Today, Hilton announced a series of new travel coordinator tools and program enhancements to Hilton for Business, its free global travel program designed for small and medium-sized companies (SMBs). Built around direct feedback from current members, the new capabilities give SMBs more flexibility, control and visibility as they manage travel for their teams.
Since the launch of Hilton for Business, Hilton has continuously gathered input from its over 400,000 members through internal customer studies, traveler research and competitive program analysis. The feedback secured pointed to a clear set of needs: customers who arrange travel for their teams want tools built for that role, businesses want more flexibility over who can book and for whom, and leaders want clearer visibility into employee travel. The new travel coordinator tools and program enhancements were developed in response to each of these opportunities.
“At Hilton, we listen loudly to our customers and Hilton for Business members have been clear about what would make the program work even harder for them,” said Frank Passanante, senior vice president, global head of sales and HRCC, Hilton. “These news tools are a direct result of that feedback, especially the ability to book on behalf of someone else, which was the most requested capability. Our teams are acting quickly to deliver a full set of enhancements that provide a better digital experience and make managing business travel simpler for those who do it every day.”
What’s New
Now available through Hilton for Business, program owners and administrators can book, modify and manage hotel reservations on behalf of travelers within their organization, helping businesses streamline travel planning while providing greater flexibility and oversight. This new digital capability brings together core elements of trip planning into one single, end-to-end experience that provides greater flexibility and oversight of employee travel within an organization. The new capabilities enable owners and administrators to:
- Book on behalf of travelers: Reserve stays for employees across their organization without needing separate logins or workarounds.
- View shared reservations: See upcoming reservations for their team in one place.
- Manage changes and cancellations: Modify or cancel reservations as plans shift, without having to rely on the traveler to make updates.
- See who’s on property: Gain visibility into employees’ current in-house stays, supporting duty of care while travelers are on the road.
Extending beyond the point of booking, business owners and administrators are now able to support travelers throughout the lifecycle of a trip, reducing the time spent managing travel while giving companies greater oversight of employee trips.
In the Months Ahead
As Hilton continues to invest in a series of digital solutions that simplify travel planning and create a more connected experience for businesses and their travelers, future enhancements will introduce:
- Booking for travelers outside the program: Authorized users will be able to manage reservations for members and non-members of an organization’s Hilton for Business account.
- Additional travel coordinator and travel administrator functionality: New roles and capabilities that let businesses designate who manages travel without requiring owner-level access.
- An enhanced program dashboard: More visibility into employee Points earning and distributions and spend and booking activity, helping company owners and administrators manage budgets and make travel management easier.
Streamlining Business Travel Planning
Hilton for Business offers SMBs a comprehensive set of tools to enhance the business travel booking and management experience with no minimum spend required. Through the global travel program, members around the world receive Hilton Honors benefits, portfolio-wide discounts, travel rewards, rapid onboarding, program management and more.
The addition of this new offering marks another step forward in Hilton’s efforts to make travel management easier for businesses of all sizes.
FAQ: Hilton for Business Introduces New Travel Coordinator Tools and Program Enhancements Shaped by Member Feedback
Hilton for Business is a digital-forward travel program designed especially for SMBs to simplify travel management while enhancing rewards and discounts for their loyalty.
No. Points earned can be redeemed for business or leisure travel, with other options including Hilton Honors’ partnerships with Amazon, Lyft and Enterprise Rent-A-Car which can be especially beneficial for SMBs.
Travelers continue to earn Hilton Honors Points as they normally would on eligible stays, while the Hilton for Business account can also earn Bonus Points when travelers complete stays on qualifying H4B rates. Company-earned Bonus Points can then be redeemed for either business or personal travel.
Now available through Hilton for Business, program owners and administrators can book, modify and manage hotel reservations on behalf of travelers within their organization, helping businesses streamline travel planning while providing greater flexibility and oversight. The new capabilities enable owners and administrators to book on behalf of travelers, view shared reservations, manage changes and cancellations and see who’s on property.