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4 Ways to Escape Expense Report Purgatory

Whether you’ve just finished a week-long trip, or if you’ve been stashing receipts all month, doing your expenses can become one of those monotonous tasks that ranks even below timesheets at the bottom of the to-do list. This means that they get put off, and off, and off, until you reach a point where a) you’re broke and need them to be reimbursed so you can put food on the table, b) your wallet is bulging more than your financial controller’s eyes will once they see how much you’re claiming for the past few months, or c) both of the above.

Airfares Skyrocket for Multi-City Business Trips

One heck of a coincidence recently went down in the U.S. airline industry. Three of the largest airlines in the country have altered the way they price fares for multi-city trips, forcing multi-city travelers to shell out hundreds of dollars more if they continue to book multi-city flights. 

China Flying High in Biz Travel Spending, Topping U.S.

China already beats out the United States on exports and automobile market size, and now the country has done the same when it comes to business travel spending. Chinese corporate travelers spent more than $291 billion in 2015, roughly $1 billion more than U.S. corporate travelers during that same period. The Global Business Travel Association reports the gap is predicted to widen even further in 2016. 

And the Winner Is: 2016 Business Travel Award Highlights

Companies that are scoping out good hotels, great airlines or phenomenal in-flight entertainment options can turn to annual lists that rank the winners in a legion of different categories. One set of winners comes from the UK’s Buying Business Travel Awards, which acknowledge and celebrate the successes of the British travel industry’s outstanding performers over the past 12 months. 

The other set of winners comes from Entrepreneur magazine, which also serves up an annual listing of top-performing companies that meet or exceed business travelers’ needs. 

Business Travel Packed with These Top Stressors

While more than one-third of corporate travelers typically feel positive about traveling for business, that doesn’t mean they all enjoy a stress-free experience. In fact, a massive 93 percent of business travelers heading to international destinations feel stressed-out at some point along their journey.

San Francisco Scores for Most Expensive US Business Travel Location (Again)

A daily allowance of $550 might take you far for a night out on your hometown, but it won’t go all that far at all on business trip in San Francisco. The City by the Bay ranks as the most expensive U.S. business travel location, again, with an average day’s expenditures totaled at $547.34. 

Europe, Worldwide Travel Security Tips Update after Brussels Bombings

Travelers across the world are still feeling the after-effects of the Brussels bombings in the form of heightened security across the board. Many international airports, key transit systems and high-profile areas have beefed up their safety measures as a routine precaution, even without a specific threat of attack. 

Chew on This: One Way to Get Biz Travelers to Eat at Preferred Restaurants

While travel managers can often negotiate preferred rates with hotels and even airlines, the same strategy typically doesn’t work with restaurants. Getting your business travelers to eat at preferred restaurants can be a major headache, as can tracking and managing dining expenses that come from a vast variety of different eateries. 

Expense best practices to delight your employees AND your CFO

Anyone who has looked at some of the perks that companies offer will understand that any forward-thinking organization places a premium on attracting and retaining the best talent. When you factor that it costs an average of 6-9 months’ salary to replace an employee, spending a little extra to keep your team happy is a sound investment. The hard cost of employee turnover is, of course, just one issue here. Companies’ ability to thrive is reliant upon attracting and retaining the best talent. Being unable to keep and hire staff can have a seriously detrimental impact on an organization’s overall health.

Gaze Beyond the Star Ratings: What Hotel Ratings Aren’t Telling You

Many business travelers may choose their hotels based on one part expense policy compliance, one part colleague input, and one part online reviews. But if looking at online reviews means glancing at the overall numerical or star rating average for the hotel, they could be missing out on some key information that could make or break their stay.