Before you make the trip...

1. Not Enough Time. 

Most of us don't schedule sufficient time to get everything done. 

Let's face it. Our lives get busy. 

But booking travel too late will cost you!

 Data from Travel Leaders show booking made 14 to 20 days 

prior to departure cost 24% less than those made less than 7 days out. 

And bookings made 7 to 13 days prior to travel cost 9% less.

When you save your booking to last minute, 

you're much more likely to make a hasty decision. 

You might pick a room that's $20 higher than company budget 

or one without any of the amenities that you need. 

Searching for hotel reservations when you need a room fast 

is kind of like grocery shopping when you're really hungry. 

You're going to pay too much. 

and you might not even get what you need.

2. Ready your rentals. 

Not getting insurance on that rental car can cost you far more

 than affordable rental insurance would, 

but it seems as though many travelers aren't mindful of the benefits of insurance. 

42% of respondents surveyed

 by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) 

were "either thoroughly confused or had only a rough idea about insurance". 

Make sure you choose wisely when insuring your company's rental car!

Does rental insurance come with your regular auto insurance? 

Great. 

If not, you'll probably get four options at the rental counter for insuring your ride, 

and all of them come in at a slightly different daily price. 

Your company can choose to get Liability Insurance, 

Personal Accident, Personal Effects Coverage,

 and Collision Damage Waiver, depending on your needs.

What's the difference? 

Liability Insurance costs around $10/day and protects you company from potential lawsuits. 

Personal accident and personal effects insurance can be as low as $1 per day 

and can really pay off when reducing medical costs on safeguarding your company;s assets. 

Personal accident insurance covers medical costs in the case of an accident. 

Personal effects insurance takes care of all corporate property that you'd like to insure in your rental car. Collision damage insurance ranks as the most expensive at approximately $15 per car, 

but it's well worth it; this insurance waives financial responsibility for any car damages.

3. Bills. Bills. Bills. 

This one will blow your mind; 

26% of your company's hotel invoices are just plain wrong. 

What does this mean over time?

 Your company not only loses money now 

but also later from repeated invoicing mistakes.

Read that start again; 

Over one quarter of the bills your company gets back from hotels are totally wrong. 

Can you imagine how much you're overpaying due to inaccurate invoices? 

Not to mention unauthorized charges. 

Many hotels sneak higher nightly rates onto your bills 

and even add in extra charges on the client's credit card.

Why are you still trusting hotel accountants with your company's financial future? 

Do you really think they're keeping your business' travel costs in mind? 

Consider this: according to studies by PricewaterhouseCoopers, 

the average cost of manually processing just one business invoices

 are coming back with big errors, 

which drives up labor and general expenses even more. 

Maybe it's time to trust a travel manager to sleuth out faulty charges and eliminate future risks.

4. Give it Back. 

Did you know that some states consider you a citizen 

after you've stayed there for a certain number of nights? 

You could get reimbursed for taxes pertaining to extend stay lodging. 

Did you get your extended stay lodging taxes reimbursed? 

We're battling you didn't. That's right! 

Most businesses don't know that they could be refunded

 for many of their lengthy hotel stays.

How?

 You are often granted the tax benefits of a citizen 

if you stay a certain number of consecutive nights in a particular state.

 Also, some states leave the determination of eligibility up to the individual counties or parishes, making it even more difficult to figure out.

Many hotels don't come clean with the details, 

so securing a travel advisor who can overcome these hurdles

 will greatly help you in getting all your travel funds back. 

We're talking of tens of thousands in refund here.

 Get your fair share of lodging taxes reimbursed!

5. Blurred Lines. 

Wouldn't it be nice if your travelers knew exactly what their travel policy was 

so that they could follow it? 

According to a PhoCusWright survey,

 a massive 70% of business travelers surveyed defined policies

 on travel brand usage and booking channels.

How do your travelers follow a travel policy of they don't even know

 what parameters your company has set in place? 

Company travel policies prove useful in solving issues 

such as highlighting reimbursement totals for lodging, 

dealing with unauthorized charges, and managing single vs double room expectations.

Identify and clearly define the parameters,

 and travelers will learn how to plan accordingly. 

Corporate travel managers help delineate the guidelines for the program that best serves your corporate needs.

6. Get your priorities straight. 

Priorities, priorities, priorities! 

According to recent USA. Today report, 

Choice Hotels found that 73% of business travelers prefer location 

to amenities when looking for somewhere to stay during a trip. 

Speaking of amenities, free WiFi wins the popularity contest

 for amenities for business and leisure travelers alike. 

What matters most to your company.

Unfortunately,

 amenities are disproportionately low on hotelier's lists of hotel priorities, 

but 77% of guests still consider the hotel amenities they value

 while weighing any potential added costs. 

Need truck parking? 

A mini fridge travel manager will find a way to make it happen.

7. Loyalty is rewarded. 

Did you know that business travelers are 4x 

more likely than vacationers to consider rewards point when booking? 

According to a 2015 American Express Global Business Travel Report, 

brand and hotel points are the 

#1 deciding factors in finding a room.

Did you know that hotel seekers consistently choose 

one particular brand over others? 

They do this because they can trust their preferred brand 

to be similar across different markets, 

Guests love that kind of predictability. 

But another major incentive in choosing the same brand 

is taking advantage of reward points at their brand of choice. 

Rewards points are a huge draw for guests because 

they can add up to enough free nights to plan a vacation, 

future business trips, or other perks.

 However, many business travelers ignore options that would align more closely 

with their company's budget; instead, 

they book the brand that gives them their preferred reward points. 

Brand focus can blind travelers to huge savings opportunities.