Being asked to schedule a business trip for your manager, head of department, or CEO can be daunting. You want them to feel rested and relaxed ahead of their big meeting, but you might end up booking them into a cramped hotel room next to an airport with a shower that will not turn off.
Top tips
To avoid this nightmare, we have pulled together the five best business travel tips and tricks to get you on your boss’s good side after they have woken up on the right side of the bed.
Get to know their preferences
When booking business travel arrangements for someone else, it is important to know what they like when staying away overnight and what they need to do during their visit.
Do they take multiple short trips or have an extended stay to get everything done at once? Do they prefer to eat out or make their regular meals during their stay? Do they like jumping into the next activity without a break or having the time to collect themselves?
By getting to understand their personality and preferences, you will be able to book them their ideal work trip full of their favourite creature comforts. Make a note of everything so that next time they are required to travel for business, you will be fully prepared with perfect plans.
Plan cautiously
In the world of the coronavirus, we have become more aware of our safety and hygiene than ever. Care should be taken to research the location of the trip to ensure that it is not a part of any of the Government’s watch lists or under a local lockdown.
It is important to adequately assess the accommodation’s safety metrics and approach to social distancing to ensure a safe trip. For example, here at Signature Suites, we have produced a COVID-19 update so our guests can be confident we are taking the right precautions throughout their stay. We have increased our already rigorous cleaning regimes and replaced our typical house welcome with adequate social distancing behind screens. Whilst we miss our usual ‘hands-on’ approach, the welfare of our guests is our biggest priority and we want everyone to rest easy knowing they are in a safe environment.
You may also need to think about how the hotel, B&B, or apartment handle cancellations in the event of an unexpected illness or lockdown. Do not be afraid to contact the accommodation directly and enquire about their policies and procedures relating to the pandemic.
Choose the right accommodation
The type of accommodation you choose will often be the key to a successful trip. You should book somewhere comfortable, with adequate room depending on the length of the business trip. Think about the purpose of the trip and how the room can help serve that purpose.
For example, some trips can last over a week, in which case your boss is unlikely to want to eat out every night and venture to a café for a cup of coffee each morning. Similarly, at conferences, your boss may want to be able to quickly pull associates aside for some privacy without booking a meeting room but asking someone back to their cramped hotel room could just be plain awkward.
In cases like these, apart-hotels are the perfect solution. Each of our rooms provides the luxury and comfort of a hotel room, whilst also providing the facilities and space of an apartment to create an office away from home. All of our locations have guest parking in secure CCTV gated car parks, free Wi-Fi, exquisite bathrooms with powerful hot showers, fully equipped kitchenettes, 4K SMART TVs, and full use of the laundry room so that your boss can be fully prepared for the business matters at hand.
Create an itinerary
Organise and schedule their trip to the last minute, whilst also leaving some room for any potential last-minute adjustments and additions. Think carefully about pre-ordering travel, booking restaurant reservations, and arranging some downtime in advance.
Produce a summary of all the trip’s details as well as an itemised calendar that can be kept in one folder. This will make all the essential information easy to access for your traveller, meaning there will not be any frantic or frustrated emails leaving you in the doghouse.
From setting off to each meeting that will take place, piece together the documents and emails in the chronological order that they will need the information. It is also useful to print hard copies of each item so that your boss will have everything need, even if their phone or internet access fails them.
Think of the extras
To truly impress your boss, consider the small extras that they would not have thought of for themselves. Schedule in time for a video call before their small children’s bedtime, book them into a local gym so that they can keep up with their fitness routine, or keep a clear day so that they can explore a city they have never been to before.
Simple and considerate details like these can help make the stress of being away from home much easier for your boss and they will be thankful for your organisation skills. You never know, they may even return the favour!