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    • Group travel booking: all your questions answered

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    Group travel booking: all your questions answered

    Group travel booking: we asked the experts

    Ah, the moment when your boss walks up to you and says you’re in charge of organizing the upcoming company getaway. No big deal, right? You just have to handle group reservations like flights and hotels for 85 people from New York to Miami.
    Breaking a sweat at the thought? Managing group and business travel booking can be stressful. Between everyone's differing stay requirements, setting travel dates that suit most, finding the best hotel rates, flexible ticketing, and trolling the internet for the best travel package deals or special offers, it can be a handful.
    If you’ve found yourself in a similar situation, then you’ve now found yourself in the right place. We sat down with TravelPerk’s Group Travel and Events Team and laid out all of their group travel tips and tricks in this interview. 
    First up, meet your experts. We spoke to: 
    • Claudia, TravelPerk’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) Team Leader
    • Ester, TravelPerk’s Global Head of MICE 
    • Lucy Álvarez, Content Marketing Manager
    Together, the trio are unstoppable. Claudia and the team are in charge of booking huge numbers of group trips for teams of every size, while Ester oversees TravelPerk’s MICE strategy. Plus, with Lucy on-side, you’re about to receive TravelPerk’s very best booking secrets. If anyone asks, you didn’t hear it from us!
    In this article we're covering:
    • Booking group tickets for flights
    • Booking group accommodation in hotels
    • Booking group tickets for trains
    • Arranging meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE)
    • More group booking tips
    • Common mistakes for group bookings
    • The benefits of using TravelPerk’s Group Travel and Events team
    " "

    TravelPerk can help you organize group travel for events with ease — and take advantage of great group travel discounts!

    Your details will be used for demo purposes only. View Privacy Policy.

    Booking group flights: insider tips from MICE experts

    Group bookings for flights can be tricky. Let’s see what tips our MICE experts have to offer.
    Trying to figure out what MICE is?
    Grab our explainer guide on MICE: Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions. 

    What is group booking in airlines?

    “Airlines class a group booking as any request that comes through for 10 seats or more with the same carrier, route and date. That said, each airline has differences in what they consider as the minimum amount to provide group fares from.", says Claudia. 
    "This all depends on the time of the year you decide to travel as it will be affected by market conditions and major events taking place—for example, The Olympics—and the current demand for your specific flight.
    Different airlines (like Southwest Airlines, Delta, American Airlines, United Airlines, for example) will have different fares and benefits for you depending on your specific group booking requirements.”

    Do group bookings get special discounts?

    “Airlines don’t necessarily offer special pricing when it comes to groups. What they do offer is assurance that everyone in your group will get on the same flight and they’ll guarantee the same fare for the entire group—no surprises here or fare fluctuations.Let's say you're flying from Houston to Hawaii for your corporate retreat. Airlines will do their best to guarantee that everyone going is on the same flight, and if the flight cancels, the airline will provide the best alternatives for your group to ensure they all still travel together—subject to ticketing availability, of course!”

    If group booking flights don't offer a discount, why do it?

    “Great question. One key thing to know is that most airlines don’t offer group fares directly to individuals, only to travel agencies. This means you’ll be at a disadvantage if booking it yourself as you won’t benefit from a group rate nor will have flexibility when it comes to making the numerous changes that groups often require. 
    Booking individually will also translate into not having a guarantee that everyone will get on the same flight. Plus, most businesses don’t splurge for free cancellation, so you are locked into those dates and times, and those specific travelers.
    On the other hand, with a group booking that has been negotiated with the airline, they typically give you time to make changes. It’s different for every carrier, but usually, you’re allowed to add or remove 10% of the passengers up to a month beforehand, and you don’t have to give their names at the time of booking—which I’m sure you can imagine, is incredibly useful.”
    Thanks, Claudia. Ester, anything to add to that? 
    “Certainly! Group booking flights can also become quite a tedious and time-consuming process as it requires longer handling time and the knowledge of an expert to make sure the right arrangements and terms and conditions are in place for the group. 
    At TravelPerk, the team understands booking group flights may not be your day-to-day responsibility, we have a dedicated team of experts to assist you with that. It’s important to know that unlike direct booking online, group bookings follow a manual process and can be a little slow as we contact multiple airlines to get different pricing options and ensure we capture the best deal. But, the outcome is always worth the input.”

    Any words of warning for those debating negotiating for a group or booking individually?

    “Remember, if you do decide to book the flight tickets online with individual rates, there is no guarantee that you can get all travelers from the group on the same flight since the online tickets are open for sale for everyone. 
    You might get to the last group of five or eight flyers, and there could be no availability. If you’ve planned enough in advance, this is very rare, but it is still a risk. So, you have to be willing to take the risk that some travelers will need to take a different route or carrier if you want to get the best, lowest travel deals that day.”
    “The other disadvantage of booking yourself manually and not getting a group rate is that you don’t have any flexibility when it comes to changes. Most businesses don’t splurge for free cancellation, so you are locked into those dates and times, and to those specific travelers.”
    Claudia,MICE Team Leader, TravelPerk
    " "

    TravelPerk can help you organize group travel for events with ease — and take advantage of great group travel discounts!

    Why are group flight bookings sometimes more expensive?

    “Group flight bookings also come with their set of special travel conditions to ensure that for those last-minute cancellations, or even air traffic disruptions alien to you, can be sorted seamlessly for your entire group; ensuring a solution is in place for all travelers at the same time and with the same conditions.
    With the airline's commitment to getting your entire group onboard, they also need to make sure they are keeping their costs under control as a group cancellation can translate into many unsold tickets suddenly for a flight, which they may struggle to resell.Because of that, they will calculate an average rate for all the people in your group, and this can look more expensive than if you were to add up multiple individual bookings.”

    Interesting, can you give us an example of how this works in the real world?

    “Sure! Let’s say that you go to a popular travel booking site and you see that the cost for the flight you want is $50 for one person, but the airline knows that as the date gets closer they can sell it for $150, so the price they decide to give you at $80 per ticket because of your group size.
    This is why, for groups that fall under the minimum threshold airlines class as eligible for group fares, our very own Group Travel and Events Team will always recommend you booking those through TravelPerk’s platform for you to benefit from the best corporate individual fare in those cases.”

    Is it cheaper to book group flights or stick with multiple individual bookings?

    “Getting a group deal from an airline is not always the best price. The airfare per flight on a group booking deal is often higher than if you log in to TravelPerk or tally up the individual flight costs. That’s because the airline knows how much they make on average for a ticket on that particular day, and they can calculate what they expect to make for a round-trip. 
    That said, booking group flights may end up saving you money as the same fare will be guaranteed for all your travelers as opposed to having many individual fares all priced differently (and perhaps more expensive!). 
    The only other thing to watch out for are blackout dates where airfares may reach peak and availability will be limited—do your best to avoid them!”
    Ready to hand your group bookings to the experts?
    Learn more about TravelPerk’s group bookings and how they can work for you and your team.

    What else does a business need to know when booking group travel? 

    “For starters, when organizing group bookings for flights, it’s important to know the group booking criteria of the airlines beforehand and what they class as a ‘group’. 
    A rule of thumb is that the number of passengers should be at least ten with the same flight so that a reservation can be regarded as a "group" reservation. 
    In case the number of passengers is less than ten, then group terms will not apply, in which case your best option will be to book individually”.
    Thanks, Ester. And, Claudia, do you have anything else you’d like businesses booking group travel to consider?
    “Sure. Unlike a direct booking online, this process is manual and can be a little slow, in some cases between 1 to 10 days as you’ll want to contact multiple airlines to get different pricing options. So, you’ll need to be able to give your travel manager time!
    Lastly, with a small corporate group, it’s often cheaper to book the flights yourself. When I do this for our clients, I group them in batches of eight. Some carriers, especially the low-cost carriers, will jack up the price right after someone has booked, so I wait a couple of hours before handling the next batch of eight travelers—now there’s a secret for you!"
    Want to save 70% time on travel planning? See how Hotjar reduced back-and-forth communication and streamlined the entire booking process with TravelPerk.

    Group hotel booking: find the best deals

    What about hotels? Let's see what we can learn from TravelPerk’s Group Travel and Events Team for this area of group booking.

    How do group hotels work?

    “In general, it’s easier to negotiate prices for big groups with hotels than it is with airlines. They might experience less predictability with bookings and might be more likely to offer you a volume-based discount.
    As hotel rates don't fluctuate as much, hotels look at their inventory availability for the specific time of year you are looking to book for your group, and based on that, they’ll come up with a flat rate for all of your travelers throughout the requested length of stay. 
    This doesn't mean that the group rate you'll receive is cheaper than an individual rate, but it will represent overall cost savings as you’ll have the same rate guaranteed for your entire group and stay period—as opposed to individual dynamic pricing per room per night. 
    This rate will also offer the flexibility you need to allow for any rooming list changes up to 30-14 days before the group's arrival, typically at no additional cost.”
    Corporate Event Planning Checklist

    Retreats, offsites, team building events. Stay on track with our free event checklist.

    How can you get the best rates on group hotel bookings?

    “To obtain the hotels' best group offers, you need to email the desired properties and provide specific details such as dates, number of rooms, meal requirements, room type, etc. You'll need to check their minimum stay requirements and look at the competitive fares they offer for these timeframes.
    Keep in mind that for business trips, it’s advised to not force employees to share a room whenever possible!
    To be able to get the options with the availability you need, contact at least five to 15 different hotels, and after getting those prices start the negotiation process to improve the prices and conditions for each. The biggest advantage of having an expert behind your hotel group booking—specifically TravelPerk’s Group Travel & Events Team—is the hotel partnerships and plugged-in knowledge that comes with them.
    We know exactly which hotel to contact based on your desired destination, budget, and further special requirements.”

    What else can you negotiate for?

    Claudia pitched in on what else you can consider negotiating for when booking for a group. 
    “While it’s quite hard to negotiate special rates, the hotels are open to providing extra benefits for your group stay such as free meals, room upgrades, or earlier check-in (subject to availability).”
    " "

    TravelPerk can help you organize group travel for events with ease — and take advantage of great group travel discounts!

    Booking group trains: easy booking for large parties

    “As is the same for the flights, to obtain group train fares, you should have at least 10+ people traveling together.
    Booking group trains can offer several advantages, such as ensuring that your group can travel together and sit in close proximity, making it easier to coordinate and communicate during the journey. Additionally, booking as a group may also provide discounted rates or special offers, saving you money on your overall travel expenses. 
    It can also simplify the booking process by allowing you to make one reservation for the entire group, rather than individual bookings for each member. Overall, booking group trains can enhance the overall travel experience for you and your companions.
    The conditions, prices, and availability of the train group fares vary depending on the train company, destinations, and demand.
    The biggest pros of requesting our team to help you with the group train tickets is that for most train carriers the group is automatically sitting together if they booked as a group and for some providers you do not require the names at all and you can decide who is traveling last moment.”
    Booking group trains can offer several advantages, such as ensuring that your group can travel together and sit in close proximity, making it easier to coordinate and communicate during the journey. Additionally, booking as a group may also provide discounted rates or special offers, saving you money on your overall travel expenses. 
    EsterGlobal Head of MICE, TravelPerk

    More top tips for booking group trips

    The team has even more tips for us when considering booking group travel.

    What’s the overall process for booking group trips via TravelPerk?

    “First, we have to look at what it is that we want to book, whether it is a hotel, airline an/or train charters. We then initiate the search and negotiate a group rate offline. We then review the most suitable options based on specific requirements for the group and budget. Once agreed, a request for contract will be sent to the hotel/airline/train.”

    When are negotiations not worth the effort?

    “If you’re in a time crunch, it’s not worth it to negotiate back and forth with the airline/train charter for a better price as time goes on, the average ticket cost will rise, which means they will only want to charge you more.Bear in mind airlines and train charters can sometimes take 24 – 48 hours to get back to you, so you’re not in a good position to negotiate for trips that are coming up soon. In the case of hotels, similar happens here, as the longer we wait availability will reduce and the risk will increase the hotel may not be able to offer the amount of rooms we need anymore.Definitely knowing what to negotiate depends on the company. I take a different approach for each carrier and hotel depending on the situation. That’s a big reason why customers appreciate our team so much. They don’t have to worry about trying to get a better deal, which is an art. We handle all the negotiations.”
    “That’s a big reason why customers appreciate this service so much. They don’t have to worry about trying to get a better deal, which is an art. We handle all the negotiations.”
    ClaudiaMICE Team Leader, TravelPerk

    How do you handle groups coming from different starting locations?

    “We once planned for 400 people to come to Barcelona for the Netcentric Summit. They were from 12 different locations. We sent out a Typeform asking everyone where they are coming from and how long they will be staying. Then, we sorted these responses and grouped people together based on location and dates. Once we did that, we based our approach on what was right for each individual group.”

    How long does it take to book a group trip?

    “It can take anywhere from three days to three months. Of course, three months is on the extreme end, things like conferences and big events with multiple attendees and speakers. One to two weeks is more typical!"

    What does a successful group booking look like?

    “Well, we’ve got a lot of them. A recent one that comes to mind is an off-site we help to coordinate for Intelletec. They wanted to unite their team of nearly 24 employees for a team-building event in Tampa. They’d previously relied on a traditional travel agency for these types of events but were getting frustrated with slow response times, hidden fees, and a lack of booking and changes flexibility. 
    TravelPerk helped them leave that travel trauma behind and effortlessly united their team for an epic celebration of team spirit. We saved their HR team time and money, and it was a true success.”
    Building a business case to use TravelPerk for your next group booking?
    Discover why and how we scored a “10/10” review from Intellectec’s Business & People Operations Manager. Read the case study.

    How do you streamline group booking?

    “The best thing you can do is to get all of the information upfront—especially as you’ll often score better rates (particularly with hotels) when booking well in advance. 
    Try to proactively ask questions. Don’t just stop at knowing that you need a hotel in Tampa or San Francisco, for example. Find out exactly what neighborhood and what style of hotel is preferred, like modern or boutique. Remember, the bigger the group, the longer the logistics. 
    I also try to get pre-approved for booking, especially with trips that are coming up soon. 
    Let’s say there is a group trip of 16 people and the trip is six weeks away. I will tell the client about why the group booking rates for the airline will be more expensive, and that my approach is to handle the booking manually.
    Then, I’ll let them know that as long as the second batch of eight isn’t a difference of more than 50 euros, I will book it myself. Of course, that’s just an example, but the point is that I try proactively to minimize the back-and-forth if time is an issue. There’s a balance between saving the client money and saving them time. 
    If I take too long to book, it can waste money. So, I always make sure to get as much information as I can and get approval to book beforehand if that’s needed. But for most trips, I’m able to show them the options and let them decide before the final booking.”

    How can office managers excel at group booking?

    “If you’re booking something for a company event, you can use the same strategy: try to get approval and information from the right people upfront if you can.”
    I always try to send the minimal amount of emails and to be clear. This makes it less stressful for the client. I also try to batch the communication and anticipate the client’s needs.
    ClaudiaMice Team Leader, TravelPerk
    If an office manager is handling group booking, the same thing would be helpful internally. They can try to get as much upfront information and approval as possible, batch all the questions they have, and then for any follow-ups or options, always be as clear as possible. 
    Here’s what to include in your email when making a group booking request:
    • Hotel + flight information: who is staying where, and what their route is. Include departure dates and return dates. 
    • Minimum stay: how long will the retreat last? Let people know so they can organize what they do afterward. Maybe they want to extend their corporate retreat a few days and turn it into a family vacation? 
    • Travel requirements: do any of your colleagues require any special documentation or additional assistance from your end? Offer them a way to reach out. 
    • Payment details: what's been paid for by the company, and what should travelers expect to be reimbursed for? Should they use their own credit cards on this trip?
    • Be clear on the details: what can they expect upon arrival? Are you doing car rentals or has all transportation been organized?
    • Outline the activities: what are we doing on our retreat? Are we doing a city tour of San Diego or letting loose in Las Vegas?

    Common mistakes for group bookings

    “A few common mistakes we see when people are trying to make unassisted group bookings are: 
    • Not planning far enough in advance, leading to limited availability and higher prices
    • Failing to communicate effectively with group members and set up the proper deadlines
    • Overlooking important details such as room configurations, meal preferences, or transportation needs
    • Not asking the professional for advice
    • Having too many people organizing the same booking/event
    All of these mistakes are easily avoided, it’s just that people don’t know they’re making them in the first place."

    How can people learn more about getting TravelPerk’s help for group bookings?

    There are two steps that need to be completed to access TravelPerk’s Group Travel & Events team:  
    1. Your company will need to be a subscriber with TravelPerk and have at least one trip booked directly on the platform. 
    2. From there, you’ll need to request your desired service (group flight, group hotel, etc) by emailing events@travelperk.com, and one of our dedicated MICE Specialists will be in touch!
    To learn more, check out TravelPerk Premium to get all the details and FAQs on TravelPerk Group Booking.
    " "

    TravelPerk can help you organize group travel for events with ease — and take advantage of great group travel discounts!

    Your details will be used for demo purposes only. View Privacy Policy.
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