Business travel often makes up a significant part of a company’s budget. Even though many meetings now take place via Zoom & other online video platforms, it is often inevitable that employees have to travel domestically and abroad for business meetings, presentations, conferences and fairs. In our guide, you will learn how you can benefit from the right hotel loyalty programs on your employees’ business trips in order to book comfortable, practical and also cheaper accommodation for business travelers to save your travel budget.
Why hotel loyalty programs are essential for corporate travel
Many hotel chains are geared towards building long-term relationships with companies in order to benefit from the need for accommodation for business trips. Many therefore offer special rates for companies in the form of discount programs, which reward business travelers for their loyalty.
Most of the time, these programs are based on a points system. Business travelers can collect points for their hotel stays and additional expenses, which they can then redeem for various rewards, upgrades and benefits. Examples of this would be free nights, room upgrades, faster or earlier check-in and later check-out, free WiFi and exclusive offers.
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You can set up special loyalty accounts for your company and also special contract rates and additional discounts with hotel chains, which allow you to collect points centrally and use them for your employees. This can reduce the costs of business travel in general.
Benefits of using hotel rewards programs for business travel
Cost savings
By participating in a hotel loyalty program as a company, you can benefit from special discounts and additional rewards. By collecting loyalty points centrally, they can also be used for free nights or room upgrades, which reduces your business travel costs even further.
Increased employee satisfaction
The additional comfort and amenities that business travelers benefit from in hotel loyalty programs contribute significantly to employee satisfaction. Thanks to room upgrades and a fast internet connection, your employees can remain productive even when traveling for business. And access to gyms or spa areas increases the personal benefit and general well-being of your employees.
Preferred use of certain hotel chains can also create the feeling of a “home away from home”. Especially for business travelers who are often on the road, this can contribute significantly to an improved travel experience, which in turn can have a positive effect on the motivation and satisfaction of your employees
Enhanced travel experience
Your business travelers can enjoy better rooms or upgrades, which in turn increases comfort on business trips and overall satisfaction. Your employees often also benefit from additional rewards such as free breakfast, high-speed WiFi, or access to gyms or lounges.
By giving your employees preferential accommodation in a hotel chain, you can ensure the standards and quality of hotel rooms at home and abroad. Hotels know the preferences of their regular guests and can therefore personalize stays.
How to choose best hotel rewards program to maximize your travel budget
The ability to earn points for frequent stays
If you choose a hotel loyalty program, you should also make sure that your employees have access to a points system that can be used for rewards. The program should offer the most attractive points system possible, allowing your business travelers to collect points for overnight stays and additional expenses such as wellness offers.
Elite status benefits tailored for corporate travelers
Some hotel chains offer a so-called elite status that is specifically tailored to the needs of business travelers. This offer can provide significant added value for your company. For example, your business travelers can check in early and check out later, upgrade their room, use exclusive business lounges in the hotel and enjoy free WiFi access. Your company may also benefit from guaranteed availability or more flexible cancellation conditions.
Integration with corporate travel policies
No matter which hotel loyalty program you choose, it should be an integral part of your travel policy and ideally integrated into your travel booking platform or your travel management software. This way, loyalty points can be collected and managed centrally and your business travelers can make full use of the offers. Your business travel budget will thank you!
Utilizing corporate credit cards affiliated with hotel rewards programs
Depending on which credit card provider your company uses, additional benefits for employees can be taken advantage of here. American Express and Discover, for example, offer special bonus programs and bonus points for hotel stays on business trips. This allows you to collect points for employees through both the hotel chain and the credit card and use them for further benefits on business trips.
Top hotel loyalty programs
1. Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy is an extremely comprehensive hotel loyalty program with over 7,000 hotels worldwide. Here your employees can collect and redeem points for overnight stays, flights, rental cars and experiences. There is also an elite status program with the levels Silver, Gold, Platinum and Titanium Elite. This program is particularly suitable for business travelers who are often on the move and want a large selection of hotel options in different locations around the world.
2. Hilton Honors
The Hilton Honors loyalty program is very flexible and versatile. There are more than 6,200 hotels in 118 countries to choose from. Your employees can collect points for overnight stays, experiences and with partner companies. There is also an elite status program with the levels Silver, Gold and Diamond.
3. World of Hyatt
This program includes 1,000 comfortable and first-class hotels worldwide, and is therefore a little more manageable in terms of offerings. In return, your employees benefit from exclusive advantages and the elite levels Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist.
4. IHG Rewards Club
The IHG Rewards Club includes over 5,900 hotels in almost 100 countries. Your employees can collect points for overnight stays, flights and with partner companies. The elite status levels are Gold Elite, Platinum Elite and Spire Elite. If your business travelers are traveling in different countries and want to rely on first-class accommodation, then this loyalty program is a good choice.
5. Wyndham Rewards
Wyndham Rewards offers an extremely extensive loyalty program with over 9,000 hotels. Your employees can earn points for accommodation, flights, rental cars and experiences and the elite status levels are Gold, Platinum and Diamond.
Optimize business travel with hotel loyalty programs
As you read above, hotel loyalty programs can significantly help reduce your company’s costs for business travel. By having your employees collect points and managing them centrally (e.g. via a travel management platform), your company can take advantage of benefits such as free nights or room upgrades.
Hotel loyalty programs should be integrated into your company travel policy and also stored in booking systems and traveler profiles. This can ensure that the points are used optimally and budget-friendly.
Finally, many programs allow points to be pooled for company use, which allows companies to use collected points efficiently for future business trips. In addition, hotel loyalty programs can be easily integrated into company travel policies, for example through booking systems and traveler profiles, which ensures optimal use of the benefits and makes travel expenses more manageable.