If you have traveled since March 2000, you are well aware that travel as it applies to hotels today is different — there is a changing face of hotel travel.
Early in the pandemic, the changes were made out of necessity to ensure health and safety, and deal with a lack of staffing. Hotels were short-staffed in all areas of operations because of furloughs, the “great resignation” and retirements. And though there is some sense of normality returning, some of the changes we have seen are looking to be long-term and even permanent.
For example, we are seeing touchless service in terms of check-in and check-out, in- room dining and even room cleaning. Gathering places, once off limits during the pandemic, are back, but more spaced out than previously. What might have existed in the past, has changed.
As a travel management company, our job is to work with our clients to make them aware of what services are offered and if the property can meet their needs. We might counsel them to look at other options as part of their travel program. In addition, we saw the pandemic brought on an increase in crew travel, where several members of a company were traveling to the same location. We saw much of this in infrastructure and health care-related industries.
Booking crew travel can be onerous. The groups can vary from a handful to several dozen. The timing can be immediate or in the future. The needs for these trips can range from the “normal” to the unique. The stay can be overnight to months.
That is why Acendas Travel works with our clients to create a needs assessment so that we can make sure the properties we identify support the business objectives. We also make the process easier on companies because of our technology that allows us to reserve room blocks and to book crew travel as one transaction, rather than multiple records (hence, the changing face of hotel travel).
The beauty of this is not only the efficiency, but we have the ability to track travelers from a duty of care standpoint. This is especially important for extended stay options when travelers are making regular trips back home to visit family or friends. It is a big burden that is removed from company staff who are entrusted with knowing where their associates are when on business.
The ability to book crews as one also affords your cost savings. Acendas Travel’s buying power can provide significant savings depending upon volume. For more information on hotel travel, I encourage you to watch the following video featuring Acendas Travel Senior Vice President Joe Curtis and Director of Optimization Katie Lyles. Click here to watch.
If you are interested in learning more about Acendas Travel, click here.