The Business Travel Magazine Dec/Jan 2019/20

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 


44 countries 

MIDDLE EAST 


10 countries 

ASIA 


11 countries 

CENTRAL AND 

SOUTH AMERICA 


9 countries 

AFRICA 


29 countries 

The Lufthansa Group airlines are Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, 

SWISS, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings. Via the Brussels, 

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

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

flights a week to more than 270 business and holiday destinations 

worldwide. Passengers therefore benefit from a large choice of 

destinations and many combination options. The Lufthansa Group 

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

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

modern fleets in the world. 

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

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 

DESIGN & PRODUCTION 

SENIOR DESIGNER 

Louisa Horton 

DESIGNERS 

Ross Clifford, Caitlan Francis & Zoe Tarrant 

PRODUCTION & STUDIO MANAGER 

Clare Hunter 

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Steve Hunter 

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

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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. 


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. 


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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 


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 

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- 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. 


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. 



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. 


19


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

YOU’VE GOT THE BUSINESS. 

WE’VE GOT THE NETWORK. 

Discover a network of over 160 destinations 

worldwide with Eurowings. 

Book 

now!

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. 


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 


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 


Manager of the Year 


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” 


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” 



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’ 


27


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. 


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. 


29


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 


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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. 


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. 


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. 

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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 

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Invest in Austria. The city 

will celebrate the centenary 

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music festival in 2020. 


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 


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. 


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.” 


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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!” 


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 


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 


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 



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! 


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!” 



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' 



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. 


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. 


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” 





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.” 


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” 





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. 


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. 


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 


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 


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. 

 


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” 


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.” 


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. 


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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 


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” 


61


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 


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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. 


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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 

 


Consolidation / TMCs 

At well over 100 in 

number, there are too 

many TMCs operating in the 

UK, something not replicated 

in other countries” 


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. 


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As 2019 draws to a close, the topic 

that has gained more momentum 

than ever in recent months is NDC 

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Major TMCs and technology providers have 

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But are any of these solutions workable or 

genuinely going to give corporates access to 

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At ACTE’s recent global summit in 

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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 

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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 

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bookings, but Blue Cube has been 

making live bookings for over 18 months 

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Not only has Blue Cube been quietly 

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This is where real progress 

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, 

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” 


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. 

 


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.” 

 


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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. 


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. 


© MOSTAFA MERAJI 

81 


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 


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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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 


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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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) 


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% 


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) 


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. 


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 


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. 


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. 


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 


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. 


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. 


Business across 

the pond? 

Enjoy amazing benefits from two 

amazing airlines. Business sorted. 

Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines are redefining transatlantic 

travel, creating a seamless experience that makes business travel 

a pleasure. And there are plenty of reasons to choose us when 

flying across the Atlantic. 

• Over 200 connections across North America 

• Both Virgin Atlantic and Delta are award-winning airlines 

• Super convenient co-locations at key US hubs like 

JFK and Atlanta 

• Sleep like a dream in your fully flat bed 

in Upper Class and Delta One® 

• WiFi way up high, on nearly all our 

transatlantic routes 

Find out more at virginatlantic.com

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 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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. 


Los Angeles 

Rio de Janeiro 

Mexico City 

Chicago 

Oakwood ® Knows Dublin 

Shanghai 

Dubai 

London 

Tokyo 

Berlin 

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 ® . 

Wants 

room for 

relatives with 

weekends to 

spare 

Call or visit us online to see how we can help you today. 

Oakwood.com +44 (0) 20 7749 4460 

OakwoodUK@Oakwood.com 

© Copyright 2018 Oakwood. All Rights Reserved

The Business Travel Magazine Dec/Jan 2019/20

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