Business travelers, like the rest of the country, are tightening their belts.
Stephen Hecht, a technical manager, recently logged online to book a room at Courtyard by Marriott in Norwood, Mass., his favorite hotel when he regularly visits a client. But the Orbitz website, tailored to follow his employer's new cost-conscious travel policy, showed the hotel was too expensive. It steered him to a cheaper property, Four Points by Sheraton. Reluctant to stay at the recommended hotel, he called a local Hampton Inn and found a cheaper room.
"It's a waste of time, something that my travel agent could have done," says Hecht, who lives in Concord, N.C., and works for a building products manufacturer. "My travel budget was cut 25% across the board."
With the economy in full swoon, more corporate travel departments are requiring cost-saving measures. Employees are increasingly pressured by travel managers to book tickets further in advance, opt for limited-service hotels, take public transportation and refrain from paying for others' meals.
To be sure, revenue-generating trips, such as meeting new clients or appeasing repeat customers, are still high priorities at many companies. But others deemed less critical - internal meetings, trade shows and training sessions - are being shelved.
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Source - USATODAY
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