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Streamline business trip planning with strategies for managing group bookings. Learn how to coordinate complex itineraries while saving time
From coordinating flight timings to considering differences in hotel preferences and rates, the logistics of managing group bookings can swiftly become complex. And there are many situations where the need for group travel arises, whether it’s shuttling multiple teams to an industry conference or arranging international meetings for a high-level group of executives. While group travel improves team morale, fosters collaboration and opens new networking possibilities, it also comes with the need for careful, detailed planning to create a seamless experience at every stage.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the challenges inherent in arranging this type of business trip, along with potential solutions. Learn strategies to secure special group rates along with flexible ticketing and dedicated traveller support, for more efficient business travel management of group itineraries.
When you book travel for a group, you’ll list multiple passengers under a single reservation code, streamlining the admin and regaining control over costs. Group bookings can be made for flights, hotels, event tickets, and other services. In business travel, they’re usually made for groups of ten or more who are travelling together for work.
As with any bulk purchase, group bookings can potentially unlock discounted prices. Airlines, hotels, and group transport operators may provide reduced rates to entice businesses to purchase tickets, all while offering flexible terms. Of course, these will vary widely between providers so it’s important to compare options carefully.
Here’s a closer look at these various benefits of big group bookings:
Whether you’re a corporate travel manager or SME business owner, arranging group trips presents some common challenges.
Easily manage and book team travel in one place for better cost control
Even when travelling with a team, today’s business travellers expect personalisation, with 87% stating they’d be more willing to interact with travel brands that offer a personalised experience. That means you’ll need to take individual preferences and requirements into consideration, creating an itinerary that’s tailored to the wants and needs of everyone in the group while still meeting wider objectives.
Another challenge with group travel is ensuring that high volumes of individual bookings comply with company travel policy, particularly when employees are booking their own tickets. Using an all-in-one platform like Booking.com for Business gives full visibility over individual bookings to help ensure compliance.
With nearly half (48%) of the global workforce now working remotely, it’s important for travel coordinators to find ways to book travel for employees in different locations. This includes managing different time zones, flight routes, and cultural differences in a single itinerary.
Larger groups bring greater potential for travel disruption, from severe weather to mechanical issues. You’ll need a secure way to track employee locations in real time to aid as needed. To meet duty of care requirements, it’s also a good idea to include emergency contact details in your group itinerary.
Group travel comes with a higher volume of expenses than individual business trips. Finance teams must work together with travel managers to keep costs within budget, while using software or apps to track and report expenses stemming from multiple channels.
Managing group business travel may seem daunting at first, but with an organised approach you’ll be able to streamline the process.
While you can often make changes to a group booking, getting started early will yield the best rates. This is because in many cases, you’ll need to negotiate with the service provider directly, and to do this you’ll need to have group details and travel dates available. Starting early gives more time to receive quotes and negotiate packages for your group.
While the collective needs of the group will come first, to provide a more satisfactory employee experience it’s also a good idea to ask for individual preferences before negotiation. This includes things like dietary requirements, accessibility needs, and accommodation preferences to ease business trip anxiety. Collecting more information upfront is the best way to create a tailored package that works for everyone in the group.
Look for travel service providers that are experienced with group travel and understand its unique challenges. With bigger groups come more logistics, and having a dedicated customer service team and centralised booking platform can ease your administrative burden.
Will you be paying with a deposit followed by a series of instalments? Does the provider allow last-minute name changes? Will you need to pay extra for seat allocations? Make sure you read all terms carefully and double-check all booking details before confirming.
Pricing is a major consideration when booking flights for a group. This is because airlines charge different fares for different seats, even when they’re in the same class.
When you book business flights individually, this means that each business traveller might be paying a different price depending on availability, location, and demand. But with a group reservation, all seats must be sold at the same price – which is not necessarily the cheapest.
This is why it’s important to carefully compare fares and, if possible, negotiate rates with the airline. Many provide discounted group rates, but you’ll need to contact the airline’s customer service team to receive a unique quote. You’ll also benefit from additional perks – for example, British Airways offers a dedicated team and allows last-minute name changes on group flight bookings.
Business hotels are well-equipped to work with large groups, and bulk or block rates usually come with a volume-based discount. As with airfares, the rates you’re quoted will be based on available inventory for the time of year you’re looking to book. Given this information, the hotel will provide a flat rate for your group of business travellers.
You’ll need to provide the hotel with a rooming list containing all guest names, room preferences, and special requests, so that they can prepare for your group’s arrival. This streamlines the process for a speedy check-in. It also equips the front desk and housekeeping teams with any details they need to know about individual business travellers.
How will your group get around once they’ve arrived at a destination? Will they be travelling in between regional cities? As with flights, you should be able to negotiate train and bus fares at group discounts. Planning ground transport in advance ensures that your team travels together in proximity, giving the chance to collaborate and maintain productivity throughout the journey.
Car hire companies are also able to accommodate large groups. For example, Avis offers discounted rates and a dedicated customer service representative when you reserve a minimum of five cars.
Catering to individual preferences while keeping sprawling itineraries within budget is undoubtedly a big task. When managing these logistics for a large group, using an all-in-one, centralised travel solution like Booking.com for Business means you’ll have all travel details in one place. You’ll be able to quickly compare the best options, including flights from over 380 airlines and over 3 million properties, plus corporate car hire to ferry groups around on the ground.
Our free platform supports business accommodations for up to 30 travellers at a time, with travel arrangers able to use the same name for multiple rooms to make coordination easier. Plus, you’ll gain access to 24/7 customer support to aid when you need to make any last-minute itinerary changes.
Open communication, advance planning and coordination with travel experts will help optimise your group business travel experience. The key to overcoming common challenges lies with understanding the unique needs of a group. It’s worth updating your corporate travel programme by considering these needs, along with individual preferences in the broader scope of policy compliance and budget alignment. Whether you’re organising departmental travel to a conference or an incentive trip to a retreat, staying organised at every step will make the journey run more smoothly.
This varies by service provider. For example, airlines usually qualify group bookings as those with ten or more passengers listed under a single reservation. Yet hotel groups and ground transport companies may have their own definitions.
Anyone can make a group booking, including SME business owners, corporate travel planners, or department team leaders. However, you’ll need to meet the minimum passenger number to qualify.
This will vary depending on each service provider’s policy. However, airlines and hotel groups typically have different rules pertaining to eligibility, flexibility, and pricing structure. Group bookings come with minimum traveller numbers, are often paid in instalments, and provide more flexibility than individual bookings.
Yes, in most cases big group bookings can be modified up until the point of travel. However, you may pay a fee to change your booking, so be sure to read the fine print and be aware of any deadlines for cancellations or changes.
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