June 17th, 2025

Mid-Year Business Travel Review: What’s Working and What’s Not

As we reach the midpoint of 2025, it’s time to assess your business travel strategy. A mid-year review helps identify what’s working and what needs improvement. From budget management and traveler satisfaction to policy compliance and tech efficiency, here’s a streamlined look at key areas and benchmarking metrics to focus on. 

1. Travel Spend: Are You Staying on Budget?

Benchmark Metric: Total Travel Spend vs. Budget

Evaluate if you’ve stayed within your travel budget. Compare actual spending against projected costs, focusing on areas like airfares, accommodations, and car rentals. If you’re over budget, identify inefficiencies and potential savings. 

What’s Working: Effective supplier partnerships and streamlined booking tools. What’s Not: Rising costs and lack of visibility into expenses. 

2. Traveler Satisfaction: Are Employees Happy with Their Travel?

Benchmark Metric: Employee Satisfaction Rate (via Surveys)

Employee satisfaction is key. Send out mid-year surveys to gauge comfort, convenience, and overall experience with your travel policy. Identify recurring pain points like limited flight options or hotel discomfort. 

What’s Working: Clear policies and streamlined booking. What’s Not: Lack of flexibility or poor communication about travel policies. 

3. Travel Policy Compliance: Are Employees Following the Rules?

Benchmark Metric: Compliance Rate (Bookings vs. Approved Policy)

Review policy adherence. How many employees are booking outside the approved channels? Frequent non-compliance might signal gaps in understanding or overly rigid policies. 

What’s Working: Automated approval systems and clear guidelines. What’s Not: Lack of awareness or overly strict rules that lead to workarounds. 

4. Travel Technology: Are Your Tools Efficient?

Benchmark Metric: Tool Adoption Rate

Assess how well your travel management tools are working. Are employees using them to book, track, and report travel efficiently? Check integration with other business systems for smooth reporting. 

What’s Working: User-friendly booking and real-time spending insights. What’s Not: Low adoption or poor integration with existing systems. 

5. Sustainability: Is Your Travel Program Green Enough?

Benchmark Metric: Carbon Footprint per Traveler/Trip

Evaluate the environmental impact of your travel. Use carbon emissions data from suppliers to measure your footprint. Consider offering more sustainable travel options. 

What’s Working: Carbon offset programs and eco-friendly travel choices. What’s Not: Lack of focus on sustainability in decision-making. 

Conclusion: Take Action for the Rest of 2025

Use this mid-year review to make adjustments that will optimize your business travel for the remainder of the year. Whether it’s tweaking your travel policies, optimizing costs, or integrating new tech, now’s the time to act. 

Need help refining your business travel strategy? Contact us today to optimize your travel program and reduce costs.