How to be the Smartest Business Travel Booker in the Room
stay one step ahead of the game with our top tipsThe role of a business travel booker cannot be overstated. Every journey holds the potential to shape an organisation, foster growth, and fortify relationships with clients and stakeholders. However, navigating the labyrinth of business travel demands more than just a keen eye for flight times and hotel prices; it requires a mastery of the art and science of the industry.
In this guide, we give our top tips to help you stay ahead of the business travel game and become the smartest business travel booker in the room. We highlight the importance of having access to comprehensive travel content, extol the benefits of advance booking, reveal the secret to getting the best rates on flights, and give you tips to save money on hotels.
Have You Got All of the Content You Need?
When it comes to business travel booking, content is the undisputed king. Make sure that your travel management company (TMC) is offering you all of the content you need, all in one place. Without access to clear and comprehensive content, you risk missing out on the very best rates across your entire journey.
Remember though, it’s about quality AND quantity. There’s no use in having thousands of travel options if not one of them fulfils the wants and needs of your travellers. At Gray Dawes, we deliver content from a variety of quality sources that we completely tailor to you. This includes content from recognised travel retailing sites such as Booking.com and Expedia as well as direct from airline, hotel, and rail suppliers, traditional GDS, web rates, NDC, and more.
TOP TIP
Make sure that the content offered covers the whole of your trip. At Gray Dawes, we offer a fare desk from the time of ticketing right up until 24 hours before you leave, ensuring that the lowest costs are maintained throughout.
Are You Booking in Advance?
One of the biggest cost-saving measures any business travel booker can make is to book their travel with plenty of time to spare. It is recommended to book your travel at least 90 days in advance to get the very best rates available – sticking to this timeframe could save you around 52% on domestic flights, 40% on European flights, and as much as 38% on international flights.
But try to think further than “How am I going to get to the airport?” Figure out where you need to stay, whether your traveller will need any assistance at the destination, and what contingency plans you might need in case of an emergency. Use the knowledge and full experience of your travel consultant to get everything you need locked down long before your travellers leave.
Are You Getting the Best Rates For Your Flights?
Securing flights that keep both the budget and travellers happy can be tricky. Sometimes, when faced with little option, travel bookers will sacrifice one or the other to get their travellers off the ground. This satisfies nobody – the company are left out of pocket or the traveller is left to reflect on an unfulfilling trip.
Don’t settle for less. On average our Gray Dawes Fares Programme consistently saves our travel bookers over £250 against traditional GDS airline content on long-haul flights. These savings, when combined with our commitment to traveller well-being and experience, mean that we can guarantee the best prices and a trip to remember.
Watch Now
Check out our Travel Talks webinar about how to effectively control your corporate travel costs with our very own Chief Commercial Officer, Warren Dix, and David Oates, Group Procurement Officer of Wates’.
Does Your TMC Offer Negotiated Rates for Hotels?
Find out if your TMC has long-standing relationships with hotel providers so that you can take advantage of specially negotiated rates. These rates will be exclusive; they can be tailored to suit your specific needs and budget. But don’t ignore content from travel retailers such as Booking.com. Your TMC should work closely with these parties too.
At Gray Dawes we deliver a unique content strategy that allows us to source the best rates from Expedia and Booking.com as well as the GDS and our own negotiated rates. We leverage our knowledge of the hotel industry to help you manage cost. For example, did you know you can save up to 15% on accommodation when you book at the same time as your flight to create a single bundled travel transaction?
TOP TIP
Avoid hotel stays on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. You can save up to 27% by staying on a Thursday night in Europe.
In Conclusion
Business travel booking is not merely a matter of logistics. As highlighted throughout this guide, success hinges on knowing the industry and staying ahead of the curve.
By ensuring you have access to all-in-one travel content, booking in advance to capitalise on cost-saving opportunities, securing the best rates for flights, and taking advantage of negotiated hotel rates, business travel bookers can help save their organisation money, enhance the traveller experience, and position themselves as indispensable assets.
WHY US?
Three reasons why our award-winning service is the right travel fit for your organisation…
PEOPLE
Boutique Service
A personal touch delivered by real people with a passion for travel.
TECHNOLOGY
Awesome Tech
Intuitive travel apps and beautiful booking tools designed to delight.
CONTENT
Value and ROI
We deliver the widest choice and the best rates and fares available.
Related Articles
Tokyo: A Business Traveller’s Guide
From the moment you step off the plane, Tokyo announces itself as somewhere unlike anywhere else on earth. From trains that arrive to the second and immaculate streets to a unique business culture built on hierarchy and respect, the capital of Japan is an iconic business travel destination. It is also a city of contrasts. Ancient Shinto shrines stand in the shadows of gleaming skyscrapers, and centuries-old tea ceremonies take place just streets from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In this comprehensive guide for business travellers, we help you navigate Tokyo’s unique business ecosystem, share practical tips for getting around, and highlight our top 3 things to see or do to make your trip unforgettable.
7 of the Most Memorable Hotels From TV and Film
n the movies and on TV, a hotel is rarely just a place to sleep — it’s a stage for drama, comedy, fear, romance and unforgettable encounters. In the BBC Radio 4 feature Seven of the most memorable hotels in film and TV, hosts Ellen E. Jones and Mark Kermode unpack why hotels make such rich settings for storytelling, acting as hermetically sealed worlds where lives collide, secrets simmer and anything can happen.
Getting the Most from Procurement Portals When Selecting Your TMC
Procurement portals are now a common way to run Travel Management Company RFPs, offering structure and consistency for procurement teams. But when portals are poorly configured, they can unintentionally limit supplier responses, create unnecessary friction, and make it harder to assess what truly differentiates one TMC from another.
Based on extensive experience responding to portal-based RFPs, this guide from Gray Dawes Travel shares nine practical ways travel managers and procurement leads can attract higher-quality responses, improve evaluation, and achieve better outcomes from the process.
CALL US
08448 553700
+44 (0) 1206 716111 (if outside the UK)
EMAIL US
ALWAYS HERE
Mon – Sun, 24 hours a day
LET’S TALK
Fill in the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.