Corporate Travel: Hotel Compliance Rising But Lagging | btnonline.com

Traveler compliance with preferred hotel programs, though improving, still trails other policy aspects, and buyers are reporting emerging challenges in recent months as competing hotel deals that beat negotiated rates tempt travelers to book outside the program. "Compliance with preferred hotel programs is still not what it needs to be," American Express Global Advisory Services vice president Frank Schnur said. "Travel managers need to be even more vigilant in communicating the value of their programs." Preliminary research for Business Travel News' 2009 Corporate Travel 100 benchmarking report shows that hotel program compliance is on the rise to an average of 67 percent, up from 59 percent two years prior. Similarly, preliminary data for an upcoming study of large-market travel buyers indicates that most are in the 50 percent to 69 percent range in terms of hotel compliance, with few showing levels above that range.