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79 December/January 2019/20
SUPER
POWERS
Travel management companies
show off their star qualities
2020 travel trends
Distribution update
Traveller wellbeing
Focus on: the USA
INCORPORATING THE 2020 TMC DIRECTORY
THE PRIDE WE TAKE IN DELIGHTING YOU
WITH AWARD-WINNING CUISINES
That’s what makes us the world’s most awarded airline
Premium Airline of the Year
TTG Luxury Travel Awards (UK) 2019
Best Long Haul Airline
Telegraph Travel Awards (UK) 2019
Gold Medal for Best Overall Cellar
Business Traveller, Cellars In The Sky (UK) 2017
singaporeair.com
ARRIVALS
Contents DECEMBER/JANUARY
2019/20
87
40
Features
18 2020 travel trends
26 Traveller wellbeing
36 Distribution update
89
44
38
Extended feature
Travel
management
companies
(p53-87)
52
12
46
53 Extended feature:
Travel management companies
• Introduction, 54-56
• Debate, 58
• Service delivery, 60-64
• Consolidation, 66-68
• Five Reasons, 73
• New entrants, 75-78
• Insight, 81
• The 2020 Directory, 82-85
• Data, 87
Arrivals
6 Opening Shots
8 Everyone's Talking About...
Flygskam (flight shaming)
11 The Knowledge: Making savings
through online adoption
12 Six of the Best:
Boutique hotels in Manchester
14 Event report:
Advantage Symposium
17 Speaking Out: Meetings spend
26
92
14
66
Regulars
23 The Business Travel People
Awards: winner's interview
32 The Conversation:
Robin Chadha, citizenM
35 The Big Picture
38 Technology: Booking tools
40 Talking Travel: Dom Joly
53
89
24
The Review
43 Ten pages of news, views
and the latest developments
Departures
88 On the Road
89 Meeting in: Leeds
90 New Kid on the Block
11
91 On Business in: Amsterdam
92 Focus On: the USA
96 Reality Check
98 The Final Word
32
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
3
BECAUSE GOOD CONNECTIONS
ALWAYS HELP
On the move worldwide with the Lufthansa Group airlines
FRANKFURT
BRUSSELS MUNICH
VIENNA
ZURICH
NORTH AMERICA
23 destinations in
2 countries
EUROPE
157 destinations in
44 countries
MIDDLE EAST
13 destinations in
10 countries
ASIA
24 destinations in
11 countries
CENTRAL AND
SOUTH AMERICA
12 destinations in
9 countries
AFRICA
41 destinations in
29 countries
The Lufthansa Group airlines are Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa,
SWISS, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings. Via the Brussels,
Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich hubs, and with numerous
direct connections, they offer their passengers more than 11,000
flights a week to more than 270 business and holiday destinations
worldwide. Passengers therefore benefit from a large choice of
destinations and many combination options. The Lufthansa Group
airlines stand for high-quality products and services. With more
than 700 aircraft, they have one of the largest and, above all, most
modern fleets in the world.
2018/2019 winter timetable, as at: 09/2018, subject to changes.
ARRIVALS
Welcome
A greener future
Reflecting on our report from 12
months ago about the travel industry
trends to watch out for in 2019, I think
we can be reasonably satisfied with
our predictions at the time. Artificial
intelligence, augmented reality, APIs,
NDC and One Order were all picked out as areas of increasing focus, while
marginal air fare and hotel rate rises were forecast and uncertainty
around Brexit was highlighted. One theme that is now conspicuous by its
absence, however, is that of sustainability. Its profile has rightly soared in
2019, forcing corporates to consider how their travel programmes can be
kinder on the environment and suppliers can operate more efficiently.
Urgent action is required and we all have a part to play in preventing
irreversible damage to our planet. Turn to pages 18-20 to find out our
travel industry predictions for 2020.
The new year also heralds the opening of nominations for our event
The Business Travel People Awards 2020 (see pages 24-25). Now in its 9th
year, the awards recognise individuals and teams from across the TMC
and supplier elements of the industry, so be sure to nominate those that
have really shone in their role over the past year.
We're delighted to have picked up a few accolades of our own recently,
namely three category wins at the Business Travel Journalism Awards.
Our talented team took home the Editor of the Year and Supplement of
the Year awards, the latter for The 2019 Guide to Serviced Apartments
(subscribers to this magazine will have received the 2020 edition with this
issue). Meanwhile, Gary Noakes won the Features Journalist of the Year
award in the air travel category for his 'Suite Sensations' feature in our
June/July issue. We'll be sure to keep up the hard work in 2020 and, on
behalf of all the team at The Business Travel Magazine, we wish our readers
a happy, healthy and successful 2020.
Andy Hoskins, Editor
the
Businesstravel
MAGAZINE
EDITORIAL
EDITOR
Andy Hoskins
andy.hoskins@thebusinesstravelmag.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Emma Allen, Nick Easen, Bev Fearis, Linda Fox,
Rob Gill, Jenny Southan & Gillian Upton
STAFF JOURNALISTS
Sasha Wood & April Waterston
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Julie Baxter, Laura Gelder & Steve Hartridge
SALES
COMMERCIAL HEAD - BUSINESS TRAVEL
Kirsty Hicks
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Callum Blackwell
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SENIOR DESIGNER
Louisa Horton
DESIGNERS
Ross Clifford, Caitlan Francis & Zoe Tarrant
PRODUCTION & STUDIO MANAGER
Clare Hunter
PRODUCTION ADMINISTRATOR
Steve Hunter
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Martin Steady
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AND BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
5
ARRIVALS
OPENING SHOTS
Eye-catching images of the latest news and developments
It is the only hotel
project where Zaha
Hadid personally designed all
of the interiors and exteriors,
showcasing her vision of
interconnectedness”
ME Dubai
NICE CURVES
Taking residence in
The Opus, the latest
addition to Dubai's
skyline, ME by Meliá
will open its first
Middle East hotel
early in 2020. The
Opus was designed
by Zaha Hadid, the
British-Iraqi architect
who died in 2016.
Known as the 'Queen
of the Curve', her
influence can be seen
as soon as you step
into the hotel's lobby.
6 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
The Collective
SHARED SPACE
Elevating its co-living
vision to the next level,
The Collective has
launched a 705-room,
21-storey co-living space
in London's Canary
Wharf. Regardless of
whether members stay
for just one night or 12
months, they can make
use of the 20th-floor
pool, spa, restaurant,
cinema and more.
Aspire Edinburgh
first peek
Passengers at Edinburgh
Airport will be the first
to see the new look
from Aspire Lounges,
due to be rolled out
globally next year. The
new lounge has runway
views, artwork of iconic
Edinburgh scenes, and
Spey Whisky and Byron's
Gin, exclusive to Aspire.
Marriott Delta
BRAND DEBUT
Marriott has opened the
first UK hotels under its
new Delta brand in
Cheltenham and Milton
Keynes. A third hotel is
due to open soon in
Nottingham. The fourstar
brand was acquired
by Marriott in 2015 and
comprises more than 70
hotels. Five more Delta
hotels are due to open
in the UK next year.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
7
ARRIVALS
EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT...
Flygskam (flight shaming)
“21% OF
“TECHNOLOGY EUROPEANS DOESN’T SAY
RESCUE YOU BUT IT PROVIDES
THEY HAVE REDUCED
THEIR FLIGHTS DUE
TO ENVIRONMENTAL
AND HELP YOU REACH THOSE
AFFECTED CONCERNS”
BY AN INCIDENT”
CONFIDENCE AND VISIBILITY. YOUR
TMC SHOULD HAVE THE PROCESS
AND PROCEDURES TO RUN REPORTS
Ewan Kassir, Head of Sales, Clarity
Source: UBS Global Aerospace and Airlines
(September 2019)
"Try and avoid travel
altogether before thinking
about compensating it”
Horst Bayer, Founder, TravelHorst
“I DON’T THINK ANYONE SHOULD BE
ASHAMED OF FLYING. FOR AROUND 80% OF
FLIGHTS THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE OPTION”
Randy Tinseth, Marketing Vice President, Boeing
The fight against climate
change is the greatest and
most pressing challenge
facing the modern
world and aviation
has a crucial role to
play in tackling it”
Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Transport
“PEOPLE HAVE A CHOICE IN HOW THEY TRAVEL AND PEOPLE ARE
NOW THINKING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL CARBON IMPACT OF
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRANSPORT. BUT MANY PEOPLE STILL WANT
TO FLY AND IF PEOPLE CHOOSE TO FLY WE WANT TO BE ONE OF
Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s CEO
THE BEST CHOICES THEY CAN MAKE”
“Carbon offsetting can only be a bridge to future
technological developments, and it will be
important to seek out each and every way of
reducing carbon emissions”
Jonathon Porritt, Co-Founder of Forum for the Future
8 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
ARRIVALS
THE KNOWLEDGE
How to... Make savings
by growing online adoption
Buzz Bingo wanted to get to grips with
its largest area of business travel spend,
accommodation, in order to achieve
savings. It identified online adoption as
the best way to achieve it
THE BACKGROUND
With more than 3,500
employees, over a hundred
bingo clubs and an online
bingo platform, Buzz Bingo
(formerly Gala Bingo) was in
need of a business travel
solution to support its workers
across the country.
Its previous travel
management company did not have a
platform for mobile bookings, something
that the organisation believed was key to
driving online adoption and securing
savings. Previously, a lot of time had been
spent on phone calls to organise
employees' travel needs.
THE PROCESS
Getting up and running was a quick and
painless process for the company. “The
implementation process went incredibly
well,” says Mulholland.
“Communication was
very good throughout the
process and any snags were
sorted out very quickly.
Everything seemed to go
without a hitch and the
process was delivered on
time. There was nothing we
could have improved on,” he adds.
Click’s proprietary booking tool gives
Buzz Bingo’s employees instant access to
competitive rates for hotel, rail and, if
required, air reservations, all within its own
travel policy. The system also incorporates
expense claims and employee tracking and
individual spend analysis.
THE OUTCOME
“While we are relatively early on in our
working relationship with Click Travel,
we have already seen our online adoption
rate for online bookings increase from
an average of 15% to over 98% in just a
few months,” says Mulholland. “This is
a staggering increase
and an amazing
achievement.” One
booker at the company
said it has “revolutionised
the way we book
business travel.”
Meanwhile, hotel policy
compliance has reached
95% and Buzz Bingo is
on track to achieve an estimated £56,000 in
savings on accommodation spend in the
first year if it follows recommendations
from its account manager at Click Travel.
THE ACTION
Buzz Bingo wanted
its employees to be
able to book travel
independently, without
the need to ring a call
centre. They also
wanted to see significant
savings through
direction connections to a wide variety of
suppliers. Their biggest travel expense
was on hotel accommodation for their
employees and they wanted to have
continual access to a wide variety of
suppliers and competitive rates.
Click Travel won a competitive tender, with
its user-friendly online booking system and
company culture helping clinch the contract
earlier this year, says Buzz Bingo’s
Procurement Officer, James Mulholland.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
11
ARRIVALS
SIX OF THE BEST
Six of the best...
Boutique hotels in Manchester
Words by Bev Fearis
1
HOTEL GOTHAM
The Gotham theme might seem
a bit contrived at times, but it
brings the 1920s opulence and
glamour to this five-star hotel on
the top six floors of a former
bank designed by Edwin Lutyens.
Its 60 rooms are unashamedly
decadent, with faux-fur throws,
luxurious leather and bold brass.
2
3
THE COW HOLLOW HOTEL
This quirky 16-room hotel in the
Northern Quarter was once a
Victorian textile warehouse and
still has original features. Nice
touches include free Prosecco
and nibbles each evening and
milk and cookies at bedtime.
DAKOTA MANCHESTER
Close to Piccadilly Station, this
chic hotel has a Champagne
room, cigar terrace, cocktail bar
and a restaurant specialising in
steaks. There are 137 rooms,
including 27 spacious suites,
some with roll-top baths.
4
HOTEL BROOKLYN
(opening February 2020)
Bespoke Hotels is promising to
pay homage to the ‘Golden Age
of New York City' when it opens
its second Manchester hotel next
year as a sister to Hotel Gotham.
The 189-room Hotel Brooklyn will
be just as theatrical, especially its
panoramic rooftop bar.
6
MALMAISON MANCHESTER
It's over 20 years since it opened
but thanks to a few nips and
tucks the Malmaison still holds its
own against newer arrivals. In a
six-storey building by Piccadilly
Station, it has a buzzy brasserie
and 167 stylish rooms and 13
suites with super comfy beds.
5
KING STREET TOWNHOUSE
Billing itself as a ‘baby grand
hotel’, King Street Townhouse has
40 bedrooms – no two the same
– a restaurant, afternoon tea
lounge, bijoux screening room,
gym, steam room, and an infinity
spa-pool with stunning views of
the city's Town Hall clock tower.
12 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
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trailfinders.com/corporate-travel
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ARRIVALS
EVENT REPORT
Advantage’s 2019
Business Travel Symposium
Gillian Upton reports from the 4th
Advantage Business Travel Symposium
in November, where delegates debated
the future of the industry
The Game Changers-themed symposium
brought together a clutch of straight-talking
buyers who shared strident views on how
TMCs could do better.
Travel managers shared best practice in The
Buyer Bootcamp part one: Changing Games.
Sandra Dvorak of Refinitiv advised TMCs to
spend the first six months after implementation
assessing what type of organisation the
new client is. “Find out what their values are,
where the decision-making sits, what the
strategy is and whether it’s been effective and
understand the main suppliers,” she said.
Duncan Edwards of Inchcape stressed that
understanding the culture of a company was
critical to the success of a programme. “We
see TMCs as out outsourced experts. They
know what good looks like,” he said.
A larger group of buyers answered
questions at each table in The Buyer
Bootcamp part two: The Human Game.
Favourite among them was ‘What makes a
good account manager?’, and conversely,
major failings. Inchcape’s Edwards summed
up the latter: “To not actively listen and
attempt to move ahead on their own agenda,”
and voiced his opinion on the most transformative
thing that an account manager can
do. ”To understand the context in which the
client is operating in, and the challenges faced,
and in turn identify the right solution and
importantly the steps required to be taken.”
A plea from Nikki Rogan of Synamedia was
for TMCs to be honest when they can’t deliver.
Buyers were in unison about rarely getting
asked how a TMC can identify the key
stakeholders and having to drive the agenda
and spoon feed the TMC, a major turn-off for
many. A lack of senior people in the account
manager role is at the root of it, they believe.
Johnny Thorsen (pictured), VP of MEZI,
added a more positive note, predicting that
smaller TMCs can beat their larger
counterparts on speed if they become travel
programme architects, partner with relevant
start-ups, become knowledge brokers,
eliminate manual repetitive work processes
and focus on high-value services.
GREEN IS THE COLOUR
“Sustainability used to be
‘nice to have’; now it’s
mandatory and I’m working
on it but it’s about money”
Nikki Rogan, Synamedia
THE ORACLE HAS SPOKEN
THE LAST WORD HAS TO GO TO
KEN MCLEOD, DIRECTOR
INDUSTRY AFFAIRS AT
ADVANTAGE, WHEN HE SAID ON
CAMERA: “DON’T GO INTO
TRAVEL – OPEN A COFFEE SHOP!”
STAKING OUT THE
STAKEHOLDERS
“Who shapes the travel
policy? It’s not just one
person or one department.
The answer will
explain how many
stakeholders
there are”
Ana Gibson, Hilti
14 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
Looking for a TMC?
Find the perfect partnership with Advantage.
Advantage Business Travel, part of The Advantage Travel
Partnership, is the UK’s largest independent group of
Travel Management Companies in the UK.
Together with its global division, WIN Global Travel
Network, Advantage has over 200 UK TMC locations and
global partners in 70 countries, meaning Advantage can
be sure to help you find the right TMC for your individual
business needs.
By using an Advantage Business Travel TMC you will
benefit from:
- An independent business offering personalised and
attentive service around the clock
- Access to a global network of TMC partners, through
the WIN Global Travel Network
- A consultative approach to managing your travel
programme, making travel simple
- Access to leading technology and consolidated data
- The buying power of a combined turnover volume in
excess of £3bn
To find out more visit advantagemembers.com
Follow us @AdvantageHQ
Save the date
september
15th-16th
Hilton London Bankside
2020
The 2020 event for buyers and arrangers of business travel & meetings
For further information contact Kirsty.Hicks@bmipublishing.co.uk
thebusinesstravelconference.com
ARRIVALS
SPEAKING OUT
Companies take for granted that
online tools will give them the
best rates for business travel, but
when it comes to meetings and events
there seems to be a different mindset.
Expert meetings management ensures your
business squeezes the very best value from
every pound you spend. Take a strategic
approach to meetings and you can keep your
business objectives front of mind throughout,
maximising return on investment with great
outcomes and a great delegate experience.
PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS
THE END OF HIDDEN
MEETING COSTS
Seeing into the future leads to smarter buying
decisions. Douglas O’Neill of Inntel explains
The emerging science of predictive
analytics offers impressive benefits in this
regard, using artificial intelligence (AI) and
machine learning to predict the future. By
studying past data you can detect meaningful
patterns that suggest what is likely to happen,
then take different actions as a result.
Predictive analytics can help you plan better
meetings and events, save money and control
costs. It’s powerful because it works at a scale
and depth of detail that is impossible for
human analysts.
Detecting trends in behaviours leads to
smarter buying decisions. Using AI you can
learn the average spend per delegate
within an industry sector or large
organisation, benchmark your
own spend and compare
venues. You can evaluate
total cost per delegate –
including travel, food,
credit card expenses,
time out of office etc.
Savings of up to 20%
could be made if corporates can obtain a full
360-degree picture of costs, and this precision
also helps businesses with budget planning.
Predictive analytics can calculate demand
for an event too. Let’s say 100 delegates are
invited to a summit and past data shows only
22% will RSVP within a month but 58% more
will finally accept (many after the booking
deadline). Knowing that one-month figure
allows you to predict how many will actually
attend so you can book the right venue at the
right cost well ahead.
You can also calculate the most costeffective
and time-efficient location and venue
for your company to hold a meeting, for
example when delegates are coming from
three specified countries. Predictive analytics
even allows the business to decide to send
fewer people to a conference in Asia-Pacific,
for example, if airfares to the destination are
forecast to rise at that time of year.
AI can also rapidly analyse attendee expense
claims and individual behaviours to detect
anomalies. It can identify the 5% of delegates
making bogus claims without aggravating
the 70% who never cheat or the 25% who
make the occasional mistake. What’s more,
intelligent analysis can highlight how,
although a meeting attendee spent an
unauthorised £10 on an in-room movie,
they skipped a £30 dinner as a result.
The challenge is how to make the most of a
mountain of unstructured data housed with
multiple online and offline providers. This is
where the expertise of a meetings and
events management company is invaluable.
DOUGLAS O’NEILL
Douglas O'Neill is CEO and
owner of Inntel, the meetings
and travel management
company. He is Chair of the
GBTA Europe Meetings
Committee and is a member
of several other industry and
non-industry associations.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
17
2020 TRAVEL TRENDS
the 2020 vision
Regardless of the economic and geopolitical outlook, the business travel industry will continue to evolve in 2020.
Jenny Southan, founder of Globetrender, picks out notable openings, launches and trends for the year ahead
As the Brexit saga
rolls on, Trump
tries to shrug off
impeachment
investigations ahead of another
US election, a critical COP26
climate summit takes place in
Glasgow, and China and the US
continue to lock horns in a trade
war, 2020 feels like a pivotal year
for the entire world. Business
travel, of course, has to go on
regardless, even if another global
economic crisis is triggered.
But caution will prevent the
industry from gathering much
momentum, with adjustments to
travel policies required to futureproof
company endeavours
by tightening up on expense
budgets.
Here is a
round-up
of trends,
predictions
and news
to help you
prepare…
HIGH FIVE: NEW BUSINESS HOTELS
FOUR SEASONS: BANGKOK
1 The first “urban resort” from the
luxury group, the Jean-Michel
Gathy-designed Four Seasons
Bangkok will have 299 rooms and
a private boat to take people down
the Chao Phraya River that runs
alongside. (Opening February).
W: MELBOURNE & Sydney
2 The trendy W Melbourne (opening
in June 2020) will have a poolside
Wet Deck that can be hired for
cocktail parties of up to 80 people.
There will also be 294 rooms with
floor-to-ceiling windows and a FIT
gym. A third Australian W Hotel will
open in Sydney next year (pictured).
THE WESTBUND: SHANGHAI
3 Part of the Rocco Forte hotels
group, the Westbund has been
designed by Olga Polizzi and
MUZALAB, and will feature an
al fresco bar on the 52nd floor, plus
four restaurants and 219 rooms.
(Opening date to be confirmed).
BULGARI: PARIS
4 The seventh Bulgari hotel to
open, this 76-room Paris property
will be located on Avenue George V,
and will have a 25-metre pool, a
courtyard garden and a restaurant
from Michelin-chef Niko Romito.
(Opening date to be confirmed).
ME: DUBAI
5 Designed by Zaha Hadid
Architects, the ME Dubai will be
located in the new cube-shaped
Opus building, where it will have
93 rooms, 98 serviced apartments
and 15 restaurants. Opening in
January in the heart of the upcoming
Burj Khalifa district in Downtown
Dubai, it is the ME group's first hotel
in the Middle East.
18 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
2020 TRAVEL TRENDS
TREND-WATCHING
WeLLness
Trend-setting
technology
5G
New super-fast mobile
connectivity is going to
make downloading data
extremely speedy – seconds
instead of minutes.
CRyPTOCURRENCIES
With the imminent arrival of
Facebook’s Libra, consumer
uptake of digital currencies
will begin to take off.
ELECTRIC PLANES
Rolls-Royce will be testing its
debut electric plane next year,
promising a new era for
environmentally kinder flying.
MINIMALIST PHONES
As people tire of endless online
scrolling, many are turning to
internet-free mobiles as a way of
freeing them up from distraction.
BLOCKCHAIN
As cyber attacks increase,
blockchain will be used to
improve the security of travellers’
personal data when it is
stored and shared.
sUstAinABiLitY
As the climate crisis heats up,
companies need to be seen to be
taking serious steps in mitigating
their environmental impact. Carbon
offsetting will become the norm, as
will the banning of single-use
plastics (Marriott says it will be
eliminating mini bottles of toiletries
from all its 7,000-plus hotels by
December 2020). More than 200
European airports have committed
to reaching net zero carbon
emissions by 2050, and there is
an increase in demand for taking
trains instead of planes as “flight
shaming” becomes a new buzzword.
In the new decade, health will be the
new wealth. Not just physical health
but mental health too. Innovators
such as Equinox Hotels is
continuing its roll-out of high-end
wellness hotels across the US, where
minibars come stocked with dozens
of healthy elixirs and snacks instead
of whisky and Pringles. Overall,
wellness tourism is set to become a
$900billion industry by 2022
according to the Global Wellness
Institute (up from $640bn in 2017).
ARtiFiCiAL inteLLiGenCe
As we race towards the 'singularity',
the point where AI exceeds the
abilities of humans, travel companies
in the new decade will be experimenting
with it as a multi-faceted
tool for improving personalisation,
financial forecasting and big data
crunching. Robot helpers are being
deployed in Tokyo’s Narita airport
and voice is taking off as the new
interface between people and tech.
PwC says AI could contribute as
much as $15.7 trillion by 2030.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
19
2020 TRAVEL TRENDS
The world
economy is
heading into troubled
waters, with recession
in 2020 now a clear
and present danger”
Source: United Nations
Challenges &
opportunities
INCREASEd
TRAVEL COSTS
Hotel rates will increase
1%-3% in most regions but
hikes will be particularly high
in Japan, host of the
2020 Olympic Games.
Airfares will rise 1%-2%
Source: BCD Travel
Taking off
notABLe 2020 LAUnChes
LUFTHANSA
• BRISTOL-FRANKFURT
Twice daily from March 30
AUSTRIAN AIRLINES
• BIRMINGHAM-VIENNA
Four times a week from January 1
AMERICAN AIRLINES
• LONDON HEATHROW-
BOSTON
Daily from March 29
JAPAN AIRLINES
• TOKYO-SAN FRANCISCO
Daily from March 29
AIR NEW ZEALANd
• AUCKLAND-NEW YORK
Three times a week from October 29
NDC isn’t going to be a 'big bang’ moment
– it’s a journey. But it is going to force the global travel industry is
estimated to be $200billion
corporates to think more about
the details of their travel policies”
Charlotte Baikie, Head of Account Management, Sabre
EXPERT
PREDICTIONS
SUPER APPS
“I believe we’ll see ‘super apps’ that
integrate on-demand services such
as taxis and food delivery to bring a
more consumer-focused experience
for the business traveller”
LOUISE MILLER, MANAGING PARTNER
AMERICAS FOR AREKA CONSULTING
OPTIMISED PAYMENTS
“OTAs and business travel
bookers will look for islands of
certainty as they face an
economically unpredictable
picture. We anticipate they
will explore optimising their
payments processes, including
airline payments, as one of the
most significant but largely
untapped ways to combat
persistently low margins”
ARAN BROWN, GROUP CEO, IXARIS
ECONOMIC SHIFTS
The global economy is
expected to grow 3.6%
in 2020 (from 3% in 2019),
although advanced economies
will only grow 1.7%, down
from 1.8% in 2019
HyPER-
PERSONALISATION
94% of business travellers
are willing to share personal
information to improve their
travel experience
GENERATION Z
As the next generation of
travellers comes of age (the
oldest Gen Z will be 25 in
2020), the value of them to
Source: International Monetary Fund
Source: SAP Concur
Source: FCM Travel Solutions
20 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
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AWARDS
TBR GLOBAL
MICE TEAM
OF THE YEAR
TBR Global’s Thomas Tuschek, Head of Global Major
Events, celebrates the company’s People Awards triumph
in-house proprietary system and the
expertise and skill of our strategically placed
project managers. This creates an unrivalled
ability to deliver large-scale complex logistics
projects to a world-class service standard.
After the successful delivery of its first project,
the team has gone on to obtain further
contracts for blue-chip corporations, global
governing bodies and luxury brands, as well
as undertaking a strategic operational programme
for major sporting events in Japan.
What does the team particularly enjoy
about the role they play in the industry?
Although often overlooked, the ground
transportation portion of an event is the
first and last touch point for every guest.
Successful delivery is the backbone to a
seamless project and the team love nothing
more than making that possible.
What do you think of the Awards and of
the winners’ event in particular?
The award ceremony was a great way to
interact with our peers and clients and
celebrate the best in the industry – and our
caricatures are proudly displayed at our
Glasgow headquarters.
How did it feel to be named MICE Team
of the Year?
We were elated! TBR’s Major Global Events
service line was only launched in January
2018 and from its inception the
team has worked tirelessly to
deliver outstanding ground
transportation solutions
across the globe for
some of the world’s
most prestigious
brands. To win in such
a competitive category
was amazing.
Why did you enter the
awards or how did you
come to be nominated?
The formation of the team was
derived through the acquisition of a
The Business Travel
People Awards recognise
outstanding individuals and
teams across all aspects of the
supplier element of corporate
travel. Nominations for the
2020 awards open in
January
multi-million-pound contract. Its bespoke
requirements called for the facilitation of
movements for over 3,000 VIP passengers,
over 500 mixed vehicles and a 58 strong
on-site team. We thought the
outstanding feedback
received from that project,
including the team’s
innovative approach to
event transportation
management, merited
industry recognition.
Tell us about the role
of the team and the
work they did to clinch
the award?
TBR’s Major Global Events
team combines the bespoke
technological capabilities of our
What impact do you think winning will
have on the team and their careers?
Winning the award has solidified what we
already knew about the team. They are a
group of hardworking and ambitious
individuals, who are truly passionate about
the exceptional service they deliver and
the ever changing world of events. The win
has given them more confidence in their
own ability and the industry recognition
they really deserve.
What are some of the biggest challenges
the team are currently facing in their
various roles?
As the team is so strong, there is an
increasing requirement to utilise their
services in key projects across the globe.
For example, at the moment, we have
activations in Tokyo, Seoul, Panama City,
Washington and London. It is a great
problem to have so as the demand grows,
so too will our dynamic team of experts.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
23
AWARDS
The Business Travel People
Awards comprise 16
categories across the TMC,
MICE and supplier elements of
the corporate travel industry.
Nominate a colleague,
acquaintance or yourself at
thebusinesstravel
peopleawards.com
Now in its
9th year!
NOMINATIONS OPEN
January, 2020
NOMINATIONS CLOSE
March, 2020
THE AWARDS CEREMONY
Friday 22nd May 2020
Park Plaza, Westminster
Bridge, London
THE
AWARDS!
Recognising outstanding
individuals and teams across all
aspects of the supplier element of
corporate travel
It's time to nominate
that shining star!
THE Business Travel People Awards return in 2020 for the
ninth consecutive year. Recognising the industry's diverse
talent, the awards are open to all TMC and supplier staff
and include a wide range of categories. So when the online
nominations open in January, be sure to put forward that
colleague or acquaintance that has really gone the extra
mile – or simply nominate yourself!
“Probably the best
awards in travel.
It's very motivating
for our staff to see
their name in lights
and socialise with
industry peers”
“An excellent
opportunity to
recognise and
reward what is
at the heart of
our industry - its
amazing people”
“The Business Travel
People Awards has
quickly become one
of the most sought
after and prestigious
events in travel”
“I feel this is a true
awards presentation
that celebrates
genuine criteria
and winners”
AWARDS
R E C O G N I S I N G E X C E L L E N C E
AWARD CATEGORIES
Travel management
companies
Reservations Consultant
of the Year
Reservations Team of
the Year
Operations Manager of
the Year
Operations Team of the Year
Account Manager of the Year
Account Management Team
of the Year
Sales / Business Development
Manager of the Year
Sales / Business Development
Team of the Year
MICE
Meetings & Events Manager
of the year
Meetings & Events Team
of the year
Suppliers
(Open to all industry suppliers,
including airlines, accommodation
providers, car hire companies,
train operating companies, travel
technology solutions, duty of care
specialists... and more!)
Account Manager of the Year
Account Management Team
of the Year
Sales / Business Development
Manager of the Year
Sales / Business Development
Team of the Year
Industry Categories
Rising Star award
Best Newcomer
2019 WINNERS
TMCs AND HBAs CATEGORIES >> Account Manager of the Year:
Colin Harvey, BCD >> Account Management Team of the Year:
Click Travel >> Operations Manager of the Year: Tracey Wilson,
Blue Cube Travel >> Operations Team of the Year: Client Services,
Business Travel Direct >> Reservations Consultant of the Year:
Jill Burnett, BCD Travel >> Reservations Team of the Year:
Production, Sports & Creative Team, Corporate Traveller >>
Sales/Business Development Manager of the Year: Andy Boorman,
Advantage Travel Partnership >> Sales/Business Development
Team of the Year: Click Travel >> MICE CATEGORIES >> MICE
Manager of the Year: Sarah Symington, Capita Travel and Events
>> MICE Team of the Year: TBR Global Major Global Events Team
>> SUPPLIER CATEGORIES >> Account Manager of the Year:
Mohammed Laher, Sixt Rent A Car >> Account
Management Team of the Year: Corporate and
TMC Account Management Team, Virgin Atlantic
and Delta Air Lines >> Sales/Business
Development Manager of the Year: Jason
Dunderdale, Sixt Rent A Car >> Sales/Business
Development Team of the Year: London
North Eastern Railway (LNER) >>
INDUSTRY AWARDS >> Best
Newcomer: Rob Cope, Corporate
Travel Management >> Rising Star:
Hugo Jarvis, Blue Cube Travel
WINNER SPOTLIGHT
Power to the people!
”THE AWARDS are a great way to connect with our peers
in the sector and celebrate the current strength of the
industry,” says Jill Palmer, CEO of Click Travel, who won
the Account Management Team of the Year in 2019.
”Our team is an ambitious bunch and being awarded for
their exceptional effort will only spur them on even more,“
says Palmer. ”I'm so proud of the team – they've worked
incredibly hard and truly deserved this accolade.“
Palmer says the team landed 55 new
clients in the last 12 months, achieving a
25% increase in total sales, and moved
more than 1,000 customers on to a new
booking platform.
”Winning the award will also help us
to continue recruiting the highest
calibre of new team members, as
well as continuing to promote from
within the business,” adds Palmer.
“The People Awards
are quite simply one
of the best award
ceremonies I have
been to”
“You could tell by
the excitement of
everyone in the
room that these
awards are taken
very seriously by
the nominees
and winners”
“These awards are
all about recognising
the people in our
industry that don't
always get the
recognition they
deserve”
“It feels absolutely
amazing to win
one of these awards
and it's a brilliant
recognition of our
hard work over
the years”
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
25
TRAVELLER WELLBEING
The groundswell of
interest in wellbeing
isn't just coming from
professionals interested
in duty of care. More
importantly, it's being driven
by employees themselves”
26 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
TRAVELLER WELLBEING
Going the extra
MILE
It's a subject that can no longer be ignored, but how
are companies embracing traveller wellbeing?
Nick Easen reports
It’s said that work-life balance is one
of the biggest causes of stress and
anxiety around the globe, so surely
work-life-travel balance should be up
there too?
Few business trips don’t have at least an
element of tiredness, tension, fatigue, sweat
or tears. Some can even lead to exhaustion
or poor mental health. This is why traveller
wellbeing now tops the agenda.
“Trips are stressful, with some travellers
putting themselves under a lot of pressure.
Everything in travel is evolving fast – travel
policy, workplace elements and travel itself,”
explains Sarah Marshall, Travel & Security
Manager at DAI.
In an age where duty of care means
everything, wellbeing is high on the agenda
and is an issue that's here to stay. This year,
the World Health Organisation even
included ‘burnout’ – caused by work-related
stress – as an official illness, while a recent
World Bank study found that 75% of staff
reported high or very high stress levels
related specifically to business travel.
“Corporations now understand that they
need to help employees manage ‘company
time’ outside of the office and ensure that
employees are compensated for the time
taken to travel – time off in lieu is key. This
also extends to jet lag and travelling to
regions with a significant time difference,”
says Suzanne Sangiovese, Operations
Manager for the Americas at Riskline.
It helps that attitudes are evolving rapidly,
with organisations now looking to manage
traveller welfare as much as they do cost.
There is an increasing realisation that a
frazzled and tired employee isn’t productive
or creative on the road. This can lead to
sickness, low productivity and even affect
staff turnover, but these are still early days.
“Practical changes to travel programmes
to positively impact people's lives are yet
to become mainstream. Some larger
corporates are leading the way with
wellbeing programmes, but to date most
SMEs haven’t followed suit,” says Bex
Deadman, Commercial Director at Blue
Cube Travel.
It's all about data
Data-driven analysis via tech platforms and
tools are coming to the fore. Wellbeing
scores and stress indexes, based on delays,
red-eye flights, troublesome long-haul trips,
layovers, the quality of the airline, class of
travel, weekends away, and ‘out of hours’
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
27
TRAVELLER WELLBEING
There is an increasing
realisation that a
frazzled and tired employee
isn't productive or creative
on the road. This can lead to
sickness, low productivity and
even affect staff turnover”
travel, even such gripes as sitting in the
middle seat of an airplane, now help travel
bookers make sense of a complex issue.
“With predictive analytics we can highlight
the patterns that compromise traveller
experience and employee satisfaction. This
insight can then be used to build a more
comprehensive strategy, based on real
behaviour,” says Katie Skitterall, Director of
UK Sales and Operations, the ATPI Group.
“By using meaningful data, the right
decisions can start to be made. Whilst we
know conversations are taking place in the
boardroom, the facts and data to back up
the story aren’t necessarily being used.”
Some organisations are measuring
so-called ‘traveller friction’ via automated
and simple surveys after each trip. These
can help identify flaws in travel policies, as
well as areas for improvement.
“But if you’re doing this you also need to
have systems and resources in place to
respond,” argues Richard Stabbins, Vice
President, Traveller Care UK at American
Express GBT. “It can certainly be counterproductive
if feedback goes unanswered.”
Data has always been used to control
travel spend, but now there’s a clearer
understanding of how the total cost of each
trip sits alongside its real value or return
on investment (ROI) to the company, and
whether it's a positive experience. There is
a trade-off and this is why this triumvirate
of factors is a crucial nexus going forward.
“Now we can make clear linkages between
employee wellbeing and productivity that
can be quantified to a pound or dollar value.
The overall loss in employee productivity on
a trip can actually outweigh the cost of the
airline ticket in some cases,” says Richard
Johnson, Senior Director for EMEA at CWT
Solutions Group.
A lack of ownership
One big challenge is that employee
wellbeing strays well beyond travel policy
and often comes knocking on the door of
human resources and procurement. Yet a
broader stakeholder umbrella rarely comes
into play, even though it’s needed in order
to make better informed policy decisions in
this more enlightened 21st century.
“There is a lack of ownership of the
traveller wellbeing space and a lack of
understanding of who should be responsible
for delivering this within an organisation.
Everyone thinks the solution is going to cost
too much, so they won't invest. This is a very
old fashioned and narrow-focused vision,”
exclaims Matthew Holman, Head of Traveller
Wellbeing at Capita Travel and Events.
It’s also starting to dawn on many large
organisations that if they want to retain
talent, reduce burnout and promote
employee longevity then they need to invest
in traveller wellbeing in a way that balances
cost and worker welfare in equal measure.
“It’s now all about engagement, engagement,
engagement,” says Chris Crowley,
Partner at Nina & Pinta.
The good thing is that the genie is out of
the bottle, with high profile figures such as
Prince Harry and other celebrities now
highlighting mental health issues.
“With the continued raised consciousness
around wellbeing, employees are going to
be less willing to make the sacrifices that
were expected in the past, and employers
therefore have to recognise that worker
wellbeing must be a higher priority for
them,” says Lorna Dunning, Mindset Coach
and former VP for Transformation at
American Express GBT.
Taking back control
Let’s also recognise that the groundswell of
interest in wellbeing isn’t just coming from
professionals concerned with duty of care.
28 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
traveller wellbeing
More importantly it's being driven by the
employees themselves who are interested
in investing in their own welfare and
personal development. It's therefore crucial
that employers are catering to this newly
engaged audience.
“Offering training on how to take better
care of yourself can have a positive impact
on traveller welfare. Wellbeing courses are
becoming increasingly popular,” says Eric
Tyree, Vice President, CTO & Chief Data
Scientist at CWT.
“There’s also a steadily growing demand
for travellers to be given a license for
'bleisure' activities as well. This might be as
simple as allowing travellers to stay the
weekend at a destination.”
Part of that wider process also involves
providing more pre-trip medical screening
– often offered by third parties and TMCs –
and pre-trip wellbeing questionnaires. These
involve asking travellers specific questions
about their current mental health needs or
psychological issues around pre-existing or
newly developing conditions.
“It's not about stopping people travelling.
It's to help better support them and put
measures in place while they're abroad,”
says Deborah Avery, Head of International
Assistance at Anvil Group.
“It is all about early identification and
giving individuals the confidence that they
know support is there and in whatever
format they may need it.”
Stepping up to the mark
With this groundswell of wellbeing activity,
business travel providers are also having to
up their game and offer something for both
the buyer and traveller. Some hotels now
provide ‘natural’ lighting to help with sleep
problems business travellers often face, or
airport lounges that have their own
wellness initiatives. Amsterdam’s Schiphol
Airport, for example, even has its own
meditation centre.
“We’re now seeing customers ask for
certain hotel chains to be included in their
policies because they meet their particular
duty of care and wellbeing standards,”
states Vicki Williams, Director of Sales &
Implementation at Click Travel.
There is no doubt that incorporating
wellbeing into any travel programme is a
complex issue. It also involves making a
wide range of detailed decisions. The
challenges are always going to be around
cost and there is always going to be a tradeoff.
But wellbeing is all about thinking of
employees in a wider context. Travel trip
ROI, employee retention and welfare all
come into play. “Each company has to work
out their own balance,” explains Tyree –
and there lies the crux of the matter.
The good thing is
that the genie is
out of the bottle, with high
profile figures such as
Prince Harry and other
celebrities highlighting
mental health issues”
[ Tips on traveller wellbeing ]
• Raise awareness. Start talking about the
challenges and potential issues openly with
travellers and encourage them to manage
their own wellbeing and healthy routines
whilst on trips. Having honest conversations
and dialogue with travellers is essential.
• Draw up a wellbeing plan. The idea is to
bring HR, procurement, buyers and
managers together around a single source
of truth that aligns company and wellbeing
objectives. Clearly articulated, they will give
direction as to what you want to achieve.
• Build flexible travel plans. This can include
levels of downtime, either during trips or on
people’s return, plus details of rest days,
training, classes of travel, even sourcing
hotels with fitness facilities and healthier
eating. Recognise what you can achieve.
• Measure everything. If you are
implementing a wellbeing policy you need to
know whether the changes you put in place
will actually make a difference. You also
need a baseline set of parameters before
you start up any policy.
• Start small. Creating an all-singing,
all-dancing programme can cause
headaches. Pick a handful of changes you
would like to implement when it comes to
wellness and see how things improve.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
29
TRAVELLER WELLBEING
How many of you really, truly,
consider the impact that working
in different countries may have on
the wellbeing of your travellers?
I am not talking about the logistical hassles,
packed schedules and fatigue that often go
hand-in-hand with business travel. This is
something deeper and more subtle – a sort
of ‘cultural impact’.
It is the local
idiosyncrasies
that determine
how people view,
respond and
behave differently
towards visitors.
It is one reason why,
even when the stars
are aligned – with
a good travel
experience,
well-managed
itinerary, extensive
preparation and a killer
pitch – that things can still fall
apart once in a country. The
traveller struggles with interactions, shows
unexpected signs of stress, a change in
attitude, or simply can’t adjust regardless of
how long they spend in a destination.
According to social psychologist Geert
Hofstede, all countries have a set of inherent
values that distinguish one society from
another – intangible yet visible rituals, norms,
beliefs, customs and behaviours.
These include different expectations
around qualities like work-life balance,
modesty, short-term versus long-term
outcomes, assertiveness versus
cooperation, and whether people
OVERSEAS TRAVEL
CULTURAL
ACCLIMATISATION
Dr. Lucy Rattrie discusses new evidence on the
complexities of navigating cultural expectations
look after themselves (an ‘I’ culture) or their
team (a ‘we’ culture).
In order to find out if differences in national
cultural values affect the likelihood of
developing burnout, myself (University of
Stirling and Management Center Innsbruck),
Professor Markus Kittler
(Management Center Innsbruck),
and Professor Karsten Paul
(Friedrich-Alexander University
Erlangen-Nuremberg) analysed
132 peer-reviewed research
studies conducted from 2001 to
2018, incorporating more than
100,000 participants from five
global regions. It’s a pretty in-depth
academic study but we have some
interesting take-home
messages for you.
While there is the caveat that more research
is needed, particularly from non-US and non-
European regions and specifically with
business travellers, it was clear that only
some dimensions affect the likelihood of
developing burnout, and this likelihood
depends on whether the job is perceived as
particularly demanding, or whether it has a
high presence of supporting resources.
For example, if a traveller is in a particularly
demanding role, their wellbeing will be
protected if they work in countries such as
Denmark but it is more at risk in other
destinations like the United States.
If a traveller is needed in the US, sending
someone who is in a less demanding job
means they are less at risk of burnout. Or
consider offering traveller-specific support
and increasing the resources available to
them to counteract the negative impact of
the demands on them.
Similarly, under normal circumstances, a
job with plentiful resources means the
person is by default protected from burnout
developing. However, if someone from
All countries have a
set of inherent values
that distinguish one society
from another – intangible yet
visible rituals, norms, beliefs,
customs and behaviours”
Austria is sent to Malaysia to work, the
protective capacity of resources could be
undermined and the person is therefore at
risk of burnout.
Travel management can therefore advance
to a new level when deciding who goes where
and to do what by considering these factors:
how demanding or resourceful is the
individual's job; what is the individual’s
capacity to self-manage; what is the role of
the destination's culture for protecting people
from burnout. In a sense, it is simply about
better job design.
Dr lUCY raTTrie
Lucy is a psychologist in
wellbeing, thriving and
sustainability of people
who travel for work. She
advises organisations,
offers training and
coaching, and conducts
academic research. Email
lucy@creatingsona.com
30 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
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THE CONVERSATION
Chief Marketing Officer, citizenM
Robin Chadha
Sasha Wood chats to citizenM CMO Robin Chadha about establishing
and growing a new hotel brand in an already crowded marketplace
Abrand is a living thing that has
values, heritage, personality, tone of
voice and DNA that never changes.
Human beings have all these things but a
strong brand has them too,” says citizenM’s
Chief Marketing Officer, Robin Chadha.
He is the man responsible for growing the
hotel brand into a distinctly recognisable set
of 13 hotels in seven countries (so far) since
its inception back in 2008.
The group aimed to establish a luxury
hotel brand with a unique identity that is
predominantly aimed at business travellers.
“We looked at the market and said ‘let’s
disrupt this traditional hotel industry model’”
says Chadha. With his design partner at
Concrete, Chadha set about deconstructing
the traditional hotel model, deciding what
aspects to streamline or change.
Not quite a ‘disruptor’ in the modern
sense, the group is nevertheless showing
how things can be done differently in the
hospitality industry. It’s found a gap in the
market for affordable luxury and it’s
identified its core customer in the savvy
urbanites and creative millennials that travel
the world’s cities for work and play.
“If you look at strong brands such as
Tesler, Virgin and Starbucks, they all have
personality and a tone of voice,” says Chadha.
He knows from his experience in the often
fickle fashion industry that establishing a
strong and unique brand identity is half the
battle. His family used to own Mexx – the
US fashion company – which once had a
staggering turnover. But Chadha says when
they sold the company, the new owners
made too many changes, forgot the core
identity, confused the customer, and
ultimately the brand was dead.
Chadha’s father’s experience running Mexx
also provided the lightbulb moment that led
to the founding of citizenM. Mexx was quite
cost-conscious so when the designers and
buyers travelled for work – to Tokyo, New
York, Paris, Milan – they could never spend
more than 100 euros per night on hotels.
This led them to stay in non-descript
places right outside of the city centre and
they’d always come back a little loose-faced
and lacklustre. A gap in the market was
identified for hotels that combine great
design, good locations and top amenities at
a price that doesn't break the bank.
Chadha is very clear about what citizenM
represents: “We’re accessible to everyone,
we’re urban and we always offer value. We
always try to be below the market,” he states.
The core brand values have filtered
through to every aspect of the hotels from
the design ethos to the friendly staff
‘ambassadors’ who are picked through a
All our guest rooms
are the same, offering
everything you need and
nothing you don’t. It’s all
about the experience and
easing the journey for guests”
casting process and trained in every aspect
of hotel management. Its properties manage
to be both smart and quirky. The living room
– essentially the hotel’s lobby lounge – is
scattered with the kind of interesting objects
you might find at a friend’s house, and bar
staff act with the familiar ease of flatmates.
The ambassador concept has also been
very successful in delivering high levels of
service: “In New York City we rank 9.4 for
service, while the Four Seasons ranks 9,”
Chadha proudly boasts.
He knows his customers too. Chadha says
they have four core customers including
‘cultural citizens’ and ‘business citizens’ but
acknowledges that we can be all things at
different times. “You may be travelling for
work, in meetings during the day but
checking out the latest cocktail bars and
restaurants in the evening,” he says. And the
brand is designed to reflect that.
By walking in guests’ shoes, citizenM has
also changed the way hotels traditionally
operate. Self check-in has proved
particularly popular, eliminating the need for
guests to queue at a reception desk and
instead use a kiosk to receive their room key
in less than a minute. And by the end of 2019
it will have launched the citizenM app which
will bypass check-in and check-out altogether.
“Everything we do is for the good of the
brand, but eventually for the good of the
guest too,” says Chadha. Following recent
openings in Boston, Zurich and Amsterdam,
additions in 2020 will include hotels in
Seattle, Geneva and Washington DC.
32 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
THE CONVERSATION
in brief...
You must travel a lot for
work – do you have a
favourite city? What
makes it special to you?
I travel the world for work,
which is fantastic. My two
top cities would have to be
New York and London.
They are full of inspiration,
subcultures, incredible food
and beverage concepts,
and both have an amazing
art scene too.
What do you do when
you’re not working?
I'm always working! I enjoy
spending time walking the
streets in Amsterdam,
visiting art galleries, eating
out with friends and family,
catching up on reading
and, of course, I'm addicted
to my Apple TV.
You only have one room
category at citizenM
hotels...
It is a unique thing about
citizenM that we only have
one type of room. We’ve
emphasised the bed,
comfort and Italian linens,
put in state-of-the-art rain
showers and lots of natural
light, but all our guest
rooms are the same,
offering everything you
need and nothing you
don’t. It’s much more about
the experience and easing
the journey for the guest.
ROBIN CHADHA
Robin Chadha is the Amsterdam-based Chief Marketing
Officer of citizenM. His career began on the floor of
Wall Street’s New York Stock Exchange as a specialist
clerk for Vandermolen. He then worked in fashion for
a number of years. In 2005 Chadha moved into
hospitality, launching Rain, a unique design-led food
and drink experience venue in Amsterdam. He sold
the business in 2008 to join citizenM, founded by his
father and Chair of the brand Kul Rattan Chadha.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
33
Spring Sparkle
PA & EA Networking Evening
Brought to you by The Business Travel Conference
Monday 23rd March 2020
The Bloomsbury,
Doyle Collection – London
Join us for an evening of hospitality and
networking in the George V ballroom at this
luxury property from The Doyle Collection. Set in
London’s literary heartland, this hotel is housed
in a stunning 1930s listed neo-Georgian building
offering chic guestrooms and luxury suites.
The hotel features one of London’s most
instagrammed restaurants – Dalloway Terrace
– as well as The Coral Room and the intimate
and atmospheric Bloomsbury Club Bar.
PAs & EAs can discover the hotel facilities and
meet a range of travel companies whilst enjoying
complimentary drinks, delicious food and the
chance to win some fabulous prizes courtesy of
our event sponsors.
PA/EAs interested in attending can apply for
places via thebusinesstravelconference.com
Suppliers can contact Kirsty.Hicks@bmipublishing.co.uk regarding sponsorship opportunities
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
THE BIG PICTURE
Hitting the high notes
SALZBURG
Photo by Victor Malyushev on Unsplash
Austria’s Alpine city of
Salzburg was named
the number one city in
Lonely Planet’s Best in
Travel 2020 report. The
birthplace of Mozart has
three universities, stateof-the-art
infrastructure,
a highly qualified workforce
and excellent
quality of life – a medley
that makes Salzburg
particularly attractive to
businesses, says ABA
Invest in Austria. The city
will celebrate the centenary
of its eponymous
music festival in 2020.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
35
Xxxxxxxxxxx
DISTRIBUTION
New distribution
evolution
Are changes in airline distribution finally picking up speed?
Linda Fox charts the latest NDC developments
IATA’s New Distribution Capability
(NDC) was recently likened to a child
born prematurely that's only now
beginning to find its feet. It’s not a bad
analogy when we think back to 2012,
when NDC was first announced, and look
at where we're at today.
The industry has gone from trying to
understand it – and the motivations behind it
– to a collaborative approach to how it might
be implemented. Now, finally, it's starting to
be put into action.
But while there is collaboration, partnerships
and engagement from all sides, technically
speaking the industry isn’t there yet. Like
most technological evolutions, this is not
something that will simply happen overnight.
A spate of recent announcements from
large TMCs shows progress, but when you
read between the lines it's all still about pilots
and trials and not yet close to full deployment.
In the late summer Travelport did its first
live bookings for Qantas via the NDC
standard, and using its Smartpoint agency
technology. FCM, and parent company Flight
Centre Travel Group, announced recently
that they had completed NDC airline content
booking via Amadeus Selling Platform
Connect. American Express Global Business
Travel says the latest release of its Neo tool
connects to both Amadeus and Sabre’s NDC
solutions and Concur is integrating British
Airways and Lufthansa NDC content into its
TripLink system. And most recently Expedia’s
business travel arm, Egencia, announced that
it was making Lufthansa NDC content
available to its customers.
But while all of these developments might
give the impression that NDC is ready for
wider use, patience is still required. Nicola
Ping, Manager Air Content and Distribution,
EMEA, for FCM and Flight Centre, says there
is still some confusion.
“IATA is telling the industry that 70-plus
airlines are doing NDC, certification is
progressing and the standards are ready.
The airlines are telling their agents and
customers that they have a lot of capability
and transaction volumes are growing. Both of
these things are true but the vast majority of
transactions are coming from straightforward
leisure bookings.”
Commercial considerations
Others in the industry also acknowledge
that progress is being made but point to
the remaining challenges that are now
becoming apparent.
David Chappell, Technology Director for
Fello Travel, says: “There is real progress with
NDC and it’s evolving at pace. New standards
and new versions of NDC are being evolved
(two per year) with, finally, good engagement
between airlines, retailers and aggregators.”
But therein lies one of the challenges. NDC
was meant to set a standard but as new
versions become available, airlines are
developing their own different versions of
that standard. Chappell believes airlines will
not want to keep investing in every new
version and will choose to make “step
changes in the standard when there are
commercial advantages to the enhanced
functionality in the later versions”.
There are varying views as to whether the
36 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
DISTRIBUTION
XXxxxxxxxxx
It's important not to
run before we can
walk. It's easy to get seduced
by technology without fully
realising the problem you
are trying to solve”
Photo by Bhavik Dalal on Unsplash
announcements are meaningful or not. While
some might say that at least they are keeping
visibility on progress, and keeping discussions
going, others believe the time to sing from
the rooftops is only when the NDC standard
can do what it set out to do. David Bishop,
Commercial Director of Gray Dawes Group,
falls in to the latter camp.
“When airlines, aggregators and GDSs can
manage the whole range of shop, book,
issue, pay, refund, exchange/change and
void then, yes, this is something to shout
about,” he explains. Bishop thinks NDC at
scale, which is needed for all the other
elements above to fall into place, is about
18 months way with the key airlines.
Behind closed doors
Once that technical base is there, there
must be commercial discussion around how
NDC content will be distributed to the TMC
community more widely, especially for
smaller agencies. These talks will take place
behind closed doors and it’s unlikely they will
happen quickly, fuelling further uncertainty.
Some believe the time for “honest and
open” discussions is now. Bex Deadman,
Commercial Director of Blue Cube Travel,
describes the conversation as “a triangle of
trust between the TMC, airline and corporate
– and those that can step into it are
potentially paving the way for the corporate
travel industry of the future”. She maintains
that the issue is already slowing progress.
Going forward, airlines will want to see a
return on their investment in developing and
delivering NDC content but it’s harder for
agents to invest in and adopt something
when the future picture remains unclear.
That also leads to the belief from most in
the TMC community that there will be more
sticks than carrots when it comes to driving
any new distribution process.
However, many are seeing opportunities for
agents too in terms of the ability to negotiate
with airlines on a one-to-one basis around
ancillaries, for example.
Gray Dawes’ Bishop says it is up to agents
to negotiate deals with carriers to make NDC
capabilities work for them.
“I’m happy with this as it encourages us to
invest knowing the returns are there. This is
one of the drivers behind our retail strategy.
We’re working with two universities on this.
We need to get an ROI and this is a key
component. If we help the airline sell high
margin products and ancillaries, we should
be rewarded,” says Bishop.
Taking it one step at a time
With so many twists and turns in the NDC
journey, it’s easy to skip over other developments
in distribution. IATA’s OneOrder is
now on the radar, according to TMCs, who
are keen to be involved at the early stages to
ensure the industry works together.
Deadman says it is being spoken about
but believes there are other challenges to
overcome first: ”For TMCs it will really force
us to think about our proposition as many of
the things we place value on will no longer
exist. But it is important not to run before
we can walk. It's easy to get seduced by
technology without fully realising the
problem you are trying to solve.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
37
TECHNOLOGY
While online booking tools are
said to be the most frequently
integrated element of the
travel programme, it seems further
integration can be left on the table.
In a poll of travel buyers worldwide,
carried out by the Association of Corporate
Travel Executives, 72% say their travel
programme is only somewhat integrated.
Findings from The Journey to Integrated
Travel Management whitepaper, which is
supported by American Express Global
Business Travel, also reveal that many travel
managers (22%) have no plans to integrate
further, which seems surprising given the
holy grail of end-to-end integration.
After online booking tools, corporate cards
and expense management platforms are
the most commonly integrated elements
of programmes. Perhaps travel managers
perceive further integration as too
challenging. Respondents cited a number
of barriers to integration, including the
business travellers themselves.
Integrated systems and processes are
not only a good thing in terms of existing
technologies but also for bringing in newer
tech. Companies which take strides to
integrate existing systems
should find it easier to
add in new
channels.
BOOKING TOOLS
THE END-TO-END
EXPERIENCE
Booking tools deliver convenience and efficiency
but aren’t always properly optimised, finds Linda Fox
Flight Centre Business Travel is one
company that has thought about changing
consumer expectations and the need for
technology to keep up. The company’s
new booking tool, HelloFCBT, was
recently launched because it
wanted to offer an online booking
service. UK General Manager Joe
Beevis says other elements, such as
traveller tracking and FCM’s travel
management app Sam, have also
been built into the system.
Beevis adds: “FCBT’s systems are
all fully integrated and we have actively
avoided developing a platform reliant
on punch-outs. All air, hotel and rail
bookings flow into the same platform for
our travel consultants allowing effective
travel management.
“We’re introducing Sam to make this
process even smoother for the customer.
All bookings made both online and offline
will integrate into Sam, providing a
seamless automated itinerary management
experience, whilst also keeping travellers up
to date via various alerts.”
Despite challenges from travellers, the
ACTE report found 34% of respondents
believe travellers are also seen as a driver
for integrated programmes, which perhaps
suggests the ongoing need for managers to
strike a balance between those reticent to
adopt new ways of doing things and those
demanding them.
The report goes on to cite lack of internal
and stakeholder support as further
challengers to integration for 30% and lack
of resources for 25%. However, 28% say
incompatible systems are holding back
further integration.
The report also highlights the necessity
of buy-in from internal and external
stakeholders, with 62% of travel managers
citing support from tech platform providers,
59% saying travel management companies
and 39% citing payment providers as
instrumental in helping achieve
integration. It’s no surprise that
travel managers see advantages
in integrated systems, such as
spend visibility and expenses
control for 70%, duty of care for
58% and improvement in user
experience, according to 65%.
Leigh Bochicchio, Executive
Director ACTE, says: “Having to
navigate a constellation of tools and
technology to plan a trip can hinder
productivity for travellers. End-to-end travel
programmes solve this issue, and at the end
of the day, everyone wins:
the traveller, the travel
manager and the
organisation as
a whole.”
38 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
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TALKING TRAVEL
Pushing the boundaries
DOM JOLY
The comedian, columnist and travel writer tells Angela Sara West
about braving the Congo, deserts and celebrity-filled jungles
Pulling pranks on unsuspecting
celebrities and members of the
public on his pioneering Trigger
Happy TV show, screened in over 80
countries, means boundary-pushing
funnyman, Dom Joly, hears his globallyfamous
catchphrases worldwide.
“I get ‘HELLO!’ shouted at me in more
languages than you might have thought
possible,” he tells me. “And I still don’t have a
good comeback!”
His edgy exploits as a serial globe-trotter,
seeking dangerous travel spots to satisfy his
interest in the places most people avoid, has
seen him hit some of the most hostile
environments on earth: North Korea, Syria,
Chernobyl... “I’m addicted to wanderlust.
There is no bigger thrill for me than the first
moments in a new destination, trying to
work the place out and get a feel for it. I then
embark on an adventure that allows my
books to write themselves,” he says.
Joly is also drawn to destinations with a
dark past, and adores sharing stories of his
amazing off-the-beaten-track adventures
in his books and travelogues, aiming to
challenge people’s perceptions of places
often misrepresented and misunderstood.
In his quest to visit the world's most
unlikely tourist spots, he has skied the
segregated slopes of Iran and taken in
Chernobyl “before it became trendy”.
Beirut-born Joly grew up in a warzone,
with shells landing literally on his back
doorstep, and went to the same school as
Osama Bin Laden. His war-torn childhood
and subsequent travels are both a source of
inspiration for his comedy TV material, along
with his books, which captivatingly recount
some of the scariest, strangest and most
downright dangerous places he's
encountered on his travels.
With a distinct taste for deserts, he’s done
the Sahara, the Mojave, The Gobi and the
legendary Empty Quarter. The appeal? “I find
deserts enormously relaxing,” he explains.
“They’re the only places where I unwind.
They are definitely my happy place.”
Fearless Joly believes everyone should
get out of their comfort zone and ‘lose
themselves’ for a month. “Head to Morocco if
The Congo was
hair-raising, Syria
is a staggeringly beautiful
country, and North Korea is
like visiting another planet”
you’re a lightweight; Algeria, if you’re serious
about it,” he advises.
The unrelenting explorer describes his
latest book, The Hezbollah Hiking Club,
recounting tales from his epic hike with two
pals trekking the Lebanese Mountain Trail,
from the Israeli border to the Syrian border,
as a “love letter” to Lebanon.
The highlights of reconnecting with the
country so close to his heart? “I loved visiting
the Hezbollah Resistance Museum, a kind of
alternative Disneyland, and the Qadisha
Valley, the jewel in Lebanon’s Crown.”
He encourages readers to visit his homeland,
but why should it be on our travel radar?
“Lebanon, at its best, is a combination of the
South of France, California and Switzerland.
Think pine forests, beaches, skiing, Roman
ruins and the food… oh God, the food!”
He’s felt most frightened while ‘monster
hunting’ in the Congo, trekking through
forests to a machete-wielding tribe whose
permission he needed to reach a lake which
is home to a mythical monster. It was no
laughing matter when they got drunk on
“jungle gin” and, after one attacked him, a
petrified Joly escaped by canoe. “I’m most
uneasy when I feel a complete loss of
control. The Congo was hair-raising and very
difficult to travel through as a solo traveller.”
Cambodia, Syria and North Korea are
among his favourite destinations, despite
once being forced at gunpoint to go for tea
after rejecting an invitation from a lorryload
of Syrian Bedouin! “Mainly because there
aren’t many other tourists about, although
Cambodia is getting there. Syria is a
staggeringly beautiful country and North
Korea is like visiting another planet.”
Joly’s experience on ‘The Island’ off Panama
with Bear Grylls is the hardest thing he’s ever
done. “The biggest high was just surviving. I
didn’t eat a thing for two weeks and lost two
and a half stone, which was a bonus. By day
ten, I had lost all energy and was pretty
useless, plus things weren’t helped by being
eaten alive by sandflies.”
And how was his experience down under,
on ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here’?
“Compared to the ‘The Island’ it was like an
exotic spa holiday. It was the ultimate
technology and social detox. I didn’t have to
worry about anything for 21 days – except
spiders and Gillian McKeith!”
40 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
TALKING TRAVEL
DOM JOLY
MARKSTEEN ADAMSON
Dom Joly’s book, The Hezbollah Hiking Club: A Short
Walk Across The Lebanon, is out now, priced £20, from
stanfords.co.uk. Dom will be speaking at Stanfords’
Travel Writers Festival at Destinations: The Holiday and
Travel Show, 30th January–2nd February 2020 at
Olympia London. His tour, Holiday Snaps: Travel and
Comedy In The Danger Zone, visits 52 venues next
spring, starting in Kent in February. awaywithmedia.com
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
41
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THE REVIEW
the
Review
THE NEWS & VIEWS
THAT REALLY MATTER
[ THE LOWDOWN ]
Sustainability is the watchword
at GBTA Conference
p44-45
[ IN THE AIR ]
Airlines begin offsetting
carbon emissions
p46-47
[ MEETING PLACE ]
IHG says 'Meet On Us'
with new Voco brand
p50
[ ON THE GROUND ]
Europcar accelerates
service upgrades
p51
[ ROOM REPORT ]
Treehouse Hotel takes
guests back to nature
p48-49
O N T H E M O V E I
The latest industry appointments p52
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
43
THE REVIEW
T H E L O W D O W N
“the awards are
recognition of
the people
that turn the
wheels of our
industry every
single day”
BTA's investment plea
to new government
THE Business Travel Association has unveiled a ‘manifesto’
in which it urges the next government to invest in a range of
infrastructure projects and sustainable travel initiatives.
It calls for the new government to support the expansion
of Heathrow Airport and ensure access to the expanded
airport for 14 regional airports. It also recommends that the
government sees through the delivery of HS2 as planned, to
improve connectivity across the North, and to implement
the rail operation and ticketing reform recommendations of
the as yet unpublished Williams Review.
There are also calls to reform APD and ultimately abolish it,
to modernise UK airspace to help reduce pollution, and to
encourage more investment in alternative fuels and the
development of electric aircraft. “The government has been
paralysed by Brexit,” says Clive Wratten, CEO of the BTA.
few TRAVEL
Policies are
'going green'
FOR all the talk of sustainability
and responsible travel, few
companies are actually taking
action by implementing 'green'
initiatives in their travel policies,
according to new research.
The findings from GBTA and
Concur show only 27% of travel
managers surveyed say their
company encourages travellers to
book with sustainable suppliers.
Only 31% are currently working
sustainable initiatives into travel
policy and only 4% mandate
travellers to select suppliers using
sustainable practices.
“While individual contributions to
choosing sustainable and
eco-conscious options around
travel and consumerism is great
and shows willing, it’s corporations
that are capable of steering us
toward a more sustainable future.
But there’s much work to be
done,” says Pierre-Emmanuel
Tetaz, SVP & GM – EMEA, Concur.
Nominations open
January 2020
thebusinesstravel
peopleawards.com
Plaza Premium Group is investing
$55million in 15 new lounges and
hotels at 11 international airports.
IT has recently opened Aerotel
properties at Heathrow t3 and Beijing
Daxing Airport and will open
another at Sydney Airport in 2020
avanti moves
forward on
west coast
avanti West Coast is the name
of the new intercity operation
from FirstGroup and Trenitalia
who take over the franchise from
Virgin Trains on December 8.
Italian for 'forward', Avanti
“reflects a mission to deliver an
innovative railway service that is
ready for today and fit for the
future”, according to the new
operators. The operators will
refurbish 56 Pendolino trains,
introduce a fleet of new trains
and add 263 services per week
by 2022. The 400-mile long route
serves cities like Birmingham,
Manchester, Liverpool and
Glasgow as well as London and
North Wales.
THE REVIEW
T H E L O W D O W N
IN BRIEF
Elite concur
Travel management
companies BCD and FCM
have both achieved Elite
partner level with SAP
Concur. It is the highest
level of engagement and
collaboration attainable
between any TMC and the
travel, expense and invoice
management solutions
provider.
Areka sets the bar
Areka Consulting has
added two benchmarking
tools. The Travel Scan tool
looks at ten dimensions of
a company's travel
programme and produces
a roadmap with suggested
actions. And its new Travel
Index tool compares the
travel spend of a client to
similar organisations,
comparing the ratio of
spend versus the number
of employees and
travellers.
HRs pay platform
Hotel booking platform
HRS has introduced a new
corporate payment
platform, Invisible Pay, a
solution it believes could
increase policy compliance
by 30%. HRS says it helps
address high levels of
out-of-policy spend and
insufficient use of
preferred hotels by
enhancing payment
automation.
co2 reporting
TripActions has added
carbon impact monitoring
for clients using its
booking platform. Users
can access a new Carbon
View element of its
redesigned Admin
Dashboard, which also
enables users to purchase
offsets through the
organisation of their choice.
sustainability is the
watchword at gBTA
SUSTainaBiLiTY took centre stage at the GBTA Conference
in Munich in November, as delegates addressed the urgent
need to adopt more environmentally friendly practices.
Travel managers, TMCs and airlines aired their views, all
espousing the need for action, but a show of hands revealed
only a small minority of delegates have sustainable travel
policies in place. Lonneke de Kort of bookdifferent.com said
the WWF operates its travel policy with both monetary and
CO2 emissions budgets, and that while “many companies
offset air emissions, reducing emissions should be the goal”.
“Try and avoid travel before thinking about compensating
it, and make the most sustainable options your preferred
suppliers,” she advised. “That helps incentivise them too.”
United Airline’s Jake Cefolia told delegates that the carrier
was concentrating on mitigating emissions using biofuels
rather than offsetting. It is the only US airline to use biofuel
in its regular operations, including to help sustainably power
every flight from its Los Angeles hub.
Lufthansa’s Jurgen Siebenrock said the airline has not seen
any evidence of ‘flygskam’ – flight-shaming – in the form of
passenger traffic decline as has been seen in Sweden.
Boeing’s Randy Tinseth said: “I don’t think anyone should
be ashamed of flying,” adding that there is no alternative to
flying for around 80% of all flights. Tinseth said that while
Boeing is investing in making more environmentally friendly
aircraft, governments also need to take responsibility and
invest in alternatives fuels and better airspace management.
A poll of attendees showed 69% were confident in the
industry’s ability to make the future more sustainable.
ITM
scott davies
Chief Executive
On a recent ITM Podcast,
Amex GBT’s Martin Ferguson
helped our listeners to be
effective communicators with
three key pointers, and the
first is to know your audience.
So many people at all levels
of business focus too much
on what they want to say and
not enough on what their
audience will value hearing.
Martin’s second piece of
advice is to be succinct and
interesting. Most peoples’
attention spans are very short
and their ability to retain
information degrades very
quickly over time. It’s always a
good idea to pre-plan the
three things you would like
them to take away, in the
knowledge that everything
else you’re going to say will
soon fade away into the ether!
Finally, Martin suggests that
speakers are true to their
authentic self. Although it can
be tempting to replicate the
wit and style of that orator
you admire, it just doesn’t
come across naturally unless
it’s the real you. There is
nothing that will connect a
speaker more with an
audience than honesty and
openness, including sharing if
you’re nervous. In general,
audiences want the speaker
to be a success, so relax, be
brief, act less and don’t forget
to smile – it’s infectious!
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
45
THE REVIEW
I N T H E A I R
“it feels
absolutely
fantastic to
win this award
– it means so
much – and
we’ve had an
amazing day!”
Nominations open
January 2020
Airline offsetting
gaining momentum
EASYJET has become the first major airline to operate
net-zero carbon flights across its network following a move
to offset emissions from the fuel it consumes.
In a similar move, British Airways will begin offsetting
carbon emissions for all UK domestic flights from January
2020 by investing in verified carbon reduction projects
around the world including renewable energy, protection of
rainforests and reforestation programmes.
The initiative will cost easyJet around £25million per year –
an expense that will not be passed on to customers through
higher fares, an airline representative told The Business
Travel Magazine. The airline will also continue investing in
research into hybrid-electric aircraft with Airbus.
AIRLINE BOSS
SEEKS BUSINESS
CLASS BAN
THE head of low-cost carrier Wizz
Air, József Váradi, has suggested it
would be more effective to get rid
of business class than to impose
‘green taxes’ on flights as the
airline industry tackles its
contribution to carbon emissions.
Speaking at World Travel Market
in November, Váradi hit out at the
French and Dutch governments
for their plans to introduce
environmental taxes, claiming it
would only help sustain underperforming
national airlines
such as Air France/KLM.
“Business class should be
banned. These passengers
account for twice the carbon
footprint of an economy
passenger, and the industry is
guilty of preserving an inefficient
and archaic model,” says Váradi.
“A rethink is long overdue, and we
call on fellow airlines to commit to
a total ban on business class travel
for any flight under five hours.”
ETIHAD AND
BOEING LAUNCH
'GREENLINER'
thebusinesstravel
peopleawards.com
16 minutes
The average security queue
at Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport has
been named the worst
UK airport for security
queues in a survey by
consumer watchdog
Which?. Stansted (13.7
mins) and Luton (11.7
mins) airports were also
among the worst large
airports for security
queues, while Heathrow
Terminal 5 was the best
performer (8.6 mins)
ETIHAD Airways and Boeing have
launched a B787 ‘Greenliner’ that
will be used to test products,
services and initiatives to reduce
carbon emissions whilst operating
scheduled services. The aircraft
will enter service in early 2020 and
both partners will use it to explore
and assess new environmental
initiatives. Suppliers and regulators
will also be invited to put forward
new products and ideas.
The Greenliner is expected to
operate several flights using
biofuels derived from saltwatertolerant
plants following the first
commercial service to use the fuel
– an Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi
to Amsterdam earlier this year.
46 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
THE REVIEW
I N T H E A I R
IN BRIEF
Air NZ axes LHR-LA
Air New Zealand will end
its London Heathrow to
Los Angeles service in
October 2020 citing fierce
competition across the
Atlantic for its decision.
The ‘flagship route’ was
launched in 1982 but will
be replaced by a threetimes-weekly
service
between New York and
Auckland. It will become
the carrier’s longest route
by distance and the fifth
longest globally.
Norwegian from LHR
Norwegian looks set to
launch flights from
Heathrow Airport in
March having been
granted three pairs of slots
for the summer season.
It will also increase its
services from London
Gatwick to San Francisco,
Austin, Denver and Tampa,
but reduce frequencies to
Buenos Aires, Orlando,
Rio de Janeiro and Miami.
Project sunrise
Qantas has operated a
non-stop service between
London Heathrow and
Sydney, the second
'Project Sunrise' research
flight into the viability of
regular scheduled services
on the route. The airline
says it could come to
fruition by 2023.
New ID for Flybe
Flybe will move forward
under the name of Virgin
Connect, it has been
confirmed, following its
acquisition by the Connect
Airways consortium
backed by Virgin Atlantic
and Stobart Aviation. A full
rebrand is scheduled for
2020 together with the
introduction of a new
loyalty programme.
AIR CHINA HAS LAUNCHED SERVICES
BETWEEN LONDON GATWICK AND
SHANGHAI, WHILE CHINA EASTERN
AIRLINES HAS INCREASED ITS CAPACITY
ON THE SAME ROUTE FROM THREE
FLIGHTS A WEEK TO A DAILY SERVICE
IAG lines up €1billion
deal for Air Europa
THE International Airlines Group (IAG) is poised to buy
Air Europa for €1billion. It is the third largest airline in Spain
after Iberia and Vueling, both of which are already owned by
IAG, together with British Airways, Aer Lingus and Level.
The group intends to transform its Madrid hub into a ‘true
rival’ to Europe’s four largest hubs – Amsterdam Schiphol,
Frankfurt, London Heathrow and Paris Charles De Gaulle.
The deal, which is expected to complete in the second half of
2020, will also re-establish its market dominance on routes
from Europe to Latin American and the Caribbean.
Air Europa currently operates flights in 69 destinations,
including frequent services between London Gatwick and its
Madrid hub. The Air Europa brand ‘will initially be retained’
and will operate as a standalone profit centre within Iberia.
BTA
Clive Wratten
Chief Executive Officer
Flying the flag has long had all
sorts of patriotic and political
connotations – and it’s back in
the news again.
This time, it is Virgin Atlantic
with a call for official status as
the UK’s ‘second’ official flag
carrier. At first glance, this
seems little more than a
marketing issue, but in reality
having this status would give
the airline the rights to around
one-third of additional slots at
an extended Heathrow.
The likelihood of a third
runway actually happening is
still up in the air but, given
we’re talking hypothetically, it
is a move the BTA would be
minded to support. It could
open up a wealth of new
routes and provide increased
competition on those
currently without it.
Of course, there’s always a
‘but’. Could Virgin guarantee
that it will blaze a trail to new
destinations? And what if it
didn’t become a flag carrier?
In that case, extra Heathrow
slots would likely be shared
much wider, giving the likes of
easyJet and even Ryanair a
West London foothold.
Perhaps the bigger issue is
making sure that the cost of
airport expansion doesn’t fall
on airlines and impact fares. It
is the government that really
needs to ‘fly the flag’ for
Britain and ensure this.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
47
THE REVIEW
R O O M R E P O R T
“we talk a lot
about product
and service,
investments and
developments
in technology,
but these
awards are all
about the
people that
make all of that
come to life”
Nominations open
January 2020
thebusinesstravel
peopleawards.com
The Londoner set for
summer opening
The Londoner hotel is on course to open in June 2020 in
one of the year's most eagerly anticipated additions to the
capital's accommodation portfolio.
Developed by Edwardian Hotels London and located near
Leicester Square, the new-build 16-storey property will have
350 rooms and is being described as 'boutique in feel yet
staggering in scale'. It will also have a penthouse with
panoramic views, two private screening rooms, six restaurants
and bars – including a ground floor tavern and a rooftop
terrace – plus a ballroom for up to 864 guests and various
meeting and event spaces.
Its developers have secured a £175million Green Loan
from HSBC UK to ensure the new hotel ”doesn’t just meet
but exceeds the BREEAM Excellent category in building
environmental and sustainable performance“.
THe ibis Styles London Heathrow
Airport East will open by the end of
December. ITS interior design
Reflects the local Art Deco
architecture of the 'Golden Mile'
including the Hoover building, the
Gillette Factory and Firestone HQ
britannia
hotels named
and shamed
Britannia Hotels has been
ranked the worst large UK hotel
chain for the seventh year in a row
in a survey by Which? Travel.
Guests are ten times more likely
to award it a poor rating for
cleanliness than any other hotel,
while it achieved a one-star rating
in nearly all categories – including
bathrooms, bed comfort, facilities
and value for money – and an
overall score of 39%. The group’s
solitary two-star achievement was
in the customer service category.
EasyHotel (58%) and Ibis Budget
(60%) were the next poorest
performers, but scored significantly
better than Britannia.
Meanwhile, Premier Inn retained
its place at the top of the rankings
but had to share the crown with
Wetherspoon Hotels, with both
groups scoring 79%. They were
closely followed by Hilton Garden
Inn (78%) and Radisson Blu
Edwardian (77%), while Hilton
Hampton (74%) was fifth.
staycity takes
wilde brand
into berlin
Aparthotel group Staycity has
opened its second property under
its Wilde brand in the German
capital of Berlin, with a third to
follow in Edinburgh in December.
Wilde Aparthotels by Staycity,
Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie is
Staycity’s first property of any
brand in Germany. The 48-unit
development is part of a new
scheme occupying what was the
best-known crossing point of the
Berlin Wall during the Cold War.
The new Wilde Aparthotels by
Staycity, Edinburgh, Grassmarket
has 128 studios and apartments in
a central city location, at the foot
of Edinburgh Castle.
THE REVIEW
O RN O TOHM E RGERP OURNT
D
IN BRIEF
Yotel goes Dutch
Budget hotel brand Yotel
has opened its first city
hotel in mainland Europe.
The Yotel Amsterdam
Noord, located close to the
city's Centraal Station,
has 202 rooms styled as
‘cabins’ with signature
features such as adjustable
space-saving beds. It is the
brand’s second city centre
hotel in Europe, following
the opening of Yotel
Edinburgh New Town.
Yotel Porto, Glasgow and
London are slated to open
in early 2020.
Six up for Travelodge
Budget hotel chain
Travelodge has opened six
new properties in the
closing months of the year.
The new properties in
Chippenham, Edinburgh,
London Dagenham and
Beckton, Rochester and
Sittingbourne represent an
investment value of
£45million.
Selina doubles up
Latin American hotel
group Selina has opened
its second UK property in
the heart of Birmingham’s
creative and historical
Jewellery Quarter. The
39-room hotel follows hot
on the heels of its first UK
opening in Manchester,
with a third expected to
open in Liverpool.
City debuts
Hyatt will make its debut
in the Czech Republic with
the opening of the Andaz
Prague hotel in 2021, while
the Barceló Hotel Group
has lined up its first hotel
in Slovenia – a 151-room
hotel with extensive
conference space set to
open in capital city
Ljubljana in 2021.
LRA gets the
Tripbam treatment
Reshopping specialist Tripbam has issued two service
enhancements: Smart Sourcing and LRA Enforcement. The
latter will help ensure clients’ negotiated terms on last room
availability are honoured by their hotel partners.
If the client’s agreed rates are not available to book,
Tripbam will notify the non-compliant hotel and rebook
the reservation at the corrected rate. Early use in trials has
led to 3%-5% savings on overall hotel spend and a 90%
increase in rate availability.
Meanwhile, Smart Sourcing enables clients to source
and add dynamic or static discounted rates at a particular
hotel – at any time of year – when changes in volume in a
particular location necessitate the addition of a new property.
A pilot with ten Tripbam clients saw 74% of offers accepted
at the rate and discount provided.
treehouse hotel takes
guests back to nature
A new nature-inspired lifestyle
hotel has opened in central
London. Situated in Marylebone,
Treehouse London features 95
guest rooms, including 15 suites.
Interiors are designed to reflect
the great outdoors, with quirky
touches such as cuckoo clocks and
sleeping bag throws. Every guest
room has organic cotton sheets as
well as locally-sourced bath and
other products. In keeping with the
design, the hotel’s sustainable
initiatives include using reclaimed
wood, exposed rafters and a
robust composting and recycling
program. It is also committed to
reducing single-use plastics. The
hotel features a coffee lounge,
restaurant and rooftop bar.
The hotel has been developed
by Sternlicht as a sister-brand to
1 Hotels and will be operated by
Starwood Hotels.
new identity
signals locke
acceleration
Serviced apartments specialist
SACO has rebranded as Edyn, with
its new group identity and online
portal signalling a phase of rapid
pan-European growth with nine
new properties in the pipeline.
Edyn will bring the group’s
portfolio of hospitality brands –
SACO, Locke, The Moorgate
extended-stay serviced
apartments in London and
boutique aparthotel The
Wittenberg in Amsterdam –
together under a new group
identity. Nine new properties
under the Locke brand,
comprising more than 1,500
aparthotel rooms across the UK
and Europe, will open by 2022.
“We’re on a journey of acceleration
with the Locke brand and,
as well as the pipeline of nine new
destinations, we’re constantly
looking for new opportunities
across pan-European gateway and
hub cities,” says Edyn Chief
Executive Officer, Stephen McCall.
manchester
gets a taste
of brooklyn
A new design-led hotel will open
in central Manchester in February.
Named Brooklyn and featuring
décor inspired by the New York
borough, the Bespoke Hotels
property is set within Manchester’s
old industrial district and features
189 New York loft-style bedrooms.
Bespoke Hotels’ Robin Sheppard,
says: “We are thrilled to have
secured this fantastic site in the
heart of Manchester’s historic
industrial thoroughfare of
Portland Street. It is a perfect fit
for Manchester, not solely in terms
of the architectural grandeur and
convenience of its location, but the
abundant character of the city.”
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
49
ThE rEViEW
M e e T I n g P L A c e
“probably the
best awards
in travel. It’s
so motivating
for our staff
to see their
name in lights
and socialise
with industry
peers”
Nominations open
January 2020
thebusinesstravel
peopleawards.com
ihg says 'meet on Us'
with new Voco brand
iHG Has launched a 'Meet On Us' campaign designed to
drive groups and meetings business across its year-old Voco
hotels brand. Aimed at occasional meeting planners, those
booking more than ten guest rooms per night at any Voco
hotel will be offered a complimentary meeting room.
The promotion applies to all bookings made before 1st
February 2020 for group stays, meetings or events taking
place before 31st December 2020. The launch comes as IHG
has set its sights on opening more than 200 Voco hotels over
the coming 10 years. Since launching a year ago, IHG has
opened Voco properties in Cardiff, Solihull and Oxford, as
well as two in Australia (Gold Coast and Hunter Valley) and
two in the Middle East (Riyadh and Dubai).
15-20%
Average food wastage at
meetings and events
The average event
wastes between 15%
and 20% of the food it
produces, according
to a report from Lime
Venue Portfolio and
BCD. "Food waste
isn’t about ignorance,
it’s about changing
behaviour", it says, as
the report addresses
the 'Fear of Running
Out' syndrome
millEnnials'
sUsTainaBlE
m&E sTancE
sustainaBiLitY will be a key
consideration for the meetings
and events industry in 2020,
says CWT Meetings & Events.
As part of its M&E 2020 Future
Trends report, the TMC has
published a Future of Sustainable
Events guide in which it says
sustainability will be an ever more
important business consideration
for the $840billion industry.
“It’s supported by the next
generation of travellers – the
millennials who are poised to
become the biggest group of
business travellers globally from
2024 onwards, and the centennials
who are right behind them,” says
says Derek Sharp, Senior Vice
President and Managing Director,
CWT Meetings & Events.
“They want to continue meeting
in popular destinations, but they
are also hyper aware of the need
to adopt sustainable practices that
respect the environment and local
communities wherever they go.”
hallmark's
nEW TEch for
laTE BookErs
HaLLMarK HotELs has
launched a new online system to
make meeting room bookings for
up to 20 delegates quicker than
ever, “for a new generation of last
minute organisers”. The group has
seen a 15% increase in small
group meeting enquiries online.
The new functionality - which
works across 22 of the group's
hotels nationwide – simply takes
details of group size, preferred
hotel, date and contact details for
bookers to secure a meeting
space at any time of day. Small
group meetings account for
almost 50% of all the group’s
online meeting queries.
50 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
THE REVIEW
O N T H E G R O U N D
IN BRIEF
Bigger Bolt
Ride-hailing service Bolt
has added an XL category,
allowing users to request
vehicles for up to seven
passengers. Previously
known as Taxify, the
company launched in
London in June this year
and says it will offset
emissions to ensure all
passenger journeys are
carbon neutral. As part of
the initiative, it has
launched a dedicated
environmental impact
fund with seed capital of
€10million aimed at
schemes that deliver
global social and
environmental benefits.
Taxi v Uber
Uber rides aren't always
cheaper than catching a
cab, according to research
from Globehunters. It
identified 11 cities
worldwide where regular
taxis are cheaper than
Uber. They are Riyadh,
Dammam City and Mecca
in Saudi Arabia; the
Iberian cities of Madrid,
Porto and Lisbon; plus
New York, Honolulu,
Milan, Seoul and Agra.
Virgin's farewell
After operating the West
Coast intercity route for 22
years, Virgin Trains hands
over to First Trenitalia on
December 8 who will
operate services under the
name of Avanti. During its
time running the service
in partnership with
Stagecoach, Virgin
introduced Pendolino
trains, a pioneering
automated delay repay
scheme, onboard
streaming service, and
become the first operator
to offer m-Tickets for all
ticket types.
Europcar accelerates
service upgrades
Europcar customers using its vehicle delivery and collection
service will now receive a text message within a two-hour
window of when their vehicle is due for drop-off or pick-up.
“Something that many business users ask for was advance
notice from the service agent of their delivery and collection
time slot – much like consumers now receive for other
deliveries,” explains Gary Smith, Managing Director,
Europcar Mobility Group UK. Smith says the service will
reduce the chance of missed deliveries and collections.
The DeliverRight initiative will also see hand-held technology
used to geo-stamp vehicle checks at the start and end of
rentals “to provide greater transparency into all charges
associated with hire, including mileage, fuel and damage”.
[ ground force ]
>> Stockholm-Arlanda Airport in Sweden has the most
expensive airport parking in Europe at a rate of €9.28/£8.01 per
hour, according to Taxi2Airport. Heathrow Airport is the second
most expensive, with parking costing €8.69/£7.50 per hour >>
Heathrow Express' new dynamic pricing structure means its
popular £5.50 weekend-only fares are now available every day of
the week during peak and off-peak periods, subject to availability
and when booked in advance. Previously, the cheapest weekday
fare was £12.50 >> Serco Caledonian Sleeper has completed
the roll-out of its new overnight trains with the fleet now
operating all services between London and Scotland.
efficiency
drive from
enterprise
Enterprise Car Club has
partnered with Liftshare to
increase access to shared vehicles
for both car club members and
business users.
The ‘Shared Asset Model’ works
on the principle that a car club
vehicle is driven to work, shared
with a colleague or colleagues.
During the day the car is then
available for use either by staff for
company travel, removing the
need for them to use their own
vehicle, or by the general public.
Additionally, the car is available
as an Enterprise Car Club vehicle
on a simple pay-as-you-go tariff at
weekends and evenings.
The two companies are already
speaking to a number of private
and public sector organisations
about introducing the scheme.
CEO of Liftshare, Ali Clabburn,
says: “Enterprise’s Car Club offering
aims to make the best use of
resources, and our collaboration
makes it much easier for those
assets to be shared.”
ride-hailing
shake-up for
london
UBER will continue to operate in
London while it appeals Transport
for London's decision not to grant
it a new licence in the capital due
to repeated safety failures.
The appeal process could take
several months but rival services
are already lining up to take
advantage in London.
If Uber fails in its appeal it's
likely that many of its drivers
would move across to rival
services such as Bolt, Kapten,
Free Now and Ola, with the latter
reportedly in the process of
signing up more drivers ahead
of a London launch.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
51
THE REVIEW
O N T H E M O V E
EVENTS
DECEMBER 10-11
ASAP CONVENTION
Etc Venues, Bishopsgate, London
asapconvention.org.uk
JANUARY
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL PEOPLE AWARDS
Nominations open!
thebusinesstravelpeopleawards.com
FEBRUARY 13
TBTM DINNER CLUB
London
thebusinesstravelmag.com
JACOB SCHRAM MARK MUREN RUTH HILTON
JOINS: Norwegian
AS: Chief Executive Officer
FROM: McKinsey
Jacob Schram is the new CEO
at low-cost airline Norwegian.
He has previously held
management roles at Circle K,
Statoil Fuel & Retail (SFR),
McDonalds and McKinsey.
JOINS: British Airways
AS: Head of Global Sales
FROM: United Airlines
Mark Muren has joined British
Airways to head up global
sales. He will oversee the
airline’s relationships with
agents, travel management
companies and corporates.
PROMOTED AT: TAG
TO: Head of Commercial UK
FROM: Head of Private Travel
Ruth Hilton is now looking after
TAG's UK supplier relations,
corporate sales and marketing
teams, including all new
business at the high-end travel
management company.
FEBRUARY 26-27
BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW
Olympia London
businesstravelshow.com
MARCH 23
SPRING SPARKLE PA NIGHT
London
thebusinesstravelmag.com
MARCH 24
ITM SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT
Melia White House, London
itm.org.uk
APRIL 26-28
ACTE GLOBAL SUMMIT
New York City
acte.org
JOHN DAVEY CLARE ACE ANDREW CANTRELL
JOINS: Inntel
AS: Head of Business Travel
FROM: TMC background
Inntel has appointed John
Davey as its new Head of
Business Travel. His career in
the business travel industry
spans more than 25 years with
a background in TMCs.
JOINS: CAP Worldwide Serviced Apartments
AS: Global Relations
FROM: SACO
Clare Ace has joined the senior
leadership team at CAP
Worldwide, owned by Jo Layton
and Andrew Hopgood. At SACO
Ace held the role of Director of
Global Supply and Revenue.
PROMOTED AT: Evolvi Rail Systems
TO: Managing Director
FROM: IT Director
Andrew Cantrell has taken up
the position of Managing
Director at Evolvi, having been
with the company 12 years and
with more than 30 years'
experience in operations.
MAY 12-13
ITM CONFERENCE 2020
Brighton
itmconference.org.uk
MAY 15-18
ADVANTAGE CONFERENCE 2020
Madeira
advantageconference.co.uk
MORE NEW ROLES... FairFly has appointed Ivan de Lantivy and Matt Roberts to lead business
development in Europe >> Trevor Elswood is moving from Chief Commercial Officer to a non-executive
position as an advisor for Capita Travel and Events >> Suzanne Horner, CEO of Gray Dawes Travel,
will join Advantage Travel Partnership’s board this December 2019 >> De Vere has appointed Hayley
Chilver to the newly created role of Operations Director >> Industry veteran Chris Crowley has
joined travel management consultancy Nina & Pinta as Partner >> ATPI Group has promoted Claire
McGuinness to lead the account management team for its specialist brand ATPI Marine & Energy >>
13225-Sirius-BritishTravelMag-AD-138x40.ai 1 11/05/2017 15:01
John Pelant has joined CWT as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
MAY 22
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL PEOPLE AWARDS
Park Plaza Westminster, London M
thebusinesstravelpeopleawards.com
JULY 25-29
GBTA CONVENTION
Denver, Colorado
convention.gbta.org
C
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
BUSINESS TRAVEL RECRUITMENT EXPERTS
We recruit management positions for travel industry suppliers
and travel category managers for corporate clients
Contact us to discuss your recruitment needs
Visit our website for our latest vacancies!
info@sirius-cv.com • 0845 605 9055 • www.sirius-cv.com
Untitled-6 1 25/11/2019 15:14
52 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
with agency Consolidation,
new entrants and evolving
technology all shaking up the
market, are TMCs suffering an
identity crisis? FIND OUT MORE in
OUR ANNUAL GUIDE TO
travel
management
companies
Introduction, 54-56 / Debate, 58 / Service delivery, 60-64
Consolidation, 66-68 / Five reasons, 73 / New entrants, 75-78
Insight, 81 / The Directory, 82-85 / Data, 87
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
53
TMCs / Introduction
PEAK
performance
While their place in the business travel management
ecosystem has often been called into question, Gillian Upton
discovers TMCs still offer an indispensable service
There has never been a better time
to use the services of a TMC. The
industry is today so complex and
dynamic that buyers are crying out for a
provider to be the gateway.
It's an industry that's constantly evolving
too. Tech-based entrants are muddying the
picture by disrupting the status quo, while
mergers and acquisitions are frequently
changing the names and positions on the
TMC league table. It's the normal lifecycle of
any industry, when owners of independents
find an exit route to retire, attempt to fill a
large hole in their balance sheet or find a
short cut to more R&D funds.
New ‘families’ of TMCs are emerging,
offering services for all sizes and scope of
corporates, be it national, regional or global,
offline or online, or a hybrid of both. They
are all things to all men, a one-stop-shop for
the ever-increasing number of services
demanded by buyers. The downside is that it
paints them all vanilla, which is maybe why
new buying patterns are emerging.
Buyers are making brave and interesting
moves in how and to whom they award their
business. When BP awarded its global
business to Egencia it caused shockwaves,
partly because Egencia is widely perceived
as an online provider. In fact, it's a fullservice
TMC with its own technology.
Nonetheless a big, global player dared to
award a business outside of the 'big three'.
Similarly, UBS splitting its business across
three providers, not one, throws up an
interesting management challenge of how
to create a seamless operation from direct
relationships with, in this case, a single global
data provider, a travel management
company and an online booking tool.
UBS is active in over 50 markets and was
crystal clear in its travel objectives: “Acquiring
the right information at the right time in the
hands of the right person so they make the
right decision, which means the need for
simplification, personalisation and
consultative support as long as it delivers
value,” sums up Mark Cuschieri, UBS Global
Head of Travel. What’s really critical to UBS is
value and Cuschieri feels that automation
and technology play a key part. “Automation
should satisfy 70% of our business demands
and the rest is complex, high-touch and
disruption management,” he says.
Think again
The UBS move gives TMCs the chance to
think differently. “Secondary and tertiary
platforms such as Cytric and Concur can
exist themselves and no longer need to be
fixed into a TMC platform, so it changes how
TMCs present themselves to their clients,”
explains Chris Crowley, Partner for business
travel consultants Nina & Pinta.
54 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
Introduction / TMCs
New 'families' of TMCs
are emerging offering
services for all sizes and scope
of corporates, be it national,
regional or global, offline or
online, or a hybrid of both”
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
55
TMCs / Introduction
The market is in free fall where almost
anything goes. If 70% of volume is going
through a booking tool then why not
contract that out separately?
Caroline Strachan, Managing Partner at
Festive Road, sees the emergence of four
ways for buyers to proceed in this new world
order: the 'Closed Shop' route of appointing
one TMC and all services coming through
that TMC; the 'Open Provider' where a buyer
appoints a TMC and the TMC appoints third
party providers; the 'Department Store'
approach, where a buyer appoints a TMC
and any choice of data and expense provider;
and 'BYO' where buyers build their own
platform and say ”I need ten different
services from ten providers” and appoint
the likes of Skyscanner for airlines and
Cornerstone for data provision, and so on.
Once you choose the route, the selection
process is still a challenge as not all TMCs
can deliver all three core services well: strong
inventory at the right price, interfacing with
the traveller and overlaying the corporate
requirements of policy, safety and security.
Some smart buyers are cherry picking and
stitching together the best of the best.
Strachan believes TMCs must face up to
the identity crisis they have created for
themselves, break out the colour palette
and differentiate themselves from the
competition. ”TMCs have gone down lots of
different paths so they need to decide who
they really are and invest in those areas.”
Some TMCs have not been idle in finding
their point of difference and the smart ones
are focusing on five services: traveller
profiles; payments and expense integration;
data aggregation; hotel programmes; and
aligning themselves more to booking and
expense ecosystems, such as Concur.
“It is important to have unique
differentiators no matter what size the
TMC or what position a TMC holds in the
rankings,” says Simone Buckley, CEO of Fello.
Fello’s differentiator is offering the best of
both high-touch service and technology.
“Our platform allows us to do this quickly
and economically, regardless of the size of
the customer,” says Buckley.
Above and beyond
Buyers are looking for agility, which may
be via one provider or multiple providers.
“I don’t think any one model will prevail as
we go forwards, but being flexible in our
approach, delivering a strong experience and
putting the client first is something that will
always be valued,” says Fred Stratford, Chief
Executive of Reed & Mackay.
A point of differentiation can be to satisfy
something other than the three Cs that TMC
selection is based around, which is culture,
cost and capability. “Customers also want to
see their TMC being actively innovative and
driving ongoing technology improvements,”
argues Donna Fitzgerald, Customer Solutions
Director at Capita Travel & Events.
“This leads to behaviour-driven savings
from better planning, awareness and ability
for individuals to make better decisions
rather than just being compliant to a policy.”
Frictionless travel is a current buzzword
and no price can be put on support during
travel disruption. ”Value can be achieved
from a TMC's services in a variety of ways,”
says CTM's CEO Europe, Debbie Carling,
“including the often intangible value of
reliable service and expert advice especially
during unforeseen travel events.”
TMCs are clearly moving away from being
fulfilment-driven and instead to solutionsdriven
organisations. “Our role has evolved
and we’re good at it,” says Julie Oliver, MD of
Business Travel Direct. “We can find solutions
to problems and that’s really positive.“
Independent contractor Roger Peters
reckons the “golden challenge“ for TMCs is
to know how to consolidate technology and
data, between booked, stayed and
transacted bookings.
A point of
differentiation can
be to satisfy something other
than the three Cs that TMC
selection is based around:
culture, cost and capability”
How big you need to be to start benefitting
from employing a TMC? Annual travel spend
of £50,000 upwards or when you have 20 or
more frequent travellers is one guideline.
Online-based providers can give access to
non-public rates and deliver basic reporting,
which is critical to measuring and achieving
cost efficiencies. The tipping point will depend
on corporate resources – if they have PAs
they may self-book for longer, for example.
What’s to come in the TMC space is
undoubtedly more change. Everybody’s
watching what Amex GBT does with Neo for
example, while BCD has taken the ‘If you
can’t beat them, join them’ approach and
moved to a single source platform called
Solutions Source, integrating potential rivals
and disruptors such as Rocket Trip and Yapta
into their travel programme after they have
been vetted and approved.
“Clients are keen to try new things and to
shake the tree,” says Tony McGetrick, VP &
Director of Sales & Marketing UK & Ireland at
BCD. “But the end game is still the same – to
save money and improve the ROI.”
56 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
Travel TMCs / tech Debate / Five reasons
DENISE HARMAN
Vice President, Customer Management,
Western Europe, CWT
Denise Harman
As the TMC market evolves,
A
TMC
the competition is constantly
increasing too. This means
that TMCs need to keep up
with the rapidly evolving
needs of the corporate buyer and business
traveller to stand out.
Whether you're a global TMC,
niche player or tech start up,
innovation is imperative for
survival. With 79% of
travellers stating their
travel experience has an
BE BIG OR
impact on their job
satisfaction, employers
now see traveller
productivity,
satisfaction and
BE SPECIALIST!
retention more
important than cost.
Whichever mould,
scale or specialism
a TMC fits, investing
It’s often said that in a shrinking market travel
meaningfully in
data quality and
management companies need to be big
integrated service
solutions to enhance
operators or be specialist operators in
traveller wellbeing, duty
order to truly thrive. Two TMC
of care and enabling
organisations to drive
representatives have their say
decisions to transform their
business, is non-negotiable.
As a scale technology player in
the global corporate travel market,
CWT is invested in – and is investing
more now than it ever has – to enable
seamless, end-to-end traveller experiences
across all channels. It's this breadth of
technology investment that enables us to
deliver digital services that appeal to
corporate travellers, whose expectations
have evolved at the pace of technology.
And with this continued drive, deter-
mination and data
investment, we can outinnovate
in a costeffective
way that niche
players and starts-ups
simply can't.
We can innovate in
a cost-effective way
that niche players and
starts-ups can't”
A smaller TMC does
need to have its own
distinct point of difference”
Simone Buckley
SIMONE BUCKLEY
Chief Executive Officer, Fello
doesn’t necessarily have
to either be big or niche.
However, in today’s world of
rapid consolidation among
TMCs, a smaller TMC does
need to have its own distinct point of
difference, communicate that effectively
and live by it. And it also needs
to understand exactly which
customers will most value those
points of difference.
Certainly there are some
specialist sectors such as
marine, oil and gas, sport
and NGOs that require
specialist expertise but
both large and small
TMCs have mastered
the art of providing
good services to
these niche
customers.
At Fello, our point
of difference is our
focus on the traveller
because we believe
that if the traveller is
happy, then the travel
manager can focus on
delivering the benefits of
a well-managed travel
programme rather than firefighting
traveller service issues.
By blending the best automation
and customer-facing travel technology
with an exemplary – and personal –
customer service we can free the travel
manager to actually do their day job of
managing travel.
Not every travel management company
thinks like this but there are plenty out
there that do. While our point of
difference satisfies our clients'
requirement and
continues to deliver
value to customers we
have a bright future,
even though we are a
relatively small TMC.
58 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
Travel smooth
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TMCs / Service delivery
GREAT
Expectations
Whatever you expect from your TMC, be clear about
it right from the start, writes Gillian Upton
Which came first, the chicken or
the egg? The causality dilemma
neatly sums up a common
issue between client and TMC, when
what clients expect from TMCs after
implementation depends on what they
specified during the RFP. It's a flawed
process which doesn’t always result in
what the buyer wants.
So, who’s to blame? Service delivery can
be a deal breaker and it’s often not clear
who or what caused the issue but Clive
Wrattan, CEO of the Business Travel
Association, which represents 80% of the
TMC community, has an opinion. “Buyers
need to give more time to TMCs before
the beauty parade and TMCs need to be
selective in what they pitch for.” He advises
TMCs to be brave and declare that they
can’t deliver on certain requirements.
To move forward, TMCs must stop overselling
and under-delivering. “It’s all smoke
and mirrors with all of them,” sums up
independent contractor Roger Peters.
Gray Dawes, however, declined to pitch
for the BP account and for very good
reasons. “I didn’t even look at the
documents as it’s so out of our comfort
zone,” says Dave Bishop, the TMC’s
Commercial Director. “I don’t want to
waste buyers’ time.”
The right fit
Best practice should be a clearly defined
RFP with the minimum of relevant
questions and issued only to those TMCs
that can deliver. After all, it’s not worth
including a high-tech TMC if the bulk of
bookings are offline, for example, or a
national TMC if the buyer is a regional or
global player.
Some TMCs, including Traveleads, prefer
to take a more tailored approach. “We
believe in having a personal partnership
with our clients, which starts with getting
to know them inside out,” says Sally Cassidy,
Group Director of Sales. “This way, we
tailor our service to exactly their needs,
offering them something beyond the
ordinary travel management solution.”
Bringing in a new TMC is often linked to
desired change, perhaps to improve online
adoption, to implement a self-booking tool,
to consolidate supplier management, or
modify travel policy. Whatever the reason,
buyers should look for experience and
success in the specific field with similarsized
companies.
The key driver for BP in finding a new
TMC, for example, was the technology and
consumer experience and Egencia was
miles ahead on both counts.
A TMC's capability, whether geographical
spread and/or technological prowess, is
one of the three Cs that will influence TMC
selection. The other two are culture and
cost. Technology is a major driver in terms
of capability and proprietary technology is
60 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
Service delivery / TMCs
the desired option, but so is cultural fit.
It's vital that the TMC aligns with company
goals and ethos.
“We see a direct correlation between
an engaged, empowered and culturallyaligned
workforce and the satisfaction of
our customers,” says Debbie Carling, CEO
Europe at CTM.
Cost factors
Opinions vary as to the importance of
cost, which is often confused with value.
“A travel management company should
be able to easily demonstrate a positive
return for the cost of their services,
whether through achieved savings,
increased efficiencies, enhanced traveller
safety or traveller wellbeing,” says Carling.
“The value of a TMC's services should far
outweigh the cost of those services.”
In the past, size has mattered and global
buyers have gravitated towards the 'big
three' TMCs. The BP award demonstrated
that this is no longer the case, but there
are other considerations.
Buyers might not want to be a dominant
account in a small TMC because that TMC
might not have the experience to manage
it well enough. Conversely, being a small
account in a large TMC might mean not
receiving sufficient support.
”It’s important to evaluate where your
Technology is a major
driver in terms of
capability and proprietary
technology is the desired
option, but so is fit. It's vital
that the TMC aligns with
company goals and ethos”
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
61
TMCs / Service delivery
In the past, size has
mattered and global
buyers have gravitated
towards the 'big three' TMCs.
The BP award demonstrated
that this is no longer the case”
business will sit,” warns Wayne Durkin,
Head of Sales and Account Management at
Good Travel Management.
All down to penalties
Service level agreements (SLAs) and key
performance indicators (KPIs) written into
the contract will ensure that key objectives
for that year are met – as long as they are
properly policed – and they should not be
added post-RFP. Otherwise this could
muddy the water in terms of a TMC being
able to accurately price the specification
from the outset.
“A good SLA should be succinct enough
to be workable and focus on the key
success metrics,” advises Scott Davies,
CEO of ITM. He also warns that penalties
within SLAs should be appropriate to focus
teams on success but not so punitive that
they end up driving fear and negativity
within service teams.
SLAs have gone beyond response times
of, say, picking up the phone within a
certain number of rings, partly because of
the move away from telephone as a form
of communication. That’s been taken over
largely by in-app chat capability. SLAs now
embrace savings, cost avoidance, traveller
wellbeing, traveller satisfaction and,
according to Douglas O’Neill, CEO of Inntel,
also “external meeting room and event ROI
and reduction of carbon footprint”.
SLAs differ by industry vertical. For
example, professional service companies
and legal firms demand more of a TMC,
usually expecting the TMC to undertake all
transactions. This will be reflected in the
SLAs. Others will expect the travellers to
do their own travel booking via a selfbooking
tool, so SLAs need to reflect that
particular requirement.
“A bank may be concerned with traveller
experience, as in premium cabins at the
last minute, so a set of KPIs will focus on
that, whereas a manufacturing firm may
seek cost efficiencies and change their
sourcing patterns and SLAs around that,”
says Michael Valkerich, VP Global Customer
Group, CWT. “Different organisations will
invest in a TMC in different ways. We don’t
believe in a single vision for each client.”
Either way, SLAs mean nothing if the
quality doesn’t provide good service.
Johan Persson, Director of Account
Management UK & Ireland at Amex GBT,
points out that: “When people get through
[from waiting on a call] and the service is
fantastic, they’re not judged on speed, but
on quality.”
Click Travel identifies savings and they
are written into the contract as a performance
metric. ”With our client Veolia we did
just that,” says MD Jill Palmer. “We marked
them as red, amber and green, with green
being the easiest, then Veolia’s internal
62 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
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TMCs / Service delivery
audit department checked us every six
months for the green-colour savings and
we delivered each time.”
What should be clarified in the contract is
what level of account management is
included and when that cuts off, triggering
higher consultancy services. This early level
of transparency will pay dividends later.
Day-to-day account management should
feel like an extension of the travel
manager’s role and client team. Account
managers should know the programme
intimately, be driving it forward and
optimising spend after analysing six
months’ worth of data. Priorities will differ
from client to client but basics should
include review meetings, travel analysis
reporting, technology implementation and
training, loyalty programme management
and supplier negotiations.
TMCs should understand the company
culture and be fully conversant with the
programme vision. A poor level of account
management is often at the root of a client
moving TMCs, not service, underscoring
the fact that although automation deals
with the majority of bookings, it’s still a
people business.
Some TMCs treat their account managers
as consultants who look after the totality
of the account and that's part of the
overall fee, while others separate it out as
a lucrative income stream. That’s more
likely to happen with larger clients when
specialist services are required, such as
programme improvement, benchmarking
a programme by size or industry,
formulating a strategic vision, innovation,
global consistency and so on.
For example, an account manager could
not be expected to source a full hotel
programme single handedly. “When there
is a new requirement from the client that
is resource heavy and will not benefit
another customer, this is where
consultancy fees usually begin,” says Anne
Marie Crawford, Head of Sales at Inntel.
BCD's consultancy arm Advito specialises
in complex air and hotel programmes
across the globe and specific bespoke
communications programmes to change
traveller behaviour. ”There is a cost to
providing this high-level and intelligent
programme activity. If clients had to go out
to the market and speak to a third party
they would pay significantly more,” says
Tony McGetrick, VP & Director of Sales &
Marketing UK & Ireland at BCD. “We sell in
the benefits and the genuine ROI.”
Flexible pricing
What you pay is a moot point. Pricing
models are in a state of flux as buyers seek
more consumer-based pricing models so
the market is ripe for change. Transaction
fees are the norm, but subscription-based
pricing and trip-based pricing are likely to
become more popular pay-as-you-go
formulas which suit SMEs.
“The key thing is that we have to be
flexible about how we price our services,”
What you pay is a
moot point. Pricing
models are in a state of flux as
buyers seek more consumerbased
pricing models so the
market is ripe for change”
says Durkin at Good Travel Management.
“It’s done on a case by case basis, driven
by the client, and can make us more
competitive.” The TMC is using trip-based
pricing with clients in the renewable
energy sector where travel is billable.
Inntel is doing the same with some clients.
Business Travel Direct is currently in
discussion with some clients on pricing
alternatives. “The subscription model really
excites me if we are going to be more
solutions-driven and not fulfilment-driven
but it’s got to be a collaborative process
as not one size fits all,” says the TMC's
Managing Director Julie Oliver.
As ever, the market is in a state of flux,
the dynamics of which help move the
industry forward, but it’s worth noting that
the fundamentals of transparency and
honesty remain the core values desired by
buyers from their TMC suppliers.
64 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
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TMCs / Consolidation
An acquired
TASTE
Mergers and acquisitions among TMCs continue unabated, but why is it
happening and what does it mean for clients? Gillian Upton reports
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural
selection published in 1869 may
not have had universal acceptance
from many naturalists at the time but his
theory of evolution – that only the strong
survive – couldn’t be a better metaphor
for the world of TMCs today.
To say that there has been movement in
the TMC marketplace is to underplay just
how many travel management companies
have disappeared recently. One industry
observer reckons ten have either been
bought or acquired over the last two years
alone, including HRG, Giles Travel, Hillgate,
Portman, Amber Road, Ian Allan Travel and
Business Travel Direct. We also know that
Diversity Travel will be up for grabs in 2020
– a surprising announcement – and they
certainly won’t be the last to seek a suitor.
“Smaller players who don’t own their own
technology will be vulnerable,” reckons Jill
Palmer, Managing Director of Click Travel.
“I can imagine four or five of those changing
hands in the next 18 months.”
Few believe that further consolidation will
touch the 'big three' – Amex GBT, CWT and
BCD – so the money is on the independents
who need scale to thrive; those with a
turnover under £100million.
“Consolidation raises the bar for entry into
the world of TMCs,” says Tony McGetrick, VP
and Director of Sales and Marketing at BCD.
“It takes a long time and deep pockets.
We’re in 109 countries for example.”
Too many players
At well over 100 in number, there are too
many TMCs operating in the UK, something
not replicated in other countries, including
our continental European cousins in the
larger business travel markets of Germany
and France. A cull is certainly in order for the
health of the entire industry. In Darwinian
terms, only TMCs with favourable adaptations
will survive and that is exactly the
strategies being employed. The step-change
in the market – chiefly around new technology
and distribution flows – is the major
trigger as scale is more important in times
of disruption.
Michael Valkerich, VP Global Customer
Group for CWT, says: “Scale creates
advantages so there is always going to be a
current of acquisitions. The larger players do
better when new changes come along as we
can exert more authority.”
Some TMC owner-managers are reaching
retirement and are looking for an exit route,
while others can no longer support their
business structures, particularly in light of
the huge investment required to develop or
acquire new technology. Some become
financially vulnerable when they lose a large
spending client, the most recent example
being Amber Road when it lost the BT
account. The ever-decreasing income from
the GDS as the airline distribution landscape
evolves is another nail in their coffin.
Dave Bishop, Commercial Director at the
acquisitive TMC Gray Dawes, believes there
are other strategies at play: “Consolidation
can shortcut the R&D route to acquire the
technology required as CTM did when it
purchased Redfern. TMCs can take out a
competitor and change the market
dynamics, as Amex GBT did when it
66 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
Consolidation / TMCs
At well over 100 in
number, there are too
many TMCs operating in the
UK, something not replicated
in other countries”
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
67
TMCs / Consolidation
bought HRG and Reed & Mackay did
when it bought Hillgate. That immediately
gives you market dominance and you can
charge a premium. Or you do it to buy scale
if there are synergies with another TMC.”
Aside from major league player HRG, the
majority of the consolidated TMCs are
smaller businesses because the current
marketplace means it’s difficult for them to
compete and stay relevant. They need to
adapt, which means either selling up or
growing, either organically or by acquisition.
Pros and cons
Consolidation isn’t all positive as the biggest
impact can fall on the corporate buyer.
Rolls-Royce, for example, selected HRG over
Amex GBT in its last TMC RFP, only to find
itself hooked up with Amex after the HRG
acquisition under a five-year contract. There
were many HRG clients playing a waiting
game to see if service delivery would remain
constant and some have not transitioned.
In contrast, Reed & Mackay’s acquisition
of Hillgate was seen differently, as a free
technology upgrade and a win-win for
buyers in terms of value-adds. These two
successful high-touch, white glove providers
were obvious partners: Hillgate with brilliant
technology and Reed & Mackay with the
better global reach.
Group CEO Fred Stratford prefers to
describe the deal as “joining forces” rather
than an acquisition. Business Travel Direct
has since moved to the group too.
Consolidation is widely seen as a positive
in the industry. In Darwin-like terms, it lets
the strongest survive. One very happy TMC
boss on the morning of the HRG announcement
was Graham Ross, General Manager
UK of FCM, who tweeted: “Good news, FCM
is now the fourth-largest TMC in the world”.
Consolidation certainly offers opportunity
as TMCs jostle for position.
Some TMC managerowners
are reaching
retirement and are looking
for an exit route, while others
can no longer support their
business structures”
Consolidation isn’t new to the industry
either. There was a period around the early
2000s when major acquisitions and mergers
also took place. What’s notably different in
the current phase is the presence of venture
capitalist and private equity firms with
plenty of money to invest and support a
TMC’s expansion plans.
Travel Counsellors, for example, backed
by independent European investment firm
Vitruvian Partners, benefitted from a
£6million investment in new technology.
Since The Appointment Group (TAG)
secured the backing of private equity firm
Apiary Capital, it has been able to expand,
acquiring SOS in the US for example.
The injection of capital from private
equity firm Inflexion to Reed & Mackay in
2016 has allowed a spate of acquisitions,
including Gray’s Travel Management, TMC
Frequent Flyer Travel Paris, Hillgate and
Business Travel Direct.
Gray Dawes has been particularly
acquisitive, buying nine TMCs over the last
four years, the most recent being Amber
Road. It utilises an integration team before
and after acquisition to ensure any new
TMC is embedded seamlessly.
”We buy businesses where we know we
can add value,” says Bishop. “Amber Road
was a business that had been considerably
larger and we had offices in the same city
(Manchester) so we consolidated there. We
were using the same technology platform
(Atriis) and the same GDS and back-off
systems and we are both re-sellers of
Concur, which is a strong value proposition.
“We weren’t looking to make another
acquisition but it gave us more scale in
Manchester and the north west generally as
Amber Road had an office in Leeds, which is
an important area for us, so there were lots
of synergies that worked for us.”
Gray Dawes can now bid for larger pieces
of business. Four years ago the company
had a turnover of £27million and could only
look for business under £5million. Anything
larger would make travel managers nervous.
Today, with a turnover of £200million, the
TMC bids for accounts not greater than
£20million, which represents around 10%
of its business. “Otherwise it would leave a
big hole in your revenue if you lost it,”
cautions Bishop.
The logic is there and Gray Dawes’ journey
typifies current activity. Clive Wratten, CEO
of the Business Travel Association, reckons
consolidation drives change for the better.
“The industry hasn’t crashed and burned;
it’s just a period of disruption,” he says. The
TMC community is doing what it has always
done, adapting to survive.
68 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
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corporates make sense of it all. The
independent travel management company
has been booking NDC fares since June 2018
via its online booking tool, BC Online,
powered by Atriis.
This includes British Airways, Lufthansa and
American Airlines. Coming soon will be Air
France/KLM, United Airlines and Finnair. Blue
Cube is also now piloting the ability to service
and amend NDC bookings with Atriis.
Bex Deadman, Blue Cube Travel’s
Commercial Director, who represents the
TMC at high-level IATA NDC workshops, says:
“There is no doubt that corporates in general
are beginning to feel frustrated, as from their
perspective they are trying to run a travel
programme which utilises best available
rates and gives parity.
“From our perspective at
Blue Cube, because we are a
smaller independent TMC,
we have been able to take a
much more agile approach
to integrating a workable
NDC solution.
“The larger TMCs are now
suddenly announcing that
they’ve made their first live NDC
bookings, but Blue Cube has been
making live bookings for over 18 months
– we just didn’t shout about it publicly.”
Not only has Blue Cube been quietly
leading the way among SME TMCs in terms
of NDC integration, but they have also been
proactively positioning themselves as
‘educators’ on the topic, sharing knowledge
with industry peers and feedback with
IATA implementation teams.
“We are passionate about creating a
‘Triangle of Trust’ between airlines, TMCs
and corporates, as we see this as the key to
busting the myths around NDC and making
it a reality across the corporate sector as a
whole,” says Deadman.
“There are two different aspects to
NDC – the first is based on technology,
booking functionality
and the utopia it presents.
This is where real progress
is being made.
“But the second is around
the commercials between
each party in the value chain
– that’s the elephant in the
room which is hindering progress.
As an industry, we all want NDC to
work, but there needs to be understanding
between everyone involved.
“Our aim now is to encourage open
conversations, to bridge the gap between
suppliers and corporates and spearhead
mutual understanding for the benefit of our
customers and the industry as a whole.”
bluecubetravel.co.uk / sales@bluecubetravel.co.uk / 020 8948 8188
,
5 reasons / TMCs
[ FIVE REASONS TO... ]
CONSIDER GOING IT ALONE
Neil Ruth, co-founder of Taptrip, argues the case for managing a
corporate travel programme without the aid of a TMC
ENTRY
1 2
3
TMCs often impose
spend qualification
thresholds or large
booking fees. These are
a potent barrier to entry
for some companies,
especially for SMEs
looking to take their first
steps into a co-ordinated
travel and expenses
strategy. Faced with
these financial obstacles,
many growth businesses
choose to manage their
own early travel needs
and simply grow with
the demands.
SPEED
In an age where holidays
can be booked with three
taps on a screen and all
your travel documents
are on a smartphone, the
fact that some TMCs still
operate primarily via
telephone conversations
can feel archaic, especially
when there are multiple
trips to book or odd
travel legs. Telephone
conversations do not
scale, and they impose a
lot of informal process
on the customer before
they ring the TMC,
especially compared to
booking direct online.
BLEISURE
Bleisure – adding leisure
travel at the start or end
of business trips – is a
reality. In a recent survey
by hotel group Great
Hotels of the World, 75%
of respondents said they
had extended business
trips for leisure purposes,
and in most cases doing
so multiple times in a
year. Dealing direct
with the travel or
accommodation provider
makes this far more
accessible and easier to
keep track of.
PERSONAL
The relationship between
many end users and their
TMCs is highly transactional.
This leaves little
room for personalisation
for frequent travellers
and in many cases this
personalisation is vital.
It is not just about the
preferences of the CEO,
but any need for personalisation
that is better
handled by going direct
to the suppliers.
5EXPERIENCE
Let’s be honest: using
TMC software can suck.
In an age of consumer
grade user experience
(UX) and highly intuitive
apps, business users
will simply not tolerate
awkward processes,
jargon-filled screens
and ugly software. By
comparison, a smartphone
app that mimics
their favourite social
media layout and
integrates with a management
dashboard will
win every time.
Business users will
simply not tolerate
awkward processes, jargon
and ugly software”
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
73
Benefits
Flight booking
Weather & traffic alerts
Check-in reminder
Travel alerts
City guides
Chat
Delivered by
New entrants / TMCs
Making it
click
A breed of new technology-based travel management
platforms are shaking up the global business travel market,
writes Rob Gill
The user experience of online
booking tools provided by
traditional travel management
companies has long been a bugbear of
both buyers and travellers, with a
typical comment being: 'why can’t these
tools be as easy to use as consumer
travel sites?'
Quite reasonably, TMCs usually reply that
their online booking tools are doing a lot
more complex work than a consumer
booking platform. This includes giving
travellers access to negotiated rates with
preferred suppliers, adding travel policy
requirements and offering tracking abilities
to improve duty-of-care. But TMCs are
now facing renewed pressure from a new
breed of technology-orientated business
travel specialists – including TravelPerk,
TripActions and Lola – who are well funded
and are already making inroads into the
corporate market, particularly at the SME
end of the spectrum.
User experience, or UX as it is often
called these days, is everything to these
new entrants and the chief selling points
for their platforms are their ease of use
and access to a wider range of travel
suppliers. This is also backed up by
customer support services for travellers
and providing the capabilities buyers are
looking for, such as the inclusion of their
travel policies, approvals processes,
invoicing, tracking and reporting.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
75
TMCs / New entrants
Content and user
experience will be
key, giving the end user
confidence in the pricing,
and the booking process leads
to higher adoption levels”
Richard Viner, UK Country Manager for
Barcelona-based TravelPerk, says: “We are
different from traditional TMCs because we
offer a shopping and booking experience
every bit as good as the one you have when
booking your holidays. In some ways it’s
even better, as we believe we’ve built the
world’s largest bookable inventory.”
TripActions says it can reduce the average
booking time for a business trip from 60 to
six minutes, as well as increasing adoption
and traveller satisfaction rates, which in
turn drives higher savings for the client.
Ariel Cohen, TripActions co-founder and
CEO, adds: “Business travellers expect the
same convenience, choice and instant
gratification they get as consumers, yet
until now the vast majority of the
corporate travel management industry
has failed them.
“We’re building on our history of
innovation, reimagining the TMC to give
enterprises and their travellers unheard of
choice and transparency to earn their trust.
“Travel managers no longer have to
compromise; they can finally get a great
user experience and scalable global
infrastructure in a single platform.”
TMCs under threat?
With this influx of new tech-based
competitors, are the traditional TMCs
quaking in their boots? Or are the likes
of TravelPerk and TripActions more of a
competitor in the SME market than for
larger global corporations looking for a
multi-country or global approach to their
travel management needs?
Caroline Strachan, managing partner at
consultancy Festive Road, says Expedia’s
tech-based TMC Egencia was a forerunner
to the new entrants now making their
presence felt.
“If I were a betting woman, I’d be sure to
place a bet on the likes of TripActions and
TravelPerk’s ability to run fast and solve
problems legacy players haven’t even
thought about,” she says. “Their ownership
of every customer touchpoint is what will
make the difference, whether it’s online,
mobile or with an agent, the platform
experience is all the same.”
John Hobbs-Hurrell, international
partnership manager for WIN Global Travel
Network, believes the new tech-based
players will “become just another
competitor” over the next few years.
“Content and user experience will be key,
giving the end user confidence in the
pricing, and the booking process leads to
higher adoption levels,” says Hobbs-Hurrell.
“TMCs will need to match that offering
via their own solutions. Providing the
customer choice, around-the-clock support
and a blend of online and offline will
ensure the traditional TMC remains a
viable solution.”
76 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
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TMCs / New entrants
Some traditional TMCs are also working
with these newcomers. American Express
Global Business Travel has been partnering
with Lola for the past 12 months, a move
which helped Lola to add “hundreds” of
new SME customers in the first half of
2019. Meanwhile ATPI Group has been
working with TripActions as a “fulfilment
partner” to the technology platform since
the start of 2018.
“We are one of the global fulfilment
partners for TripActions, currently ticketing
and invoicing across seven markets with
new markets being added every week due
to their rapid growth,” explains Katie
Skitterall, Director of Sales and Operations
UK, for ATPI.
Brave new world
So what’s next for these new entrants to
the TMC world? Expect more rapid growth
as the likes of TripActions, TravelPerk and
Lola raise even more money for investors.
In July, San Francisco-based TripActions
raised another $250million from investors
in its fourth round of fundraising – taking
total investment to just under half a billion
dollars. This latest cash injection means
TripActions as a company is valued at a
staggering $4billion; not bad for a company
only launched in 2015.
Unlike some of its competitors, TripActions
is also looking beyond the SME market
with the aim of capturing business from
organisations of “every size”. Currently the
company says it has 2,000 clients around
the world with up to $1.1billion in annual
travel spending, including clients such
as WeWork, Lyft, SurveyMonkey and
Sara Lee Frozen Bakery.
Meanwhile TravelPerk raised another
$60million this summer, taking total
investment up to $134million, with
revenues forecast to increase by 300%
If each TMC knows its
strengths and identity,
and then operates in that way,
there is still room for many to
succeed. What they can’t all
do is chase the same customer
with the same promises”
in 2019 and the number of employees set
to reach 430 by the end of the year.
There are also even newer competitors
entering the market, such as Manchesterbased
Taptrip, which launched in 2018 and
won the Business Travel Disrupt Award at
this year’s Business Travel Show. It offers
a “free to use” platform combining
personalised travel arrangements, expense
management, live journey updates and
management information.
How this kind of burgeoning competition
shapes the TMC market in the next few
years will be one of the industry’s most
fascinating trends.
“As technology and content lead the way
in the industry, these guys have the size
and scale to be a threat to TMCs of all
shapes and sizes,” says ATPI’s Skitterall.
Meanwhile Festive Road’s Strachan
suggests a TMC’s ability to prosper will
depend on deciding “which bit of the
market you want to thrive in”.
“If each TMC knows its strengths and
identity, and then operates in that way,
there is still room for many to succeed.
What they can't all do is just chase the
same customer with the same promises,”
Strachan explains.
At the very least, the tech-based
newcomers should force traditional TMCs
to speed up the improvement of their
online booking tools and platforms. With
this kind of market dynamic, maybe one
day both buyers and travellers will stop
moaning that they aren’t up to scratch.
78 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
HERE’S TO THE COOL,
CALM AND CONNECTED.
To a travel management platform
that lets your business glide through.
One that drills down deep to find you the best value.
A savvy system that always keeps your staff up to date.
So they stay connected.
And never miss a connection.
A platform where you can see everything clearly
with complete business transparency.
Here’s to working smarter.
To travelling the world.
Effortlessly.
reedmackay.com
We put innovation
at the heart of your programme.
© 2019 BCD Travel. All rights reserved. bcdtravel.com
INSIGHT
INSIGHT
TMC RFPs
2020 MEANS
MOVING TIME
It could be a busy year for TMCs as buyers consider
their next move, writes Chris Crowley of Nina & Pinta
were. Emerging players such as TripActions
were not necessarily ready for the big bids
at that time, and there were areas of impact
within the bigger TMC networks around
content and profile management that
needed to play out.
Priorities elsewhere
Many large programmes have been
focussing on other areas, most notably
end-to-end expense integration, security
and hotel programme optimisation – not to
mention the continuing shift to mobile and
its impact across corporate policy in more
areas than just travel.
Many topics are hot on the
agenda as we head into 2020,
including NDC, data privacy
and protection, sustainability, traveller
wellbeing, meetings management, hotel
programmes and traveller security, to
name just a few. It promises to be a busy
year by all accounts, with the global
political climate almost as turbulent as
the environmental one.
Yet underneath all of this, a very familiar
topic is gathering strength for many
corporate travel managers – the selection
and management of their TMC, technology
and expense vendors for the years ahead.
We don’t tend to publish contract
life cycles as an industry. Its
not really good business
sense to begin with, but it’s
also an area – especially in
the TMC arena – where
extensions, market
developments,
mergers and
acquisitions can
all play a part in
moving the
goalposts for
many corporate buyers. That being said,
2020 looks like being a very active year in
the TMC Sourcing business. Why is that?
A number of factors come into play here
which are worth noting.
The need for choice
The bigger programmes have always been
influenced by the need for choice. The
acquisition of HRG by American Express
Global Business Travel in 2018 had a
significant impact on the perception of
choice available to the larger customers. It’s
hard to say how many RFP processes were
delayed, but some
most certainly
Natural contract turnover
Another point of reference here is a more
organic one. The majority of large programmes
are more likely to retain their
vendor (barring disaster or bad performance)
for a second, and often third,
contract. Most TMC contracts are usually
positioned around a three-year term with
a two-year extension (the 3+2). Assuming
two retentions from the original contract,
programmes that have been secure since
the late 2000s will now be in a situation
where good governance and market
development simply forces an RFP process.
For many corporate buyers this will be the
first time in a few years they go to market
for a TMC partner; in many cases they may
be questioning if they need one at all.
Given the factors above, 2020 is poised
to be an interesting year for the travel
consulting space.
CHRIS CROWLEY
Chris has recently joined travel
consultancy Nina & Pinta. He
has extensive experience
across the industry including
roles at HRS, BCD, Concorde
Hotels and Accor Hotels.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
© MOSTAFA MERAJI
81
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
81
TMCs / The 2020 Directory
TMCs 2020: Who does what
Your guide to a selection of leading travel management companies in the UK (A to G)
Travel management company Annual turnover UK Annual transactions Online / Offline Company size Head office Established Alliance membership
ABT-UK £9million 17,000 50% / 50% 10 staff / 1 office (400 staff globally) London 2001 Advantage
Information supplied directly by TMCs to The Business Travel Magazine. Annual figures quoted refer to a TMC's most recent financial or calendar year and to UK corporate business only unless stated otherwise. *as at 30 September 2019
Access Bookings Ltd £50million 351,000 30% / 70% 207 staff / 7 offices Lichfield, Staffordshire 1985
ACE Travel Management £7.8million 22,500 80% / 20% 14 staff / 1 office Brentwood, Essex 1992 Advantage / WIN
American Express Global Business Travel £190million Not disclosed Not disclosed 2,300+ FTE staff London 2014
Applehouse Travel £29.1million 59,300 17% / 83% 40 staff / 1 office London 1984
arrangeMy £32million 88,700 70% / 30% 64 staff / 2 offices / 1 implant Worcester 1990 Advantage / WIN
ATPI £1.29billion (globally) 4.78million 30% / 70% 1,850 staff / 100+ locations worldwide London 2002
Baldwins Travel (BBTM) £5million 13,000 100% offline 8 staff / 1 office Tunbridge Wells, Kent 1895 Advantage
BCD Travel £674million ($27.1bn globally) Not disclosed 55% / 45% 1,026 staff (13,800 globally) / 12 offices London 1981
Blue Cube Travel £36.4million 39,500 15% / 85% 36 staff / 3 offices London 2003 Advantage
Business First Partnership Limited £25million 60,000 20% / 80% 32 staff / 1 office Beaconsfield, Bucks 1997 Radius Travel
Capita Travel and Events £580million 4.1million 80% / 20% 707 staff / 5 offices Derby 1972 Advantage / GlobalStar
Clarity £441million 2.5million Not disclosed 600 staff / 15 offices (UK&I & Netherlands) Manchester 1959 Radius Travel
Click Travel £237million 2.25million 97% / 3% 237 staff / 1 office Birmingham 1999 Advantage
Clyde Travel Management £60million (globally) 180,000 2% / 98% 90 staff / 5 offices (plus USA/India/Sweden) Glasgow 1989 Advantage / WIN
Corporate Travel Management (CTM) Europe £680million (Europe) 4.89million (Europe) Not disclosed 2,600+ FTE staff across four continents* London 1994
CT Travel Group £33million 60,000 30% / 70% 85 staff / 3 offices Tunbridge Wells, Kent 1988
CWT $25billion (globally) 62million Not disclosed 17,300+ staff across 153 offices globally Minneapolis (global HQ) 1994
DialAFlight Corporate Travel £148million 302,400 100% offline 130 staff / 4 offices London 1980
Diversity Travel £82.9million (globally) 234,000 36% / 64% 151 UK-based staff Manchester 2008
EFR Travel £37million 41,600 11% / 89% 37 staff / 3 offices Bushey, Hertfordshire 2002 Advantage
Egencia $12billion (globally) Not disclosed 92% / 8% 3,200+ staff globally across 65+ countries London 2002
Eton Travel £35million 104,400 40% / 60% 80 staff / 2 offices Eton, Berkshire 1969 Advantage / WIN
FCM Travel Solutions (inc. Corporate Traveller) £849million 2.2million 46% / 54% 845 staff / 21 offices (6,500 staff globally) New Malden, Surrey 2004
Fello £30million 40,250 30% / 70% 41 staff / 1 office London 2018 Advantage / GlobalStar
Flightline Travel Management £5.65million 27,600 18% / 82% 10 staff / 1 office Haddenham, Bucks 1999 Advantage
Global Travel Management Limited £24.7million 39,400 22% / 78% 30 staff / 2 offices Woking, Surrey 1997 Advantage / WIN
82 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
The 2020 Directory / TMCs
Business sectors in which clients operate or the TMC specialises in
Academic/Education
Advertising
Charity
Construction/Engineering
Creative
Defence
Energy
Entertainment/TV/Film
Finance
General SMEs
Health/Medical
Insurance
Legal
Logistics
Manufacturing
Marine
Media
NGOs
Oil/Gas
Pharmaceutical
Professional services
Public sector
Recruitment
Retail
Sports
Technology
Telecomms
Touring
Transport
Utilities
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THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
83
TMCs / The 2020 Directory
TMCs 2020: Who does what
Your guide to a selection of leading travel management companies in the UK (G to W)
Travel management company Annual turnover Annual transactions Online / Offline Company size Head office Established Alliance membership
Information supplied by TMCs to The Business Travel Magazine. Annual figures quoted refer to a TMC's most recent financial or calendar year and to UK corporate business only unless stated otherwise. *inc. Altour, Pro Travel, Tzell & Colletts Travel
Good Travel Management £22.5million 66,000 27% / 73% 44 staff / 2 offices Kingston Upon Hull 1833 UNIGLOBE
Gray Dawes Group (inc. Amber Road) £200million 550,000 55% / 45% 242 staff / 7 offices Colchester, Essex 1927 Advantage / Radius Travel
Harridge Business Travel £17.4million 50,000 20% / 80% 23 staff / 2 offices London 1983
Advantage
Hotel and Travel Solutions (HTS) £16.1million Not disclosed 22% / 78% 26 staff / 1 office Worcestershire 2010
Inntel Limited £89million 410,000 73% / 27% 145 staff / 3 offices Colchester, Essex 1984 Advantage / Radius Travel
Key Travel £375million (globally) Not disclosed 64% / 36% 600 staff / 15 offices (globally) London 1980 Advantage
Meon Valley Business Travel Limited £40million 120,000 40% / 60% 81 staff / 2 offices Petersfield, Hampshire 2002 Advantage / WIN
MIDAS Travel Management £23million Not Disclosed 8% / 92% 25 staff / 1 office London 1998 Advantage / WIN
Norad Travel Limited £34million 112,000 5% / 95% 54 staff / 1 office Liss, Hampshire
1981
Advantage
Omega Business Travel £10million 25,000 10% / 90% 13 staff / 1 office Hersham, Surrey 1982 Advantage
Omega World Travel £39million 175,000 60% / 40% 25 staff UK (460 in 40 US locations) London 1972 Advantage / GlobalStar
Quintessentially Corporate Travel Management £20million 20,500 15% / 85% 30 staff / 1 office London 1971 Advantage
Reed & Mackay (inc. Business Travel Direct) £608million 1.6million 34% / 66% 511 staff / 10 offices London 1962 Advantage
Review Travel Limited £12.3million 89,000 34% / 66% 23 staff / 2 offices Cheshire 1982 Advantage / WIN
Selective Travel Management £91.2million 212,300 26% / 74% 130 staff (Belfast & Dublin) Belfast 1972 Advantage / WIN / TSI
Simplexity Travel management Limited £7.1million 27,000 100% offline 14 staff / 1 office London 2011 Advantage / Virtuoso
Sunways Business Travel £14million 35,000 10% / 90% 20 staff / 1 office Longfield, Kent 1973 Advantage
TAG £232.6million 471,300 6% / 94% 194 UK staff (380 staff globally) London 1988 Advantage / Virtuoso
Trailfinders Corporate Travel £33.5million 11,700 100% offline 1,080 staff / 34 offices London 1970
Travel and Transport Statesman £201.6million ($3.5bn globally) 512,000 47% / 53% 165 staff / 3 offices (1,750 staff globally) London 1975 Advantage / Radius Travel
Travel Counsellors for Business £170million Not disclosed 100% offline 200+ Corp. Counsellors / 7 countries Manchester 1994
Traveleads £38million 105,000 38% / 62% 80 staff / 3 offices Leeds 1971
Travel Leaders Group UK Ltd* £252million 407,000 24% / 76% 362 staff / 6 offices London 1999 Advantage / Virtuoso
Wayte Travel Management £39million 86,000 100% offline 50 staff / 4 offices London 1980 Advantage
West End Travel Ltd
£12.8million 32,000 100% offline 19 staff / 2 offices London 1972
Wexas Travel Management £27million 55,500 40% / 60% 45 staff / 2 offices London 1970 Advantage / ITMA
Wings Travel Management £108million 140,800 12% / 88% 75 staff / 4 offices London 1992
84 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
The 2020 Directory / TMCs
Business sectors in which clients operate or the TMC specialises in
Academic/Education
Advertising
Charity
Construction/Engineering
Creative
Defence
Energy
Entertainment/TV/Film
Finance
General SMEs
Health/Medical
Insurance
Legal
Logistics
Manufacturing
Marine
Media
NGOs
Oil/Gas
Pharmaceutical
Professional services
Public sector
Recruitment
Retail
Sports
Technology
Telecomms
Touring
Transport
Utilities
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THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
85
Disruptive
technology?
W h a te v e r
next.
Travel technology moves fast.
We keep ahead by embracing
the very latest developments.
So whether the future brings
disruptive new tech, new data
or new thinking, we’ll plug it
straight in and continue to
evolve, Bring it on.
Happy to help manage your business travel.
+44 (0)20 7650 3106 | fello.co.uk
Data / TMCs
Comings
AND GOINGS
Online adoption, TMC acquisitions, bleisure travel and more…
76%
...of companies
are generally
supportive of
bleisure travel
if employees
pay their way
(SOURCE: CWT)
94
2.4
%
...of business travellers are willing to share
PERSONAL INFORMATION to improve their
business travel experience
the number of times a
year, on average, that
European business
travellers extend a
trip for pleasure
(SOURCE: CWT)
37 %
...of business travellers feel
the most stress before a trip
when they’re planning, booking
and organising travel
(SOURCE: SAP CONCUR)
(SOURCE: SAP CONCUR)
Notable exceptions
Three TMCs that have regularly featured
in our annual Directory do not appear
in this year's edition following their
respective acquisitions. THEY ARE…
Amber Road (bought by Gray Dawes)
Business Travel Direct (bought by Reed & Mackay)
Ian Allan Travel (bought by Clarity)
The online
adoption challenge
What percentage of your travel
bookings are made through an
online booking tool?
Don’t use
an OBT
6%
Less than
50%
27%
51-75%
25%
(SOURCE: BTS)
What’s
MOST EXCITING
about business travel?
76-95%
26%
96-100%
15%
Don’t know
1%
(SOURCE: BTS)
GLObally
AMERICAS
ASIA-PACIFIC
EUROPE
Visiting new
destinations
33% 35% 34% 28%
(SOURCE: SAP CONCUR)
Face-to-face
networkING
21% 18% 27% 16%
30%
...of travel managers have
considered ditching their TMC
and ‘going it alone’
67%
...of business travellers believe their
company lags behind when it comes to
adopting the latest technologies
Getting out of
your work
roUTINE
Meeting a
colleague for
THE first time
18% 18% 13% 25%
17% 16% 16% 19%
(SOURCE: CWT)
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
87
DEPARTURES
On the road with Matthew Bagwell
Matthew Bagwell, the co-founder of footwear
company Seven Feet Apart, shares his travel habits
and preferences
DETAILS
Name: Matthew Bagwell
Position and company: Co-founder,
Seven Feet Apart
Based in: London and St Albans, UK
Business trips per year: 4-6
Estimated annual mileage:
around 5,000–8,000 miles
Regular destinations: Porto,
Portugal.
Most recent trip: It was for a
photoshoot in Porto.
Next trip: March next year... for
another photoshoot!
GOOD & BAD
Best business travel
experience: I once flew to
Necker Island for an
interview. When staff
realised my destination - or
perhaps because Virgin Atlantic
understood the concept of ‘jetset’
– I had the time of my life.
Worst business travel experience:
Six failed landing attempts at
Philadelphia in a snow white-out
before aborting to Washington. You
know things are rough when people
start praying.
SUPPLIERS
Preferred airline or hotel and why:
Virgin Atlantic Upper Class (back in
i don't
want to be
plugged in
the day, not now I’m a startup!).
They understand
porto,
entertainment and that
where port
travelling is a significant part gets its
of the trip.
name
Loyalty points – obsessive
collector or not bothered?
I haven’t made the effort to become
a collector. I need my loyalty to be
engendered when I’m in the
experience, not before or after it.
Favourite loyalty scheme:
I did fly Gold with Virgin, which
comes with some great perks like
the Clubhouse lounges.
STEPPING ONBOARD
Flights: work, rest or play? All
three, although I need to be more
mindful of my carbon footprint so
the frequency may need to fall.
Onboard connectivity –
take it or leave it? Oh, please leave
it. I don’t want to be plugged in when
travelling. My flights to New York –
monthly in my previous career –
were pure escapism and a chance to
read or watch films.
Onboard habits: I love airline
food and films, so I like to get
the absolute most out of
every flight. I’ll do a little bit
of work or perhaps read a
journal. If it’s a leisure trip, I’ll
turn the page of a new book to
mark the start of my holiday.
DESTINATIONS
Happy never to go back to: I used
to commute to Dusseldorf and stay
in a lacklustre hotel in the middle of
nowhere. I’m not keen to return to
that barren industrial landscape.
Send me back to: New York – it's
invigorating. The city is constantly
changing but that vibe and energy
never seem to change. And a trip to
Japan was one of the most
fascinating of my life.
Top overseas landmark: The
Colosseum in Rome. It’s spellbinding.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
One thing that would improve
business travel: Aerodynamics and
fuel efficiency. More needs to be
done to maintain the viability of
sustainable flying.
Biggest business travel irritation:
Like for many, it's hand baggage
allowances on short haul flights.
Pack light or go prepared?
Pack for the destination, not
for where you’re leaving
from. Take a passport and
cards and a change of
clothes. Much of the rest, you
either don’t need or can buy
don't pack
too much!
locally. Too often,
I’ve packed far too
much and not worn it.
Never leave home without:
Running shoes – it’s my favourite
way to get orientated in a new place.
There's nothing like turning a corner
in Rome and seeing something that’s
stood there for thousands of years!
TRAVEL POLICY
Stick to the travel policy or a bit of
a maverick? We don’t have one.
I must get round to writing it!
If you could change one
no travel thing about your travel
policy...Yet policy: To be more carbonsensitive,
so you only take a
trip – anywhere - if there really
is no viable alternative.
88 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
DEPARTURES
Meeting in Leeds
Leeds is the cultural,
financial and commercial
hub of West Yorkshire
and is a lively and
affluent city. It’s also the
largest financial and legal
centre outside London,
with more than 30 banks
located here. Other
strong industry sectors
include manufacturing,
engineering and medical
tech, writes Emma Allen
Wow factor
Leeds City Museum
This grand Grade II listed civic
building, which was transformed
into a state of the art museum
in 2000, makes an impressive
backdrop for gala dinners,
receptions and ceremonies.
The centrepiece is the stunning
Brodrick Hall, a 401sqm atrium
with balcony which can seat up
to 360 guests, and there are a
number of smaller meeting
rooms available. Evening tours
can also be arranged.
Millennium Square, Leeds LS1 8BH
visitleeds.co.uk/thedms
making an
impression
Quirky venue
Duke Studios
Less than a ten-minute walk
from Leeds train station, this
co-working space in the up and
coming South Bank area has a
number of interesting rooms
for hire. The Event Room is the
largest, and offers an industrial
feel space for up to 250 people,
while the cosy Not Bored Room
can host up to 10 boardroom
style. There is also the plant
adorned Conservatory, which
can seat 40 theatre-style.
3 Sheaf Street, Leeds LS10 1HD
duke-studios.com
On a shoestring
Swarthmore Leeds
Set in an attractive row of
Georgian buildings, this
education centre is a wellestablished
budget venue with
room hire available from £17
per hour. Seven light-filled
meeting rooms are available
for up to 40 people, a large hall
can host up to 140 and there
are several smaller breakout
spaces. Electronic whiteboards,
flipcharts and other AV
equipment can be added.
2-7 Woodhouse Square, LS3 1AD
swarthmore.org.uk
Small but perfectly formed
Wired up
Out of town
Getting there
Frequent rail services
from London to Leeds take
just over two hours, with peak
services running every 30
minutes. Motorway access is
good, with Leeds sitting at the
crossroads of the M1 and M62.
Leeds Bradford Airport is eight
miles from the city centre, and
serves more than 75
destinations worldwide.
Further information
Conference Leeds can
assist with venue sourcing
and accommodation. Contact
0113 378 1183 or see
visitleeds.co.uk/conferences
Dakota Hotel
The Leeds outpost of the chic
boutique hotel chain offers a
sophisticated city vibe, with 84
bedrooms decked out in muted
tones of grey, and a buzzy Bar
and Grill restaurant. There are
two smart event spaces: the
Boardroom, which can also be
used for private dining, for up to
16 guests, and the Champagne
room for parties of up to 20.
There is also a cocktail bar with
a heated outdoor terrace.
8 Russell Street, Leeds LS1 5RN
leeds.dakotahotels.co.uk
super chic
boutique
hotel
The Rose Bowl
Part of Leeds Beckett University,
the striking glass-clad Rose
Bowl is well located in the
heart of the city centre.
Offering state-of-the-art
conferencing facilities,
design and AV, the venue’s
event space includes meeting
rooms for up to 80 people,
several auditoria and banqueting
for up to 300 dinner guests. A
further 25 rooms are available
out of term for workshops.
Portland Crescent, Leeds LS1 3HB
leedsbeckett.ac.uk/conferencing
Looking
GOOD!
Oulton Hall
Surrounded by a 300-acre
estate, it’s easy to forget this
18th-century mansion is
just a 30-minute taxi ride
from Leeds city centre.
There are nine flexible
meeting rooms of varying
sizes and the grand Oulton
Suite can accommodate up to
350 people. The hotel also offers
group teambuilding activities like
archery, golf and clay pigeon
shooting in its grounds.
Rothwell Lane, Oulton, Leeds LS26 8HN
oultonhall.co.uk
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
89
DEPARTURES
New kid on the block
ruby lucy, london
THE LOWDOWN Munich-based
Ruby Hotels is promising to bring the
carnival to town with its first UK
property, opening in January on
London's Southbank. Defining itself
as 'lean luxury', the brand says it
focuses on the essentials – location,
fittings and design – but keeps it
affordable by cutting out frills like
room service and overpriced
minibars. A three-minute walk from
Waterloo Station, the hotel's
interiors – rich, dark tones with
bright brass, subtle stripes and
carnival-themed touches like drums
and juggling pins – are inspired by
the surrounding markets, galleries,
and theatre scene. There's a 24-hour
bar, communal work station, a
library and 76 bedrooms, from cosy
'Nest' rooms to more spacious 'Loft'
rooms. All come with sleep-inducing
soundproofing, blackout curtains,
posh linen, and extra long and wide
custom mattresses. Ruby Hotels
plans to open a second hotel in the
capital by 2022, so watch this space.
that's a FACT Every room comes
with its own Marshall guitar amp to
plug into. If you don't have your own
guitar, you can borrow one from
reception (thank goodness for the
soundproofing!).
they said it “The model
works because we accommodate
luxury in a relatively condensed
space, similar to luxury yachts, and
we forego unnecessary services.”
rates Rooms start
from around £110 per night.
90 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
DEPARTURES
On business in... Amsterdam
A city of waterways,
boutiques and
bicycles, Amsterdam
may seem quaint
but it’s also a
forward-thinking
European Capital of
Innovation with an
entrepreneurial
mindset – and always
on trend, writes
Sasha Wood
spot the
seven
bridges
SLEEPING
AFTER HOURS
MUST-SEE SIGHTS
Getting there
Eurostar services from
London Kings Cross St Pancras
to Amsterdam Centraal station
take around four hours.
Returning to London,
passengers are required to
change trains in Brussels,
though a direct service begins
on 15 December. EasyJet, BA,
KLM and Flybe all fly direct from
London and regional airports to
Amsterdam with a flight time of
around an hour.
Further information
For further visitor information
see holland.com
A hip and affordable business
bolthole seconds away from
the Amstel River, citizenM
Tucked inside the canal belt, the
area around Rembrandt
Square is a lively location
Amstel is a good choice.
A high-tech hotel with
high-end meeting rooms
and co-working areas, it’s also
dine at de
plantage
for drinking, socialising and
dancing after hours. The
Flying Dutchman cocktail
bar serves up interesting
within walking distance of
Amsterdam’s prime places of
interest for an inspiring break from
work. Other picks include the Moxy
Amsterdam Houthavens or, for
longer stays, SACO's canalside
Wittenberg aparthotel.
artisanal creations. To extend your
evening, head to Claire, a club in
Rembrandt Square with a diverse
crowd, a good sound system and
two rooms of thumping music
curated by local as well as
internationally-renowned DJs.
EATING
Overlooking the Amstel River,
Bam Boa restaurant has relaxed
Scandi summer house vibes and
delicious food. Dining at De Plantage
feels like eating in a greenhouse at
Kew. Although you might have to be
a little patient waiting to order, the
gourmet Italian and Spanish inspired
dishes are faultless.
GETTING DOWNTOwN
Eurostar services deposit visitors
right in the heart of the city at
Amsterdam Centraal train station.
Travellers flying into Schiphol
International Airport can take the
airport train into the centre of the
city, with a journey time of 15-20
minutes. Taxis and Ubers are
readily available.
Board a Pure Boat tour outside Royal
Theatre Carre on the Amstel River for
a leisurely tour of Amsterdam’s cute
and utterly charming canal belt. Many
of the city’s museums are clustered
neatly together in Museum Square.
The Rijksmuseum houses a stellar
collection of Van Goghs and
Rembrandts, and boutique art venue
the Moco Museum showcases
subversive art from the likes of
Banksy, inside a rambling old Dutch
house. Elsewhere, Anne Frank’s House
is a must-see memorial to the WWII
heroine, but it’s very popular so be
sure to book tickets in advance.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
91
DEPARTURES
Focus on... the USA
The number one business
travel destination with the
world's largest economy,
the USA's traditionally
close relationship with the
UK is ever more critical as
we depart the EU trade
bloc, fuelling more British
business travel to the
region than ever before,
says Sasha Wood
Natural trading partners, the USA
and the UK have historically been firm
economic friends. Today we have
$1.2trillion tied up in each other’s
economies, and the USA is the UK’s
largest export market for goods and
services, accounting for 18.9% of total
exports in the year ending March
2019, according to the Office for
National Statistics (ONS).
While the UK is dwarfed by the
USA's juggernaut economy – the
world's largest – it’s nevertheless the
USA’s fourth largest export market,
accounting for more trade than any
other European nation by a wide
margin. Goods traded trans-Atlantic
include electronics and food and
drink. UK products are in demand in
the USA and have a strong reputation
for quality. Emerging categories
include English sparkling wines,
cheese, and gin, and UK services are
also highly valued, with £65.2billion
worth of services exported to the
States between 2018 and 2019.
Crucially, Britain is the USA’s largest
international investor, representing
18% of foreign direct investment,
more than Japan and Canada, and
significantly more than the fastgrowing
economies of India and China.
In fact, UK businesses support more
than a million jobs across the Atlantic,
including almost a quarter in manufacturing,
a sector where the UK is the
single biggest investor at $232billion,
says the CBI. British companies create
jobs in every State too, with the lion's
share in Texas, followed by New York
and California. US firms support a
similar chunk of workers in the UK.
The close relationship between the
two nations is even more vital as the
UK leaves the EU trading bloc, though
there are signs that negotiating a fresh
free trade agreement with the USA
may take longer than first thought.
THE USA
Time zones:
GMT -4hrs (Eastern);
GMT -5hrs (Central);
GMT -6hrs (Mountain);
GMT -7hrs (Pacific)
Currency: US Dollar:
£1 = $1.28. Exchange rates are
approximate.
Visas: UK passport holders can
visit the USA for business for
up to 90 days through the US
Visa Waiver Program. Travellers
will need to apply for an ESTA
(Electronic System for Travel
Authorization) online. This is
usually valid for two years or
until the passport expires.
Dialling code: +1
92 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
DEPARTURES
Addressing the anticipated
shift, CBI's International
Director, Ben Digby, is
optimistic: "It is a source of
great pride and credit to the
UK and the USA that our two
nations have the largest
bilateral trade and investment
relationship in the world.
"Trade is not all about free
trade agreements – there is
so much we can do now to
improve it. The first
priority is protecting
what we’ve already
got by ensuring
continuity in trade when the UK leaves
the EU. Westminster and Washington
must then focus on things that can be
done now, such as mutual recognition
of professional qualifications, greater
regulatory collaboration and making
the case for free trade together on the
international stage... these are low
hanging fruits."
Among the region's key cities for
international business, everyone
wants a bite of the Big Apple. Globally
New York is the biggest business
travel destination according to data
from Big Four TMC Egencia. British
Airways’ On Business program for
SMEs shows the number of business
travellers flying between London
Gatwick and New York’s JFK airport
rose by 10% in 2018 on what is
traditionally a leisure route. What's
more, nearly $5.5billion worth of
goods were shipped to the UK from
New York.
While finance is obviously the
mainstay of New York's Wall Streetbased
businesses, and it's East Coast
counterpart Boston thrives on high
technology, down south it's black gold
that's king. Houston no longer
produces so much as co-ordinates
the industry, acting as a chief technical
centre employing hundreds of
thousands of highly-skilled engineers.
Its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico also
makes the area critical for trade.
The famously forward-thinking City
by the Bay, San Francisco has become
a major international tech hub and
also features in Egencia’s top 25
business destinations, along with
Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles.
There’s a clear mutual dependency
between the Americans and the British
that's only set to be cemented further
post-Brexit. So it’s little wonder the
USA remains the UK’s single biggest
business travel destination.
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
93
DEPARTURES
Factfile: the USA
FLIGHTS
AIR NEW ZEALAND: Flies Heathrow
to Los Angeles (ends Oct 2020).
and Boston (summer); and Glasgow
to New York (summer).
• Information provided by Cirium (cirium.com) and named airlines
AMERICAN AIRLINES: Flies from
Heathrow to Charlotte, Chicago,
Dallas Fort Worth, Philadelphia,
Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix,
Raleigh Durham, New York and,
from March 2020, Boston. Also flies
to Philadelphia from Manchester,
Glasgow and Edinburgh,
BRITISH AIRWAYS: Serves the
following US cities: Atlanta, Austin,
Baltimore, Boston, Charleston,
Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston,
Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New
Orleans, New York, Orlando,
Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh,
San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose,
Seattle, Tampa and Washington.
DELTA AIR LINES: Flies from
Heathrow to Atlanta, Boston,
Detroit, Minneapolis, New York,
Portland (summer) and Salt Lake
City; from Edinburgh to New York
NORWEGIAN: Flies Gatwick to
Boston, LA, Miami, New York,
Orlando, San Francisco and Tampa.
SINGAPORE AIRLINES: Flies from
Manchester to Houston.
UNITED: Flies Heathrow to New
York, Chicago, Washington-Dulles,
Houston, Denver, Los Angeles and
San Francisco; from Manchester
and Edinburgh to New York; and
seasonally from Edinburgh to
Chicago and Washington, and
from Glasgow to New York.
VIRGIN ATLANTIC: Flies from
Heathrow to Atlanta, Boston, LA,
Las Vegas, Miami, New York, San
Francisco and Seattle; from
Manchester to Atlanta, Boston, Las
Vegas, New York, Orlando and LA;
and to Orlando from Gatwick,
Glasgow and Belfast.
Chicago's
full of
beans
MARRIOTT: The world’s largest
hotel operator, Marriott has its HQ
in Maryland. With 4,000 properties
in the USA, it has a presence in
every major city including
Atlanta, San Francisco,
Chicago, Boston and
Houston. In New York it
has more than two dozen
properties under brands
including The Lexington Hotel
and W New York – Times Square.
IHG: Pan American Airways opened
the first InterContinental Hotel
back in 1946, making it the world’s
sleeping
HILTON HAS
272 hotels on
home turf
oldest international hotel brand. It
offers high-end accommodation in
virtually every key US city. The
Willard InterContinental in
Washington D.C. and
InterContinental Chicago
Magnificent Mile are
housed in historic
buildings while the
InterContinental Boston
has won several awards.
BEST WESTERN: The three-star
hotel chain offers great value
accommodation across the States
with more than 2,000 hotels in
convenient locations such as
airports and business districts,
including Best Western Plus
Houston Downtown and Hobby
Airport Inn in Houston and similar
properties in Dallas and Miami.
HILTON: The famous brand
founded in the USA has hotels in
every major US city and continues
to grow on its home turf with 272
properties and counting. The
recently-revamped San Francisco
Marriott Marquis hotel (pictured) is
a staple on the city's skyline.
BOSTON: America’s oldest city is
also one of its top tourist
destinations with more than 62
historic sites, and nearly 2,000
restaurants. Follow the 2.5-mile
Freedom Trail to tick off sites such
as the Revolutionary War
battleground. For panoramic views
head to the Skywalk Observatory.
NEW YORK: For first-time visitors,
ascending the Empire State
Building, visiting the Statue of
Liberty and browsing the Met’s
astounding art collection are
absolute musts. But the city is
awash with places such as Central
Park and Fifth Avenue, made
familiar by the movies.
LOS ANGELES: LA’s tourist
trail includes Hollywood
Boulevard’s Walk of Fame
and the Dolby theatre,
home to the Oscars.
Tours past the homes of
the rich and famous in
Beverly Hills are popular.
Head to Santa Monica to soak
up LA’s seaside scene, including
weird and wonderful Venice Beach.
off duty
follow
boston's
freedom
trail
MIAMI: Take in classic Miami
architecture on South Beach’s
Ocean Drive, enjoy a touch of
colourful Cuban culture and music
in Little Havana, or head to the
Everglades National Park, an hour's
drive away.
CHICAGO: Visit
Millennium Park for
renowned public art such
as Cloud Gate (aka the
Bean), or the Chicago History
Museum to see the story of the
city, and sample a slice of famous
deep dish Chicago pizza.
94 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
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DEPARTURES
Reality check
HOTEL: WILDE APARTHOTEL BY STAYCITY LONDON COVENT GARDEN
THE APARTHOTEL
This 106-room
studio was perfectly well set up for
aparthotel opened in 2018 and was the
longer stays, with a small sofa, table
first Wilde property from Staycity. It
and chairs, kitchenette with basin,
says its premium brand 'was inspired by
Nespresso coffee machine, SMEG kettle
Oscar Wilde'. It's in a prime location on
and toaster, microwave, hob, fridge,
the corner of the Strand and just a
mini dishwasher and 43-inch wall-
short walk from Charing Cross Station.
mounted TV. There was reasonable
The group has recently opened a
hanging space for clothes and a fairly
second Wilde aparthotel in Berlin with a
small but good quality shower room.
third opening imminently in Edinburgh.
Electric blinds and lighting were all
THE CHECK-IN
The small and simple
controlled by a touch panel by the bed,
lobby had a couple of self check-in
while a whatsapp number was available
units but a friendly member of staff
to contact staff with any queries. There
nevertheless completed the process for
was also a small basket full of crisps
me and showed me to my room.
and snacks that were available to buy.
THE ROOM
My studio room was
THE FACILITIES
There are no facilities
of the quirky artwork and touches
nice and light, with floor-to-ceiling
of note. The property has been kept
like copies of Oscar Wilde's books
windows and views of the busy Strand
simple and there's no bar, restaurant
stacked on the bedside table. The
below. Decor was understated with
just a splash of colour here and there.
The bed, with Hypnos mattress, was
comfortable if a little high off the
ground – although I understood why
or even communal space, although
discounted breakfast is available at
nearby Smith & Wollensky for £15 and
there's a room service menu too.
THE VERDICT I enjoyed my fleeting
THIS WILDE
APARTHOTEL WAS
STYLISH WITHOUT
TRYING TOO HARD
location is also a boon for business
and leisure guests alike.
THE DETAILS Wilde Covent Garden,
11 Adam Street, London WC2N 6AA.
Rates start from £229 per night for
when I eventually found the iron and
stay at this aparthotel and would
studios. 'Stay Sweet' members receive
ironing board stashed away in the large
storage area beneath the bed. The
happily visit for longer. It was stylish
without trying too hard and I liked some
a 10% discount. staycity.com/wilde
Andy Hoskins
HOTEL: CITIZENM AMSTEL, AMSTERDAM
THE HOTEL
Perfectly pitched on
and nothing you don’t”. Immensely
the edge of Amsterdam’s canal belt, the
comfortable king-size beds are topped
new CitizenM is the brand’s third hotel
with crisp white Egyptian cotton sheets
in its home city, and is named after the
and fluffy soft pillows. The lighting,
river Amstel that flows close by.
television, blinds and climate are all
Inhabiting a smart 1920s building, it has
controlled by an easy-to-use iPad and I
88 stylish rooms, hip interiors and cool
spent a while playing with the novel
co-working spaces that help it stand out
room settings that allow guests to
from the crowd.
customise their environment according
THE CHECK-IN
The hotel has
to their mood.
embraced all the latest technology
THE FACILITIES
A boutique business
including self-check-in kiosks that will
hotel, its arty communal areas are the
put an electronic room-key in your
perfect co-working space with an all-
hands within minutes. Nevertheless,
day café, bar and snack canteen in the
the desk is still manned by friendly
'Living Room' and plenty of cosy
CitizenM ‘ambassadors’ who were able
nooks. Designed by CitizenM’s
THE VERDICT
A brilliant and
to check me into a free room when I
Amsterdam-based partner Concrete,
affordable alternative to more
arrived early.
THE ROOM CitizenM doesn’t have
room categories – they are usually the
same except for the original artworks.
But for this hotel it developed two
different room designs to fit with the
the hotel features original artworks,
bookcases full of literature and stylish
ergonomic furniture by renowned
designers Vitra. There are also two
meeting rooms that can accommodate
up to 16 people, and include AV
A BRILLIANT
AND AFFORDABLE
ALTERNATIVE TO
MORE TRADITIONAL
HOTELS
traditional hotels, this is a relaxing
bolthole for a business trip with a
convenient location for exploring
Amsterdam’s charming canal belt.
THE DETAILS Sarphatistraat 47, 1018
EW, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Rates
configuration of the building. Compact
equipment and cables, designer
start at £90 per night. For more
minimalist rooms are functional but
design-led with “everything you need
furniture and blackboard and
whiteboard walls to write on.
information see citizenm.com
Sasha Wood
96 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
DEPARTURES
HOTEL: AMMAN MARRIOTT, AMMAN, JORDAN
THE HOTEL
Set on the edge of
comfortable and the Egyptian cotton
central Amman between the bustling
sheets and airy duvet helped me get a
downtown and business districts, the
good night’s rest. The marble walk-in
Amman Marriott makes a convenient
rain shower and generous amenities
base for forays into its pleasantly
were ideal for the kind of regular
buzzing streets and souks of the city,
refreshing washes necessitated by the
while also having easy access to the
hot dusty heat in this part of the world.
Queen Alia International Airport via the
In Jordan, Marriott hotels offer Dead
city’s wide highways.
Sea mud products in its bathrooms,
THE CHECK-IN
I arrived in a large
which are a really nice perk.
group so we were invited to take a seat
THE FACILITIES
Five-star facilities
in the grand reception area where the
include a lovely Arabian-style pool and
hotel manager joined us and handed us
terrace that’s an outdoor oasis of calm
room key cards individually. My suitcase
in the heart of the city, while the on-site
arrived at my room before I did, and
Oasis Health Club is an indoor haven
there was a sweet welcome gift of Dead
with a cool circular pool, saunas, steam
ten meetings and event rooms, the
Sea products waiting on my bed, as well
rooms and fluffy robes. Guests looking
largest of which has capacity for 400
as fresh fruit on the table.
for some peace and quiet or the finer
people for receptions.
THE ROOM A welcome message
on my huge flat-screen television read
‘Welcome Mr Wood’ which made me
chuckle. My room was bathed in light
things in life can head to the elegant
Library Lounge and Cigar Bar for
premium tobacco and artisan cocktails.
I dined at the Italian Il Terrazzo
A WELL-LOCATED,
COMFORTABLE AND
RELIABLE RETREAT
THE VERDICT This trusty Marriott
offers a reliable and comfortable retreat
that’s well located for all the key spots
in this thriving, inviting city.
through wide windows overlooking the
restaurant that opens out onto the pool
THE DETAILS
Issam Al-Ajlouni Street
city, with heavy curtains and ambient
area with live cooking stations serving
11190, Amman, Jordan. Rates start at
lighting for the evening. The king-sized
pillow-topped bed was deeply
delicious Italian cuisine, including
yummy gelato for dessert. There are
£87 per night. marriott.co.uk
Sasha Wood
HOTEL: FOUR SEASONS HAMPSHIRE
THE HOTEL
This Four Seasons hotel
would be ready and then met and
is set in a restored 18th century manor
shown to it around 15 minutes later.
house on 500 acres of ground in
THE ROOM
A light, spacious
Hampshire. It's a 15-minute drive from
room with 'classic' decor overlooking
Basingstoke and 45 minutes from
the hotel's central courtyard. There was
Heathrow Airport. I'd downloaded the
an enormous double bed, table and
Four Seasons app before my visit and
chairs, large walk-in closet, minibar,
successfully added my reservation,
coffee machine and a marble bathroom
enabling me to input an estimated arrival
with separate bath and shower.
time and make a dinner reservation
THE FACILITIES
Amenities include the
through the chat function – this was
spa, pools, tennis courts and activities
automatically added to my 'trip itinerary'.
such as croquet, a ropes course, horse-
Other bookings such as spa treatments
riding, fishing and clay pigeon shooting
and activities can also be arranged via
– a wide range is available for corporate
the app and added to an itinerary.
events. There's a number of event
THE CHECK-IN
I drove to the hotel
spaces including a ballroom, Fox Hollow
and staff on the door dressed in
and, although valet parking was available,
private dining room, a boardroom and
country attire setting the tone from
chose to park in the main car park a
short walk from the main entrance. A
log fire greeted new arrivals in the busy
reception area. Friendly staff swiftly
completed the check-in paperwork but
as the room wasn't ready I was shown
even a canal boat, plus outdoor spaces
such as the Walled Garden. Dinner at
the hotel restaurant, Wild Carrot, was
excellent. It was remarkably busy but
staff were abundant – and forthcoming
with recommendations from the menu.
IT DOESN'T
GET MUCH MORE
QUINTESSENTIALLY
ENGLISH
THAN THIS
the start. A great country escape for
impressive meetings and events, and
the app is a useful addition too.
THE DETAILS Dogmersfield Park,
Chalky Lane, Dogmersfield, Hampshire
RG27 8TD. Rates start from £315 per
to The Library and invited to have a
THE VERDICT
It doesn't get much
night in a Mews Room including
drink. I was messaged via the app to let
me know approximately when the room
more quintessentially English than this,
with the long drive through the grounds
breakfast. fourseasons.com/hampshire
Andy Hoskins
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
97
DEPARTURES
The final word
A royal apppointment...
Is your dreary office getting
you down through these
long winter months? Then
why not opt for a change of
scenery and apply to work at
Buckingham Palace with the
Queen herself?
In what might be considered
the pinnacle of travel management,
the Royal Family is looking
for a Director of Royal Travel to
help keep costs down on royal
visits. Perhaps in response to
the criticism of Harry and
Meghan’s recent favouring of
private jets, the successful
candidate will “operate and
purchase safe, efficient, cost
effective and appropriate travel
services for the official duties of
Members of the Royal Family
and their Households”.
And they will have “overall
responsibility for organising
air travel and overseeing the
operations of The Queen’s
Helicopter Flight and usage of
scheduled train services and
the Royal Train”, says the job
description, which states the
hours of work as 37.5 per week.
It might be a little more
complicated than booking the
cheapest Ryanair flights from
London Stansted, but for any
travel managers up to the
challenge, there’s a starting
salary of up to £85,000 up
for grabs. But be quick…
applications for the role close
December 20 2019.
Keep it small
Size isn’t everything! Global
affairs magazine Monocle has
ranked the world’s best ‘small’
cities with populations of up
to 200,000 people.
1 Lausanne, Switzerland
2 Boulder, USA
3 Bergen, Norway
4 Hobart, Australia
5 Chigasaki, Japan
6 Bolzano, Italy
7 Bordeaux, France
8 Innsbruck, Austria
9 Porto, Portugal
10 Aachen, Germany
Striking a chord
Have you ever
wanted to spend
the night in a giant
guitar? Us neither.
But there's no need to fret
because the good (?!) news is
that now you can! The new
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in
Greater Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, is the world’s first
hotel shaped like a guitar
and seems to be hitting all
the right notes with guests.
The newly expanded hotel
has 638 guest rooms – no
strings attached – a 4.5-acre
lagoon-style pool, a flagship
casino and some 100 shows
a year lined up. At 450 feet
tall, the Florida skyline will
never be the same again.
Absence does makes the hear grow fonder,
according to a survey from Travelodge which
found Britons who work away on business
have happier relationships than those who
don’t. In fact, as many as 40% of
those who regularly work away
from home describe their
relationship as “extremely
happy”, compared to just
28% of those who never go
away on business. So
next time your partner
moans about you
having to travel for
work, let them know
it’s for their own good.
98 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
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Peter A.
Prefers to
be close to
the office
Likes
cooking, loves
dishwashers
Enjoys
jogging by
the river
Desires
a dining
area fit for
entertaining
No matter the journey, Oakwood ® is always the perfect
destination. Our global footprint, regional presence and local
market knowledge gives us the flexibility to customise our serviced
apartment solutions to best suit your business requirements, wherever
your job may take you. That’s how we ensure every road leads to
Oakwood ® .
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room for
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