change the course of a<br />
company’s sales strategy but that’s<br />
exactly what happened after the Stock<br />
Market crash in 2008.<br />
TMCs previously ignoring the rich seam of<br />
SME business turned their attention to<br />
these entrepreneurs with potentially<br />
growing businesses. It means that for the<br />
last decade or so small and medium-sized<br />
companies have been taken far more<br />
seriously by the wider TMC community.<br />
<strong>The</strong> penny has dropped for some that<br />
SMEs may be small but gathered in large<br />
numbers are a far less risky strategy than<br />
relying totally on a smaller number of larger<br />
clients. “<strong>The</strong>y had holes to fill in revenues,”<br />
suggests Gary McLeod, MD of <strong>Travel</strong>eads.<br />
<strong>The</strong> opportunity is huge as <strong>The</strong> Federation<br />
of Small <strong>Business</strong>es says that SMEs account<br />
for 99.9% of all private sector companies in<br />
the UK, and over 5.7 million companies fall<br />
into the SME definition.<br />
Those SMEs employing between 10 and<br />
250 staff make up a group of 250,000<br />
companies, compared with approximately<br />
7,500 in the private sector's large employer<br />
category, employing over 250 staff.<br />
Once an SME of 10-15 staff grows to 30-50<br />
staff, a lot of travel and meetings begin as<br />
they seek to expand and open offices<br />
further afield. Annual travel spend of<br />
between £100,000 and £500,000 is the<br />
benchmark for SMEs but very often that can<br />
quickly rise to £5million.<br />
Scott Davies, CEO of the Institute of <strong>Travel</strong><br />
Management, highlights other attractions of<br />
the SME market: “<strong>The</strong> business is generally<br />
less volatile [than larger corporates] so<br />
there's lower risk and higher margin, since<br />
the buying power of multinational<br />
companies drive fees downwards.<br />
“In addition, SMEs usually have simpler<br />
requirements and so can be serviced via off<br />
the shelf propositions,” he adds.<br />
A product embracing an online booking<br />
tool has been the core provision for SMEs<br />
from the larger TMCs, with just telephone<br />
account management, which is fine if travel<br />
is largely point-to-point. However, American<br />
Express GBT has an offering called <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Made Simple (BTMS) which offers<br />
online and offline servicing, based on a per<br />
transaction cost model and designed for<br />
quick deployment. It offers discounts with<br />
suppliers, streamlined booking, robust<br />
reporting and 24/7 support, plus personalised<br />
service before, during and post-trip.<br />
“SMEs naturally gravitate towards small<br />
and mid-size TMCs,“ believes Adrian Parkes,<br />
of the <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> Association, many of<br />
which are part of global buying groups such<br />
as Advantage and Uniglobe and can pass on<br />
deals and perks.<br />
“We use leisure fares and IT fares too,”<br />
says Kevin Harrison, Managing Director of<br />
Good <strong>Travel</strong> Management, who thinks that<br />
SMEs can buy as well as the big boys.<br />
facing up to the challenges<br />
TMCs can aggregate spend and arrange<br />
cluster deals with airlines and hotels and<br />
offer best value solutions.<br />
However, it’s not all plain sailing as Raj<br />
Sachdave of Black Box warns that some<br />
suppliers will not accept aggregation as they<br />
want to know client names rather than<br />
receive consolidated volume made of <br />
We are keen to work<br />
directly with SMEs,<br />
but the challenge is that it is<br />
a very fragmented sector and<br />
many SMEs book in the same<br />
way as leisure customers,<br />
such as through OTAs”<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
77
SMEs / Spend management<br />
anonymous multiple SME spend.<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>eads is typical of the TMC approach,<br />
spending time in the discovery and<br />
educational process with clients as many of<br />
them have no travel policy, approvals<br />
process or have considered data needs.<br />
“Often it’s a case of spending time showing<br />
them how sophisticated a programme we<br />
can create for them, which is often an eye<br />
opener if they’ve been used to the<br />
experience of ‘give us your credit card and<br />
go away’ online booking,” says McLeod of<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>eads, one of the smaller TMCs which<br />
has long focussed on this market.<br />
<strong>The</strong> availability of technology has helped<br />
level the playing field as SMEs can benefit<br />
from mobile solutions and data analysis<br />
software for very little outlay.<br />
Suppliers raise their game<br />
SimiIarly, suppliers are waking up to the<br />
SME opportunity. “Suppliers certainly<br />
recognise the critical mass which the SME<br />
market generates in terms of travellers and<br />
combined spend,” says McLeod. And ITM’s<br />
Davies adds: “Suppliers need a lot of SMEs<br />
to match or replace revenue generated by<br />
large corporates. For this reason, the sales<br />
support tends to be virtual or delivered<br />
online through web portals.”<br />
Accor Hotels, for example, has a team<br />
looking after SMEs and has developed<br />
products and services for them, most<br />
recently <strong>Business</strong> Offer which offers a<br />
discount off BAR (see panel for details). Its<br />
LeClub Member Offer (for those booking<br />
leisure travel) includes perks.<br />
“We are keen to work directly with SMEs,<br />
but the challenge is that it is a very<br />
fragmented sector, and many SMEs book in<br />
the same way as leisure customers, such as<br />
through OTAs, perhaps unaware of the<br />
advantages of corporate accounts and<br />
booking direct,” says Jonathan Pettifer,<br />
Director of Corporate Sales and TMC<br />
partners, Accor UK & Ireland.<br />
TMCs can offer consortia rates from<br />
independent hotels says Mark Bevan,<br />
Head of Strategic Partnerships at <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Direct, where SMEs are a core part of<br />
the client portfolio.<br />
“Consortia rates from independent hotels<br />
discount the rate by 5%-15% and more like<br />
10%-15% regionally, both on transient and<br />
day delegate business,” he says. Forwardthinking<br />
suppliers are targetting SMEs, says<br />
Bevan, citing Best Western as an example.<br />
Perks aside, SMEs need help managing the<br />
travel spend. “Collecting Nectar points from<br />
<strong>The</strong> spending power<br />
of smaller corporates<br />
should never be underestimated,<br />
which is why we<br />
offer our loyalty progamme<br />
On<strong>Business</strong>, so they can<br />
benefit from free flights”<br />
a train company might not be meaningful<br />
but a hotel billback facility that gives you 14<br />
days credit to help cashflow is much more<br />
valuable,” says Black Box’s Sachdave. “A TMC<br />
will give an SME resource and cashflow so<br />
that’s the real saving.”<br />
Airlines move in<br />
On the airline front, despite it being a more<br />
challenging spend category, SMEs can<br />
benefit from nett fares and discounted<br />
fares. “We use rate analysing tools from<br />
time of booking to time of departure and<br />
the same flight can be reduced by 20-30%,<br />
particularly on long-haul,” says Bevan.<br />
Airline loyalty schemes can be of benefit<br />
too, providing discounts, extra points or<br />
value-added items. Fortunately, they have<br />
moved away from perks and towards more<br />
tangible benefits such as discounted rates<br />
and flights in response to buyer feedback.<br />
“Most airlines offer fares targeted towards<br />
SMEs,” says Brett Gerrett, General Manager,<br />
Isleworth <strong>Travel</strong> Management. “British<br />
Airways offers discounted and increased<br />
flexibility on <strong>Business</strong> Bespoke fares<br />
<br />
A MEMBER OF THE GLOBAL TRAVEL SOLUTIONS GROUP<br />
W<br />
E<br />
A<br />
R<br />
E<br />
CORPORATE SPORTS & GROUPS MEDIA MARINE & OFFSHORE SCHOOLS & ACADEMIA CHARITY<br />
...THE FEEL-GREAT BUSINESS TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
SMEs / Spend management<br />
Even if a business isn't<br />
large enough to justify<br />
a full-time travel manager,<br />
having someone responsible<br />
for this area, and with the<br />
authority to enforce any<br />
policies, is vitally important”<br />
while Air France-KLM and Virgin-Delta<br />
offers the Bluebiz scheme with some<br />
excellent perks such as free name changes<br />
and an enhanced points structure.”<br />
British Airways On<strong>Business</strong> and the<br />
Bluebiz schemes are two of the most<br />
popular schemes for SMEs. Other airlines,<br />
such as Emirates, have low thresholds for<br />
deals. “<strong>The</strong> non-dominant carriers have<br />
lower thresholds as they have a desire to<br />
gain marketshare from companies whose<br />
business is more moveable,” says Harrison.<br />
TMCs claim to generate savings of their<br />
own on behalf of a client. “We save our<br />
clients thousands of pounds every year by<br />
managing these programmes effectively, all<br />
as part of our service, but it’s imperative<br />
that you have an agent who can manage<br />
them for you, ” says Rebecca Deadman,<br />
Commercial Director of Blue Cube <strong>Travel</strong>.<br />
“<strong>Business</strong>es of all sizes are incredibly<br />
important to us,” says Marie Hilditch, Head<br />
of UK & Ireland Corporate Sales at BA. “<strong>The</strong><br />
spend power of smaller corporates should<br />
never be under-estimated, which is why we<br />
offer our loyalty programme On<strong>Business</strong>, so<br />
they can benefit from free flights, upgrades<br />
and other travel management benefits.”<br />
Accor’s Pettifer reckons creating a travel<br />
policy and getting staff to stick to it is the<br />
most beneficial way of SMEs making the<br />
most of their spending power. “Having a<br />
properly applied policy will enable them to<br />
benefit from the best deals. Ensuring that<br />
travellers are aware of the deals that are in<br />
place and understand the value in following<br />
this policy can make an immediate impact.”<br />
Pettifer adds: “Even if a business isn’t large<br />
enough to justify a full-time travel manager,<br />
having someone responsible for this area,<br />
and with the authority to enforce policy, is<br />
important in making the most of their<br />
buying power and any deals agreed.”<br />
Bluebiz<br />
Bluebiz has over 200,000 members in 125-<br />
plus markets. Every flight booked on Bluebiz<br />
member airlines earns blue credits, worth £1<br />
each, which can be knocked off future flights.<br />
UK members can earn and burn credits on<br />
five airlines: KLM, Air France, Delta Air Lines,<br />
Kenya Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which<br />
joined this summer. Taxes and surcharges<br />
are included in the price of award tickets.<br />
Etihad Airways’ <strong>Business</strong>Connect<br />
Etihad Airways’ <strong>Business</strong>Connect is open to<br />
companies with two to 50 business travellers.<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>lers earn Guest Miles for themselves<br />
while the business earns an additional<br />
percentage. Accounts can be managed online<br />
and miles can be redeemed for free flights,<br />
upgrades and gifts. New sign-ups get a bonus<br />
of 5,000 Miles. <strong>The</strong> airline is running a double<br />
mileage promotion from <strong>Aug</strong> 1 to Nov 30.<br />
IHG business edge<br />
<strong>The</strong> global hotel group's SME offering offers<br />
guaranteed discounts at more than 5,400<br />
hotels globally and a management portal<br />
book trips, monitor spend and savings data<br />
and access premium content. Registered<br />
travellers receive an upgrade to IHG Rewards<br />
Club Gold Elite status after their first IHG<br />
<strong>Business</strong> Edge stay. <strong>The</strong>re is no fee to join<br />
and no minimum annual spend.<br />
[ SME loyalty schemes ]<br />
BA Onbusiness<br />
Offers discounts of at least 5% on many<br />
flights (excluding taxes, fees and charges),<br />
and allows pooling of points. <strong>The</strong>y can be<br />
spent on Reward Flights with BA, AA and<br />
Iberia. Flights can be changed free of charge<br />
before the outbound flight. Points can also<br />
be spent on upgrades, including Club Europe/<br />
Club World. Execs can collect personal Avios<br />
points for themselves at the same time.<br />
Accor <strong>Business</strong> Offer<br />
Eligibility is 50 nights per year booked across<br />
any participating Accor property. It offers<br />
discounted rates of up to 10% off the best<br />
available rates in its luxury, upscale and<br />
mid-market hotels, and 5% in the group’s<br />
economy hotels. Event organisers can earn<br />
points for personal trips by arranging events<br />
at the group's 2,400 hotels worldwide with<br />
Le Club Meeting Planner.<br />
80 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
PREMIUM BUSINESS<br />
<strong>The</strong> finest experience<br />
in the sky.<br />
We connect the UK to over 120 destinations<br />
across Latin America with direct daily flights<br />
to our hub in São Paulo. Over the next two<br />
years, we will renovate the cabins of<br />
two-thirds of our global fleet.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Premium <strong>Business</strong> class will boast a<br />
new seat design with seating options for<br />
both individuals and couples (including a<br />
full-flat bed), direct aisle access, ample<br />
space for personal items, and an improved<br />
in-flight entertainment system on an 18”<br />
personal screen.<br />
latam.com
SMEs / Six of the best<br />
Six of the best...<br />
Digital banks for SMEs<br />
Words by Jenny Southan<br />
1<br />
STARLING<br />
Starling’s business account can be<br />
set up in a few minutes, has no<br />
monthly fees, zero transaction<br />
charges on overseas payments,<br />
real-time notifications when<br />
money goes in or out and a slick<br />
app that presents finances<br />
visually. All deposits are protected<br />
by the FSCS up to £85,000.<br />
2<br />
3<br />
TIDE<br />
Used by more than 85,000<br />
business owners, another smart<br />
digital-only bank is Tide, which<br />
issues free business Mastercards,<br />
doesn’t charge foreign transaction<br />
fees, and lets users instantly<br />
freeze their PIN via the app.<br />
MONZO<br />
Known for its orange debit cards,<br />
Monzo launched its first business<br />
accounts in February as part of a<br />
trial. With income and outgoings<br />
all managed within a user-friendly<br />
app, Monzo wants to become “the<br />
financial hub for your business”.<br />
4<br />
REVOLUT<br />
Sign up for a global business<br />
account with Revolut and you can<br />
issue employees with prepaid<br />
business cards to help manage<br />
expenses, set up multiple accounts<br />
for different offices, hold, receive<br />
and exchange 29 different<br />
currencies, and make up to 1,000<br />
bulk payments in one click.<br />
6<br />
N26<br />
Aimed at freelancers and the<br />
self-employed, N26 issues trendy<br />
transparent Mastercards that<br />
sync with an app that gives<br />
0.1% cashback on all purchases<br />
and uses AI to categorise your<br />
spending so you don’t have to<br />
mess around with spreadsheets.<br />
5<br />
CURVE<br />
Curve combines all your existing<br />
bank accounts in one – just<br />
choose which one you want to<br />
make a transaction with on the<br />
app and then swipe or tap with<br />
your Curve card. <strong>The</strong>re are five<br />
cards – Blue is free, while Metal is<br />
£14.99 and includes various perks.<br />
82 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
WELCOME TO A NEW<br />
LEVEL OF HOSPITALITY<br />
<strong>The</strong> Level at Meliá White House is a new concept of a boutique hotel within a hotel;<br />
offering exceptional services for the discerning traveller. Whether for business or<br />
leisure, guests will experience a personalised service to make their stay an<br />
unforgettable experience.<br />
Private check-in with drinks welcome<br />
Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout<br />
Luxury bath amenities<br />
24hr room service<br />
Packing and unpacking of luggage<br />
Pressing of one shirt per day<br />
Complimentary access to the exclusive<br />
Level Lounge; a private area where guests<br />
can enjoy a selection of drinks and<br />
snacks throughout the day<br />
Book via melia.com or call +44 (0)20 7391 3000
SMEs / Data<br />
Cash flow<br />
CONCERNS<br />
Managing business travel costs and expenses administration are<br />
the biggest headaches for SMEs in the UK, according to research<br />
from Allstar <strong>Business</strong> Solutions...<br />
THE FOUR MOST<br />
COMMON BUSINESS<br />
EXPENSES HEADACHES<br />
£4,000<br />
BY<br />
THE AVERAGE MONTHLY SPEND<br />
SMEs ON TRAVEL EXPENSES<br />
MISLAID RECEIPTS<br />
A PARTICULARLY COMMON ISSUE AMONG<br />
WORKERS, WITH MANY WORRYING ABOUT<br />
LOSING BILLS AND, WITH THEM, ANY<br />
PROSPECT OF BEING REIMBURSED<br />
50<br />
%<br />
HALF OF SME EMPLOYEES SAY THEY<br />
ARE LEFT OUT OF POCKET EVERY MONTH<br />
AFTER USING THEIR OWN MONEY WHEN<br />
TRAVELLING FOR WORK<br />
%<br />
26<br />
MANAGING TRAVEL<br />
COSTS IS THE BIGGEST<br />
HEADACHE FOR UK SMEs<br />
OF SMEs SAY THAT COST SAVINGS,<br />
SPENDING CONTROL FEATURES AND EASE OF<br />
MANAGEMENT WERE THE KEY BENEFITS THEY<br />
WOULD LOOK FOR IN A MORE ADVANCED<br />
BUSINESS CREDIT CARD PROGRAMME<br />
MONTHLY SPEND<br />
39%<br />
OF SME<br />
OWNERS SAY<br />
HELPING<br />
CASHFLOW WAS<br />
A KEY<br />
REQUIREMENT<br />
OF BUSINESS<br />
CREDIT CARDS<br />
21%<br />
OF SME OWNERS SAY THAT<br />
BALANCING CASH FLOW<br />
‘KEEPS THEM UP<br />
AT NIGHT’<br />
THE ADMIN LOGJAM<br />
LONG-WINDED WAYS TO SUBMIT CLAIMS,<br />
OFTEN WITH A BIG PAPER TRAIL, MEAN<br />
EXPENSES BUILD UP, CAUSING CASHFLOW<br />
ISSUES FOR BOTH THE EMPLOYER AND<br />
THE EMPLOYEE<br />
FAILURE TO KEEP AND<br />
SUBMIT FUEL RECEIPTS<br />
THIS HAMPERS OR PREVENTS BUSINESSES<br />
MAKING AN HMRC CLAIM TO GET VAT<br />
REFUNDED ON FUEL<br />
LATE CLAIMS<br />
ANOTHER STRESS POINT FOR WORKERS<br />
ARE MONTHLY CLAIM CYCLES. FOR<br />
EMPLOYEES WHO MISS THE DEADLINE,<br />
IT CAN MEAN WAITING ANOTHER ENTIRE<br />
MONTH TO BE REIMBURSED. FOR THE<br />
BUSINESS, IT CAN MEAN EXTRA RESOURCES<br />
PROCESSING LATE CLAIMS<br />
84 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
Get with the programme!<br />
REGISTER NOW<br />
View from the top: industry<br />
figures reflect on travel’s<br />
current trends and challenges<br />
On the button: how to select,<br />
implement and drive adoption<br />
of online booking tools<br />
Deals on wheels: find out how<br />
to optimise your car hire and<br />
rail travel spend<br />
Sleep talk: is it time for a<br />
change of approach to your<br />
accommodation needs?<br />
Small wonders: helping SMEs<br />
make the most of their<br />
travel spend<br />
New kids on the block:<br />
discover a new wave of tools<br />
and TMCs on the market<br />
Air time: take your air travel<br />
spend to new heights with<br />
expert guidance<br />
<strong>The</strong> clinic: three travel<br />
managers discuss their travel<br />
programmes<br />
Going to market: sourcing the<br />
best TMC for your needs in a<br />
slowly shrinking market<br />
<strong>The</strong> mavericks: get rogue<br />
travellers under control and<br />
gain compliance<br />
In safe hands: risk mitigation,<br />
traveller tracking and duty of<br />
care in the spotlight<br />
Fit for purpose: making<br />
wellbeing central to your policy<br />
Book your free place now at thebusinesstravelconference.com<br />
With thanks to our headline sponsor<br />
Star Alliance, and Executive sponsors,<br />
Amadeus and Air Europa. TBTC'19<br />
is proudly supporting London Taxi<br />
Drivers' Charity for Children
DEPARTURES<br />
<strong>The</strong> best new... Gadgets & gear<br />
Stow it!<br />
Luxury travel brand Stow is showcasing its<br />
products at Heathrow Airport’s VIP private<br />
lounge in Terminal 5 this summer, with a<br />
25% discount being offered for a limited<br />
time. <strong>The</strong> Duchess of Sussex Meghan<br />
Markle is said to be among fans of the<br />
designer wallets, cases and accessories. <strong>The</strong><br />
tech case, pictured, normally retails at £305.<br />
stowlondon.co.uk<br />
zip it up<br />
with Briggs<br />
& riley<br />
stow<br />
claims royal<br />
approval<br />
A first<br />
for B&R<br />
Swanky luggage brand<br />
Briggs & Riley has<br />
launched its first femalefocused<br />
collection this<br />
summer. Called<br />
Rhapsody, the range<br />
includes backpacks, a<br />
crossbody bag, slim<br />
business brief, essential<br />
tote and a cabin spinner<br />
carry-on case in plum,<br />
navy and black. Prices<br />
start from £109.<br />
briggs-riley.com<br />
high five...<br />
<strong>Business</strong> travel podcasts<br />
Absolute Clarity<br />
Clarity <strong>Travel</strong> Management<br />
launched its series of topical<br />
podcasts last year. <strong>The</strong>re are now 30<br />
episodes available online featuring a<br />
range of guests tackling industry topics.<br />
Singapore Airlines<br />
Called Make your Productivity<br />
Fly, this 30-minute podcast is<br />
designed to help the airline’s business<br />
class passengers make better use of<br />
their time onboard.<br />
TED Talks <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s a massive choice of<br />
the popular TED Talks<br />
podcasts available online featuring a<br />
hugely diverse range of topics and<br />
ranging from five to 20 minutes.<br />
TUNE in AND<br />
ZONE OUT!<br />
Liquid solutions<br />
Beat airport liquid limits by bagging some of<br />
Men-U’s concentrated shaving foams,<br />
moisturisers and shampoos. <strong>The</strong> 100ml<br />
products cost from £8.95. Or for a<br />
refreshing scent without any liquids<br />
whatsoever, try a tiny tin of Solid Cologne.<br />
<strong>The</strong> wax-based substance comes in several<br />
scents and costs from £14.95.<br />
get fresh<br />
with cologne<br />
in a tin<br />
Airplane Geeks<br />
As the name suggests, this US<br />
podcast is only for those with a<br />
serious penchant for all things<br />
planes and aviation. It’s now<br />
released over 550 episodes.<br />
ITM<br />
<strong>The</strong> Institute of<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Management<br />
will release its very<br />
first podcast this summer –<br />
we look forward to hearing<br />
more from them.<br />
86 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
DEPARTURES<br />
New kid on the block<br />
the standard, london<br />
THE LOWDOWN Standard<br />
International has transformed a<br />
Brutalist 1970s building in London’s<br />
King Cross – the former Camden<br />
Town Hall – into a unique 266-room<br />
hotel that draws inspiration from the<br />
area’s political, intellectual and<br />
cultural history. Designed in<br />
partnership with Shawn Hausman,<br />
the hotel is Standard’s first outside<br />
the US and marks the beginning of<br />
planned global expansion. <strong>The</strong><br />
Standard has 42 different styles of<br />
room, from ingeniously designed<br />
windowless ‘Cosy Core’ rooms to<br />
terraced suites with outdoor<br />
bathtubs overlooking St Pancras.<br />
Public spaces include a library<br />
lounge, two restaurants, and –<br />
opening in <strong>Sept</strong>ember – a third,<br />
tenth-floor restaurant featuring<br />
live fire cooking and offering 360<br />
degree views of London.<br />
that's a FACT <strong>The</strong> hotel includes<br />
a wood-panelled, sound proofed<br />
studio to host, stream and record<br />
DJ sets, interviews, podcasts and<br />
intimate live shows.<br />
they said it “We could not be<br />
more proud of what <strong>The</strong> Standard<br />
team and our many collaborators<br />
have created in a beautiful,<br />
overlooked building that was almost<br />
left for naught. We look forward to<br />
welcoming the world in to see, and<br />
more importantly, feel what it is that<br />
makes <strong>The</strong> Standard so special.”<br />
rates Cosy Core rooms<br />
start at £199 while prices rise to<br />
£1,050 per night for the top suite.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
87
BECAUSE GOOD CONNECTIONS<br />
ALWAYS HELP<br />
On the move worldwide with the Lufthansa Group airlines<br />
FRANKFURT<br />
BRUSSELS MUNICH<br />
VIENNA<br />
ZURICH<br />
NORTH AMERICA<br />
23 destinations in<br />
2 countries<br />
EUROPE<br />
157 destinations in<br />
44 countries<br />
MIDDLE EAST<br />
13 destinations in<br />
10 countries<br />
ASIA<br />
24 destinations in<br />
11 countries<br />
CENTRAL AND<br />
SOUTH AMERICA<br />
12 destinations in<br />
9 countries<br />
AFRICA<br />
41 destinations in<br />
29 countries<br />
<strong>The</strong> Lufthansa Group airlines are Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa,<br />
SWISS, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings. Via the Brussels,<br />
Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich hubs, and with numerous<br />
direct connections, they offer their passengers more than 11,000<br />
flights a week to more than 270 business and holiday destinations<br />
worldwide. Passengers therefore benefit from a large choice of<br />
destinations and many combination options. <strong>The</strong> Lufthansa Group<br />
airlines stand for high-quality products and services. With more<br />
than 700 aircraft, they have one of the largest and, above all, most<br />
modern fleets in the world.<br />
2018/<strong>2019</strong> winter timetable, as at: 09/2018, subject to changes.
DEPARTURES<br />
Meeting in York<br />
<strong>The</strong> attractive walled city<br />
of York is one of the UK’s<br />
most visited tourist<br />
hotspots but it has much<br />
to win over business<br />
travellers too, with its<br />
plentiful choice of historic<br />
and cultural venues and a<br />
vibrant restaurant and<br />
nightlife scene, writes<br />
WOW FACTOR<br />
Merchant<br />
Adventurers Hall<br />
<strong>The</strong> atmospheric Grade I listed<br />
Merchant Adventurers Hall is<br />
one of Europe’s best surviving<br />
examples of a medieval guild<br />
hall. Its impressive interior<br />
lends itself perfectly to grand<br />
dinners and events. Groups of<br />
up to 180 can be seated in the<br />
main hall, and outside there<br />
are scenic walled gardens,<br />
bordered by the River Foss.<br />
Hall hire starts at £1,100.<br />
QUIRKY VENUE<br />
<strong>The</strong> York Dungeon<br />
<strong>The</strong> York Dungeon is part of<br />
the national Dungeon group<br />
and it hosts interactive shows<br />
and live action events that<br />
bring historical stories to life,<br />
with actors taking visitors<br />
through more than 2,000 years<br />
of York history. Private events<br />
during the day or evening can<br />
be catered for in the Dungeon’s<br />
cellar rooms. Visitors can also<br />
go on tours after hours, with<br />
prices starting at £20pp.<br />
ON A SHOESTRING<br />
Clements Hall<br />
Just outside the city walls,<br />
Clements Hall is a community<br />
run events hall located a short<br />
walk from the railway station.<br />
<strong>The</strong> light-filled main room is<br />
suitable for receptions and<br />
presentations, seating up to<br />
120, while the first-floor art<br />
room can seat 20. A separate<br />
meeting space is available for<br />
up to 18. Room hire starts from<br />
£18 per hour for the main hall<br />
and catering can be organised.<br />
Emma Allen<br />
Fossgate, York YO1 9XD<br />
merchantshallyork.org<br />
12 Clifford St, York YO1 9RD<br />
thedungeons.com/york<br />
Nunthorpe Road, York YO23 1BW<br />
clementshall.org.uk<br />
STEP BACK<br />
IN TIME<br />
SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED<br />
WIRED UP<br />
OUT OF TOWN<br />
Getting there<br />
York is less than two<br />
hours from London by train,<br />
and around two hours from<br />
Edinburgh. <strong>The</strong>re are also<br />
direct services from Liverpool,<br />
Manchester, Birmingham and<br />
the South West. <strong>The</strong> nearest<br />
airport is Leeds/Bradford,<br />
which is around 50 minutes<br />
away by road.<br />
York’s Chocolate Story<br />
Set in the historic Minster<br />
Quarter, York’s Chocolate Story<br />
sets out the history behind<br />
York’s chocolate-making<br />
industry, and the building<br />
makes an interesting<br />
backdrop for dinners and<br />
receptions. Tastings and<br />
workshops can be arranged, as<br />
well as tours and hiring of the<br />
Factory Zone. Prices start at<br />
£100 per hour for evening hire,<br />
and 20-75 can be catered for.<br />
3-4 Kings Square, York YO1 7LD<br />
yorkschocolatestory.com<br />
KEEPING IT<br />
SWEET<br />
Spring Lane Building<br />
In the city centre, the modern<br />
Spring Lane building is part of<br />
the University of York. It<br />
re-opened in 2016 after a<br />
£13.8m refit. It now offers<br />
a 350-seat lecture theatre<br />
and 26 seminar rooms,<br />
along with state-of-the-art AV<br />
and an on-site technical team.<br />
In the York Conferences<br />
university portfolio there are<br />
more than 200 venues, most<br />
with free high-speed wifi.<br />
397 Harewood Way, Heslington, York<br />
YO10 5DS yorkconferences.com<br />
A DAY AT<br />
THE RACES<br />
York Racecourse<br />
York Racecourse is located a<br />
mile outside of the city centre,<br />
and has a wide range of<br />
conference and meeting space<br />
available, along with hospitality<br />
suites suitable for groups up to<br />
650. <strong>The</strong> venue also has more<br />
than 2,000sqm of exhibition<br />
space, as well as 2,500sqm of<br />
external tarmac courtyard<br />
areas, allowing events to be<br />
extended outdoors. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />
2,000 free parking spaces.<br />
Racecourse Road, Knavesmire Road,<br />
York yorkracecourse.co.uk<br />
Further information<br />
VisitYork4meetings is the<br />
official conference bureau for<br />
York. See: visityork.org; Tel:<br />
01904 555676; email:<br />
conference@visityork.org<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
89
GALLERY<br />
Avis Budget UK at<br />
Henley Royal<br />
Regatta<br />
Guests from across the industry<br />
gathered on the banks of the River<br />
Thames in July to enjoy a day of fine<br />
hospitality at the Henley Royal Regatta<br />
courtesy of Avis Budget Group. A<br />
charity auction raised nearly £10,000<br />
for Prostate Cancer UK. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>Travel</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> was once again<br />
delighted to be an event partner.<br />
Avis Budget Group at Henley Royal Regatta ▼<br />
Xxxxxx xxxxxxxx ▼<br />
▲ 05.07.<strong>2019</strong><br />
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Business</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> in partnership with Avis Budget Group<br />
90 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
DEPARTURES<br />
On business in... Manama<br />
Bahrain's capital city,<br />
Manama, is the largest<br />
of its six inhabited<br />
islands. Its financial<br />
harbour, dominated<br />
by the iconic twin<br />
towers of the World<br />
Trade Centre, is home<br />
to the Kingdom’s<br />
strong banking sector,<br />
second only to oil.<br />
Diversification into<br />
other sectors is part<br />
of the Kingdom’s<br />
‘Economic Vision 2030’<br />
strategy, writes<br />
Ramy Salameh<br />
VISIT THE AL<br />
FATEH GRAND<br />
MOSQUE<br />
SLEEPING<br />
EATING<br />
GETTING DOWNTOWN<br />
Getting there<br />
Gulf Air operates 14 direct<br />
flights a week – two a day –<br />
from London Heathrow to<br />
Bahrain International Airport.<br />
<strong>The</strong> flight takes around 6.5<br />
hours. British Airways operates<br />
a daily service from London<br />
Heathrow. Bahrain International<br />
Airport is located on Muhurraq<br />
Island, 7km north of the capital<br />
city Manama and a 16-minute<br />
drive away.<br />
Further information<br />
For more details on planning a<br />
trip to Bahrain visit: btea.bh<br />
Centrally located beside Bab<br />
Stay put at <strong>The</strong> Merchant House’s<br />
Al-Bahrain (historic gate) and<br />
rooftop Indigo Restaurant and<br />
bustling Manama Souk, the<br />
savour the ever popular 'Hamour'<br />
recently opened Merchant<br />
fish dish or head to Block 338,<br />
House is Campbell Gray<br />
located in the heart of<br />
BRUNCHING IN<br />
Hotel Group's first foray<br />
BAHRAIN<br />
Adliya, and search out ATTIC<br />
into the region and the first<br />
restaurant. It's a beautifully<br />
official luxury boutique hotel<br />
designed eatery with plenty<br />
in Bahrain. <strong>The</strong> 46-suite property of terrace space offering<br />
is defined by original art and design; Mediterranean cuisine. A tip for<br />
Chagall, Hirst and Warhol hang brunch would be to find the<br />
beside a host of Bahraini and GCC atmospheric Lukmatina Cafe on<br />
artists of international repute. For Muharraq Island.<br />
the glitz and glamour of major hotel<br />
brands, the likes of the Ritz-Carlton<br />
AFTER HOURS<br />
and Four Seasons are close by.<br />
By day, Block 338 is a pedestrianised<br />
quarter of restaurants, galleries and<br />
boutiques. By night, it becomes a<br />
nightlife hot-spot with super-cars<br />
queuing to be seen, as the fine<br />
diners and bars start to fill up. For<br />
nightclubs head to the nearby Juffair<br />
district for headline venues klub360,<br />
Apollo Club and Club Wrangler to<br />
dance into the early hours.<br />
Although walking is an option, the<br />
primary means of transport is by car<br />
or taxi. Rent a car from one of the<br />
many city rental companies or jump<br />
into one of the relatively inexpensive<br />
metered cabs that traverse the city.<br />
MUST-SEE SIGHTS<br />
Journey through 5,000 years of<br />
history at Bahrain National Museum<br />
or visit the UNESCO World Heritage<br />
listed Bahrain Fort. Divers can go in<br />
search of pearls or a submerged<br />
Boeing 747 within the world’s largest<br />
eco-friendly underwater theme park.<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
91
DEPARTURES<br />
Focus on... East Africa<br />
Buoyant economies,<br />
abundant resources and<br />
a growing population<br />
could make East Africa<br />
the next big economic<br />
success story, and its<br />
historic ties to the UK<br />
make it a promising<br />
prospect for trade<br />
cooperation post-Brexit,<br />
writes Sasha Wood<br />
<strong>The</strong> new Scramble for Africa is well<br />
underway, according to Alex Vines,<br />
head of the Africa program at London<br />
thinktank Chatham House. Foreign<br />
powers are vying for a stake in the<br />
economies of the world’s second most<br />
populous continent, expected to<br />
overtake China by 2025.<br />
<strong>The</strong> continent is entering a period of<br />
unprecedented growth with foreign<br />
embassies popping up all over, and a<br />
slew of new investment and trade<br />
deals with foreign powers and<br />
multinationals. As a whole, Africa has<br />
the second fastest-growing economy<br />
in the world, with strong signs its<br />
emerging markets are set to replicate<br />
Asian growth in the next decade.<br />
<strong>The</strong> six-nation East African trade<br />
bloc that includes Tanzania, Kenya,<br />
Uganda and Rwanda has been the<br />
most successful and stable of<br />
Africa’s regional blocs since it was<br />
re-established in 2000. It’s formed a<br />
customs union and the basis of a<br />
common market, and is aiming for a<br />
single currency by 2024.<br />
According to the African Development<br />
Bank’s East Africa Economic<br />
Outlook Report <strong>2019</strong>, the region’s<br />
economy is racing ahead of the rest of<br />
the continent with annual growth at<br />
7% "making it a promising investment<br />
and manufacturing destination”. <strong>The</strong><br />
report notes that job creation and<br />
ramping up manufacturing will<br />
continue to be major priority areas for<br />
creating growth.<br />
So it’s small wonder that governments<br />
and businesses from around<br />
the world, including the UK, are<br />
rushing to strengthen diplomatic and<br />
commercial ties. Especially in light of<br />
Brexit, UK Trade Minister for Africa,<br />
Emma Wade-Smith points out: “One<br />
of the opportunities that Brexit<br />
affords us is increased interest from<br />
UK companies in Africa as they have<br />
to expand outside their normal<br />
trading blocs.”<br />
In preparation for leaving the EU,<br />
the UK recently signed the UK-Eastern<br />
and Southern Africa Agreement,<br />
intended to replicate the existing EPA<br />
Time zones: GMT +3hrs in<br />
Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia &<br />
Uganda; GMT +2hrs in Rwanda.<br />
Local currency:<br />
Ethiopian Birr: £1 = ETB 36;<br />
Kenyan Shilling: £1 = KES 129;<br />
Tanzanian Shilling: £1 = TZS 2,872<br />
Ugandan Shilling: £1 = UGX 4,613<br />
Rwandan Franc: £1 = RWF 1,124<br />
Visas: UK passport holders need<br />
a visa to visit all East African<br />
countries. <strong>The</strong> East Africa Tourist<br />
Visa is also available, allowing<br />
multiple entry into Kenya,<br />
Rwanda and Uganda. Visas for<br />
Tanzania can be obtained from<br />
the Tanzanian High Commission<br />
or from a main port of entry.<br />
Kenya offers e-visas or visas<br />
upon arrival. Uganda requires an<br />
e-visa or visa from the Ugandan<br />
High Commission; Rwanda offers<br />
30-day visas upon arrival for £20.<br />
Ethiopia also offers e-visas or<br />
visas upon arrival at Addis Ababa<br />
airport. To obtain a business visa,<br />
check the latest instructions<br />
from the Ethiopian Embassy.<br />
92 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
DEPARTURES<br />
between East Africa and the EU, and<br />
ensuring free trade.<br />
Last year the government actively<br />
courted business in the region, setting<br />
a new goal for the UK to be the largest<br />
G7 investor in Africa by 2022. <strong>The</strong><br />
ambition was announced alongside a<br />
range of measures to boost trade and<br />
encourage UK investment in the<br />
region, including the creation of a new<br />
Africa Investors Board.<br />
Trade between the UK and African<br />
nations, which is already worth more<br />
than £31billion, continues to grow.<br />
<strong>The</strong> UK already has a firm foothold<br />
in Kenya, with more than 60 British<br />
companies operating there. And<br />
thanks to strong political and<br />
historical links, the UK remains the<br />
country’s strongest trading partner<br />
with more than £1.3billion of annual<br />
bilateral trade. Marks & Spencer alone<br />
buys products worth £100 million per<br />
year from Kenya, with other British<br />
supermarkets close behind. On the<br />
reverse, machinery and chemicals<br />
form the bulk of UK imports.<br />
Ethiopia, meanwhile, is expected to<br />
maintain the rapid pace of growth it<br />
has experienced over the last decade.<br />
<strong>The</strong> continent’s fourth largest city and<br />
Africa’s diplomatic capital, Addis<br />
Ababa is another major gateway to<br />
the region. Trade between UK and<br />
Ethiopia has increased considerably in<br />
recent years and UK exports to<br />
Ethiopia have grown by 135%. Like<br />
many East African nations, major<br />
imports include machinery, oil and<br />
petrol, while coffee makes up more<br />
than a third of total exports.<br />
A free market economy and<br />
abundant natural resources make<br />
Tanzania equally attractive to foreign<br />
investors, and the UK is one of its<br />
largest. <strong>The</strong> country is rich in gems<br />
and minerals such as rubies and<br />
diamonds, sapphires and tanzanite,<br />
with large mining operations for gold,<br />
silver, copper and platinum in the<br />
north of the country.<br />
<strong>The</strong> nation’s economy has been<br />
expanding steadily over the last<br />
decade partly due to an increase in<br />
agriculture and manufacturing, while<br />
vehicles and machinery are the<br />
mainstay of exports from the UK.<br />
Rwanda and Uganda are also ones<br />
to watch. Rwanda’s mining industry is<br />
going from strength to strength and<br />
its main imports include industrial<br />
machinery, something the UK can<br />
capitalise on. <strong>The</strong> population of capital<br />
Kigali is set to triple by 2040 and plans<br />
are afoot to decentralise the city.<br />
With Brexit looming and economic<br />
indicators across the region positive,<br />
all signs point to East Africa being a<br />
strong prospect for future<br />
cooperation on trade. But with stiff<br />
competition from China, India and the<br />
US, businesses need to act fast. <br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com<br />
93
DEPARTURES<br />
Factfile: East Africa<br />
FLIGHTS<br />
BRITISH AIRWAYS: Has daily<br />
direct flights between London<br />
Heathrow and Nairobi, Kenya.<br />
KENYA AIRWAYS: Has daily<br />
direct flights between London<br />
Heathrow and Nairobi, Kenya.<br />
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES:<br />
Flies ten times per week<br />
between London<br />
Heathrow and Addis<br />
Ababa, Ethiopia.<br />
Time out<br />
in Tropical<br />
Zanzibar<br />
RWANDAIR: Has five weekly<br />
services between London<br />
Gatwick and Rwanda’s capital,<br />
Kigali. Outbound flights on<br />
Fridays and Sundays are nonstop<br />
services, while outbound<br />
flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays<br />
and Saturdays are connecting<br />
services via Brussels.<br />
ONE-STOP SERVICES:<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are no direct services<br />
to Uganda's international<br />
gateway, Entebbe (25 miles<br />
from capital city Kampala),<br />
nor to Tanzania's commercial<br />
centre, Dar Es Salaam, but<br />
convenient connecting options<br />
are offered by the likes of<br />
Emirates, Turkish Airlines, KLM,<br />
Qatar Airways and Brussels<br />
Airlines via their respective<br />
hubs. Alternatively, fly via<br />
Nairobi with Kenya Airways or<br />
via Addis Ababa with Ethiopian<br />
Airlines. Qatar Airways also<br />
flies from Doha to Zanzibar,<br />
Kilimanjaro and Mombasa.<br />
• Information kindly supplied<br />
by travel data and analytics<br />
specialist Cirium<br />
QATAR<br />
AIRWAYS has<br />
it covered<br />
HOTELS<br />
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS:<br />
Runs 28 hotels in Africa including<br />
the Intercontinental Nairobi and<br />
Holiday Inn Dar Es Salaam City<br />
Centre. Crowne Plaza Nairobi<br />
Airport hotel opened recently.<br />
LOUVRE HOTELS GROUP: Has<br />
properties across sub-Saharan<br />
Africa under its Tulip brands<br />
including the Golden Tulip<br />
Westlands Nairobi, another in<br />
Addis Ababa and one in Kigali.<br />
BEST WESTERN: Has 24 hotels<br />
across ten African countries<br />
including Kenya, Uganda and<br />
Tanzania, and three hotels in<br />
Nairobi alone.<br />
HILTON: Has 39 hotels in Africa,<br />
with 100 new properties in the<br />
pipeline. <strong>The</strong> Hilton Nairobi<br />
Upper Hill is set to open in the<br />
continent’s tallest building.<br />
RADISSON HOTEL GROUP:<br />
Recently added the Pearl of<br />
Africa Hotel Kampala in<br />
Uganda, as well as the Park Inn<br />
Addis Ababa to its collection of<br />
42 hotels across 20 countries.<br />
ACCOR HOTELS: <strong>The</strong> group<br />
ontinues to grow its portfolio in<br />
Africa, where it currently has 114<br />
hotels across its Ibis, Sofitel,<br />
MGallery and Novotel brands,<br />
including four in Kenya.<br />
MARRIOTT: Has a strong<br />
presence in Africa with 149<br />
hotels across 29 countries<br />
including Rwanda, with new<br />
hotels slated for Nairobi,<br />
Dar Es Salaam and Kampala.<br />
OFF DUTY<br />
DAR ES SALAAM: <strong>The</strong> city on<br />
the Indian Ocean is East Africa’s<br />
second busiest port with<br />
frequent ferries to the tropical<br />
island of Zanzibar famous for its<br />
snorkelling and diving spots. <strong>The</strong><br />
city's National Museum is a great<br />
introduction to the country.<br />
NAIROBI: Just 7km south of the<br />
city, Nairobi National Park let’s<br />
you see lions, leopards, rhinos<br />
and giraffes in their natural<br />
savannah home, and there's an<br />
elephant orphanage too.<br />
play the big<br />
five game in<br />
nairobi<br />
set sail<br />
from dar es<br />
salaam<br />
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia's<br />
colourful cultural portal boasts<br />
great music and museums<br />
including the National Museum<br />
of Ethiopia featuring the threemillion-year-old<br />
Lucy skeleton.<br />
<strong>The</strong> bustling open-air Mercato<br />
market is Africa’s biggest. Take<br />
some time to visit the Great Rift<br />
Valley lakes or take a boat trip<br />
to see the local hippos and<br />
UNESCO-listed Adadi Mariam<br />
rock-cut churches.<br />
KAMPALA: Uganda’s capital<br />
borders Africa’s largest lake,<br />
Lake Victoria, and it's a short<br />
drive south-west to the source<br />
of the Nile River at Jinja, which<br />
offers rafting and boat trips.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Uganda Museum explores<br />
the country’s tribal heritage.<br />
Tours of Lubiri royal compound<br />
reveal the fascinating and dark<br />
history of the region.<br />
KIGALI: Rwanda’s capital Kigali<br />
is safe, attractive and modern.<br />
Two hours’ drive from the capital,<br />
mountain gorilla trekking in<br />
Volcanoes National Park is a oneoff<br />
experience not-to-be-missed.<br />
94 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
TIME FOR<br />
AFRICA!<br />
Fly to 17 sub-saharan destinations<br />
with Brussels Airlines.<br />
Abidjan, Accra, Banjul, Bujumbura, Conakry,<br />
Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Entebbe, Freetown,<br />
Kigali, Kinshasa, Lomé, Luanda, Monrovia,<br />
Ouagadougou and Yaoundé.<br />
Untitled-3 1 15/07/<strong>2019</strong> 11:38<br />
brusselsairlines.com<br />
bair-uk-ghana-businesstraveler-ad-255x190-en-jul19.indd 1 09/07/<strong>2019</strong> 13:28
DEPARTURES<br />
Reality check<br />
HOTEL: DAKOTA, MANCHESTER<br />
THE HOTEL<br />
This chic boutique<br />
THE ROOM<br />
<strong>The</strong> design scheme<br />
addition to the Manchester hotel scene is<br />
flows seamlessly throughout the hotel.<br />
fast becoming a favourite haunt of celebs<br />
My room featured muted grey tones with<br />
and savvy business travellers. On Ducie<br />
plush armchairs, framed vintage prints,<br />
Street in the heart of Manchester’s old<br />
floor-to-ceiling windows and a large<br />
mill district, it’s one of a clutch of trendy<br />
flatscreen TV. <strong>The</strong> very comfortable king<br />
venues to open as the neighbourhood<br />
sized bed had an upholstered leather<br />
undergoes rapid regeneration. Interiors<br />
headboard and crisp white Egyptian<br />
are dominated by dark slate tones,<br />
cotton linen. Tucked inside an alcove,<br />
complemented by warm yellow lighting,<br />
there was a nice leather desk area with<br />
fire places and candles. Studded leather<br />
USB charging ports and thoughtful<br />
chairs and tables, and vintage photos on<br />
touches like a magnifying mirror and<br />
the walls featuring stars such as Clarke<br />
slate board for heated appliances. <strong>The</strong><br />
Gable, are a nod to the 1930s New York<br />
stylish tiled bathroom had a walk-in<br />
influence. Tellingly, the brand is named<br />
rainshower with Dakota toiletries.<br />
after the pioneering US passenger aircraft<br />
THE FACILITIES<br />
With dark marble,<br />
perfect for entertaining clients.<br />
that transformed travel in the 1930s by<br />
leather seating, framed photos from old<br />
Complimentary wifi was faultless.<br />
offering an affordable service in an age<br />
Hollywood, low lighting, and cool bespoke<br />
THE VERDICT<br />
It’s a clear contender<br />
when flying was reserved for the elite.<br />
<strong>The</strong> buildng is perched beside a canal<br />
and is just a five-minute walk from<br />
Manchester Piccadilly train station.<br />
THE CHECK-IN My late afternoon<br />
cocktails, nowhere is the moody<br />
Manhattan influence more apparent than<br />
in the bar – it feels glamorous without<br />
being glitzy. <strong>The</strong> Dakota Grill’s classic<br />
gourmet dishes draw locals as well as<br />
IT'S A CLEAR<br />
CONTENDER FOR BEST<br />
BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN<br />
MANCHESTER<br />
for best boutique hotel in Manchester.<br />
Even though it’s a tad more pricey than<br />
other properties in the area, I would<br />
choose to stay here again.<br />
THE DETAILS 29 Ducie Sreet,<br />
check-in was smooth with a warm<br />
guests, and the buffet breakfast offers a<br />
Manchester M1 2JL. Rates from £203<br />
welcome from staff. I was given a quick<br />
tour and shown to my Classic King Room.<br />
brilliant selection. An atmospheric lounge,<br />
cigar terrace and Champagne room are<br />
per night. dakotahotels.co.uk<br />
Sasha Wood<br />
AIRLINE: EMIRATES<br />
THE FLIGHT<br />
I was travelling in<br />
although that might be put down to the<br />
economy class on Emirates flight EK9<br />
long walk between lounge and gate!<br />
from Dubai to London Gatwick,<br />
THE SEAT<br />
I'd chosen an aisle seat<br />
departing at 14.55 and arriving at 19.45<br />
(47C) in the forwardmost section of the<br />
(local times). <strong>The</strong> service is one of three<br />
lower deck of the A380. Just a few<br />
Emirates flights a day on the route and<br />
rows from the front, it enabled swift<br />
was flown by an Airbus A380.<br />
disembarkation on arrival and is in a<br />
PRE-BOARDING<br />
After being dropped<br />
more 'intimate' space than the some-<br />
off at Dubai International I headed<br />
what cavernous economy sections on<br />
straight to security as I'd checked-in via<br />
the rest of the lower deck. Seating was<br />
the Emirates app the previous day (and<br />
in a 3-4-3 configuration with most seats<br />
selected a seat) and as I was only<br />
occupied. It's a pretty standard economy<br />
travelling with hand luggage. It took<br />
seat offering with a small amount of<br />
around 20 minutes to pass through<br />
recline and in-seat USB points. I was<br />
security and passport control, and then<br />
impressed by the seatback screens<br />
I hopped on the airport train for the<br />
(better than one business class offering<br />
THE VERDICT<br />
A good, comfortable<br />
short transit to Terminal 3. I used my<br />
I'd recently experienced) and the huge<br />
economy class product and a slick<br />
Priority Pass membership to visit a<br />
range of films, TV and music on offer.<br />
experience on the ground too.<br />
Marhaba lounge for a quick drink and<br />
bite to eat, before heading to the<br />
allocated gate almost as soon as it was<br />
announced. I was therefore surprised<br />
to see the boarding process already<br />
Wifi connectivity included limited free<br />
access, plus several paid-for options.<br />
THE SERVICE <strong>The</strong> truly global cabin<br />
crew were pleasant throughout the<br />
flight as they served a choice of three<br />
THE RANGE OF<br />
ENTERTAINMENT ON<br />
OFFER WAS SERIOUSLY<br />
IMPRESSIVE<br />
THE DETAILS Emirates flies to Dubai<br />
six times a day from Heathrow, three<br />
times a day from Manchester and<br />
Gatwick, twice daily from Birmingham,<br />
Glasgow and Stansted, and daily from<br />
underway (and in surprisingly orderly<br />
hot dinners and, later, afternoon tea. An<br />
Newcastle and Edinburgh. Return fares<br />
fashion, given the number of<br />
passengers travelling on this A380),<br />
additional drinks run or two would have<br />
been appreciated.<br />
start from around £379. emirates.com<br />
Andy Hoskins<br />
96 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
DEPARTURES<br />
HOTEL: LOEWS BOSTON HOTEL, BOSTON, USA<br />
THE HOTEL<br />
<strong>The</strong> hotel is housed in<br />
range of toiletries. A nightly turn-down<br />
the former headquarters of the Boston<br />
service was also offered.<br />
Police Force in the Back Bay area of the<br />
THE BUSINESS<br />
<strong>The</strong> hotel has<br />
city. It's just a five-minute walk from the<br />
approximately 4,200 square feet of<br />
railway station and a 15-minute drive<br />
meeting space divided into six rooms,<br />
from the international airport. Boston<br />
the largest having a capacity for 125<br />
Common was a ten-minute walk away<br />
persons. <strong>The</strong> business centre offered<br />
and two of Boston’s major malls and<br />
24-hour access and there was free wifi<br />
shops were also in close proximity. <strong>The</strong><br />
throughout the hotel. Premium wifi<br />
stately limestone building has 222<br />
access with larger bandwidths was<br />
guestrooms, two luxury suites and an<br />
available for an additional cost.<br />
expansive Presidential Suite.<br />
THE FACILITIES<br />
<strong>The</strong> hotel lobby<br />
THE CHECK-IN<br />
A friendly welcome was<br />
adjoins the Apothecary lounge area<br />
offered by the bellboys and front desk<br />
with plenty of seating for guests. <strong>The</strong><br />
staff. Check-in was swift and after an<br />
lounge has a media wall, complimentary<br />
explanation about hotel facilities I was<br />
tea and coffee are provided and there's<br />
most welcoming. <strong>The</strong> hotel’s free fitness<br />
handed my key and shown to the<br />
plenty of space for casual meetings. <strong>The</strong><br />
centre was open 24 hours.<br />
elevator. My bags arrived shortly after.<br />
THE ROOM I stayed in a Deluxe<br />
King Room. As well as the king-size bed,<br />
the room had workspace, a reading chair<br />
and a flatscreen Smart TV. Amenities<br />
included a Nespresso coffee machine,<br />
hotel’s restaurant is named Precinct<br />
after the hotel's former incarnation and<br />
is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner,<br />
serving a range of American and<br />
international dishes within its open<br />
kitchen. <strong>The</strong> Precinct also doubles as a<br />
THE HOTEL'S<br />
RESTAURANT IS<br />
NAMED PRECINCT<br />
AFTER ITS FORMER<br />
INCARNATION<br />
THE VERDICT <strong>The</strong> superb location was<br />
a definite plus point. I was travelling to<br />
New York after my stay so the proximity<br />
to Back Bay station was a bonus. Overall<br />
a very pleasant stay in a lovely hotel.<br />
THE DETAILS Loews Boston Hotel, 154<br />
iron and ironing board, laptop friendly<br />
bar and is obviously a popular meeting<br />
Berkeley Street, Boston. Loews' lead-in<br />
safe and a mini-fridge. My bathroom<br />
had a bath and separate shower plus a<br />
point for after-work drinks. In warm<br />
weather the outdoor seating areas are<br />
price is $195 per night. loewshotels.com<br />
David Clare<br />
TRAIN: LNER AZUMA, FIRST CLASS<br />
THE JOURNEY<br />
I travelled first class on<br />
THE SERVICE<br />
<strong>The</strong> LNER service<br />
LNER's new super-fast Azuma train<br />
provides an inclusive first-class offering,<br />
service between London King's Cross<br />
which includes food and drink. All<br />
and Peterborough, which took less than<br />
First Class travellers are offered a<br />
an hour. It was the first of 65 new LNER<br />
complimentary two-course meal, with<br />
trains using Japanese bullet train<br />
three-course meals served on evening<br />
technology engineered with the help of<br />
trains coming out of King's Cross. New<br />
Hitachi. This month the new East Coast<br />
dishes prepared in the onboard kitchens<br />
service will extend its reach from London<br />
using locally-sourced ingredients and<br />
King's Cross to Edinburgh and the North<br />
served by attentive staff include stilton<br />
East of England, cutting the journey time<br />
and broccoli quiche, vegetable curry and<br />
from London to Edinburgh from an<br />
chicken cassava, all of which tasted<br />
average five-and-a-half hours to four.<br />
surprisingly delicious. Proper cutlery and<br />
Upon boarding, I was greeted by friendly<br />
crockery made my on-board experience<br />
staff and shown to my seat.<br />
feel much more civilized than your<br />
THE SEAT<br />
Compared with the<br />
standard commute. <strong>The</strong>re's a seemingly<br />
THE DETAILS<br />
LNER operates more<br />
existing trains, the Azuma’s First Class<br />
limitless supply of tea and coffee and<br />
than 1,000 services a week between<br />
carriages have more leg room, larger<br />
tables, reclining seats with adjustable<br />
headrests, and both USB charging and<br />
plug sockets at every seat. Coaches on<br />
nine-carriage Azuma trains are longer,<br />
enabling space for 101 First Class seats,<br />
passengers travelling in standard class<br />
have access to the Let’s Eats Café Bar<br />
and on-board trolley service.<br />
THE VERDICT <strong>The</strong> First Class<br />
experience was akin to the service you<br />
would expect on a decent airline. I was<br />
MY ON-BOARD<br />
EXPERIENCE FELT<br />
MUCH MORE CIVILIZED<br />
THAN YOUR STANDARD<br />
COMMUTE<br />
London King's Cross and Inverness,<br />
calling at key East Coast cities in the<br />
East Midlands, North East and Scotland.<br />
Advance First Class single fares between<br />
London King's Cross and Edinburgh can<br />
be found for as little as £79.50 when<br />
510 Standard seats and 10 toilets. <strong>The</strong><br />
well fed and watered, the carriage felt<br />
booked well ahead. For more<br />
on-board wifi worked really well for<br />
simple tasks such as checking emails.<br />
quiet, and I had plenty of space to<br />
spread out and work.<br />
information see: lner.co.uk<br />
Sasha Wood<br />
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM<br />
97
DEPARTURES<br />
<strong>The</strong> final word<br />
Nowt better than a nice cuppa…<br />
As a tea-loving nation<br />
it comes as no surprise<br />
that we drink an<br />
excessive amount of the stuff,<br />
and this doesn't change when<br />
we take flight.<br />
According to holiday company<br />
TUI, its airline passengers will<br />
drink enough English breakfast<br />
tea onboard its flights to fill 920<br />
bathtubs this summer.<br />
<strong>The</strong> nation is also a fan of<br />
snacking as we head off on our<br />
holidays, and passengers are<br />
expected to eat enough ham<br />
and cheese toasties onboard to<br />
feed Wembley Stadium twice,<br />
and munch through a marathon<br />
amount of Sour Cream & Chive<br />
Pringles – literally!<br />
Laid back-to-back, the number<br />
of pots of Pringles expected to<br />
be consumed on TUI flights this<br />
summer would stretch along<br />
the entire London Marathon<br />
route. You know what they say<br />
– once you pop, you can't stop...<br />
THE INFLUENCE OF<br />
REALITY TV<br />
Hotel booking site alpharooms<br />
says one in five holidaymakers<br />
has booked a holiday to a<br />
destination after seeing it<br />
featured in a reality TV series.<br />
For example, it noted a 73%<br />
rise in trips to Mallorca after<br />
the 2018 finale of Love Island.<br />
<strong>The</strong> most influential series are:<br />
1 Benidorm (23%)<br />
2 Love Island (22%)<br />
3 Ibiza Weekender (20%)<br />
4 TOWIE (19%)<br />
5 Ex On <strong>The</strong> Beach (11%)<br />
6 <strong>The</strong> Only Way is Marbs (5%)<br />
Out of this world!<br />
DoubleTree by Hilton<br />
has some serious<br />
bragging rights,<br />
with its famous chocolate<br />
chip cookies poised to<br />
become the first food<br />
baked in space.<br />
Later this year, its iconic<br />
cookie dough will take off<br />
onboard a rocket bound for<br />
the International Space<br />
Station and will be baked<br />
using a prototype oven that<br />
is designed to make longduration<br />
space flight more<br />
hospitable. “Hilton has long<br />
been an industry innovator,<br />
and as we celebrate our 100th<br />
year, we’re excited to send<br />
our hospitality into orbit,”<br />
says Hilton's Shawn McAteer.<br />
Around 80% of Brits have experienced a<br />
life-changing 'Sliding Doors moment',<br />
says rail company LNER,<br />
referring to the film in<br />
which two versions of a life<br />
pan out. LNER’s survey<br />
found that one in 20<br />
people came home earlier<br />
than expected and caught<br />
their partner cheating,<br />
while a similar number<br />
believe they missed out<br />
on their dream job after<br />
being late for an interview<br />
because of delays or<br />
cancellations.<br />
98 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
Highest<br />
standards<br />
Convenient<br />
technology<br />
Security &<br />
Wellbeing<br />
Global<br />
consistency<br />
<strong>The</strong> World’s<br />
Premier<br />
Chauffeured<br />
Services<br />
Carey is the global leader in<br />
chauffeured services and ground<br />
transportation logistics management.<br />
With an exclusive global network<br />
spanning more than 1,000 cities<br />
worldwide, Carey offers unrivalled<br />
safety, consistant service standards,<br />
and innovative travel technology for<br />
both travellers and arrangers.<br />
Reservations email: reservations.uk@carey.com<br />
Reservations phone: +44 (0) 208 326 7600<br />
Website: www.careyuk.com
<strong>The</strong> FREE event for buyers and arrangers<br />
of business travel and meetings<br />
REGISTER NOW<br />
<br />
Join us at TBTC'19 and hear from keynote<br />
speakers: one of the UK's most popular<br />
journalists and TV presenters,<br />
Sir Trevor McDonald, and Gillian Keegan,<br />
former Chief Marketing Officer at<br />
<strong>Travel</strong>port and now the Conservative MP<br />
for Chichester.<br />
Hilton London Bankside, Southwark<br />
BOOK YOUR PLACE AT<br />
thebusinesstravelconference.com<br />
For further information about attending as a delegate<br />
or exhibitor contact Kirsty.Hicks@bmipublishing.co.uk<br />
With thanks to our headline sponsor<br />
Star Alliance, and Executive sponsors,<br />
Amadeus and Air Europa. TBTC'19<br />
is proudly supporting London Taxi<br />
Drivers' Charity for Children