Accommodating the Evolving Needs of the Business Traveler

In the era of work-from-anywhere, the landscape of corporate travel has undergone a profound transformation. As today's travelers demand greater flexibility, and the line between business and leisure continues to blur, corporate travel managers are facing the challenge of adapting to dynamic expectations. To ensure the success of their organizations and the satisfaction of their globe-trotting employees, these managers need to revisit their travel policies. They may even face a CFO who wants to cut travel budgets, or simply wonder what remote and hybrid work mean for corporate travel. In this article, we’ll explore the evolving needs of today's business travelers – and how travel managers can accommodate them.

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Adapting Your Corporate Travel Policy

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Based on their own preferences, the ways in which employees view and approach business travel has shifted. Today’s travelers take “workcations” or “bleisure trips” – adding a few days before or after a business trip for leisure. And with remote and hybrid work becoming the new norm, they can bring their laptops and set up shop in their destination, for as long as they need or desire to. They may even be happy to spend a month or longer living and working in a new city.

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As a corporate travel manager, rather than resisting change, the smart move is to evolve your organization’s travel policy to fit these evolving expectations. Here are some actions you might consider:

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• Assessing your travelers’ recent booking behaviors to anticipate their needs. Where do they like to stay? Are they adding extra days to their trip? What types of accommodations do they prefer?
• Allowing travelers to add time to their trip, either at the company’s expense if they’ll be working during the extra days, or at their own expense if it’s for personal leisure.
• Providing a lump sum to give travelers more flexibility in booking their housing.

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It’s also a good idea to ensure the accommodations you’re booking employees in are suitable for longer-term stays. That way, should they need or want to stay awhile, your travelers will be comfortable and have everything they need to be productive. Synergy’s serviced apartments, for instance, are found in key cities and locations worldwide and offer all the comforts of home: furnished living spaces, a fully equipped kitchen, housewares and more. Our expert team of corporate housing professionals and program managers provide an end-to-end solution, delivered at the highest level in the industry.

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Proving the Continued Value of Business Travel

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As business travel continues to evolve, you may encounter CFOs and other important stakeholders wanting to cut the corporate travel budget, or even eliminate it completely. How should corporate travel managers respond?

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The key is to reframe the conversation from cutting costs to maximizing value. Talk about traveling better and smarter, not less. Follow these tips:

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• Identify the key goals of your corporate travel program, and which elements of the program are essential to achieving those goals. Establish these elements as non-negotiables when planning for future travel.
• Emphasize the renewed importance of global business travel for a distributed workforce, allowing remote workers to meet each other in person – perhaps for the first time.
• Speak your CFO’s language by presenting them with hard numbers. Showcase the continued value of corporate travel using data, and calculate ROI.  

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What Do Hybrid and Remote Work Mean for Global Business Travel?

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Remote and hybrid work are here to stay – and so is global business travel. But what does this mean for the latter?

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We might see the very nature and purpose of business travel change. At the very least, it will change what employees expect from the corporate travel experience. Consider the following:

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• Members of today’s distributed workforce have the ability to work from anywhere, but they’re also increasingly reliant on tools and applications that allow them to communicate, collaborate and conduct business remotely. They’ll expect the same when it comes to corporate travel. Invest in easy-to-use tools for managing flights, travel-related expenses, per diems, etc. And if you choose Synergy, you can be assured that the stay experience, from check-in to check-out, will be seamless.
• Workers on the same team may be based all over the country, or even the world, and they may have never all been in the same place at the same time. Corporate travel managers may find themselves arranging trips with the sole purpose of having teammates meet each other in person, perhaps for the first time.
• With the ubiquity of remote work, employees will want to know the why behind any business travel they’re asked to do. Don’t just think about the value it adds for the company, but the value it provides to the traveling employees, too. Show them what’s in it for them – bonding with the team, meeting company leaders, visiting a new city, and squeezing in some leisure time while they’re at it.

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How Synergy Can Help

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At Synergy, we’re well aware of the changes and challenges facing companies and their business travel programs. How can we assist in these scenarios, if possible?

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Adapting your corporate travel policy

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Synergy’s housing solutions are inherently flexible and easily tailored to your company’s corporate travel policy. As your policy adapts, so do we, allowing for seamless adjustments to suit your specific requirements. You can book with confidence in our flexible terms, easy extensions without fees, location sourcing and vetting, and cost-effectiveness for extended stays.

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Proving the continued value of business travel

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Our goal is to deliver constant quality that is aligned with your business travel goals. We ensure every aspect of the booking process and stay experience is meticulously taken care of – from top-notch amenities to personalized services. If you have groups of colleagues traveling together, our corporate housing solutions can provide larger units or multiple apartments in the same building, allowing the team to stay together and collaborate more effectively. As your travelers stay comfortable and productive on the road, Synergy makes it easy for you to demonstrate the lasting value of business travel.

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Hybrid and remote work

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Embracing the modern work landscape, Synergy offers customized solutions for both hybrid and remote work arrangements. Our apartments are equipped with state-of-the-art amenities and versatile work-from-home setups, allowing you and your team to thrive in any work environment. Corporate housing also provides a level of privacy and security – on both a personal and data level – that is not as prevalent in hotels.

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By implementing these measures, Synergy aims to support and empower your business and its travel program in every possible way. Ready to learn more and get started? Tell us about your needs and our team of housing and hospitality experts will be happy to assist.