A poll of travel managers attending ITM’s latest Buyer Knowledge Exchange (BKE) showed that 85% are planning to conduct their hotel RFP on an annual basis. This is despite indications in the industry that hotel suppliers would prefer buyers to consider longer periods between RFPs, for example a two-year term. 

Buyers shared some of the challenges with a two-year hotel programme, such as reloading rates for the second year, which are typically higher than year one. Issues also arise when a company operates on an off calendar-year basis (e.g. 1st May to 30th April) whereby obtaining rates past December can be problematic. 

Accessible travel was also on the agenda again, following on from discussions at the previous BKE last month. Buyers sought recommendations on where to start when creating an accessible travel policy. One buyer shared a recently introduced approach whereby the travel team agrees to any adjustment costing under £100 for the traveller, without any need for disclosure. For adjustments above that amount, whilst the travel team will support the request, approval needs to be given by the budget holder. Buyers attending the BKE were also advised to view a recording of the recent webinar hosted by ITM with the Business Disability Forum for valuable practical tips

How can travel managers ensure travel policies are concise, easy to read and relevant? This was another area for discussion and a poll of buyers revealed that the length of their travel policy varies considerably. Most buyers (33%) said their policy is 1-3 pages long, but 27% of buyers said that their policy is 7-9 pages long, and 27% said that their policy runs to 10+ pages. Buyers shared recommendations for structuring travel policy, and also considerations for including expenses and meetings. 

Lastly, buyers were asked to summarise their priorities for the remainder of 2024 in one word. The overriding word that emerged was ‘Content’. However other areas of focus include accessible travel, cost control, traveller experience and engagement. 

Buyer Knowledge Exchange sessions are hosted regularly by ITM to assist buyer members problem solve common issues, ask questions of their peers, and benchmark their approach. Global, EMEA and UK travel managers taking part represent diverse industry sectors such as financial services, energy, food, technology, telecoms, consulting, media, and entertainment. 


Buyer Knowledge Exchange (BKE) sessions are hosted regularly by ITM to assist buyer members problem solve common issues, ask questions of their peers, and benchmark their approach. Global, EMEA and UK travel managers taking part represent diverse industry sectors such as financial services, energy, food, technology, telecoms, consulting, media, and entertainment.

For a full download of buyer sentiment, poll results and other topics that were raised at the latest Buyer Knowledge Exchange, visit the ITM Resource Centre to access the notes from the session. You can register for our next BKE on our event page.