If you ever start to feel that arranging your team's travel plans is a full-time job, you’re not alone. As your company grows, so does the headache of manually managing all those flights, hotels and expenses. It's tough enough when only a few people are travelling, but with 20 or more employees out on the road, it can quickly become a logistical nightmare.
That's where a central booking platform comes to the rescue. It's like having a personal corporate travel assistant who takes care of all the messy details, from finding the best deals to keeping everyone safe and on budget. It's a simple way to tame the travel chaos and give you back some precious time to focus on what really matters: growing your business.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg, as we’ll explore in this article. Let's look at the top 5 reasons why a central booking platform is a must-have for any company that takes business travel seriously.
A one-stop shop for all your travel needs
A central booking platform acts as your business travel control centre. It puts everything you need in one place, so you can book flights, hotels and transportation, track expenses and manage approvals without juggling multiple tools and contacts. These platforms can adapt to your growing needs, accommodating an increasing number of travellers and more complex itineraries as your business expands internationally.
At Roomex, we offer a huge selection of accommodation, including unique boutique hotels and eco-friendly options, catering to diverse corporate cultures and social responsibility goals. Integration with other corporate systems, such as HR and financial software, ensures seamless management of permissions and expenses.
Here's how this simplified approach benefits your business:
Simplified processes: No more switching between different systems. Everything from booking to billing is handled in one place, saving you time and reducing the chance of headache-y errors.
Easy to use: Your employees will appreciate the intuitive interface, which makes it easy for them to book their own travel quickly and efficiently.
Effortless compliance: With built-in travel policies, bookings automatically adhere to company guidelines, so that compliance is straightforward and hassle-free.
Cost-effectiveness: more than just saving pennies
Saving money on business travel isn't just about finding the cheapest hotel. A central booking platform like Roomex can help you save considerably on costs beyond just lower room rates.
Here's the deal:
We're negotiation ninjas: We can get exclusive deals with hotels and other accommodation that you won't find anywhere else. This means more savings for your company, especially when you're booking for a whole team.
Less admin, more money in your pocket: By streamlining the booking process, we cut down on those pesky administrative tasks that eat up your time (and money). That means less paperwork, fewer headaches and more resources to put towards growing your business.
Keep tabs on your spending: Our fancy analytics tool, RoomexAnalytics, gives you a real-time view of your travel expenses and helps you spot any areas where you might be overspending. This gives you the power to make smarter decisions and keep your budget in check.
Ensuring policy compliance and simplified approvals
One of the most significant challenges in managing business travel is making sure that all bookings adhere to company policies. A central booking platform automates and simplifies this process, so that compliance is non-negotiable. This level of control is vital for maintaining budget discipline and managing corporate risk.
Here's how it works: your company's travel policies are baked right into the platform, so every booking automatically gets checked for compliance. The result is that no more surprise expenses or out-of-policy bookings slipping through the cracks. Approvals are just as streamlined, thanks to a simplified one-click approval process that keeps everything moving quickly and efficiently.
This simplified approach to compliance means:
Automated flagging of policy violations: The platform can automatically flag bookings that exceed set per diem limits, so that all accommodation and meal expenses stay within company guidelines. If an employee tries to book a luxury hotel that's outside the approved price range, the system will either block the booking or send an alert to a manager for further review.
Restricted vendor selection: Central booking platforms can restrict bookings to approved vendors and airlines. Suppose an employee attempts to book a flight with a non-approved airline. In that case, the platform will alert the manager or redirect the employee to approved options, preventing policy breaches before they occur.
Customisable approval workflows: For travel expenses that require higher-level scrutiny, the platform can be configured to route booking requests through a customised approval workflow. For example, bookings that involve executive suites or international first-class flights can be set to require additional approvals from senior management.
Speedy bookings: The one-click approval system makes things way faster for both you and your travellers.
So, Roomex not only simplifies the whole travel management process but also acts as a safety net for your company's finances, giving you peace of mind and helping you avoid costly policy breaches.
Insightful travel management with real-time data
Having access to real-time analytics can transform how a company manages its business travel. As well as helping you organise travel details, a central booking platform like Roomex provides powerful analytics tools that offer insights into travel patterns, spending and compliance. This information gives you the data you need to make smarter decisions and keep your travel costs in check.
RoomexAnalytics is like having a magnifying glass on your travel spending. It shows you exactly where your money is going, what's driving your costs and how well your team is sticking to the company's travel policy. Armed with this information, you can pinpoint areas for saving money and make sure your travel program is working for you, not against you.
Here are just a few ways that Roomex's data insights can help you out:
Take control of your budget: By understanding where and how your travel money is being spent, you can make better decisions about your budget and even predict future costs.
Fine-tune your travel policy: With real-time data at your fingertips, you can quickly adjust your travel policy based on how your employees are actually travelling and spending. It's all about staying flexible and responsive.
Travel smarter, not harder: The detailed analytics help you make strategic decisions about when and how to travel for business, negotiate better deals and make your overall travel program more efficient.
Roomex, on top of being a super-handy booking tool, is a strategic partner that helps you make the most of your travel budget by harnessing the power of data.
Duty of care
Your team's safety is – naturally – non-negotiable, but sending large teams out into the wild opens up a huge amount of risk. A central booking platform can significantly boost a company's duty of care with tools that track and support employees throughout their trips.
Roomex's live Duty of Care map is essentially a live GPS tracker for your team. You can see exactly where they’re located in real-time, access their travel history, and get in touch with them instantly if needed. Abilities like these can make all the difference when it comes to responding quickly in emergencies. Plus, with easy communication features built right into the platform, help is always just a click or call away, meaning your workers feel secure and supported throughout every minute of their time away.
Here's how Roomex’s focus on duty of care benefits you:
Stay in the know: Get at-a-glance access to your team's travel info so you can respond quickly in any situation.
Be proactive, not reactive: Monitor travel risks and address potential issues before they become major problems.
Peace of mind: Knowing that your team is safe and supported on the road lets everyone breathe a little more easily.
Wrapping up
Using a central booking platform like Roomex is a no-brainer for managing your business travel. Roomex goes beyond easy booking; it simplifies the whole process, saves on costs, prioritises employee safety and empowers smarter travel decisions.
Imagine a workplace with less time spent on tedious admin tasks, happier employees who can book their own trips with ease, and a travel budget that's actually under control. Plus, with real-time data at your fingertips, you can make informed choices that will make your company huge savings in the long run.
Ready to take control of your business travel? See how our business travel solutions can meet your needs by scheduling a personalised demo.
