2018 Business Travel Trends
Much of the news we read about and watch on TV nowadays surely stir up emotions but really has no direct impact on our daily lives.
We hope the following news brings companies and corporate travelers insight into the world of business travel.
Take note businesses, the following trends for 2018 and beyond, especially if you have lots of travelling employees, could further develop over the coming year.
Business owners need to stay ahead of the curve and keep updated on these trends and more so they can get an edge, maintain a solid advantage and increase their bottom line.
We’re at the mid point of 2018. With that, we’d like to share with you our five top trends that are changing the global business travel landscape.
Remote Employee Check-In
These types of systems are becoming a trend among companies. They allow businesses to track the hours of employees, wherever they are, what they are working on. As well as the tasks they have accomplished or are in the process of completing.
In-Room Hotel Technology
Something that is sure to make a business travelers’ stay more comfortable is using their smartphone to choose a room, check in and use their phone to unlock the door. Going beyond, a guest can use their phone to control the temperature, choose their entertainment options, open and close curtains and make lighting adjustments.
The big chains such as Hilton and Marriott are leading the phone charge (pun intended) to make the guest experience more of a personal one.
Biometric Boarding
A bit before Christmas late last year British Airways announced that after testing the new technology at Heathrow, they were going to start a trial at LAX in Los Angeles. Gates fitted with biometric technology can identify facial features and match them against photographs taken earlier in the check-in process when at immigration .
Travelers of all stripes have seen the check-in process slowed down in recent years because of security fears. It won’t be long before passports that were only introduced at the start of the 20th century will become obsolete through the power of technology.
Hotel Cancellation Policy
Hotels have definitely been taking a look at how they manage their bottom line. Back in 2016, they were super focused on having guests directly book so they could limit the number of rooms that were being sold via OTAs (Online Travel Agencies).
Hotels have since changed their policies and this trend is continuing, allowing guests to cancel without the need to pay a cancellation fee if made within 24, 48 and some have even extended the ability to cancel to 72 hours prior to the check-in date.
Business travelers, if you are keeping track of your VAT\GST expenses (as you should be), especially in the UK specifically and the EU in general, for example, make sure that you book, pay and receive a receipt at the hotel you are staying in, for your company to qualify for VAT\GST reimbursement.
This is an increasingly complicated area for global businesses, especially when sending their employees on business trips to the EU.
Download this handy guide that will present you with all the EU spoken phrases on what to ask for to ensure that your company will be reimbursed for VAT\GST expenses in a timely manner. This brings us to our last trend.
VAT\GST Reimbursement Technology
Technology conquers the pain of getting reimbursed for VAT\GST expenses. A big trend in 2018 is to utilize technology to scan your receipts and get the VAT\GST reimbursement process rolling immediately.
It most of the time takes a lot of work, a lot of paper and a lot of frustration for corporate accounting departments to do this, especially if they have a number of salespeople and executives going on business trips.
This mobile app technology knows all the rules regarding all the countries, percentages you can be reimbursed for, will save time, free up resources and get businesses refunded quicker.
Download this eBook to get the lowdown on VAT\GST reimbursement in the EU.
Check back here soon for more on the world of business travel.
For more information please contact us