A new study by the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association, looked at global hotel programs in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region, and found that one size definitely does not fit all for these markets. As such, the report suggests that travel managers can design or adapt their program according to their own regional scope or specific needs.
The Best Western-sponsored study, “2015 Global Hotel Program Study: Asia Pacific and Latin America,” surveyed online travel managers in these regions in order to characterize global hotel programs, determine how they function, and examine how programs vary depending on region and travel spend. This new report follows GBTA’s “2014 Global Hotel Program Study,” released in July, which examined hotel programs in North America and Europe and found differences in hotel programs varied by region and travel spend.
“The research underscores the importance of understanding how and why global hotel programs vary in structure globally,” Joseph Bates, GBTA Foundation vice president of research, said in a statement. “Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach to their global programs, high-spend companies see value in a team-oriented program where recommendations are sought from local and regional travel managers.”
Key highlights of the 2015 Asia Pacific and Latin America report include:
- Chain-wide agreements are more prevalent in Asia-Pacific and Latin America, driven most likely by global hotel programs wanting to standardize the “stay” of their employees no matter where they are.
- In both Asia Pacific and Latin America, regional travel managers are commonly involved in selecting preferred hotels and negotiating preferred hotel rates.
- Hotel programs in Latin America are more likely than travel managers in other regions to be guided by their TMCs when it is time to sign new preferred hotels.
- Regional negotiations that are passed on as recommendations to global teams could be behind the high level of satisfaction among regional Travel Managers with the RFP process.
Key highlights from the 2014 North America and Europe report include:
- While companies based in North America tend to have centrally managed programs, their travel policy is also more likely to use guidelines in contrast to European based companies, which are more likely to use mandates.
- High travel spend companies are more likely to issue one global hotel RFP after receiving regional recommendations.
- On average, one in five preferred hotels is dropped from a global program each year after an RFP is issued. The rate is twice as high in Europe as in North America.
- Travel managers in North America are more likely than their European counterparts to enter into individual property agreements, while in Europe global chain-wide agreements are more likely.
- Regardless of region or travel spend, half of respondents indicate they rely somewhat or a lot on TMCs to manage their day-to-day hotel activities.