Managing Travel for your Energy Business? Here’s What to Look for in a Corporate Lodging Solution

Do you organize travel and corporate lodging for your energy business? You’ve probably had easier years!

A changing energy industry along with reduced energy demand during pandemic lockdowns means many budgets have come under pressure.

Not to mention, COVID-19 has complicated business travel even further. Finding ways for energy teams to travel safely and self-isolate when necessary has been no easy task.

If there’s ever been a time for smarter travel technology, it’s now.

The right corporate lodging solution can simplify business travel, saving an energy business valuable time and money in the process.

But what boxes should a corporate lodging solution tick? And which corporate lodging solution is the best fit for your organization?

What to consider when booking corporate lodging for your energy business teams

Travel or operations managers for energy companies have a number of competing priorities to juggle.

• You need to balance travel spend with traveler experience. Teams should be comfortable. But corporate lodging can’t cost the earth.
• Hotels should be close to project sites, however far-flung a destination happens to be. Long journeys to and from the site cost extra time and money.
• You need to consider your duty of care. This means knowing where your teams are at any given moment. And being able to contact them or their accommodation whenever you need to.

The right corporate lodging solution can help you balance these requirements and provide a heap of added travel management benefits too.

Types of corporate lodging solutions

So which corporate lodging solution should you choose? Here are a few of the available options.

Online travel agents

Online travel agents are those big hotel websites we’ve all used at one time or another. They have a huge selection of hotels. And you can search, filter, and book accommodation with ease. Whenever and wherever you need to travel, they almost certainly have a hotel that fits the bill.

However, they’re not always well suited to the corporate lodging needs of an energy business.

Online travel agents don’t offer reporting and analysis tools, which are pretty essential if you’re keeping track of travel spend across a business.

Also, booking long-term accommodation for a team of people is difficult and often more expensive than it needs to be. Online travel agents just don’t offer the necessary flexibility.

Locally negotiated rates

When planning a group stay, some companies take a different approach. They contact hotels directly, negotiating rates, and making reservations on a project by project basis.

They’ll get good rates. But this process takes considerable time and effort on the part of your operations team.

What’s more, dealing with international hotels and language barriers can be a challenge. And you still don’t get access to really useful reporting and analysis tools.

Engine

Ready to do things another way? Engine is a complete corporate lodging solution, providing a wide range of hotels and powerful travel tools too. Here’s what our members can expect from the Engine service.

How Engine can help your energy business

Engine partners with more than 700,000 hotels across the world. Some are based in cities. Others are based in remote locations far from tourist hotspots and standard business travel destinations.

Wherever your team needs to get to, you’ll find it easy to search, filter, and book corporate lodging through the Engine platform.

Discounted room rates

We’ve negotiated the best possible room rates so you don’t have to.

When you search for hotels with Engine, you’ll experience savings of up to 60%. Every time you book with us, you’ll make your travel budget go that bit further.

Travel dashboard

Keeping track of multiple itineraries is no mean feat. With the Engine travel dashboard, you can see reservations at a glance.
View where team members have been and where they’re headed. And easily make changes to your reservations when you need to.

You can also request easy billing through your dashboard, paying for all of your company’s corporate lodging in one streamlined monthly invoice.

Specialized group and project lodging support

When making reservations for long-term projects, perhaps with changing personnel, the Engine member experience team can help.

We negotiate and book corporate lodging for you, relieving you of the stress and the effort this process usually takes.

If you need a reservation for nine or more rooms, our team will be on hand before, during, and after your stay to ensure everything goes to plan.

What else can you expect as an Engine member?

24/7 US-based customer service

Whether you have a complicated corporate lodging request or just want a little support with an individual booking, our US-based customer service team is at the end of the phone 24/7, or just an email away.

Hotel loyalty rewards

Here for the perks? When you book through Engine you can collect hotel reward points through your favorite hotel chains. You’ll also earn Engine loyalty points, which can be put towards a free stay.

Excellent reporting tools

With Engine, all of your travel data can be found in one place. You can create reports and analyze your company’s business travel trends. In doing so, you’ll find ways to make operations more efficient.

Ready to sign up?

Signing up to Engine is easy. Just enter a few details and one of our team members will get your account up and running!

Our service is completely free to use. Unlike other corporate lodging solutions, we don’t charge a membership fee or any ongoing costs: No annual or cancellation fees. No fees for inactivity on your account. And no contract. You’re free to use our platform as much or as little as you like.

We’ve helped thousands of businesses, from small start-ups to global enterprises, streamline their corporate lodging organization. Why not see how much time and money you could save by joining Engine today?

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