Business travel

What is corporate travel management?

Corporate travel management supports all areas associated with business travel for employees, customers, vendors and business partners.

Companies may rely on in-house corporate travel management teams, travel agencies, business travel platforms such as Booking.com for Business, or any combination of these to ensure their business travel is as efficient as possible.

What are the benefits of a business travel management platform for a company?

Travel management platforms, such as Booking.com for Business, help companies reduce costs and time spent on business travel booking. 

Booking.com for Business is completely free! Providing you with real-time reporting to make decisions, you'll also receive exclusive business rates and travel support provided by CWT. Plus, you’ll be automatically enrolled in the Genius loyalty program, giving you at least 10% off properties around the world.

What are the challenges of managing corporate travel?

Managing corporate travel can be challenging, with tracking expenses and staying within budget being major concerns. Booking.com for Business simplifies the process by centralising travel information and providing real-time reporting to help your business stay in control of its travel budget, saving time and money.

What is a corporate travel policy?

A corporate travel policy is a clear, written set of rules and procedures that outline how employees should approve, book, and expense travel for business purposes. You can read more about travel policies in our blog article.

About Booking.com for Business travel management platform

Who can use Booking.com for Business?

Booking.com for Business is a platform that provides an easy and cost-effective way to book business trips. It's accessible to anyone, including SMEs, and offers various access levels, an overview of upcoming bookings, and a map to track travellers' locations. The platform can be used by travellers, travel managers, HR and finance teams, administrative assistants, and CEOs to book business trips quickly and efficiently.

What is the difference between Booking.com for Business and Booking.com?

Booking.com for Business is designed specifically for managing business travel and offers features like traveller mapping, reporting, and the ability to manage bookings for multiple people.

We also offer exclusive business rates for flights and car rentals with up to 20% off. In partnership with CWT, we provide exclusive business travel-only rates with discounts and loyalty points.

What is Booking.com for Business?

Booking.com for Business is a business travel platform.

You and your employees can use it to book and manage complete business trips and choose from a wide range of accommodation, flights and car rentals.

It's totally free and you can even use it to access exclusive business rates.

How does Booking.com for Business work?

Booking.com for Business allows you to book trips in a few clicks and have a record of business travel-related expenses.

With Booking.com for Business, you don't need account managers or IT support.

After signing up, you can start managing travellers, create access levels and book business trips that include accommodation, flights, and car rental.

Will I get an account manager/contact person?

Booking.com for Business is a self-service travel management platform that's easy to navigate, so you won't need an account manager.

However, if you do require support, you can contact a CWT travel counsellor via email in 8 languages, or by phone in English for free. CWT is a global leader specialised in business travel management.

How to book business trips

Can I set up travel budgets to assure travel policy compliance?

Yes, with Booking.com for Business, administrators can set up recommended travel budgets to encourage travel policy compliance. Specifically, the hotel budgets feature allows administrators to establish budget recommendations and have better control over travel expenses, all while still allowing travellers to have a choice.

Can I modify my accommodation booking?

You can modify your business accommodation depending on the booking and cancellation policy you chose during the booking process. Room changes and duration amends are available depending on the hotel's capacities.

Can I modify my flight booking?

Flight modifications depend on the chosen flight tariff. Usually changing flights is possible within one airline, although additional fees may be incurred depending on your ticket. When booking flights, please make sure your name is spelt correctly (as it is written in your passport) to ensure there are no problems if you need to change your flight tickets.

Can I make group bookings?

Yes, you can make group accommodation bookings for up to 30 travellers. However, group bookings for flights are currently unavailable.

Can I book on behalf of other travellers?

Yes, as a travel booker or planner, you can easily book travel for other individuals, including non-employees like contractors or external partners, without creating a permanent traveller profile.

Can I cancel my business trip at any time?

Yes, you can cancel your business trip at any time. Accommodation, flights, and car rentals can be cancelled or modified, though fees may apply depending on the specific booking terms and conditions. You can make these cancellations and modifications either by self-service on the Booking.com for Business platform or by contacting a CWT travel counsellor.

Can I make last minute changes to my booking?

You can modify your business accommodation depending on the booking and cancellation policy you chose during the booking process. Room changes and accommodation duration modifications are available depending on the hotel's capacities. 

Flight modifications also depend on the chosen flight tariff. Usually changing flights is possible within one airline, although additional fees may be incurred depending on your ticket.

When a booking includes more than one airline there may be technical problems with any change. Please make sure your name is spellt correctly (as it is written in your passport) when you make the booking, otherwise, there may be problems with changing your flight tickets.

Will I get a refund if the airline cancels my flight or it is delayed?

Airline policies differ when it comes to delays and compensation. However, if a situation arises, you'll be informed of your available options. Additionally, you can seek advice from CWT to make a decision. If your flight gets cancelled and you do not wish to accept an alternative, the airline will typically provide a refund or credit towards future travel, subject to their terms and conditions.

How quickly will I receive a refund after cancellation?

Accommodation refunds typically take 7-12 business days, flight refunds depend on the airline's policy, and car rental refunds depend on when you cancel the booking.

Are low-cost airlines also available on your platform?

Yes, we provide both low-cost and full-service airlines for business flights. You can select your preferred tariff, flight class, and add-ons such as luggage and meals to customise your booking.

I already have discounts or membership cards/programmes. Can I use them with Booking.com for Business?

Yes! To make your business trip even more cost-efficient, you can add your frequent flyer number, hotel membership card or other loyalty programmes to your profile.

Expense reporting and costs

How can I manage corporate travel expenses with Booking.com for Business?

Booking.com for Business integrates seamlessly with expense management tool Expensify, allowing you to automatically transfer all your corporate travel bookings to your Expensify account. This removes the need for manual data entry and reduces the risk of errors when submitting travel expenses. With this integration, your travel data is accurately transferred, giving you more time to focus on important tasks.

How can I save money for corporate travel using Booking.com for Business?

Booking.com for Business is free for all users and doesn't have any additional subscription or booking fees. You can access exclusive business rates and earn hotel loyalty points.

Plus with Booking.com's Genius loyalty programme, you can start saving as soon as you create an account, with a 10% discount on participating properties.

Will I have full visibility of all my travel costs?

Through Traxo integrating with expense management tools like Expensify, you’ll have full visibility of all your travel costs. This integration allows you to seamlessly track and manage expenses, providing you with enhanced control, transparency, and compliance in your corporate travel process. 

The travel expense tracker provides you with a detailed breakdown and serves as the basis for making a financial forecast for business travel. You can download the travel spend overview in the .csv format.

How do I get a business booking invoice?

To get a business booking invoice, please contact the accommodation or car rental company directly.

For airline invoices, you'll receive your itinerary and receipt at the time of booking.

Can I pay in advance on behalf of the travelling employee?

You can pay in advance for a travelling employee by using a corporate card or another available payment method. However, if the pay-at-property option was selected during the booking process, the traveller will need to pay upon arrival.

What payment methods are accepted?

We accept private or corporate credit and debit cards, as well as virtual payment methods such as an AirPlus card for hotels. When using an AirPlus Virtual Card, the property will receive an authorisation form with instructions not to ask the guest for payment at check-out.

How can I see an overview and manage all business bookings for my company?

All reservations are accessible through the main dashboard, where you can find and manage your bookings.

In the dashboard, you'll find all relevant information, such as booking status, travellers' names, costs, and much more.

How to use Booking for Business travel management platform

How can I locate travelling employees?

Traxo's location tool within Booking.com for Business allows you to easily locate your travelling employees. It captures every booking made by your employees, regardless of the platform they use. With this tool, you can gain a full overview of your employees' real-time travel plans, enabling you to see their accommodation location and ensure their safety and well-being.

Can I integrate with other services?

Yes, you can. Traxo offers seamless integration with other services, including expense management tool Expensify, to make your business travel management more efficient. With Traxo's integrations, you can maximise productivity and simplify your overall business travel experience.

Do you offer exclusive business rates?

Yes, we do. 

For accommodation, you can access unique rates and discounts of up to 20%, with additional perks such as breakfast.

For flights, you can get exclusive airfares to destinations around the globe, with discounts of up to 20%. These fares can provide access to exceptional savings on select routes and are available in all classes of service ranging from First, Business to Economy.   

For car rental, you can get flat per-day rates, reduced rental costs, product and service upgrades, and complimentary express service.

What languages do you support?

We support English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese and Polish.

Complimentary travel support (via email) is available in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese and Polish. 

Complimentary travel support (via phone) is available in English only.

How can I get support?

Help for Booking.com for Business is available globally.

Help for flights is offered in several countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Belgium, Australia, Austria, Poland, the United States, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Portugal, Ireland, Romania, Greece, and Canada.

What types of service do you offer?

CWT travel counsellors can support you with booking modifications and cancellations for your complete business trips (accommodation, flights and car rentals) as well as copies of itineraries, etc.

If you require support to use the platform, our chatbot and help centre are there to support.

How easy is it to book a business trip on this platform?

Booking.com for Business is designed to reduce the time spent on bookings and amending trip itineraries, allowing for a more efficient and seamless travel management process. 

After a few trips, the personalisation feature understands your preferences and recommends the perfect itinerary for you, so you can comfortably use the express checkout to complete bookings in just a few minutes.

How do I sign up?

You can easily sign up by clicking the 'Register' button at the top of the page. The process is simple and takes just a few minutes. Once you've registered, you can start booking immediately. 

You just need to provide your:

  • Email and password
  • Company's name and country
  • Full name

Please note that special characters are not supported by the system. Please provide all the information in Latin characters. After registration, you will receive an email with an activation link.

Will I keep my Genius loyalty programme level if I create a business account?

If you already have a Genius level at Booking.com, it will be automatically applied to your business account, meaning you can enjoy the Genius advantages for corporate trips too!

In your business account, your Genius level isn't shown, but all accommodations offering Genius discounts will display the blue 'Genius' logo. These discounts correspond to your Genius level in your personal account.

You can also access exclusive business rates and earn loyalty points with your favourite hotel chains.

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