Business Travel iQ
There are parts of travelling that we cannot plan no matter how hard we try. Getting a taxi is just one of the examples where the travel manager has little control, and in turn makes expenses a headache to handle.
If you don't make ground transport part of the managed travel programme then there's a good chance your travellers will turn to one of the various taxi sharing apps out there, especially as they are increasing the number of ways they can get in front of individual travellers themselves.
We all know that getting the total cost of travel across the company is the ideal, but the ease of doing so is not always so straight-forward. But it's becoming increasingly important to think about areas such as taxi spend, because these companies are partnering suppliers themselves to further infiltrate the travel process whether you are travelling for business or leisure and within policy or not.
This week Hilton announced a tie-up with Uber where travellers will be able to set up a 'Ride Reminder' that automatically sets their hotel as the end destination, meaning fewer taxi queues.
In a more traditional affiliation, members of British Airways' Executive Club can temporarily earn Avios points with Hailo rides in London.
When it really comes down to the moment, your travellers are normally going to pick the option that's right in front of them as they always have done. Integration and simplicity is central to the success of any new app or service, particularly when it comes to travel where there's generally a feel of unfamiliarity or plans are more likely to change. These partnerships provide even more opportunities for travellers to find them and once they're in the habit it will be difficult to get them out of it. Start making your own integration plans, or ways of getting the data, now.