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HOTELS


Hub by Premier Inn


understand that for some clients a remote relationship relying on phone or email will have to deliver when there is no time to meet at all.”


WE LOOK AT


THE OFFERS FROM WEBSITES AS WELL AS HOTEL CORPORATE RATES, AND SOMETIMES FIND THOSE CORPORATE RATES ARE NOT THE LOWEST ON OFFER


In spite of these offerings the brand


does not get an exclusive from Npower, although it is high in a list of chains with which the company has negotiated two-year programmes. McQuade acknowledges rela- tionships are “very valuable to address any issues or challenges”. But she stresses the need for a comprehensive programme when a preferred chain cannot fit traveller re- quirements. All hotels are asked by Npower to quote on a bed-and-breakfast basis for a level point of comparison, adds McQuade, who sees free wifi “as an expectation rather than the perk it once was”.


ROOMS WITH BENEFITS Like Premier Inn, Travelodge also offers the services of a dedicated account manager to holders of its new business account card, which was launched last year. “This offers a range of benefits,” says director of communications Shakila Ahmed, citing a track-and-control expenditure tool, room allocation on quieter business floors and a guaranteed 5 per cent off flexible rate bookings. Six weeks’ interest-free credit is offered for food and wifi as well as rooms, and, as with Premier Inn, the business account, and the credit that comes with it, is free of charge. Bespoke deals are also promised to corporate clients. However many tools a hotel chain offers free through its business booking platforms, it will never be able to offer the wider choice


112 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019


available through a TMC, which combs the market through an aggregator. “We look at offers from websites, such as Laterooms, as well as hotel corporate rates. We sometimes find those corporate rates are not the lowest on offer,” says Chris Vance, director of operations at Click Travel. “For example, great rates may suddenly become available at a hotel that has had a cancellation and has a lot of rooms to fill at short notice.” Click Travel claims to offer unparalleled control through its travel.cloud system, even when travellers make their own bookings. “A traffic light system shows preferred hotels in green, hotels which are not preferred but still comply with policy in amber, and those which do not comply in red,” explains Vance. The fact TMCs can direct employees to preferred brands with which a client may have previously nurtured a relationship, and take all the headache out of travel pro- curement by also booking transportation, makes them a no-brainer, they say, for clients such as the Guide Dogs Association for the Blind, which found procuring travel direct a distinct headache. “Hotel bookings were previously secured in a variety of ways, including company payment cards, personal payment cards, expenses and bill back,” says Chris Mabbatt, procurement business partner for Guide Dogs. “Not only was this inefficient and labour intensive, it meant we weren’t getting the best value for money or the management information required to maximise the cost-saving potential.” The association chose to start booking through Click Travel, he explains, “as it


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