Category: Blog

Supplier Consolidation: A Procurement Guide for 2026 Why fragmented suppliers quietly undermine cost, leverage and control Courtesy of Unsplash Procurement teams don’t usually wake up one morning and decide to consolidate suppliers. It happens slowly – after the same invoice shows up three different ways, after another “temporary” supplier becomes permanent, or when reporting turns into an exercise in educated guesswork. On paper, a wide supplier base looks flexible. In reality, it often means less leverage, inconsistent pricing, higher admin, and limited visibility over where money is actually going. For procurement managers under pressure to deliver savings, manage risk and keep the business moving, supplier sprawl quietly works against all three. This problem has become more visible in recent years. As organisations scale, decentralise, or support mobile and project-based teams, suppliers multiply faster than controls. Travel, accommodation, and other high-volume services are especially vulnerable – booked frequently, often outside core systems, and rarely reviewed until costs start to climb. Supplier consolidation isn’t about cutting suppliers for the sake of it. Done properly, it’s a strategic reset: reducing duplication, strengthening negotiating power, and creating a supplier model that procurement can actually govern. This guide explains what supplier consolidation really means in 2026, where it delivers the biggest impact, and how procurement teams can approach it without introducing new risks or slowing the business down. What supplier consolidation actually means (and what it doesn’t) Supplier consolidation is often misunderstood as a blunt cost-cutting exercise: fewer suppliers, fewer invoices, lower prices. In reality, effective consolidation is far more strategic, and far more selective. At its core, supplier consolidation is the process of reducing unnecessary duplication across your supplier base while strengthening relationships with the suppliers that genuinely deliver value. It’s about focusing spend on where it can be controlled, negotiated and measured – not about forcing everything through a single vendor or stripping teams of flexibility. What supplier consolidation is ✔ Rationalising overlapping suppliers providing the same service✔ Concentrating spend to improve negotiating leverage✔ Standardising contracts, pricing and service levels✔ Improving visibility across cost, performance and risk✔ Making procurement governance easier to enforce What supplier consolidation is not ✘ A race to the smallest possible supplier list✘ A one-off cost-saving initiative✘ Centralisation at the expense of operational needs✘ Removing choice where it genuinely matters For procurement managers, the goal is always to have fewer unmanaged suppliers. In categories like travel procurement, consolidation is especially powerful because spend is high-volume, repetitive and often fragmented across teams, locations and booking methods. Multiple suppliers offering near-identical services dilute buying power and make savings harder to track, even when rates look competitive in isolation. When consolidation is done well, procurement gains: Clear ownership of supplier relationships Stronger pricing through volume aggregation Consistent commercial and compliance terms Cleaner data for reporting and savings tracking And just as importantly, the business gains a supply model that’s easier to scale without losing control. This is why consolidation has become a core pillar of modern procurement tools and procurement software – not as a constraint, but as an enabler of smarter decision-making. Why supplier sprawl quietly erodes procurement control Supplier sprawl doesn’t usually happen because procurement teams lose focus. It happens because the business moves faster than governance. New projects start. Teams expand into new regions. Urgent requirements bypass standard processes. Over time, what began as a handful of approved suppliers turns into dozens of contracts, rate cards and booking paths – all technically “working”, but none working together. The impact isn’t always obvious at first. Individually, each supplier might look reasonable. Collectively, they create blind spots that make effective procurement almost impossible. Looking for comfortable accommodation and simple expense management tailored specifically for the mobile workforce? Discover how Roomex can streamline your travel needs, offering hassle-free booking and expense solutions designed to keep your team focused on the job. Try Roomex today and experience the difference in efficiency and convenience for your mobile workforce. Request a Demo The hidden consequences of too many suppliers When supplier bases grow unchecked, procurement managers typically see the same issues emerge: Diluted negotiating powerSpend spread thinly across multiple suppliers weakens leverage. Even when total category spend is high, no single supplier sees enough volume to offer meaningful discounts. Inconsistent pricing and termsSimilar services are purchased at different rates, under different conditions, often within the same department or region. Limited savings visibilityWithout consolidated data, it’s difficult to prove whether negotiated savings are actually being realised – or whether they’re being offset elsewhere. Higher risk exposureMore suppliers mean more contracts to manage, more compliance checks, and more exposure to service failures that go unnoticed until something breaks. Procurement reduced to firefightingTime that should be spent on strategic sourcing and supplier performance is instead used reconciling invoices, answering internal queries and chasing data. In travel procurement, these issues are blown up. Bookings made across multiple platforms, direct supplier relationships and ad-hoc arrangements make it difficult to answer even basic questions, such as: How much are we really spending on accommodation this quarter? Which suppliers are driving the most value? Where are negotiated rates being bypassed? Without consolidation, procurement teams are often managing symptoms rather than causes. Why consolidation is a control mechanism, not a restriction The misconception is that consolidation limits flexibility. In reality, it restores control. By reducing unnecessary supplier overlap, procurement teams create clearer pathways for the business to buy what it needs – quickly, compliantly and at a predictable cost. It also allows procurement software and procurement savings tracking tools to do what they’re designed for: turn data into insight. Where supplier consolidation delivers the biggest wins Not every category benefits from consolidation in the same way. Some areas already operate with tight supplier controls. Others, especially those driven by urgency or decentralised buying, tend to get out of hand quickly. Travel is one of the clearest examples. Why travel is often the first place consolidation pays off When travel suppliers are rationalised and managed through a smaller number of strategic channels, procurement..

How Static Travel Budgets Are Hurting Your Company in 2026 Why fixed per diems and rigid caps no longer reflect how people actually travel Courtesy of Unsplash Most travel budgets still look the same year after year. Fixed per diems. Annual caps. A spreadsheet signed off long before anyone knows where projects will actually land or how long teams will be on the road. In practice, this feels sensible. Predictable numbers are easier to approve, easier to track and easier to defend. In practice, static travel budgets often do the opposite. They hide overspend until it’s too late, push costs into expense claims and make VAT recovery harder than it needs to be. The problem isn’t that finance teams lack discipline. It’s that travel no longer behaves in neat, predictable patterns. Projects overrun. Rates fluctuate by location and season. Long stays blur the line between accommodation, meals and in-trip expenses. Yet many budgets are still built as if travel is occasional, short and uniform. As global business travel spending is expected to reach $1.69 trillion in 2026, finance teams are under more pressure than ever to explain where money is going – and why it keeps drifting away from plan. Static budgets make that job harder, not easier. In this article, we’ll look at why fixed per diems and rigid travel caps quietly increase cost, create VAT blind spots and limit visibility – and what a more flexible, finance-led approach to travel budgeting looks like in 2026. Per diem meaning and where it starts to break down At its simplest, a per diem is a daily allowance given to employees to cover travel-related costs such as accommodation, meals and incidentals. The idea is straightforward: set a fixed amount, give travellers autonomy, and avoid the admin of itemised expense claims. So, what does per diem mean in practice? For finance teams, it’s meant to create cost certainty. For travellers, it’s meant to reduce friction. But the way per diems are commonly used today often achieves neither. Why per diems worked in the past Per diems made sense when business travel followed predictable patterns: Short trips to major cities Similar hotel rates across regions Limited variation in meal and transport costs Clear separation between “travel days” and “working days” In that environment, a fixed daily rate felt fair and controllable. Variations evened out over time, and finance teams could budget with reasonable confidence. Why they struggle in 2026 Travel no longer slots into a single daily allowance. The cost of a hotel night in a regional town can exceed a city-centre rate during peak demand. Long-stay accommodation blurs into weekly or monthly pricing. Rail fares fluctuate based on timing and disruption. Meals and incidentals vary widely depending on shift patterns and location. When per diems stay static while real-world costs move, three things usually happen: Employees top up out of pocket, then reclaim later Costs shift into expenses, reducing visibility at the point of spend Teams make suboptimal choices, prioritising the allowance over what actually works for the project From a finance perspective, this creates the illusion of control while eroding it underneath. The hidden impact on VAT and compliance Fixed per diems also complicate VAT on travel. When allowances are paid instead of actual costs being captured: VAT on accommodation and transport may be unrecoverable Receipts are incomplete or missing Spend is harder to categorise accurately What looks like a clean budgeting mechanism often results in less reclaimable VAT and weaker audit trails, especially for workforce travel that spans weeks rather than days. Looking for comfortable accommodation and simple expense management tailored specifically for the mobile workforce? Discover how Roomex can streamline your travel needs, offering hassle-free booking and expense solutions designed to keep your team focused on the job. Try Roomex today and experience the difference in efficiency and convenience for your mobile workforce. Request a Demo Workforce travel vs corporate travel Workforce travel often sits under the same heading as corporate travel. In practice, they behave very differently. Treating them as interchangeable is one of the fastest ways companies lose visibility and confidence in their travel programme. Traditional corporate travel management is designed around occasional trips: a meeting in another city, a conference, a client visit. Workforce travel is built around delivery. People travel because the work requires them to be on site, often for extended periods and often at short notice. The differences become clearer when you look at how travel actually happens day to day. Where finance teams start to feel the strain Over time, static per diems lead to: Increasing variance between budgeted and actual travel costs Manual intervention during reconciliations Frustration from travellers and approvers alike The issue isn’t the concept of per diems themselves. It’s treating them as fixed, universal figures in a travel environment that is anything but fixed. How static budgets distort corporate travel spend analysis For finance teams, the biggest issue with static travel budgets isn’t only overspend, it’s distorted data. When costs don’t flow through the same systems, in the same way, at the same time, spend analysis stops reflecting reality. This is where static per diems and rigid caps quietly undermine corporate travel spend analysis. Spend moves, visibility doesn’t When daily allowances don’t cover real costs, employees and managers find workarounds: Paying personally and reclaiming later Booking outside preferred channels Splitting costs across expenses, cards and invoices Using generic travel spending cards with limited controls Each workaround creates a blind spot. Instead of seeing travel spend as it happens, finance teams only see fragments, often weeks later. The result? Reports that look tidy on paper but miss: Which projects are driving cost increases Where rates are drifting above market How often plans change mid-stay Which locations or suppliers create the most volatility Static budgets hide variance, not risk Fixed budgets tend to average everything out. That makes dashboards look stable while masking the pressure underneath. For example: A long-stay extension that doubles accommodation cost Rail disruption forcing last-minute..

The Complete Guide to Workforce Travel in 2026 From long stays to rail-first routes, what workforce travel really involves Courtesy of Unsplash Table of contents What Is Workforce Travel? The Complete 2026 Guide 1 From long stays to rail-first routes, what workforce travel really involves 1 What is workforce travel? 2 Workforce travel vs corporate travel 4 Why workforce travel has become a board-level issue 5 The hidden costs companies miss in workforce travel 7 Why traditional corporate travel management breaks down 8 Who workforce travel affects 10 What modern workforce travel management looks like in 2026 12 Sustainability and cost reality in workforce travel 13 A better way to keep workforce travel under control in 2026 14 Workforce travel doesn’t look like traditional business travel anymore – and treating it that way is where many companies start to lose control. Across construction, energy, utilities and field-based operations, travel isn’t about the occasional meeting or conference. It’s about getting people to sites, keeping them there safely, and adapting quickly when projects overrun, schedules change or teams rotate. That kind of travel happens at scale, over long periods, and under far more operational pressure than most corporate travel models were ever designed for. At the same time, travel spend is climbing fast. Global business travel spending is projected to reach $1.69 trillion in 2026, up 8.1% year on year, according to the Global Business Travel Association. Much of that growth is being driven by in-person work returning at pace – and a significant share of it sits in workforce travel that’s harder to see, harder to forecast and easier to mismanage. The challenge is that workforce travel is still often booked, paid for and tracked using tools built for the occasional corporate traveller. The result is fragmented spending, limited visibility for finance, extra pressure on travel managers, and a frustrating experience for the people actually on the road. This guide looks at what workforce travel really involves in 2026, how it differs from standard corporate travel management, and what businesses need to do to support travellers, control costs and stay in control as travel volumes continue to grow. What is workforce travel? Workforce travel is the movement and accommodation of employees whose roles depend on being physically present at specific locations to deliver work. That might mean a single site for several weeks, rotating between regions, or returning to the same locations repeatedly over the course of a project. Unlike traditional corporate travel, workforce travel is not occasional or discretionary. It’s operational. If the travel doesn’t happen, the work then doesn’t happen. Typical workforce travel includes: Engineers travelling between maintenance sites Construction crews deployed to long-term projects Utilities teams covering regional outages or upgrades Energy and renewables teams rotating through remote locations Field service and infrastructure teams supporting ongoing operations In many organisations, these trips make up a significant share of total travel spend, even if they don’t always appear that way on paper. Why workforce travel is growing Workforce travel has expanded quietly, but consistently throughout the years. Large infrastructure programmes, the energy transition, regional labour shortages and a renewed focus on in-person delivery have all increased the need to move people rather than work around them. According to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), global business travel spending is expected to reach $1.69 trillion in 2026, with sustained growth driven by in-person work and operational travel rather than conferences or events. A meaningful portion of that spend sits within workforce travel – long stays, repeat routes and project-based travel that looks very different to the classic corporate trip. What makes workforce travel distinct Workforce travel tends to share a few defining characteristics: Longer stays Trips often last weeks or months, not nights, with extensions and early departures common. Repeat journeys The same locations, routes and suppliers are used again and again. Operational dependency Travel is tied directly to project timelines, site access and delivery schedules. Higher disruption risk Delays, cancellations or accommodation issues can stop work entirely, not just inconvenience a traveller. Different success metrics The goal isn’t traveller perks or flexibility – it’s reliability, safety, cost control and continuity. This is where many businesses run into trouble. Workforce travel is frequently managed using the same assumptions as standard corporate travel, even though the risks, costs and requirements are fundamentally different. Workforce travel and corporate travel management Workforce travel still sits under the umbrella of corporate travel management, but it needs to be handled differently. The volume, predictability and financial impact mean it touches far more than just the travel function. Travel managers need visibility across large numbers of bookings and changing itineraries Finance teams need clean, consolidated data to control spend and forecast accurately Enterprise leaders need confidence that duty of care obligations are being met at scale Travellers need bookings that work around shift patterns, locations and real-world conditions Understanding workforce travel properly is the first step towards building a travel programme that supports all four groups, rather than creating friction between them. Looking for comfortable accommodation and simple expense management tailored specifically for the mobile workforce? Discover how Roomex can streamline your travel needs, offering hassle-free booking and expense solutions designed to keep your team focused on the job. Try Roomex today and experience the difference in efficiency and convenience for your mobile workforce. Request a Demo Workforce travel vs corporate travel Workforce travel often sits under the same heading as corporate travel. In practice, they behave very differently. Treating them as interchangeable is one of the fastest ways companies lose visibility and confidence in their travel programme. Traditional corporate travel management is designed around occasional trips: a meeting in another city, a conference, a client visit. Workforce travel is built around delivery. People travel because the work requires them to be on site, often for extended periods and often at short notice. The differences become clearer when you look at how travel actually happens day to day. How the two models differ in reality..

Opening soon for submissions The Workforce Travel Awards by Roomex are the only industry honours dedicated exclusively to recognising the people, partners and organisations who keep essential industries moving. Unlike traditional business travel awards, these celebrate the resilience, innovation and real-world impact of those working on, and supporting, the frontline of workforce travel. From field-based workers and travel managers to employers, hotels and partners, the awards shine a light on those making a meaningful difference to workforce travel experiences. Entry form Entries open Monday 19th January. Winners will be announced on the 6th March, with a formal awards ceremony to follow. Award categories The Workforce Travel Awards recognise excellence across the full workforce travel journey, with the following categories: Workforce Travel Champion of the Year Travel Manager / Team of the Year Best Employer for Workforce Travel Sustainability in Workforce Travel Wellbeing in Workforce Travel Outstanding Partner Award Outstanding Workforce Hotel Award Who can enter? The awards are open to individuals, teams, organisations and partners involved in workforce travel. Nominations can be made on behalf of yourself, a colleague, a team or an organisation. There is no cost to enter.

The complete business travel packing checklist for first-time and seasoned travellers Because no one delivers their best work when they’re busy hunting for a missing charger Business travel has a way of exposing all the small things we usually take for granted at home. The charger you thought was already in your bag. The shirt you definitely meant to iron. The document you were sure you saved somewhere obvious. No matter if it’s your first work trip or your hundredth, packing has a habit of turning into a last-minute scramble – and the consequences aren’t always minor. One forgotten item can throw off a meeting, delay a site visit or leave you paying airport prices for something you own three of already. What most travellers realise, often the hard way, is that packing isn’t really about stuffing a suitcase. It’s about preparing yourself to work comfortably and confidently away from home. And the more mobile your role (field teams, engineers, project crews, supervisors, auditors, area managers) the more that preparation shapes the success of the trip itself. A business travel packing checklist isn’t about being rigid or over-organised. It’s about taking the guesswork out of an already busy week and freeing up headspace for the work you’re actually travelling to do. It helps first-timers avoid rookie mistakes, and it helps seasoned travellers stay consistent even when trips stack up back-to-back. Below, we’ll build the complete checklist, one that goes further than clothes and toiletries, and reflects what modern mobile workers actually need on the road. Why you need a business travel packing checklist (and why memory isn’t enough) Most travellers will confidently say they “never forget anything”, right up until the moment they’re halfway to the airport and realise the presentation clicker is still on their desk, their laptop charger is plugged in behind the sofa, or the only umbrella they own is sitting politely in the hallway. Business travel isn’t always revolving around clothes and toiletries – it’s a moving mix of meetings, deadlines, logistics, tech, documents, compliance, safety considerations and the occasional policy landmine. A proper business travel packing checklist cuts through the questions and protects you from the quiet chaos that happens when even one essential item is missing. A good checklist will support: ✔ Different types of trips A one-night site visit, a four-day conference and a two-week overseas project all require different gear. A structured list lets you adjust quickly without starting from scratch every time. ✔ Different roles A quantity surveyor does not pack like a regional sales manager, and a travelling engineer doesn’t think about the same risks as a consultant flying between client offices. A checklist levels the playing field. ✔ Different company expectations Some businesses provide a corporate card. Others require receipts uploaded in-trip. Some require PPE. Others expect formal attire. A checklist keeps those rules visible and helps travellers stay compliant. ✔ Unexpected disruption Delays, lost luggage, changed meeting locations, weather issues – these things never feel urgent until they are. With a checklist, you’re not improvising under pressure. Pre-trip planning: what to sort out before you touch a suitcase Packing is only one part of preparing for business travel. Experienced travellers know the “before you pack” stage determines how smooth the entire trip will be. Here’s what to sort first: 1. Confirm your itinerary (and the purpose of the trip) It sounds obvious, but it’s amazing how often travellers pack before remembering that one day includes a client dinner, another requires PPE on-site, and the final day is mostly travel and admin. Your itinerary dictates your packing, not the other way around. 2. Check your company’s travel policy Even seasoned travellers skip this step and pay for it later. Policies usually include: Approved travel suppliers Hotel requirements (breakfast, room caps, locations) Allowed expenses PPE rules for on-site visits Safety requirements depending on destination Out-of-hours travel guidance If you use Roomex, these rules are built into the booking flow so travellers don’t miss them. Looking for comfortable accommodation and simple expense management tailored specifically for the mobile workforce? Discover how Roomex can streamline your travel needs, offering hassle-free booking and expense solutions designed to keep your team focused on the job. Try Roomex today and experience the difference in efficiency and convenience for your mobile workforce. Request a Demo 3. Understand your payment method Will you use a corporate card? A virtual card? Your own money and claim later? This affects: Which receipts you must keep Whether your hotel requires deposits Whether you need backup payment cards What reimbursement timelines look like (With RoomexPay, travellers don’t pay out of pocket – which removes the biggest stress point.) 4. Check travel documents and logistics Before you even think about clothes, confirm: Passport validity Visa requirements Real ID requirements (if relevant) Airport/train station transfers Hotel check-in instructions Local worksite rules (PPE, access cards, induction documents) Skipping these is how last-minute chaos begins. 5. Review weather and local conditions Rain in Manchester. Heat in Madrid. Snow in Warsaw. Humidity in Singapore. Your bag should reflect the forecast, not wishful thinking. What to consider before you start packing for business travel Before you look at a suitcase, there’s a moment every traveller (whether it’s their first trip or their fiftieth) has to pause and think about what this journey actually demands. Business travel isn’t “going somewhere with a laptop”. It’s a mix of work, logistics, personal comfort and contingency planning, all packed into a very small physical space. And the decisions you make before you pack are what determine if your trip runs smoothly or becomes a string of small frustrations. Here are the factors professional business travellers always run through before they touch a packing cube. 1. The purpose and structure of your trip No two business trips are the same. A one-night client dinner requires a different setup than three days on a construction site, an internal strategy workshop or a week at an industry conference. Before building your business travel..

Business travel expenses list – The who, what, and why of paying for work trips Exploring the awards shaping greener business travel Sustainability has moved from a travel-industry talking point to a genuine measure of progress, performance and reputation. Across Europe, companies are under pressure to reduce the environmental impact of their corporate travel – and suppliers are being asked to prove that they’re not only offsetting carbon, but transforming how travel is planned and delivered. That shift is exactly why the business travel sustainability awards have become such a significant part of the industry calendar. What began as a small recognition programme has grown into one of the most respected sets of sustainable travel awards in Europe, bringing together travel managers, climate specialists, suppliers, ESG leaders and mobility innovators. The awards celebrate organisations that are demonstrating real, measurable change – whether through smarter routing, low-emission fleets, sustainable aviation fuel programmes, rail-first travel strategies or technology that cuts unnecessary journeys altogether. As sustainable travel climbs even higher on corporate agendas, the awards offer something increasingly important: clarity. They give travel managers insight into who is leading the way, which initiatives genuinely reduce emissions and what the future of sustainable travel looks like for businesses trying to meet ambitious climate goals without slowing down their operations. What the business travel sustainability awards in Europe actually are The business travel sustainability awards have quickly become one of the most influential benchmarks in the travel industry – not because they celebrate nice ideas, but because they focus on measurable action. First introduced by the BTN Group in 2023, the awards were created in response to a simple shift happening across Europe: sustainability is no longer a side project in corporate travel programmes, it is now a core performance metric. Unlike traditional sustainable travel awards, which often highlight broad commitments or marketing-led initiatives, these awards recognise companies, travel managers, analysts and suppliers who are delivering real, evidenced progress. Every entry goes through an independent judging panel made up of senior travel managers, sustainability consultants and ESG specialists who look for tangible results rather than promises. What the judges assess is detailed and deliberately rigorous. Submissions are evaluated across criteria such as: Carbon reduction performance backed by verified data Supplier innovation, especially new technology or processes reducing emissions Behaviour change programmes that shift how travellers choose and move Policy alignment, ensuring sustainability goals are part of everyday decision-making Reporting transparency, including credible methodologies and meaningful metrics For travel, HR and finance managers, understanding how these awards work is important. They act as a clear signal of which suppliers and travel teams are leading the way on sustainable travel, and which approaches are proving the most effective across Europe’s business travel ecosystem. Who judges the awards? The judging panel includes: Senior corporate travel managers Independent travel consultants Sustainability and ESG specialists Industry analysts This independent structure make sure that winners are chosen based on data, not sponsorship or branding. What the awards aim to do Highlight actions over claims Encourage modal shift to lower-carbon options (rail, EV fleets, serviced apartments) Reward transparency and reporting discipline Showcase suppliers with credible, science-aligned sustainability targets Provide travel managers with trusted benchmarks These sustainable travel awards are becoming a key reference point for procurement, HR, sustainability and finance teams selecting partners for their travel programmes. Categories recognised across Europe The awards span suppliers, travel programmes and individual leadership. The structure changes slightly each year, but the core categories include: Core award categories Award category What it recognises Why it matters Achievement in Sustainability – Managed Travel Programme Companies reducing emissions through policy, behavioural change and reporting Helps travel managers benchmark best-in-class programmes Sustainability Champion Individuals leading transformational sustainability work Highlights leadership that drives cultural change Sustainability Partner of the Year – Airline Airlines implementing verifiable decarbonisation roadmaps Gives procurement clarity on which suppliers back claims with action Sustainability Partner of the Year – Rail Operator Rail companies enabling modal shift and low-carbon business travel Important for Europe’s rail-first strategies Sustainability Partner of the Year – Ground Transport EV expansion, fleet electrification and low-carbon routing Supports greener door-to-door journeys Sustainability Partner of the Year – TMC Travel management companies embedding sustainability into tools and policies Guides corporate decision-making at the point of sale Achievement in Sustainability – Accommodation Hotels standardising reporting and reducing property emissions Helps companies book lower-impact stays Achievement in Sustainability Innovation New technologies, platforms or processes Shows where sustainability is heading next Achievement in Sustainability – Meetings & Events Low-waste, low-carbon events strategy A major impact area for large organisations Achievement in Advancing Sustainability – Data & Reporting High-quality carbon reporting and transparency Essential for ESG, procurement and finance teams These categories map closely to the real decisions organisations must make when designing sustainable travel programmes: which airlines to trust, which accommodation providers reduce impact, which ground transport partners are electrifying their fleets and which booking systems provide reliable carbon data. Looking for comfortable accommodation and simple expense management tailored specifically for the mobile workforce? Discover how Roomex can streamline your travel needs, offering hassle-free booking and expense solutions designed to keep your team focused on the job. Try Roomex today and experience the difference in efficiency and convenience for your mobile workforce. Request a Demo Winners of the 2025 Business Travel Sustainability Awards (Europe) Below is a breakdown of the 2025 winners, based on BTN Europe’s Earth Day announcement. Supplier winners   Category Winner Why they stood out Sustainability Partner of the Year – Airline easyJet Holistic sustainability approach, strong SAF collaboration, operational efficiencies Sustainability Partner of the Year – Rail Operator Avanti West Coast Validated 2031 net-zero target, strong modal shift partnerships Sustainability Partner of the Year – Ground Transport (Driver Hire) Blacklane Transparent EV expansion, measurable emissions reporting Sustainability Partner of the Year – TMC BCD Travel Carbon-fee invoicing, behavioural nudges, enterprise-wide strategy Highly Commended – TMC Key Travel Documented results, Carbon Neutral Hotel Rooms programme Achievement in Sustainability – Accommodation Provider Lamington Group..

Business travel expenses list – The who, what, and why of paying for work trips A clear, practical breakdown of what counts as business travel Business travel expenses are one of those topics everyone thinks they understand… until they actually have to deal with them. For employees, they can feel like a guessing game – what counts, what doesn’t, which receipts matter and which mysteriously don’t, and why a perfectly reasonable sandwich suddenly becomes “non-compliant”. For finance teams, they’re a constant balancing act: approving claims quickly enough to keep travellers happy, but accurately enough to keep budgets in check. And yet, getting your business travel expenses list right really does matter. Done well, it keeps spend predictable, protects staff from being out of pocket and gives finance the clarity they need to plan with confidence. Done badly, it creates confusion, delays and the kind of avoidable admin that drags down everyone’s day. The stakes are even higher now that prices are rising across transport, accommodation and meals, and businesses are trying to stretch budgets without making travel harder than it needs to be. A clear, practical approach to travel expenses, paired with modern tools that reduce manual work, can transform the way teams travel and the way organisations operate. Below, we’ll break down what should be included in every business travel expenses list, why certain costs qualify while others don’t, and how smarter travel and expense management keeps both travellers and finance teams moving in the same direction. Why business travel expenses are important Business travel is often described as routine, but anyone managing it knows it never really is. You’ve got employees travelling to sites at short notice, last-minute hotel bookings, client lunches, mileage claims, out-of-hours phone calls and the inevitable missing receipt that turns up a month later in someone’s jacket pocket. And behind every trip is a cost that needs to be tracked, approved and justified – often by teams already stretched thin. This is where a clear, accurate business travel expenses list becomes incredibly important. It is the foundation of travel and expense management, the reference point that keeps budgets under control, and the way businesses protect employees from being left out of pocket after doing their job. When companies understand what counts, what doesn’t and how the rules work, they can keep travel running smoothly and reduce the friction that usually surrounds expense claims. What counts as a business travel expense? At its simplest, business travel expenses cover any cost an employee must pay while travelling wholly and exclusively for work. HMRC follows this rule closely, which means the purpose of the journey matters just as much as the journey itself. Here are the core categories featured in any reliable business travel expenses list: ✔ Transport Costs associated with getting from A to B for work, including: Train, bus and tube fares Flights Taxis and ride-hailing Mileage in a personal vehicle Car hire Road charges (tolls, congestion charges, bridge fees) Parking fees ✔ Accommodation When an employee must stay overnight for work: Hotels, serviced apartments, contractor accommodation Reasonable service charges Internet fees needed for work Hotel parking ✔ Meals and subsistence Meals purchased while travelling for work, during work hours or in line with HMRC’s subsistence rules. ✔ Work-related necessities Often overlooked, but valid: Printing costs Work calls outside standard plans SIMs or data packages needed for the trip Small tools or supplies required on site ✔ Incidental expenses Small but essential costs incurred only because of the trip: Currency exchange fees Laundry on extended stays Safety equipment required for site access All of these fall under legitimate travel expense categories when the reason for travelling is clear and business-related. What business travel does not include Confusion usually arises at the edges, especially when a trip contains both personal and business elements. HMRC is strict here. ❌ Not allowed: Ordinary commuting (home → permanent workplace → home) Family members travelling along Hotel upgrades without business justification Leisure activities, entertainment or tourism Add-ons not needed for work (room service, movies, minibar) Clothes or toiletries unless required for safety or uniform purposes ❌ Mixed-purpose trips A big one: if an employee adds leisure days before or after a business trip, only the business portion qualifies as a travel expense. Understanding HMRC rules without the headache HMRC’s guidance can feel deliberately cryptic, but the core concept is simple:If you have to travel somewhere to perform your job, the associated costs are usually allowable. Two key definitions matter most. Looking for comfortable accommodation and simple expense management tailored specifically for the mobile workforce? Discover how Roomex can streamline your travel needs, offering hassle-free booking and expense solutions designed to keep your team focused on the job. Try Roomex today and experience the difference in efficiency and convenience for your mobile workforce. Request a Demo Temporary workplace A place an employee attends for business for under 24 months, AND for less than 40% of their working time. Travel here = allowable. Permanent workplace A long-term work location employees attend regularly. Travel here = ordinary commuting → non-allowable.   Scenario Allowable? Why Engineer sent to a client site for 3 weeks ✔ Yes Temporary workplace Area manager visiting stores around their region ✔ Yes Duties require travel Employee going to the same office every day ✘ No Ordinary commute Contractor spending 2 years at the same project site ✘ No Becomes permanent under the 24-month rule Sales rep attending a conference in another city ✔ Yes Business attendance required The complete business travel expenses list Here is your comprehensive, modern business travel expenses list – covering every type of cost a business should consider: Transport Train tickets Taxis Flights Bus and tube fares Mileage rates (HMRC-approved) Car hire Congestion charges Tolls Parking Accommodation Hotels Serviced apartments Contractor lodging Project accommodation Hotel Wi-Fi Hotel parking Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner during work travel Subsistence allowances Meal costs when working off-site or overnight Work necessities Printing Work phone calls Internet/data for work use..

Train travel for work – the complete 2025 guide for workforce mobility Everything organisations need to plan smarter and keep mobile teams moving Train travel for work has a rhythm most people know well: early alarms, crowded platforms, a quick coffee, and a quiet hope that today isn’t the day signalling faults or engineering works derail the plan. For the typical business traveller, a routine site visit can mean multiple connections, shifting schedules and a constant eye on the departure board. Even so, rail remains how mobile teams get things done. The rail network recorded 1.7 billion passenger journeys in the year ending 2024, and more than 451 million between April and June 2025 – slightly above the same pre-pandemic quarter, showing just how many workers still rely on trains to reach jobs, sites and clients. Reliability, however, has not kept pace with demand. Only around 67% of recorded station stops arrived on time in 2024, and cancellations remain higher than before the pandemic. For businesses, that translates into missed appointments, added overtime, extra hotel nights and a steady stream of project delays. For travellers, it often means long days, disrupted routines and a growing sense of fatigue. It’s why more organisations are tightening how they plan rail journeys, standardising which train travel planner tools teams should use and adopting approaches that genuinely support dispersed, on-the-move workers. The right business travel platform now plays a central role in keeping people moving, staying ahead of train travel disruption and managing the real cost of keeping a mobile workforce on the road. Why train travel for work is growing in popularity For many organisations, rail isn’t just a practical way to get from A to B – it’s how dispersed teams keep operations moving. A single day might involve an engineer travelling between maintenance jobs, a field technician covering several regions or an area manager visiting stores across multiple towns. When your workforce depends on reaching specific locations at specific times, train travel for work becomes a core part of delivering projects on schedule. Why workers continue to rely on trains Rail offers several advantages that make it particularly suited to workforce travel: More predictable journey times than road travel, especially on busy commuter routes Productive travel windows, giving staff time to catch up on emails, reporting or documentation Efficient multi-stop travel, allowing workers to visit multiple sites in one day Lower fatigue, since trains offer rest between physically demanding tasks For teams covering long distances or tight schedules, those extra pockets of productivity and downtime genuinely matter. What has changed Reliance on rail has increased, but so have the challenges that come with it. Organisations are dealing with: Rising fares, especially for late bookings More frequent train travel disruption, with cancellations and delays affecting day plans Inconsistent booking behaviour, leading to higher costs and gaps in duty of care Scattered receipts and ticket formats, which create friction for finance Limited visibility of who is travelling, when and at what cost The traditional approach (letting employees book however they prefer) now creates real problems for cost control, scheduling and safety. Why organisations are rethinking their approach To manage rail travel more effectively, many businesses are standardising the full process: how bookings are made, which train travel planner tools staff use and how policies are enforced. The focus is shifting towards platforms that support workforce mobility at scale, rather than corporate office travel alone. Modern travel management now prioritises: Clear fare visibility, including split-ticket options Centralised approvals that keep spending aligned with policy Real-time disruption updates to minimise project delays Duty of care tracking so managers know where people are Consolidated monthly invoicing to simplify accounting Custom policies that control cost without slowing teams down In an environment where delays can derail entire project days, businesses are recognising that the process behind rail travel is just as important as the journey itself. Looking for comfortable accommodation and simple expense management tailored specifically for the mobile workforce? Discover how Roomex can streamline your travel needs, offering hassle-free booking and expense solutions designed to keep your team focused on the job. Try Roomex today and experience the difference in efficiency and convenience for your mobile workforce. Request a Demo Understanding train travel disruption and why it derails more than journeys If you manage a mobile workforce, you already know that train travel disruption isn’t only an inconvenience. A delayed or cancelled service quickly becomes a domino effect: missed site slots, rescheduled shifts, lost labour hours, overtime, extra hotel nights and frustrated teams trying to piece their day back together. And while disruption has always existed, the scale and frequency in recent years has changed the way organisations need to plan. What disruption actually looks like now According to the Office of Rail and Road, only 67% of recorded station stops arrived on time in 2024, and cancellations remain above pre-pandemic levels. This isn’t a one-off issue, it’s a pattern. Disruption tends to fall into a few categories: Operational delays – train faults, crew shortages, dispatch issues Infrastructure problems – signalling faults, track work, speed restrictions Weather-related disruption – flooding, high winds, extreme heat Congestion – busy commuter routes, knock-on delays from other services Short-notice timetable changes – often linked to engineering works When several of these collide, even straightforward journeys become unpredictable. How disruption impacts your business For organisations with workers travelling daily or weekly, disruption creates very real operational and financial challenges: Missed appointments and project delays Unplanned overtime, especially for workers travelling long distances Additional hotel nights when staff can’t get home Rearranged labour and rota changes mid-day Lost productivity when workers spend hours waiting at stations Duty of care concerns, particularly for lone or late-night travellers Even a single delay can turn into hundreds of pounds in additional cost once labour hours, travel changes and accommodation are factored in. Why businesses need earlier warning and better visibility Most teams don’t struggle because they’re unaware disruption exists – they struggle because they..

How a travel management company helps you secure delayed flight compensation Because busy teams need clearer processes and fewer travel disruptions Flight disruption has quietly become one of the biggest drains on business travel budgets. And 2025 has been especially unforgiving. Delays across Europe have surged by 54% this year, with 16% of all flights operated by the top 20 European airlines affected. Weather, crew shortages, operational issues, strikes, runway closures – the reasons vary, but the impact lands on your business every single time. For travellers, a missed or delayed flight means stress and lost time. For companies, it means rearranged meetings, extra hotel nights, overtime costs, frustrated staff and complicated paperwork. And while most employees qualify for delayed flight compensation, claiming it often falls through the cracks because nobody has the time (or energy) to fight airlines for weeks on end. That’s where a travel management company can help. Instead of travellers chasing forms and hunting for evidence, your TMC handles the entire process – checking eligibility, gathering proof, submitting claims and keeping everything aligned with your business travel insurance. It’s support that matters whether your team is flying short-haul for site visits or booking business class flights for long-haul operations. Below, we’ll break down exactly how compensation works, why so many businesses miss out, and how the right travel management partner (including Roomex) makes sure you actually recover the money you’re owed. How delayed flight compensation actually works When a flight gets pushed back or cancelled, most travellers know they might be entitled to money back. What fewer people realise is just how much compensation is available – and how often businesses miss out simply because nobody files the claim. Under EU261, UK261 and equivalent global regulations, airlines must compensate passengers when their flight arrives significantly late, unless the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather or air traffic control restrictions. Here’s how the rules typically work: Support gets stretched Travellers may be eligible for delayed flight compensation when: Their arrival is delayed by 3 hours or more Their flight is cancelled with short notice They are denied boarding due to overbooking Their airline is responsible for the disruption (e.g., staffing, maintenance, scheduling, crew hours) This applies no matter if the ticket was economy or business class flights, and whether the passenger travelled for leisure or work. What companies can actually claim The compensation amount varies by distance, not ticket price. We’ll dig into the exact amounts later in the blog, but most payments fall between €250 and €600 per traveller. For businesses, that adds up quickly. A team of four delayed on a work trip could be owed €2,400 in compensation alone – not including additional reimbursement for meals, accommodation or transport the airline must legally cover. Why businesses struggle to claim Even when companies know compensation is available, claiming it is a time-sink. The most common blockers include: Missing documentation (boarding passes, booking references, timestamps) Unclear eligibility Staff not reporting delays because they assume it’s pointless Teams travelling without structured support Administrative backlogs Airlines taking weeks to respond or asking for more information This is where a good business travel platform becomes invaluable. Instead of travellers chasing airline forms, the system handles everything centrally with the right proof, timestamps and reporting. Looking for comfortable accommodation and simple expense management tailored specifically for the mobile workforce? Discover how Roomex can streamline your travel needs, offering hassle-free booking and expense solutions designed to keep your team focused on the job. Try Roomex today and experience the difference in efficiency and convenience for your mobile workforce. Request a Demo Workforce travel doesn’t fit neatly into corporate workflows Most platforms are built for office-based business travellers hopping between client meetings. They’re not designed for engineers, installers or contractors who need practical, affordable stays – often for weeks at a time. How this impacts your business travel insurance Many companies rely on business travel insurance to cover unexpected costs, but insurance and airline compensation are not the same thing. Insurance typically covers incidentals such as: Replacement items for lost baggage Hotel nights when airlines refuse Emergency costs But insurance won’t claim compensation on your behalf. And insurers often require proof that the airline refused to compensate first. This is exactly why pairing robust insurance with a travel management company lifts the pressure: the TMC ensures the airline meets its legal obligations before anything needs to flow through insurance. Why using a travel management company gives you a better chance of getting compensated Most travellers don’t claim compensation on their own. Not because they don’t qualify, but because they don’t have the time, the proof, or the patience to navigate airline forms. For companies managing dozens or hundreds of trips a month, those missed claims add up to serious lost money. This is where a dedicated business travel platform like ours becomes more than a booking tool. It acts as a safety net that catches every disruption, documents it properly, and submits claims long before they fall through the cracks. Here’s why companies who use a managed platform recover more compensation 1. Every delay is logged automatically Employees often forget the exact arrival time or lose the boarding pass that proves a delay. A travel platform tracks itineraries in real time, so when a flight is pushed back or cancelled, you already have: Timestamped proof The original itinerary The final arrival time The reason for the disruption (where available) That’s the documentation airlines look for when processing delayed flight compensation. 2. No more incomplete or missed claims Airlines reject thousands of claims every year because the traveller forgets a document or fills in a detail incorrectly. A managed solution standardises the process so every claim includes: Flight number Distance category Delay duration Passenger details Proof of booking Proof of delay It takes the admin away from travellers and dramatically improves the success rate. 3. Centralised claims reduce time and pressure on employees Employees already balance travel, meetings..

The best TravelPerk alternatives for business travel For teams who need better control and real support Every travel manager eventually reaches the same crossroads: the tools that worked when the business was smaller stop holding up once travel gets busier, budgets tighten, or traveller support becomes more important. That’s usually when teams start reviewing TravelPerk alternatives – not because something dramatic went wrong, but because the business has outgrown the basics. Maybe your travellers need clearer routes to support when plans change mid-journey. Maybe finance needs cleaner reporting. Maybe you’re juggling project-based or workforce travel that doesn’t follow the neat patterns most corporate tools are built around. Or maybe you simply want a business travel platform that gives you proper control without the admin spiral. Whatever the reason, you’re not alone. Companies across the UK and Ireland are reassessing their tools and looking for platforms that can handle day-to-day reality, not just ideal scenarios. Below, we’ve pulled together seven options worth exploring – each with different strengths, and each solving a slightly different problem. And because workforce travel isn’t the same as office-based corporate travel, we’ll also show you where Roomex fits in for teams who need certainty and spend visibility at scale. Why teams start looking for TravelPerk alternatives Travel platforms tend to work well until they suddenly… don’t. The cracks usually show up in the same places: Support gets stretched Travellers run into issues – missed connections, hotel problems, last-minute changes – and the help they need isn’t always available when they actually need it. Reporting feels surface-level Finance teams want project codes, cost centres, night-by-night spend, or visibility by region or team. Basic dashboards don’t cut it once your travel volume grows. Too many tools in the mix When you’re using one platform for booking, another for expenses, another for reporting and another for approvals, the admin spirals quickly. Looking for comfortable accommodation and simple expense management tailored specifically for the mobile workforce? Discover how Roomex can streamline your travel needs, offering hassle-free booking and expense solutions designed to keep your team focused on the job. Try Roomex today and experience the difference in efficiency and convenience for your mobile workforce. Request a Demo Workforce travel doesn’t fit neatly into corporate workflows Most platforms are built for office-based business travellers hopping between client meetings. They’re not designed for engineers, installers or contractors who need practical, affordable stays – often for weeks at a time. Budgets need stronger guardrails Travel agencies give structure and control. Online booking gives freedom and speed. But for companies managing regular workforce or project-based travel, neither option fully solves the problem. That’s where Roomex comes in. Roomex sits in the middle, combining the ease of online booking with the control and visibility of a travel management provider. It’s built for teams who book travel often, need accurate reporting, and don’t want to chase receipts or approvals again. The best TravelPerk alternatives to think about in the new year Below are seven platforms that travel, finance and operations teams often move to when they outgrow TravelPerk. Each one solves a different set of problems – from deeper reporting to stronger support to tools built specifically for mobile or project-based workforces. 1. Roomex — the workforce travel specialist Let’s start with the platform built for a very different type of business traveller: people who move between sites, work long rotations, and need practical stays rather than boutique business hotels. Roomex focuses on workforce accommodation, not corporate city breaks. The platform gives companies access to thousands of workforce-suitable hotels and apartments, automated check-ins, invoicing on account (no traveller credit cards needed), and a real duty-of-care map so teams always know where people are. Why teams choose Roomex as a TravelPerk alternative: Unrivalled supply of workforce-friendly stays across the UK, Ireland and Europe RoomexAnalytics for real-time spend tracking, policy compliance and project-level reporting RoomexPay removes out-of-pocket spend entirely Live support from people who handle workforce travel every day Custom policies and one-click approvals designed for operational teams, not office managers Exclusive Roomex Rates that cut accommodation costs by up to 21% If your travellers are engineers, installers, surveyors, contractors or field teams, Roomex tends to replace three tools at once – a booking platform, an expenses process, and your manual traveller-tracking spreadsheet. 2. Navan — strong for companies wanting travel + expenses Navan (formerly TripActions) suits teams who want everything (booking, payments, expenses) in a single system. It’s built with a polished UX and strong AI-driven recommendations, which makes it appealing for tech-forward companies. What makes Navan a solid TravelPerk alternative, but not quite as strong as Roomex? Combined travel and expenses Very strong mobile app AI booking assistance Large global inventory Built-in policy enforcement Helpful for fast-growing companies that want fewer tools to manage Navan handles standard corporate travel well, but it isn’t designed for long-stay or workforce accommodation in the way Roomex is. 3. Egencia — best for global organisations with complex needs Previously part of Expedia Group and now under American Express GBT, Egencia has deep global supply and a more traditional TMC-style structure. Why companies move from TravelPerk to Egencia: Mature support model with 24/7 global agents Huge inventory across flights, hotels and car hire Strong duty-of-care tools Advanced reporting for multi-country travel programmes Enterprise-grade integrations with HRIS, ERP and expense tools Egencia is a fit for organisations that need global coverage, negotiated rates and a more consultative travel management approach. 4. SAP Concur Travel — enterprise-level structure and controls Concur is known for its expense product, but its travel module is still widely used by enterprises. It shines when you need deep customisation or tight audit trails. Why teams consider Concur a TravelPerk alternative: Configurable approval workflows Direct tie-in with Concur Expense Wide GDS connectivity Strong compliance and audit controls Supports multi-entity, multi-currency operations The trade-off: Concur is powerful, but typically slower to roll out and heavier to maintain. 5. CWT — ideal for companies that want deep support and a..