Business travel

Want to cut the cost of business travel?

With business travel on the up and budgets on the down, Dialexpotel takes a look at how to keep the cost of corporate travel under control

Gone are the days when business travel was an ad hoc affair, planned by an office manager and then readily signed off by accounts. Indeed, as the economic downturn continues to bite, companies are looking to tighten their travel-budget belts and reduce the cost of corporate trips.

But how, exactly? Business travel is essential: budgets might be being affected, but the amount of trips needed aren’t – in fact figures from Barclaycard Business Travel Survey show that business travel is set to rise. So, what gives?

Jamie Gallagher, head of corporate sales for Expotel, says that one of the best ways to keep business travel costs under control is to switch responsibility for booking from the traveller to a trusted agent.

“When companies come to Expotel, they want to reduce costs, but they don’t wish to inconvenience staff by changing their buying behaviour,” he says. “By using a business travel agent, however, you can channel your staff into the best and most cost-effective option based on the booker’s requirements.”

Creating a travel policy means that you can also make the most of negotiated rates advantage that an agency the size of Expotel has.

After all, why have your executives spend hours of their valuable time finding a £10 discount on a hotel when Expotel can negotiate budget-friendly rates across a huge range of hotels instead? A visit to www.expotel.com or a call to the Contact Centre will quickly find you the best rates, saving you time and money.

Speaking of saving time, juggling business travellers’ needs – different teams, working on different pitches and projects, at different levels of seniority, in different locations, on different dates, all needing super-flexible travel – can be a real headache.

Handing over the responsibility to an experienced hotel, venue and travel booker such as Expotel means all these needs are expertly managed – and kept within budget, saving you time and money… and that headache!

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