Best Western Tips for Saving on Business Travel

Best Western Travel Tips

By Chris McGinnis, Business Travel Expert for Best Western, Editor ofYouMustBeTrippin.com

Business travel costs are increasing in many parts of the country and around the world. In the U.S. the average per diem for food, hotel and miscellaneous expenses in the top 100 cities rose to $262 this year, up 1.6 percent over last year. As businesses prepare for the fall business travel season, it’s important to establish a company travel budget and considering the following:

·         As a business owner, even if you only have a few employees traveling, it’s a smart idea to set up travel guidelines or a policy, and be sure your travelers are aware of it. Use this policy to set limits around hotel class, rental car size, airline class and which airline fees you are willing to (or not willing to) reimburse. Establish maximum amounts for meals and entertainment. And be sure to monitor and audit compliance at least once per year.

·         Remember the five-hour rule in light of rapidly rising airfares and relatively flat gasoline prices (especially for mid-week trips). If it takes less than 5 hours to drive to the destination, you should drive instead of fly to save on the ticket price as well as the hassle factor. This is especially true if more than one employee is making the trip.

·         Schedule your business trips on Tuesday, Wednesdays or Thursdays when airfare tends to be the lowest. Try to avoid air travel during the peak summer travel season and plan your business trips during September, October or early November.

·         When booking hotel stays, don’t choose based on rate alone. Dig deeper to determine what extras are, or are not, included in the rate, such as parking, Wi-Fi or breakfast.

·         Prices for hotels, food, transportation and entertainment in coastal cities such as New York, San Francisco and Boston have spiked in the last two years, but have remained flat or even decreased in lower-profile interior cities like Atlanta, Denver or Phoenix. Take this into consideration when planning meetings and scheduling trips and seek out the lower cost alternative when possible.

·         Check out programs by travel suppliers for small businesses that may not have the clout to score hefty corporate discounts.