If you belong to a hotel frequent guest program, you’re likely receiving lots of “book direct” messages from them. Hotel chains encourage travelers to bypass their company’s preferred booking channel – usually a travel management company like Covington – and instead book directly through the hotel chain’s website. They claim that booking direct will give you access to rates and amenities that you can’t get anywhere else. But do those claims tell the entire story? No, they don’t! Here are some reasons to book your hotels with Covington:

• Access More Hotel Content and Rates – Covington books all leading hotel chains – including those “book direct” rates – as well as thousands of independent hotels around the world. With Covington, you get access to more hotel content and a greater range of pricing options than when booking directly with a hotel chain.
• Consolidate Your Travel Itinerary – We combine all your travel information into a single, convenient itinerary. As an added benefit, that itinerary clearly spells out the hotel cancellation policy, so you can avoid unnecessary “no-show charges.” Further, we enter your frequent guest membership number into every reservation we book for you, ensuring you receive your points.
• Make Changes Easily – When your travel plans change, a single call to Covington handles all travel elements of your trip. If your flights are canceled for any reason, you can trust that Covington automatically cancels any associated hotel bookings. You don’t have to contact each travel provider separately.
• Support Your Preferred Suppliers – Organizations try to lower expenses by negotiating preferred supplier programs, which often includes specially negotiated hotel rates at preferred properties. Often, you benefit from special amenities or services included in those rates. In most cases, those preferred rates aren’t available on a hotel chain’s website, but they are through Covington.
• Support Your Travel Policy and Ensure “Duty of Care” – Companies want their travelers to be safe and secure when they are on the road, a concept known as “Duty of Care.” That is why companies have travel policies recommending their travelers book through approved channels. During a crisis or travel disruption, a company can better locate and assist travelers when their bookings have been made through a single source. Covington has invested significant resources so that we can report on any travelers who might potentially be in harm’s way and provide the necessary assistance to bring them home safely.
• Save Time and Money – You can book your entire business trip, including hotels, with Covington by phone, email, or even book it yourself using our online booking tool. No matter which method you choose, it’s much more efficient to use Covington than booking your business trip across multiple websites. And the best part? Covington doesn’t charge you any additional fees for adding a hotel as part of your next business trip!

We look forward to working with you and supporting your hotel bookings as part of the comprehensive travel management program we provide your company. So, the next time you need to book a trip, give Covington a call and “Let Us Take You There.”

Rob Haislip is the Vice President of Business Development at Covington Travel. He has over twenty years of professional expertise in helping organizations optimize their Business Travel Management.

 

 

 

You may also be interested in Safe To Go™ for Business Travelers, a mobile application to access complete itinerary, flight updates and travel alerts in real time.