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This blog is for anyone involved in the travel industry. I focus mostly on the procurement and management of corporate travel, with a bent toward best practices and innovation.
Author Archives: Scott Gillespie
Webinar: Building the Case for Better Travel
Wow. This article that challenges the importance of savings is one of the most popular ones I’ve ever written. Still, the question is can you really afford to focus on the benefits of travel, rather than on the cost? The … Continue reading
Posted in Travel Management, Travel Policy, Trip Friction
Tagged Road warriors, travel policy impact, Travel ROI
2 Comments
Making the Business Case for Better Travel
The most common question I get after speaking about the benefits of reducing traveler friction is “OK, we get the idea, but how are we supposed to sell this to senior management?” Here’s the answer: The whole idea is to balance … Continue reading
A Challenge To My Travel Procurement Friends
Is it time to think about your category goals for 2018? Yep. Are you hoping to somehow increase the size of your savings next year? Of course. Are you optimistic about meeting that goal? Probably not. Would you like to … Continue reading
A Big Win No One Is Talking About
Two years ago I wrote that travel managers face two paths. One path is to keep doing what you do today: jumping through endless supplier meetings, putting out fires around traveler service issues, continually hacking away towards inbox zero… In … Continue reading
Posted in Cool Tools, Innovation, Managed Travel 2.0, Travel Management, Traveler Friction
Tagged non-employee travel, pana, recruiting travel
1 Comment
Let’s Buy Less Effective Trips!
Said no one, ever. Imagine giving management a choice between these two travel programs: “Nickels and Dimes” and “Goldmine”. In the Nickels and Dimes program, they get travelers who are more burned out, more likely to quit, have less productivity, report … Continue reading
Posted in Travel Management, Travel Policy, Trip Friction
Tagged road warrior, travel burnout, traveler research
2 Comments
The Hourly Cost of Air Travel
Road warriors, by definition, do a lot of traveling. All their airline tickets add up to some pretty big expenses, as do the hours they spend inside airplanes. Why not take those two pieces of data and show what it … Continue reading
Posted in Airlines, Data, Metrics and KPIs
Tagged airfare benchmarks, price per flight hour
4 Comments
GBT’s Non-GDS Charge Makes Sense
Buyers have a new distribution dilemma. American Express GBT is phasing in a $10 surcharge for handling airline tickets from carriers who don’t use common industry channels for sales and settlement. (More coverage here, here and here.) Think of this as … Continue reading
Posted in Airlines, Distribution, Travel Management
4 Comments
Relationship Advice for Road Warriors
Surely a ton of travel creates unique strains for road warriors and their families. Fortunately, these problems are fairly predictable, and can be managed with a bit of planning, effort and honest communication. If you know a road warrior or … Continue reading
What’s The Real Goal of a Travel Program?
Quick – name three metrics that travel managers care most about…and no, you can’t say savings, savings and savings. Savings, for sure, maybe followed by discounts and policy compliance, or average ticket price/room/car rate. These are time-tested, industry-accepted, … Continue reading
Posted in Data, Innovation, Travel Management, Travel Procurement, Traveler Friction
Tagged travel KPIs, travel metrics
52 Comments
Two Steps Closer to a 2-Channel Future
Travel managers, you’re gonna need a two-channel booking strategy. Maybe not this year, but fairly soon in the scheme of corporate travel time. The second shoe dropped last week, when The Company Dime broke the news (paywall, worth it) about airlines … Continue reading
