Reassuring business travellers post-pandemic

According to data from the Business Travel Recovery Poll in April 2022, 88 percent of those surveyed said corporate travel bookings have increased (vs 45 percent in February 2022). While Deloitte predicts that it will be two years before returning to pre-pandemic spend, domestic and international business travel is starting to show signs of recovery.

Nevertheless, the pandemic has brought into sharp focus the need for specific programme initiatives centred on traveller wellbeing – be it post-trip surveys, mental health sessions, or working with hotels to ensure stays are satisfying and safe. A recent poll from BCD’s Traveller Survey on wellbeing revealed 39 percent of employees find unsatisfactory hotels to be a major concern when traveling.

Organisations have to deliver duty-of-care obligations to mobile workforces. This includes the safety and security of hotels and serviced accommodation booked for travelling employees. With the aftermath of the pandemic making employees acutely aware of the risks associated with travel, what can corporates do to alleviate concerns?

Security-first accommodation

Despite having security infrastructure including alarms and CCTV, hotels are still vulnerable to criminal activity. They tend to be conspicuous and target-rich, with a revolving door of well-resourced travellers unfamiliar with their surroundings.

Both hotels and serviced accommodation must have adequate safety measures to ensure travellers feel safe. This means having policies and procedures in place to handle issues such as acquisitive crime (theft and fraud), as well as more serious challenges such as human trafficking and terrorist attacks. Good service and good security go hand in hand, so promoting a culture of security in hotels and serviced accommodation, by encouraging staff to consider security in their day-to-day roles, is essential.

Corporates wishing to deliver on their duty of care obligations can choose accredited hotels and serviced accommodation. This ensures each premises has been screened properly by security experts against standards that are consistent.

In the wake of ISO 31030, travel risk managers must consider all potential risks when travelling, including the accommodation their organisation’s employees stay in, so seeking reassurance through accreditation, rather than simply taking the accommodation provider’s word for it, is essential.

Discover why you should choose GSA accredited hotels.