A complete guide to creating a corporate travel policy

A corporate travel policy is a set of guidelines for employees to follow when organising or travelling on a business trip with your company. You can tailor your policy to cover all the information your employees need to know about travel procedures within the business. Here are some of the things your policy might cover to ensure smooth business travel: 

• Booking procedures

• Travel expenses and reimbursements

• Accommodation guidelines 

• How to ensure employee safety and wellbeing

• Use of travel resources

In any business, having a corporate travel policy is essential if your team travels for work. It should apply to anyone representing your company, whether they’re booking, managing, or going on the trip. That includes your travelling employees and your team who handle the travel costs, approval process, and reimbursement procedures.

Whether you're a small start-up or a global organisation, a well-defined policy helps set clear expectations. It gives your team the confidence to book and manage travel smoothly, knowing what’s covered and how to stay within company guidelines.

It's important to remember that your corporate travel policy will be personal to your business. You should outline your company's regulations for travelling, specify travel budgets and identify who is eligible to make bookings. Our guide below goes through the key components of an effective business travel policy:

Firstly, you should detail the process that employees should follow when booking travel. This includes the bookings of flights, hotels and car rentals. It's also a good opportunity to promote sustainable travel choices, such as selecting eco-friendly hotels or lower-emission transport options.

Usually, it is helpful for employees to book travel through one business travel platform. This way, all bookings are made in one place, making it easier to keep track of costs and access support if anything changes while your employees are on the move.

Accor offers a range of corporate programmes that suit different professions, including meeting planners and those who manage your company’s travel policy. Each programme is built around your business's unique travel needs, including an offer tailored for small and medium enterprises. We provide access to exclusive discounts on top hotel brands and a seamless booking experience for frequent travellers. Plus, you can enjoy premium customer support and guaranteed room availability to keep every trip running smoothly.

Your travel policy should set out clear guidelines for managing expenses. This can include spending limits and what qualifies as acceptable travel spend. Your policy should also include information on the reimbursement processes to follow if trips need to be cancelled or moved.

You can use a simple expense submission form to track costs during booking and while your team travels. We recommend being specific about how much will be covered by the company, like meals or client entertainment. You should also be clear about any spending restrictions, such as personal purchases. Keeping things transparent makes expense management easier for your employees to follow.

It keeps things clear when your employees know the approval process for travel requests. Make sure you identify who can authorise travel within your company and outline how to complete important documents like expense forms. 

It's super important to take care of your team while they are travelling. Your policy can define what support is in place for your employees while they're representing your business. This includes giving emergency contacts, instructions on travel insurance, and safety guidance for their location. When people feel safe and looked after, they can focus on the job at hand.

Once your travel policy has been created, there are a few best practices you can follow to keep it in place: 

Your policy should be clear and easy to follow. This way, your employees can quickly find the information they need and feel confident when booking travel. Encourage them to use a single booking platform like Accor to keep everything in one place and make the booking process consistent and stress-free. 

Make sure all of your employees are aware of the company's travel booking procedures. It's a good idea to share a digital copy of the policy. This way, nothing gets lost, everyone is informed on the booking process, and you're cutting down on paper too! 

A good travel policy should be detailed enough to give employees all the information they need on booking travel and answer questions they might have along the way. This way, your team can focus on making their business trip more productive, without spending extra time on gathering information about travelling.

It’s important that a corporate travel policy clearly demonstrates your commitment to employee safety and wellbeing. Include clear emergency procedures and safety protocols. Giving your team access to support while they travel shows that their safety and wellbeing come first. It also outlines the legal responsibilities your company has in place to protect them while they’re away from the office.

A clear approval procedure helps avoid delays and confusion when booking travel. Set up basic employee–manager approval chains so it’s always clear who needs to sign off on trips. Keeping this process simple makes it easier for everyone to follow and helps keep travel plans moving without hold-ups.

To keep your travel policy effective, make space for employee feedback. Whether it’s about the approval procedure, booking process, or travel experience, regular feedback from employees will help you to make useful updates in the future. It also shows your team that their input matters.

Your corporate travel policy should be reviewed regularly to keep up with business changes, budget adjustments and employee feedback. You should aim to revisit your policy at least once a year and update it as needed. Keeping your travel policy relevant helps ensure it remains useful and straightforward for your employees to follow.

Creating a corporate travel policy helps make business travel simple. If you want to learn more about keeping corporate travel smooth and easy, you might be interested in our guide to successful business travel planning. You can also check out our top business travel hotels for business travellers for our top picks on where to stay.