Personal assistants, where would we be without you? You juggle admin, manage schedules, oversee logistics, and look after anything else that lands on your desk. But, when it comes to booking business travel, at least, there’s help at hand.
We know that you want to make your employer’s trip as smooth and successful as possible, whether they’re taking a flight halfway across the world or hopping on a train two hours away. To do that, you’ll be managing detailed itineraries, budgets, hotel reservations, car hire and more and will know each inside out before they travel. Yours is the magic touch that keeps everything running on time and to plan.
But, take a breath. At Roomex, we’re well-versed in the intricacies and how-tos of business travel. It’s our business to make it easier for you to book, manage and amend business travel for your boss.
Read on for our top business travel planning advice for personal assistants. Are you ready to be the best version of PA you?
TL;DR
A detailed business travel plan keeps you on budget and helps you manage last-minute changes efficiently. Personal assistants booking travel for their employers should…
- Tailor bookings to meet your boss’s preferences and needs.
- Use platforms like Roomex to centralise bookings and manage expenses in one place.
- Stick to budgets and monitor costs carefully.
- Reconfirm bookings to prevent issues.
- Create checklists so no steps are missed out during your business travel planning.
- Use data to improve future travel plans.
- Where possible, choose eco-friendly travel options to support company CSR objectives.
What is a business travel plan?
Is your boss setting off on a business trip? You’ll need a plan. A business travel plan is your comprehensive outline detailing all aspects of your employer’s trip for work purposes. You’ll need to include all their travel arrangements, accommodation bookings, itinerary scheduling and budgeting, plus any extras like early or late check-ins or special requests that make a trip run without hiccups.
Get your business travel plan right, and your boss’s business trip will be cost-effective and meet his or her specific needs as well as the company objectives.
Why do you need a business travel plan?
There’s power in being prepared and if you want your boss’s trip to run like clockwork then you need to be as prepared as possible. That’s where your business travel plan comes in. Any corporate travel planner will tell you that getting every detail of a business trip organised ahead of time can save many headaches later.
Here’s why:
- You’ll be able to manage costs more effectively and improve your employer’s productivity during trips.
- A detailed travel plan minimises the risk of last-minute changes and disruptions, leading to smoother and more useful business trips.
- When things do go awry, having a robust travel plan helps you make adjustments and iron out scheduling issues efficiently.
Essential business travel planning tips for personal assistants
Feeling overwhelmed about all the stuff you need to do? You’re in good hands. With years as business trip planners under our belts, we’ve pulled together everything you need to make corporate travel management a breeze. Here are the broad strokes.
1. Know what your boss wants
The first step to keeping everyone happy when you are travelling on a business trip? Know what your boss wants.
As a personal assistant, you should know the specific needs and preferences of each traveller. This includes the type of accommodation they prefer, the amenities they require, any special considerations or dietary requirements, and how close they prefer to be to their work sites.
Roomex is an excellent tool for tailoring your bookings accordingly. Our platform offers over 2 million workforce-suitable accommodations searchable via an in-depth filter to help you narrow down the options.
2. Improve your efficiency
Time is money and your peace of mind, too. As a personal assistant, your goal is to make the booking process as straightforward as possible and to save yourself maximum time in the process.
Using a central booking platform like Roomex is a game-changer. With Roomex, you can manage all bookings in one place, eliminating the need to visit multiple websites or make numerous phone calls. This saves time and gets all your travel arrangements in sync, reducing the risk of errors.
Another key strategy is to schedule regular check-ins with your travellers. These check-ins allow you to update and confirm travel details, to make sure that everything is on track and any issues are addressed promptly.
This proactive approach helps prevent last-minute surprises and will keep your boss informed and reassured.
3. Track expenses carefully
Set a budget and stick to it. Managing business travel costs is a core part of a personal assistant’s travel responsibilities. Keeping track of spending and tracking expenses carefully will help keep travel costs under control.
You want to anticipate all possible expenses that might arise from the trip you’re booking obvious things like accommodation and transportation, but also daily allowances for meals and incidentals like parking tickets. It is then your job to keep all bookings within the agreed budget.
Roomex can help you here. You’ll save an average of 12% on your corporate hotel bookings and keep everything in one place. Instead of dealing with multiple receipts and invoices, Roomex provides a single, comprehensive invoice, saving you time and easing the administrative burden.
4. Always follow up on bookings
You know what they say: fail to prepare and prepare to fail. Depending on trains, planes, meeting times or site visit schedules, your boss might be arriving early but in need of freshening up, or later than standard check-in. It’s your responsibility as a PA travel manager to make sure any special requests like late check-in are adhered to.
You can request all of this when you make a booking, but following up and checking in with the reservations you have made keeps you abreast of any potential problems before they crop up. At the very least, following up gives you a chance to alert your boss to any unfulfilled requests
- Use search and filter options when booking corporate hotels to make sure they cater to your employer’s requirements.
- If you’re using early or late check-in services, reconfirm with the accommodation in the days leading up to the trip to swerve any surprises.
- Use your follow-up to understand the check-in process for each accommodation. Where does your boss need to go or how does check-in work out of hours?
- Use your periodic checks to make sure all details have been included in the reservation does your boss have accessibility requirements? Does car parking have to be booked separately? Will the hotel arrange taxis or do you need to book those in advance?
5. Make yourself a checklist
Creating your own step-by-step guide for business trip bookings helps you manage the process more effectively. Say goodbye to ultimate-hour panics and missing information a checklist for booking business travel will keep you permanently one step ahead.
Why create a checklist?
- To keep you organised and make sure you don’t miss any important steps.
- You’ll save time, since the booking process will be faster and more efficient.
- There’s less chance you’ll make an error or forget something important.
- You can stress less a checklist provides a clear roadmap to help you get the job done.
What should you include in your business travel booking checklist?
- Traveller information name, passport details, contact information and travel preferences.
Special requirements for dietary or accessibility needs.- Trip budget to include allowances for flights, accommodations, transport, daily expense and any other incidental expenses.
- Accommodation bookings. Roomex’s indepth filter can help with these
- Flight, train, or other transport bookings including rental cars or taxis.
- Prepare an in depth itinerary detailing where your boss needs to be and when include all booking details, chcek-in and check-out times, pick-up times etc.
- Check travel documents such as passports, visas, tickets, are valid and in order.
- Reconfirm reservations to avoid any late-in-the-day issues.
- Prepare a list of emergency contacts and make sure your traveller and you know who to call in the event of travel disruptions or cancellations.
Special requirements for dietary or accessibility needs.6. Use analytics to refine your business travel booking processes
By tracking travel patterns and monitoring expenses, you can make more informed decisions the next time you book corporate travel. Analytics identify common travel destinations and preferred accommodations which can help you negotiate better rates. Monitoring expenses in real time highlights areas where savings can be made.
Roomex offers powerful analytcs tools that provide valuable insights for the next time your boss wants to travel. With Roomex, you can generate comprehensive reports on booking patterns and accommodation options, helping to identify trends and areas for improvement. Roomex’s tools also help ensure that all bookings adhere to corporate travel policies, reducing the risk of non-compliance and associated costs.
7. Incorporate sustainability into your business travel plan
With the rise in remote collaboration tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, business trips will increasingly need to be justified in terms of their environmental impact. 84% of customers say that poor environmental practices will alienate them from a brand or company. If you are booking business travel, it’s your responsibility to help steer your brand along a green path.
To support sustainability, opt for accommodation and travel options that prioritise eco-friendly practices. Look for hotels with green certifications or those with sustainable features like renewable energy or recycling programmes. When you book transport, consider options that have a lower environmental impact (think trains or car-sharing services) over less sustainable alternatives like domestic flights.
Wrapping up
Personal assistants have a key role to play in making business travel more efficient and cost-effective. By gathering traveller preferences, managing bookings with a tool like Roomex, tracking expenses and incorporating sustainability, you can streamline the process and make trips more productive. At Roomex, we simplify business trip booking by offering extensive, searchable accommodation options and powerful analytics.
