Latest news with #businessTravel
Travel Weekly
06-07-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Ins and outs of incentive travel contracts
Mark Pestronk Q: Our corporate agency has a chance to arrange a large incentive trip for employees of a major corporation and their families. The corporation has asked us for a proposed contract that they can evaluate. While we handle a lot of business travel for the corporation, we don't have much experience with incentive travel. From an attorney's point of view, what are some key terms that we should have in the contract to protect ourselves? A: Here are the five most important clauses that will protect your agency: 1) Make sure that your agency will not be stuck with paying suppliers out of its own pocket and not getting reimbursed by the corporation. Ideally, the corporation should advance payments to you well before you have to pay suppliers. If that is not acceptable, then be sure to specify that the corporation must pay the suppliers directly and that you have no responsibility for such payment. 2) Specify exactly how you'll be compensated for your work. There are three possibilities: First, a client can pay you fixed fees or fees per hour for the work of your staff; second, you can mark up the supplier costs like you would if you were operating a tour; and third, the suppliers can pay you a commission. You can also get compensated by any combination of the three methods. For example, the corporation could pay you on an hourly basis for your staff's work; you could also mark up the supplier costs; and you could get paid a commission by suppliers. No law requires that a travel agency must reveal its markup or commission amounts. A question that often arises is this: If the corporation is going to be the party signing supplier contracts, and if the contract contains net prices that you will mark up, then doesn't it follow that you will be revealing the amount of your markup? The answer is yes, but if you do not want to reveal the amount of your markup (or even the fact that you have a markup), you could get the corporation's consent (in the contract) to sign supplier contracts "as agent for" the corporation. 3) Provide that the corporation is responsible for getting all participants to sign your disclaimer, such as the one at stating that you are not responsible for supplier problems, acts of God or anything else. Further, provide that the corporation will indemnify you against claims of participants who didn't sign if they suffer injuries or losses. 4) Specify clear deadlines by which the corporation must pay you. Most commonly, the agency performs a post-trip reconciliation of client advances versus the trip's actual expenses, and the client must pay the difference, if any, within X days after you email your final invoice. If there is a force majeure clause in the contract, make sure that it doesn't excuse the corporation from paying you. 5) Provide that, if you have to sue the corporation for nonpayment, the court will award you attorneys fees if you win the case.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Airport Lounges Are Sexy Again—If You Can Get In
Alex Green This story is part of The New Era of Work Travel, a collaboration between the editors of Condé Nast Traveler and WIRED to help you navigate the perks and pitfalls of the modern business trip. Let's be honest: A crowded airport lounge without a seat in sight is usually less appealing than an empty gate area. Over the past decade, an influx of travelers with club access has led to overcrowding, long waitlists, and a diminished (read: not luxurious) experience. However, a version of commercial air travel—often hidden from public view and inaccessible to even premium credit cardholders—has emerged. This more private, pre-flight experience is essential for the affluent business traveler, says Rob Karp, founder and CEO of travel consultancy firm MilesAhead. 'What we're seeing now is a correction: tiered access, differentiated spaces, and new incentives to spend or commit more to a particular airline,' Karp notes. Business travelers are looking to optimize time and minimize stress—and they're willing to pay for it. That means sitting down for a proper meal, taking a call in a quiet, uninterrupted setting, or even squeezing in a quick spa treatment before boarding. In the US, newer lounges that require an international business-class ticket for access, like the network of Delta One Lounges or United Polaris Lounges, are delivering on that promise. Delta, for instance, offers an á la carte, bistro-like dining experience, soundproof phone booths, and even external monitors for focused work at each of its flagship business lounges. 'Each space is designed to balance comfort and luxury with practical efficiency,' says Claude Roussel, vice president of Delta Sky Club and lounge experience. For Aaron Kokoruz, a public relations executive who clocks nearly 100 flights per year, lounges like these are about crafting a moment of calm and comfort before boarding, regardless of whether you are hopping over to Omaha or flying halfway across the world. Kokoruz lists both the Qantas First Lounge at LAX (with a Neil Perry menu) and the Cathay Pacific First Lounge at London-Heathrow as personal favorites. 'My top priorities in a lounge are healthy and hearty food options, and a solid selection of cocktails and mocktails,' Kokoruz says. 'It's 2025—every great lounge should nail both.' 'The best spaces feel more like high-end hospitality than a pre-flight pit stop,' he adds. In order to cater to different tiers of travelers, both airlines and credit card companies have debuted new 'lounge-within-a-lounge' concepts—reservable, private spaces ideal for a power lunch or power nap. Last year, Air France introduced private suites within its already-exclusive La Première lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). These 500-square-foot sanctuaries are connected to the main first-class lounge and feature a spacious living area, a bedroom with a double bed, an outdoor patio, and a dedicated butler. Meanwhile, Chase's 'Reserve Suites,' private rooms with a personal attendant, include a welcome caviar service, á la carte dining, and an ensuite bathroom with Augustinus Bader amenities. The smallest suite, with a four-person capacity, costs $2,200. Beyond in-lounge amenities, easing airport stress for business travelers is about eliminating points of friction. Karp says that includes 'skipping the line to enter, accessing a private security checkpoint, or avoiding crowds altogether.' In 2023, Delta Air Lines opened an exclusive check-in area at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for Delta One customers. Tucked away on the arrivals level, the 4,200-square-foot space not only offers white-glove assistance (hot towel, anyone?) but also a special TSA lane and direct access to the lounge upstairs. Several US airlines, including American Airlines and United Airlines, allow customers to book a VIP concierge (on a pay-per-use basis) who can meet you curbside, check your bags, secure lounge access, and even escort you to the gate. However, it's limited to certain hubs and is targeted to specific corporate customers. Then, there are the airport terminals that function more like private FBOs. Here, travelers can pay to bypass the entire commercial terminal, with perks like dedicated security, customs clearance, and being driven directly to or from the plane. PS (formerly called Private Suites) offers these amenities at both LAX and Atlanta (ATL). Instead of the congested entryway for pickups and dropoffs, travelers arrive at a separate facility across the airfield. 'We sit in a space that, until now, didn't really exist—the white space between commercial and private air travel,' says Amina Belouizdad Porter, CEO of PS. New openings for PS are set for Miami (MIA) and Dallas (DFW) in 2026. Karp believes this model will continue to grow, especially on this side of the Atlantic. 'Europe is ahead of the US in many ways when it comes to offering bespoke airport experiences,' he notes. 'I think we'll see more here, especially for travelers who are used to the control and calm of flying private.' Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler The Latest Travel News and Advice Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips Stop Counting the Countries You Visit How Safe Is Flying Today? 5 Things Experts Want Travelers to Know The Best Places to See the Northern Lights Worldwide
Skift
02-07-2025
- Business
- Skift
Business Travel Forecasts for the Rest of the Year a Mix of Optimism and Shifting Priorities
Business travel predictions for Q3 & 4 vary widely, with the travelers sometimes appearing more optimistic than their companies. Various sectors of the business travel industry have released their predictions for the remainder of the year — and they're all over the place. For some, it appears that geopolitics, tariffs, travel advisories, and border hassles are not enough for companies to keep most travelers home. Others, including the industry's largest member-focused organization, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), hint at signs of a slowdown. Summer Travel Optimism Corporate travel management platform Navan's new Summer Travel Trend Report reported that summer flight bookings on the platform are up 10% and hotel bookings up 25% compared to last summer. 'We're seeing strong demand for business travel this summer,' said Rich Liu, CEO of travel. 'Executives have businesses to run, they clearly recognize the value of travel, connection, and face-to-face interactions.' Attendees clearly feel the same way. When the Skift Travel Tracker recently asked the travelers themselves how their travel to meetings, conferences, and trade shows in 2025 compares to 2024, 55% said 'Somewhat More' and almost all (96%) said 'Much More.' On the travel management side of the business, findings from the just-released Sixth-Annual SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey of travelers were also positive. Despite global uncertainties over trade policies, the survey found that the vast majority of respondents, including 93% of travel managers and CFOs expect their organisation's travel budget to increase or stay the same in 2025 compared with the previous year. Nearly all travelers (97%) said they were willing to travel for business over the next 12 months; however, 40% said they would think about declining a business trip because of safety or social concerns about a destination. Kevin Hinton, managing director, group travel, U.S. Travel Association, remains positive. 'Overall uncertainty isn't helpful for meetings and travel, but the underlying fundamentals remain strong. The stock market is fully recovered from earlier this year and setting records.' 'Flattish' Forecast Despite the positive news, one of the first business travel warning bells of 2025 came from Delta President Glen Hauenstein in April during the airline's first-quarter earnings call, when he said business travel trends are 'choppy," and that "corporate volumes [are] expected to be flattish" compared with 2024. That's backed by GBTA's Global Business Travel Outlook and Impact survey of travel managers, procurement, and sourcing professionals, which found that 28% of U.S.-based (28%) buyers expect their company's overall business travel spend to decline as a result of U.S. government actions. 'That's a notable figure — it reflects that companies are considering when and why they travel as a result,' said CEO Suzanne Neufang. When it comes to travel to meetings and events located in the U.S., 20% were either considering canceling, or canceling. Purpose, location, safety and cost are all factors in these decisions, she said. 'Travel for client meetings, major conferences, and high-impact engagements that drive business are still seen as essential, even if some lower-priority trips may be scaled back.'
Travel Weekly
02-07-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Concur survey: Companies are cutting back on perks but not all corporate travel
A solid majority of companies said they plan to maintain or increase business travel spending this year, and many are tightening policies to save money rather than imposing wider travel restrictions, according to the annual SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey. The survey -- which included responses from 700 travel managers across seven business markets, 3,750 business travelers across 24 markets and 600 CFOs across six markets -- was fielded from April 30 through May 12, which Concur noted was "during a period of high uncertainty associated with global trade." Even so, 93% of travel managers, 90% of CEOs and 89% of travelers said their company had no plans to cut travel budgets. Across all respondent types, about 60% said their company typically makes travel budget cuts in the form of "small changes to all trips" rather than wider policy changes, and 87% of business travelers said they had seen such cuts over the previous 12 months, according to Concur. The most frequently cited cuts in the survey were on extra overnight stays to prevent long travel days and use of premium air classes, each cited by 30% of travelers, and non-client-facing travel, cited by 28% of travelers. Amid those cutbacks, 85% of business travelers said they would pay out of their own pockets to add additional perks to business travel, the survey indicated. Among the most frequent items travelers were willing to take on as personal expenses included: accommodation upgrades (38% of travelers), adding hotel nights to avoid long travel days (35%) and premium seating (30%). That willingness varied by region, with 99% of respondents from India and 91% from the United States saying they would pay their own money to improve their business travel experience, compared with 66% of travelers from France and 73% of travelers from Japan. Younger travelers also were more likely to spend their own money on business travel, with 93% of Gen Z travelers indicating they would do some compared with 62% of baby boomers. In addition, the survey indicated that many company travel budgets are "insufficient," according to Concur. More than 80% of CFOs said company budget limitations prevent employees from traveling as much as they need to efficiently perform their jobs, and 69% of travel managers said their company travel budget didn't reflect the importance of business travel. Business travelers, meanwhile, were nearly unanimous in their willingness to travel, with 97% saying they were at least somewhat willing to travel over the next year, and 94% said business travel was essential to their role. Only about half of surveyed travelers thought their current frequency of travel was about right, with 30% saying they are traveling too much and 19% saying they are not traveling enough. Source: Business Travel News
Condé Nast Traveler
02-07-2025
- Condé Nast Traveler
For Today's Business Traveler, It's All About Work-Life Integration
These days, business travel no longer means putting your life on hold. In my own work as a travel writer, forever shuttling between airports and hotel lobbies, I lean on small habits that make unfamiliar places feel less anonymous. Before work takes over, I'll put on a Greek or Arabic podcast to keep the languages of my family close to me. They're the ones I grew up hearing around the dinner table, and there's a quiet fear they'll slip away if I stop listening. Folding moments like these into my work day keeps me present—and more rooted in my personal life—amid the motion. I'm hardly the only one stitching pieces of home into life on the road. As of March 2025, nearly a quarter of US employees work remotely part-time, and more than half of business trips thread work and leisure together. Given that business travel reached $1.5 trillion globally last year, it's safe to say that our carry-on suitcases are now our portable homes. But living on the road doesn't mean having to press pause on our lives and passions, according to the business travelers expertly making time during layovers, flights, and overnights for their personal habits and grounding rituals. Alex Green For Jon Sáenz Madrazo, a native of Bilbao and the global brand president of Kiehl's, that looks like stealing an hour, wherever he wakes up, to draw in his sketchpad before the day gathers speed. Sometimes it's a barista's hands mid-pour, sometimes a meme-worthy celebrity moment that begs for caricature. 'That's my meditation,' he says. The drawings rarely leave his notebook, but they orient him—a personal practice that travels lighter than any suitcase. The routine can be interpersonal too: Aaron Kithcart, a medical director at Regeneron who spend weeks hopscotching between labs and conferences as far as Tokyo, treats home less like a fixed place than a daily touchstone: a quick FaceTime that overlaps his post-wake espresso with his husband's bedtime whisky back home. 'That little habit shrinks the distance,' he says. Time zones may shift, but the routine stays. 'There are always surprises [on the road], so I carve out time for myself,' says Kelly Wearstler, the design eye behind Proper Hotels, who might have a mint tea before bed or a double macchiato before dawn; or apply face oils that tell her body it's morning or midnight—small touch points that carry a whiff of life at home, keep the beat of one's internal rhythm, and make a hotel room feel less borrowed. Christa Cotton, the New Orleans-based founder of El Guapo Bitters, takes a similar tack. Wherever she touches down, she unpacks fully, even if she's gone by morning, then lights a votive candle—from her own brand, of course—and walks a local grocery aisle. ('Even unfamiliar shelves can spark my next million dollar idea,' she says.) And for Mauricio Umansky, founder and CEO of The Agency, a global luxury real estate brokerage, a fitness routine is the key: He packs a jump rope wherever he goes, and stretches with resistance bands between calls. Even a fully populated Netflix queue—much of which he'll doze off to, he admits—is part of a routine designed to hold him steady, wherever business takes him. All this, Umansky says, 'helps me feel human.' Alex Green That instinct for ritual is also felt by people in the tourism industry working behind the scenes to meet travelers' evolving needs. Tim Harrington, who shapes boutique hotels along Maine's coastline for Atlantic Hospitality, begins each reservation with what he calls a 'pre-concierge,' where he fine-tunes details before a guest even drops a bag. Cottages pivot into studios; pool cabanas double as conference rooms. When a touring musician needed a recording setup last minute, Harrington's team pulled a vintage desk and a few worn lamps from their warehouse and rebuilt a bunk room into a makeshift sound booth by dusk.
