COMPLIANCE
MODEL BEHAVIOUR?
Despite every travel manager’s best efforts, there are still those who are dedicated to bending the rules. Below is a snapshot of four types of rogue traveller you need to watch out for.
KING OF THE CASTLE
These people think they rule the world
and can do what they want because they make a lot of money for the company. One perpetrator at AIG booked himself into a hotel room with a king-size bed because, he said, a queen- size bed was too small. “We have those who try to come out of policy based on bedding preferences, despite the fact that at most properties bedding is on request, not guaran- teed,” notes Jan Jacobsen, global accommodation manager, AIG.
THE SNAIL The snail makes every excuse to
ensure they can book everything as late as
possible. You may hear this traveller say something along the lines of: “I had personal stuff I had to attend to and couldn’t leave until the last minute so I couldn’t get anything cheaper and I thought I would go with BA.” Last-minute bookings
mean fares are likely to be equally high on any carrier, but if they had booked two weeks in advance, the flights would almost cer- tainly have been cheaper with their employer’s preferred carrier. “We have had someone
say they were not going to travel because they could not get the BA flight they wanted within policy and would have to fly Virgin, which makes you wonder whether they needed to travel in the first place,” says Chris Vince, director of operations for Click Travel.
86 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
SCHEMING SNAKES
The gathering of loyalty points is still a pain in the policy for travel managers (see Play your points right, p92-95) and can drive the most diabolical behaviour. Worse, the most cunning travellers know how to play the system; they book hotels within policy, close to where they want to be, and on the surface every- thing looks above board. However, they are actually staying in a property that is £10 to £20 more expensive than the preferred one next door, simply to gain loyalty points. Worst are those that book a property 20 miles away from their appoint- ment, again, often within policy, but incurring added transport costs.
THE ROCK STAR
This group’s likes and dislikes make celebrity demands look reasonable. Elevating this to an art form are those who require a particular sparkling mineral water onboard. They are often quite senior (or think they should be). “Apparent- ly the difference between sparkling water in the air and on the ground is the size of the bubbles at alti- tude – they must not be too big,” says an incredulous Jan Jacobsen of AIG. Such people book their (rather than the company’s) pre- ferred airline for overnight flights because of the angle of the pod and length of the flatbed, so that they sleep better – not because they are particularly tall.
‘THE SNAIL’
MAKES EVERY EXCUSE TO ENSURE THEY CAN BOOK EVERYTHING AS LATE AS POSSIBLE
searches do not always return the most logical result. “In the past I have been at firms where travel policies are gospel and cannot be broken, but there have been times when a first class flight has been cheaper than business class and due to the policy we were unable to book it. So might rogue travellers sometimes be right?” questions Declan Halton-Woodward, executive assistant and company secretary at Handels- banken Wealth Management. In the new world, policy compliance is no longer a matter of telling people what to do – communication and negotiation are all. However, buyers are still advised to stay tuned to travellers’ habits and any signs of wayward bookings – before they become the season’s hottest trend.
buyingbusinesstravel.com
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