Sources: CWT and JWT
In the corporate travel services sector, we can follow trends as a significant indication of how the corporate travel service market is going to behave. Below we present a list of corporate travel trends for 2012:
- Ancillary fees and surcharges piled on top of your airline ticket or hotel room "will continue to bump up the cost of travel across all categories". Low up-front airfares or per-night room rates will remain the bait on the hook, but a raft of unexpected add-on charges will be the catch.
- While CTW forecasts "less choice is likely on some domestic (aircraft) routes, particularly in the United States", there's good news for Australian business travellers due to "significant increases in international capacity and competition, especially in Asia Pacific, thanks to new low-cost carriers and wide-body aircraft."
- Robust economic growth is expected in Asia Pacific, compared with more uncertainty in Europe and North America. In parallel, business travel will be faster to and from APAC than other regions.
- Rail travel will continue to grow as a practical alternative to air travel in Europe. Improved services and extended networks, an increase in integrated rail and air tickets and steps toward "harmonized pan-European planning and ticketing, when combined with a productive on-board working environment and a lighter carbon footprint" are tipped to make rail even more popular among corporate travellers.
- However, companies will face a challenge due to the unstoppable march of smartphones into the pockets and purses of business travellers. "84% of US business travelers use their smart phones during travel and most find practical information through apps and social media. As travel managers embrace traveller services such as mobile itineraries, social communications, location-based information and on-the-go alerts, they may also need to clarify appropriate usage in travel policy."
- Connected car services. The days of having to flag a cab are dwindling, thanks to services such as the Uber app and>Limos.com. Users simply open the Uber app to initiate a car dispatch; a fresh startup, Uber already is available in Paris and select U.S. cities and has big expansion plans for next year. For its part, Limos.com aggregates private car services, allowing consumers to comparison-shop and then book; Forbes rates it one of America's most promising companies.
- Women-only hotelWith more women traveling solo, many for business, hotels in major destinations such as Vancouver, British Columbia; Copenhagen, Denmark; Singapore, and London are reviving the concept of women-only floors, a quaint idea previously dismissed as sexist. But such floors offer guests more security (some hotels even require a key card to access the floor) and add room amenities such as fashion magazines, hair tools (curling irons, flat irons) and additional hangers. Some hotels also provide female room attendants and tables for solo female diners, as well as networking events.
- Real-time translation.App creators have been seeking new ways to break through language barriers with software that translates two-way conversations in near-real time. Vocre is one such new iPhone app that translates what each speaker is saying in any of (so far) nine languages. For example, you're in France and want to converse with a concierge who doesn't speak English. With a few finger taps you set up Vocre for French/English, ask the concierge a question, and point the iPhone toward him like a mic as he replies. His words, in French, appear on the screen, you then turn the screen upside down, and voila! An English translation of what he just said appears. Can actual vocal voice translation be far behind? This one can be a major game changer in human communication.
- Smarter check-ins.Forward-thinking hotels and airlines are using RFID (radio-frequency identification) and NFC (near field communication) technology, combined with customer phones, to smooth and speed up the experience. Qantas' frequent flyers now get an RFID-enabled card that functions as a boarding pass; they use it to check in at a kiosk upon arrival, then flight details are sent to their phone. Similarly, hotels such a Starwood's Aloft and Aria in Las Vegas issue RFID loyalty cards that double as room keys (the Aria card also automatically activates in-room amenities, turns on lights, opens curtains and personalizes the TV). Hotels also are enabling guests to use NFC-equipped smartphones as room keys.
- Myanmar. Look for this long-restricted land to become the newest "it" destination if the current loosening of dictatorial reins continues. The country's magnificent array of Buddhist temples and pagodas will quickly become a focus for incentive planners, and new hotels already are being planned.
About Teplis Travel
Teplis Travel has acquired a solid reputation as a primary provider of travel management services for middle-market accounts (companies with travel spends between $1 million and $10 million. By focusing on finding solutions for this sector the company has developed a set of successful travel management techniques that continue to be effective as the travel industry changes. Reducing average ticket prices, tracking and improving travel policy compliance, rate benchmarking and negotiating vendor discounts remain primary tools for creating substantial cost savings for clients. When combined with state-of-the-art technological solutions these techniques can bring about substantial cost reduction while simultaneously increasing service levels, a double-win scenario for most accounts.
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