Booking hotel rooms for a group: a quick guide
For travel managers, trying to organise hotel room bookings for a large group of travellers can be tricky. We know that keeping track of multiple bookings can be time-consuming. What’s more, staying up to date with the trip details—and staying within travel policies for several employees travelling for work—is a logistical challenge in itself. That’s without considering how quickly costs can rack up when booking for a large group.Whether you’re looking for better group rates, special facilities in hotel rooms or trying to secure the best deal with special offers, our quick guide to booking hotels for large groups gives you the tools to better manage group hotel bookings.What to consider before booking a hotel for a large group
With any kind of travel it’s important to be aware of all the things you need to know—before you go! But this is even more important when making group hotel bookings for large groups, and can save a lot of hassle and expense down the road.The first things to consider before booking a number of rooms for a large group include:- What kind of trip you are booking: a group of travellers working off-site will have very different needs to a work crew that needs to be taken care of. Will they need transfers? Or additional space for gear? Will they need a meeting space within the hotel or transport to another location?
- Travellers’ personal preferences: it’s important to make group travel as comfortable as possible for each traveller. Consider the personal preferences of your team, such as dietary preferences, that could impact variables for your booking.
- Location, location, location: as mentioned above, knowing where your group travellers will be working will affect the location of your booking. Will it need to be close to a conference centre or an airport?
- Facilities: hotel chains and hotel rooms differ in the size and quality of their facilities. For business travellers to unwind after hours, it may be important to have an on-site fitness centre, high-speed wifi or 24-hour concierge service. It’s also important to consider accessibility for each traveller, and ensure disability access if necessary.
- Any additional requirements: small details to consider, like different check-in times depending on each traveller's arrival and any other last-minute additional requirements that may affect group hotel bookings
Once you have a handle on these trip details, you can start to get to grips with the best way to manage all the trip details, to make sure each traveller is catered for. Luckily, there are a number of group travel service providers that can help you do just that.Travel management software for group hotel bookings
Managing group hotel bookings doesn’t have to be a minefield of information spread out across multiple websites, providers and spreadsheets. In fact, nowadays there are a host of online resources to help you get competitive rates for hotel rooms, with the least stress involved.Travel management companies (TMCs) offer a bespoke service that is specifically designed to make the process of finding and booking hotel rooms for group travel as simple as possible.We’ve got everything covered when it comes to group hotel bookings, all in one easy-to-use platform. With TravelPerk, you can book, manage, support and report business travel from a single screen—no more clicking between email threads and tracking down stray booking references.For groups larger than eight travellers, booking is handled through our personalised concierge service. This is to ensure continuity, and that the whole group has the exact same itinerary.As specialists in corporate group travel, TravelPerk offers group coordinators a user-friendly, all-in-one travel management platform, as well as 7-star customer support for a seamless group travel booking experience.We know that at the top of any travel manager’s priorities are organisation and efficiency. That’s why we can help you save time and money when you use TravelPerk for group travel. We use the combined buying power of our customers to negotiate rates and pass these savings on to you. We also make the group booking process a no-brainer, as you can pay, report and invoice all group travel with just one account.Make sure your travel policy compliance is watertight with our automated travel policy compliance approvals—and a dedicated travel expert on hand if a member of your group needs to cancel or change their booking.We know all the tricks to help you secure great deals on room rates today, so you don’t blow your next group travel budget.5 top tips to secure discounts for group hotel bookings
Booking accommodation usually takes up the lion’s share of your company’s business travel spend. Luckily, as with other travel service providers, hotels offer businesses special discounts and offers for corporate bookings—occasionally even free rooms.Although it’s more common to see discounts start at around 10%, we know there are a few tricks to help you get an even better deal.Here are our top five tips for booking accommodation:1. Use a travel management platform
The best thing you can do to boost your chances of better rates is to work with a TMC. As well-connected industry specialists, TMCs like TravelPerk use the combined buying power of their customers to negotiate rates and pass these savings on to them.2. Make use of corporate credit cards
Plenty of credit card providers have corporate and business credit cards that give you access to special deals when you use them to book hotels for group travel. They can also unlock special perks—especially for groups—like extra meals or a free night. Some hotel chains also have loyalty programmes that, if used often, can have some great benefits for group reservations, like room upgrades.3. Ask about extended stay discounts
Hotels love consistently high occupancy rates—which is more likely when large groups are travelling to town for business. Anything more than five nights is usually considered an extended stay—and can unlock discounts for big groups. Be sure to ask when booking if this is an option.4. When possible, opt for non-refundable rates
Some hotels can offer better rates for large groups of business travellers who pay a non-refundable rate up front. In some cases, hotels could offer a discount of up to 25% here—but be careful. If you’re likely to run into cancellations or changes, this can be a risky option.5. Check if your clients have corporate codes
Finally, for business travel that involves meeting with clients, it’s always worth checking if they have any corporate codes or pre-negotiated discounts that might help cut your hotel costs.Let TravelPerk do the hard work for you
At TravelPerk, helping business travel managers find a better way to book is the reason why we are in business. This is especially the case when it comes to group travel.From what you need to know before check-in, to the travel management software that can streamline your processes, we’ve got you covered. Our expert travel agents go the extra mile to take care of every detail when it comes to group hotel bookings. From check-in to check-out, anything your group needs can be arranged.Book your next group business trip with total confidence with TravelPerk. Request a free demo with one of our travel experts today.?)
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