According to Ian Burnley, CEO of travel management company Expotel, in the current age of austerity aspiring high flyers looking to achieve senior executive positions will need to demonstrate their keenness to abandon traditional business travel perks.
"The new cost-control culture will not tolerate excess for the sake of it, and travelling executives must develop high ‘discomfort thresholds', not only accepting but embracing savings to be made from reductions in luxury comforts.
"The willingness and proactivity with which such individuals ‘trade down' will soon become a sign of status and seniority as cost-focused corporate and public sector organisations seek to set new examples for best practice in business travel.
"Where a sizeable expenses allowance, premium travel and accommodation arrangements and an abundance of top-end gadgets have been accepted as status symbols for business travellers, increasingly in the future it will be the manager who willingly abandons these who is rewarded with greater responsibilities.
"Equally the individual who makes a real effort to schedule off-peak, gets as much as possible from their trip by organising extra meetings, who actively seeks out additional opportunities while away and gets a super-early start thereby cutting out avoidable overnight accommodation.
"So career-minded individuals will do well to highlight their personal commitment to cost-control. Regularly returning claims for bus rather than taxi travel (or walking where feasible), accepting the use of a refurbished laptop and bringing a packed lunch where possible instead of eating out for every meal will be highly sought-after (even prerequisite) qualities of candidates in recruitment situations. ‘Modesty'-orientated trait testing may emerge.
"The new mindset may be compared to that of the self-employed where costs come under constant and brutal scrutiny - the time has come to redefine what is ‘essential' and the typical employed executive can learn a lot from those whose spending comes directly from their own purse.
"Hotels should consider supporting the cost-conscious approach from their business travellers if they wish to maintain their loyalty. Examples could include: a simple and low-price breakfast option; free wifi; providing an in-room hospitality tray; and helping guests pre-arrival with a detailed knowledge of local public transport options such as fares, stops and timetables.
"In the ‘age of austerity', executives who boast about their quality budget trip, the value-filled choices made and the absence of non-essential extras will be deemed most appropriate to take high-level decisions. The business leaders of the future are trading down with enthusiasm in order to prove their attitudinal appropriateness for taking charge of spending decisions.
"Working with an intermediary booker to arrange travel will undoubtedly continue to be the route to the best rates and range of travel options, but increasingly a responsible personal approach to cutting out superfluous ‘frills' will be the mark of the savvy, successful executive. Leadership is about profitability, not perks."