If you’re looking to change the company you use for corporate travel, or are thinking of hiring a business travel services provider for the first time, below are some useful questions to ask.

• What services do you provide?

Before signing up to any contract or agreement with a corporate travel company, you’ll want to know exactly what they can provide.

If you’re a large organisation, making sure they provide a full range of services to meet the travel needs of all the individuals in your company is important.

• How experienced are your business travel agents?

Experience counts for a lot when it comes to corporate travel. Asking this question will give you an understanding of the level of knowledge and expertise available to your business when you choose a corporate travel services partner.

• How will you add value to the business?

When you’re paying for any service, whether it’s business travel services or anything else, return on investment is important.

By asking how a potential provider will add value to your corporate travel, you’ll be able to get a good idea of their professionalism and commitment to customer satisfaction. A corporate travel partner that can save your business significant sums of money and time is the ideal scenario.

• What other clients do you work with?

Asking for evidence of other client relationships is one way to deciding if a potential corporate travel partner is the right fit for your business.

For example, you may be an organisation with 200 employees who travel regularly, but the business travel services company might have only dealt exclusively with much smaller firms in the past. It’s important that you’re happy with their ability to handle the number of bookings your company makes.

• Why should we give you our business?

This question often puts people on the spot, but it can be useful when it comes to selecting a business travel services partner.

The answers to this question should be about you as the customer rather than the corporate travel agency. For example, “We are the best in our field and have been operating the longest” isn’t a very good answer and tells you nothing about the benefits of using them as a supplier.

Author Bio: The Co-operative Travel Management http://www.co-operativetm.co.uk/ provides a full range of online and offline corporate travel services. Hiring the right business travel services partner can make a real difference to your business, so ask the questions above and choose a name you can trust.

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Initially, there was some mystery around who had purchased the Canadian jets, but it is now known that they have gone to Odyssey Airlines. Bombardier are responsible for manufacturing planes as well as trains and previously said that it had sold 10 aircraft to customers in the UK who were requesting to remain anonymous.

British Airways currently operates an all business class flight between the two cities twice a day using London city airport, which is located in the centre of London and can only handle smaller aeroplanes. The new venture is hoping to take customers away from British Airways but there are plenty of obstacles that the company is going to face and there is a record of companies trying to break into this business and failing.

High costs have meant that several big players in the market have previously collapsed, including Maxjets, which failed in 2007 and Silverjet which ceased trading in 2008. John Feren from the Aviation Capital Group has commented, “Small companies often struggle to make a profit in the market and the loyalty programmes and frequent-flier points that are rewarded by larger airlines are difficult for a smaller company to compete with.”

Furthermore, many industry analysts say that in order for a small venture like this one to succeed they need to have an alliance with a larger airline. Ray Neidl, a New York airline analyst has stated, “If a company like this finds its niche they run the risk that a big player will come in and simply take the market away from them. Not to mention it’s a very tough market because of the high price of oil and intense competition from other airlines.”

The travel industry is notoriously cutthroat and Odyssey Airlines have so far kept a low profile. The company has registered web addresses but other than that there is not much information about them. The director of the company is Adam Scott who incorporated the venture in September 2010.

However, when Mr Scott was contacted through an e-mail address found on the website, he denied all links with the Odyssey Airlines project. He was later contacted by telephone and once again denied any relationship with the airline. No sources associated with information coming out about the airline have agreed to have their names published.

The new jets from Bombardier that the company has ordered are due to enter the market late next year but it is expected that Odyssey Airlines will not begin operations until a year or two after that.

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This week, EasyJet announced that their revenue increased by about 17% last quarter up to 763m pounds and passenger figures for the same period increased by about 8%, jumping up to around 13 million. Known as the second largest budget airline in Europe, the Luton based company said that it was able to reduce its costs per seat by about 1.5% and believes that its first half loss will be about the same as it was in the previous year.

Carolyn McCall, the airline’s chief executive, stated that so long as there is no significant disruption over the next quarter EasyJet expects to be able to get back its first half fuel bill and keep its losses down to about 150 million pounds, which is about the same as its last first half set of figures.  If it is able to keep its losses under control then the airline will walk away with a comparable profit this year when compared to last year due to their increase in profits from regular customer sales.

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The average decline in the industry is about 15 percent and so Thomas Cook’s figure is about double the industry average. The company was close to collapse in November after a period of very poor trading and in order to survive it had to turn to its lenders for additional funding.

The company is still the second-largest travel company in the UK but the reputation of the company has been severely damaged by its cash problems and the amount of consumer confidence in the company is at an all-time low.

In the last year the share price of Thomas Cook has fallen by over 90 percent after the exit of the Chief Executive as well as numerous profit warnings. The company has around 1300 shops in the UK and it is planning to turnaround its business in the next year. It is going to focus on fewer amounts of  only higher quality hotels and is hoping to get more of its bookings done online.

Over the next year and a half the company plans to get rid of £200 million worth of its assets in order to reduce the amount of debt the company is in. Currently this figure is just below £900 million, a figure which saw an 11 percent rise in the last year. Investors feared the company would collapse after it asked for a loan of £100 million from its lenders and this caused investors to sell their share amid fears that the company would collapse.

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At 9:30 in the evening, the vessel struck rocks and this caused an enormous disturbance through out the ship. The vessel had over 3000 passengers on board and most of them were sitting down to their dinners at this time. The hull had been torn beneath the waterline by rocky outcrops and within an hour the ship had almost capsized.

Shortly after the ship hit the rocks the captain gave the order for the vessel to be evacuated and people started scrambling for the lifeboats. The question that is remaining in people’s minds is why the ship was sailing so close to the shore, where it is known to be very dangerous. Some people on the shore said that the ship could have been as close as 150 metres from the coast.

The captain of the vessel has said that he was still 300 metres away from the rocky outcrops and this is a safe distance. He also claimed that the charts indicated that there were no rocks underwater in the area. The owner of the ship, Costa, has stated that the vessel was on its normal route and the navigation system indicated that there were no problems.

The statement is contrary to what people on the island are saying, with many stating that the ship was much closer than they have ever seen before. Prosecutors are currently examining the case and one theory being considered is that the captain was sailing close to shore in order to honour the tradition of the ship passing the island.

The ship had apparently sailed close to the shore last year and this had encouraged the mayor of the town on the island to congratulate the captain of the ship as he was responsible for boosting tourism in the area.  The mayor of the town has commented about the event, “The passing of the ship is a popular event on the island and many people come to the jetty to watch it go by. There is tower that we light in celebration of the ships passing and it is quite an astounding sight”

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‘Only Bidding’ is a company with a whole new concept that is based in the fact that an unoccupied hotel room equals lost revenue. Only bidding gives the consumer the empowerment to pay the price for their hotel accommodation that they are happy to, and that the hotel is happy to accept. This balances supply and demand, resulting in a win win situation for all.

As far as the customer is concerned, they are grabbing a hotel room that may normally be out of their price range for a bargain price.  Customers will find the best deals during the quiet periods and in low season, as well as last minute when hotels would rather reduce a room rate than have the room stay empty. A hotel room is effectively an inventory that expires every night, so hotels will often accept rates that are cheaper than normal.

For hotels, the advantages of registering with Only Bidding are clear, they are getting to fill otherwise empty rooms with paying guests. Hotels pay indirect costs to run a hotel, whether they have one room, or one hundred rooms, occupied. The hotel will increase their occupancy and also revenue.

There is also the opportunities for the guests to then use the hotel’s bars, restaurants, spa facilities etc. resulting in even more income.

Is Only Bidding any different to Ebay or Groupon?
It is different from eBay as Only Bidding sells hotel accommodation with specified dates and not vouchers. This guarantees availability thus being advantageous over vouchers which can leave customers disappointed if they can’t book their chosen dates.

Is Only Bidding any different to Priceline?
Only Bidding is different to Priceline because with Only Bidding you will know the name of the hotel that you are bidding on- so no apprehensive guessing needed! Additionally, Priceline allows a customer to name a price once every 24 hours. With Only Bidding, if the customers bid is unsuccessful then they can always place another bid.

How to get a bargain hotel room!
Step 1- Search auctions & find a hotel you want to stay at.
Step 2- Bid on the hotel auction until you’re the highest bidder
Step 3- Get your suitcases packed & enjoy!

So, if you are a hotel and want to achieve full occupancy then join Only Bidding! And if you want to make bargain hotel reservations then place your bid at Only Bidding.

Only Bidding
http://www.onlybidding.com
Twitter- @OnlyBidding

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Hilton expects to open more than 20 new properties in the UK over the next several years, with one in Lincoln scheduled by the end of this year and two in St George’s Park, Burton on Trent, by the end of 2012.  The careers of about 1,900 hotel employees will be ‘safeguarded’ with the conversion of ten existing hotels to the Hilton brand, and around 1,500 hospitality careers will be launched with the new ones.

The company is also supporting the government’s Get Britain Working campaign with its apprenticeship programme, which provides on-the-job training combined with college-based courses. 60 young British chefs-in-training have already been recruited into the twelve month course at Hilton’s Chef Apprenticeship Academy.

There are many options and career opportunities in the hospitality industry, and Hilton says they mean to attract and retain the best of the best.  Sales and marketing, finance, procurement, human resources,  management and many other fields are all part of the Hilton Worldwide team; apprenticeships and  Hilton’s online e-learning programme (more than 2,000 courses in 18 languages) are on offer to qualified candidates.

Russia, Germany, Poland and Turkey are also targeted as major growth areas, and hundreds of job and career opportunities will be opening up in those countries in the next two or three years.  Hilton’s VP of

human resources for Europe said that the company is recruiting candidates who are highly motivated, and may have diverse backgrounds in fields that are transferable to the hospitality industry.

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HBAA is made up of more than 70 of the UK’s largest booking agencies, and is considered the best source of expertise for the process of setting up large-scale meetings and events.  Dolce Hotels and Resorts has just become one of the first global chains to sign up for the HBAA Charter.  The chain currently consists of 27 top quality hotels, conference hotels and resorts in Europe and North America.

Goals of the HBAA International Charter include encouraging and supporting cooperation between overseas venues and UK agencies, providing information and giving them the benefit of the organisation’s buying power of more than £3.2 billion per year.

Dolce’s European global sales director, Juliette Knowles, said that her company anticipates significant benefits from working with HBAA, and HBAA’s chairman, Juliet Price, expressed pleasure that such a high calibre organisation is backing up their charter and demonstrating its influence on an international scale.

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For forex traders, however, travelling can have its problems. Working on such a fast moving market means that any disruption or absence could result in a missed opportunity – the nemesis of all traders. An investment network provides traders with a new way in which to conduct their business, making business travel an asset once again. So what is an investment network and what role does it play in business travel?

What is an investment network?

An investment network is effectively an online social platform from which forex traders are able to conduct their business. The platform is typically hosted by a broker or service and allows traders to benefit from the skills and experience of other traders as well as their advisors.

How does an investment network operate?

An investment network operates in similar ways to how other business networks work. This means that traders share tips, experience and advice with others in order to produce a beneficial and thriving trading environment. In terms of investment networking, this is offered through online social means whereby traders are able to “copy” the work of others.

This online format makes access to an investment network more widespread – something which is particularly important within the business world. This means that whether you are in London, New York or Dubai you will be able to conduct your forex trading operations with ease.

What role does an investment network play within business travel?

In terms of business travel, investment networks can have a huge role within this area. This is partly due to the fact that forex trading itself is based on international business and the exchange of foreign currencies. This means that travel can be an important part of the operation, giving people the chance to stay in control of their business whatever their location.

Investment networks provide investors with the freedom to travel, ensuring that it is beneficial and advantageous for them. This allows individuals to travel the world whilst still trading on the forex market, giving them the chance to visit new areas whilst making money.

What are the benefits of investment networks?

Perhaps the best advantage of using an investment network when forex trading is that it offers benefits to both new and experienced traders. This means that everyone is put on an even playing field, helping to make the market fairer to trade on.

The increased convenience and availability also means that peoples forex trading does not need to be disrupted by business trips or business travel. Instead, the online platform can be utilised across various locations, ensuring that investors are able to achieve the best possible results in their business whilst getting the chance to explore numerous international locations.

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One of the most important technologies involved in the package is the Hotel Dynamic Saver. This is a business intelligence solution which allows corporate travel managers and travel agencies to ensure that contracts are kept in compliance. The key capabilities of the solution include identifying rate squatters and highlighting availability.

The company boasts an impressive 10% total saving rate for corporations and travel agencies who utilise this technology. If a Fortune 500 company were to utilise this technology they would save an average of around $1.6 million.

Another important feature of the package is that it integrates hotel aggregator content. Amadeus has a great many links as a hotel aggregator which is managed through the point-of-sale solutions that the company implements in hotels. The inventory was started in 2011 and there are now over 50,000 hotels involved in the system. There is a great deal of money and time that can be saved by companies to implement this part of the package.

Another solution is a fast track service which allows integration with hotels that can be specified by the user. This service is called LinkHotel and allows potential corporate customers to connect with hotels that are not currently available to be booked on the GDS system.

This might be because the hotels are in remote locations, such as those near to manufacturing sites and are therefore not capable of appearing on the GDS system. Currently the system is already connecting 6000 hotels that were not previously reachable and these are also available for reservations to be made in real-time.

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