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Winter wonderland, summer paradise

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There’s something very special about the French alpine resort of Val D’Isère. With 90 ski lifts and 300 km of ski runs, it’s truly a wintersports’ paradise.

What’s more, thanks to its neighbouring Pissaillas glacier, you can actually ski in the area for 12 months of the year.

Not that there aren’t plenty of other things to do when the winter snows recede, with mountain biking and road cycling, hiking, bird watching, horse trekking and other activities drawing hordes of outdoor lovers to the area right through the languid summer. And the crowds are never heavier than when the sun-bronzed athletes of the Tour de France roll though town.

Since first figuring on the route of ‘La Grande Boucle’ in 1947, neighbouring Briançon – the highest city in Europe – has been a Tour host some 22 times.

This July, the ninth stage ran through Val d’Isère, crossing the Col de L’Iseran pass, one of Europe’s highest, the Col du Telegraphe and the starkly beautiful Col du Galibier before a breakneck 37 km downhill rush into Briançon.

One of the key figures behind the world’s greatest annual sporting challenge is Jean-Claude Killy, a native son of Val d’Isère and, in his youth, reckoned by many to have been the greatest skier in the world.

Today, the resort’s massive Espace Killy wintersports’ playground is named in honour of the man who took three gold medals at the 1968 Grenoble winter Olympics.

Here beginners and experts, skiers, snowboarders and telemarkers are all spoilt for choice, whether their taste is for marked runs, off-piste or freeride – and the truly adventurous can experience specially created big-air, half-pipe and other rails.

The quality of snow allows sensational powder skiing and many are especially attracted in springtime.

Local hero Louis Bonnevie was French national skiing champion as far back as 1906 while in 1948 Henri Oreiller won two medals at the St. Moritz winter Olympics. Since then, other hometown heroes have included the Goitschel sisters, Patrice Bianchi, Ingrid Jacquemond, Pierre Paquin, Audrey Peltier and seven times snowboard world cup winner Mathieu Bozzetto.

After all that activity on the piste, Val d’Isère really knows how to party. There are pedestrianised arcades with a host of cosy tea-rooms, intimate little bars and elegant hotels and eateries for all tastes, from quick food to gourmet, often featuring the superb local Savoyard specialities – as at La Table des Neiges where chef de cuisine Jérôme Labrousse creates a truly gastronomic experience based on the freshest local ingredients. The boutique shopping is great too.

Early forecasts for heavy snows at the start of this coming winter are being made by Piers Corbyn, founder of Weather Action, who predicts that the very jet stream that has brought the wet weather that’s ruined our summer, will go on to create a great winter for the Alpine resorts.

In Val d’Isère it will all kick off in November with the Critérium de la Première Neige World Alpine Skiing Cup event. In January, spectacular firework displays and torchlight descents upstage the sporting side of things until, in February, Val d’Isère becomes the unofficial freestyle capital of the world.

In March and April there are music and film festivals and the season closes in early May – and that’s when the summer visitors plan their arrival.

The piste makes a truly exciting alternative to the golf green as a place to seal business deals and Val d’Isère has conference facilities as well as being a favoured choice for incentives that truly sparkle.

Paris in a spin

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A revolution takes place on the streets of Paris as the city launches Europe’s biggest bike-sharing scheme. More than 10,000 “free” cycles will are available at self-service stations across the French capital in a bid to transform Paris into a clean, green 21st-century utopia.

Anybody with a bank card will be able to borrow a bike: simply turn up at one of 750 stations (you will never be more than 300 metres away from one, it is claimed), swipe your card and type in your Pin. If you return the bike within half an hour, it’s free.

Cycle-share schemes have been tried before, without success. In Amsterdam, the bikes were left unlocked – before long, most had been stolen or tossed into canals. But the Paris scheme, called Vélib’, is more sophisticated: bikes are parked securely at kerbside stanchions and fitted with alarms. When you borrow one, a €150 deposit (about £100) will be held on your card. If you don’t return it to one of the stations within 24 hours, you’ll be billed.

Vélib’ is the latest attempt by the socialist mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, to persuade Parisians to kick their addiction to cars. It’s a bold scheme. By the end of the year there will be more than 20,000 bikes and 1,400 stations – all funded by street-level advertising. Other administrations are watching closely. If Vélib’ is a success, the idea could be aped across Europe.

Paris is slowly becoming less hostile to le vélo. Thanks to Delanoë’s enthusiasm for ripping up its roads, the city now has 370km of dedicated cycle paths and bike-friendly bus lanes. Signage is improving, and every Sunday, roads and bridges along the Seine are closed to motorised traffic, and swarm with cyclists and skaters. So, to test the waters, I spent last weekend pedalling around Paris – and got a sneak preview of the Vélib’. The bike itself is sturdy and comfortable, with a wide saddle, chain guard (no need for ugly bicycle clips), basket, bell and dynamo-powered front and rear lights. The hard tyres are virtually indestructible and the three-gear Shimano hub should cope easily with the city’s modest slopes. At 22kg, it’s not built for speed, but it is undeniably stylish, finished in pearl grey with a discreet multicoloured logo. I think Parisians will ride them with pride.

Now, the costs. After the first free half-hour, rental rises steeply: €1 (70p) for an hour, €3 for 90 minutes and €7 for two hours. There is also a fixed daily charge of €1 to use the scheme. This means if you plan to rent a bike for a full day, Vélib’ isn’t for you. But if you want to nip from cafe to shops to museums and back, it’s ideal.

The benefits of cycling in Paris extend beyond the environmental. On a bike you are free to create your own narrative and let caprice be your guide. Plus, of course, there is the deep satisfaction of knowing you are no longer subsidising the world’s rudest taxi drivers.

If you ride regularly in London, or just about anywhere else in urban Britain, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the relaxed pace over there. Parisians pootle along sedately, like Oxford dons in 1950s films, determined not to work up a sweat. And perhaps because they don’t have a sliver of hard steel slicing into their buttocks – when it comes to saddles they favour something large and padded – they deport themselves with relative grace, not bellowing at pedestrians or punching cars.

On the other hand, they’re notoriously bad at paying attention to traffic signs. They jump red lights, ride on pavements and routinely go the wrong way up one-way streets. Until now, drivers and pedestrians have been surprisingly tolerant of this kind of behaviour, but with another 10,000 cycles appearing on the streets overnight, that could change.

So where should you start? If it’s a Sunday, head to the Seine, otherwise you may need to do a little homework. The city publishes a free map that shows the official cycle routes, but I found it more fun to explore unknown neighbourhoods.

Céline Esperin, who leads cycle tours of the city for a company called Paris à Vélo C’est Sympa!, says the key is to avoid the big roundabouts like the Place de la Bastille and the Arc de Triomphe. She recommends the historic streets of Le Marais, lined with fashionable cafes and boutiques.

I followed Céline through Le Marais, stopping in the gardens of the Place des Vosges before heading west past the Pompidou Centre into Beaubourg and Les Halles. Miraculously, we managed this without encountering a single busy road. And who would have guessed it was legal to cycle around the gardens of the Palais Royal and the courtyards of the Louvre?

For skinflint tourists, the real fun will come in dashing around the city looking for Vélib’ stations before the 30 minutes are up. In theory, there is nothing to stop you parking your bike at a station then hopping straight back onto another, so it should be possible to spend an entire weekend riding around without paying more than a euro a day.

If you venture out of the city centre you’ll find some great rides, such as the 4½km Promenade Plantée, a former railway line converted into a footpath and bike track. Straight and flat, it cuts a sylvan swathe through the eastern suburbs, taking you from the Bastille all the way beyond the Périphérique to the Bois de Vincennes, a vast wild park of woods, streams and boating lakes.

In the 10th arrondissement, you can cycle along the banks of the Canal St-Martin, gazing up at footbridges and peering into the windows of houseboats. Once you reach Place de Stalingrad, head right to one of the city’s most beautiful green spaces, the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, a fairy-tale park of lakes, cliffs and wooded paths. From there, I cruised downhill through the former villages of Belleville and Ménilmontant, both fascinating and gritty districts rarely seen by tourists.

Handing back the bike was almost as painful as hailing a taxi to the Gare du Nord. “What do you think about Vélib’?” I asked the driver. Barely able to contain his rage, he flecked the windscreen with spittle and declared it “ une catastrophe”. How very wrong I hope he proves to be.

Chartering is big business… with big business

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Here, it’s worth taking a tip from the celebs such as Rod Stewart and the  appropriately-named Tom Cruise, who rent rather than buy. Wealthy though he is, canny pop millionaire Stewart, for instance, always charters. He doesn’t believe in splashing the cash for a superyacht, just to see it bobbing at anchor in an expensive marina berth. And there are many more like him, saying: “Ownership? Who needs it!“

Chartering guarantees luxury and total relaxation, along with flexibility and fabulous destinations – but without the hassle. Yacht Charter Guide reports there are 4,973 charter companies around the globe, offering 11,115 models of yacht in 691 sailing areas. So you can choose between Australia’s magnificent coral reefs, dancing to a reggae beat on a Caribbean isle, exploring the glamour of the Mediterranean coast or enjoying the stunningly beautiful islands of the South Pacific.

It’s not just the leisure market enjoying the attractions of chartering. Corporate hire is also big business – and getting bigger. It’s easy to see why. There are a host of sound business reasons for booking a corporate function afloat.

To the romance of the sea, add flawless on-board service, luxurious accommodation, spectacular lounges and meeting areas and first-class cuisine. The perfect way to set the scene for any business meeting.

In addition, a completely customised travel experience with carefully selected destinations make a luxury yacht charter the ultimate escape.

An increasing number of CEOs and senior executives see a yacht charter as a key element in corporate bonding sessions and a charter yacht offers high levels of security and privacy.

Superyachts, which can cost as much as £90,000 a day to rent, are the equivalent of five-star-plus, self-contained private resorts, complete with business and conference facilities plus entertainment and relaxation amenities.

Mind you, as some unfortunates trying to trim costs have found, the actual chartering can be a highly technical and logistical matter – and one best left to the experts. In the top echelons of the yachting world, Edmiston is one of the major players promising to gauge the personal requirements of every client from  offices in London, Monaco and Los Angeles.

Another highly-regarded operator is the Nigel Burgess Group, a large vessel specialist founded in London in 1975, which also has offices in Monaco, Miami, Moscow and Seattle.

Moody, based in Golfe-Juan, between Cannes and Antibes, specialises in Med charter, particularly conferences in Cannes such as MIPCOM, the audiovisual  trade show, and MIPIM, the international market for property professionals, along with the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix.

The No 1 charter operator for the Caribbean is the Ed Hamilton company, started in 1972 and now based in Maine.

Founder Ed Hamilton, who sailed from England to Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, to become one of the early managers for The Moorings, says charter boats are very popular for team-building exercises.

“Some companies want to put their managers in a different environment to help bond the group – and a sailing yacht can be an excellent venue. We even had one charter where the team-building instructors threw an employee overboard and told the others to rescue him. Most are not nearly that drastic but they all provide a venue where staff and managers can see each other in a new light.”

Formal or casual, adventurous or sophisticated…these companies promise to match clients’ aspirations with their yachts and programmes. And they usually do…

From meatballs to Michelin stars

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Copenhagen has become a major gourmet destination in recent years with a breathtaking array of inventive, modern and stylish new restaurants opening across the city. Then you only have half an hour by train or car across the amazing Oresund bridge to Sweden’s third largest city Malmo, and the surrounding area of Skane, renowned for fine food, top chefs and the best home-grown ingredients.

The Danish capital has more Michelin stars than any other Scandinavian city – nine in total, one of which is within Tivoli Gardens.

Indeed chefs in the Danish capital often turn to the Nordic kitchen for their influences and ingredients, including fresh seasonal vegetables, wild game, locally caught fish, and smoked meats.

But eating in Copenhagen is also about tradition as well as the latest trends. Here you can try anything from marinated salmon to freshly caught lobster, from red hot Thai curries to traditional Danish ‘frikadeller’ meatballs, not forgetting the typical Danish smørrebrød – open sandwiches stacked with delicacies.

Enjoying lunch or dinner is not only about the food, it is about the location. Cafés and bars are often half-submerged in cellars or located in picturesque historical buildings. Picturesque Nyhavn, the quay where Hans Christian Anderson once lived, is teaming with restaurants in its 17th century buildings. Across the Oresund Bridge lies Malmo and the Skane region, known as the ‘Garden of Sweden’. At the mention of Skane, most Swedish folk think of food, from fine dining to traditional inns, herring, cheese, goose, eels, apples and everything in between. The region is home to several of Sweden’s top chefs and is the place to come for an out of the ordinary gastronomic experience.

The Swedish spring arrives first in Skane meaning its pastures are ideal for raising crops and livestock. The fish season starts with lumpfish which end up in fresh soup throughout the province as early as February. Eel is another Skane speciality, mostly eaten during late summer and autumn. Corn fed chicken from here is found on the menus of Sweden’s top restaurants. Mushrooms enjoys the same notoriety here as in Tuscany, plus the area is known for kale, asparagus, potatoes, rhubarb, apples and blackberries. Game is another integral part of the Skane kitchen: deer, wild boar, duck, pheasant and winter hare. Pork and beef also feature strongly, as in the celebrated Lundaknaken sausage from the city of Lund. Gastronomic delights in Malmo include Johan P, a superb fish restaurant in the city’s market hall; 1 R.O.K., which stands for one room and a kitchen and is one of the best restaurants in Sweden; Sturehof, a Malmo institution offering fine French and Swedish cuisine in elegant surroundings; and Atmosfar, arguably Malmo’s best pavement café. In Sweden it’s as usual to hang out in a café as it is to go to a pub. From April to September the café tables and parasols move out onto Malmo’s main square Lilla Torg and the atmosphere becomes almost Mediterranean.

If you love food, be prepared to leave this part of Scandinavia a few pounds heavier.

The hotlist

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Digital WiFi detector
£59.95
The digital WiFi detector is perfect for those occasions when you are in an airport departure lounge, café or hotel lobby and you simply must check your emails, look up some directions or watch a videos of the wacky and weird. Instead of unpacking your laptop, waiting for it to start up and then finding that there is no wireless signal anyway, all you need to do now is whip out this handy little gadget, and it’ll scan the airwaves for all available wireless signals. Not only will it show the names and strengths of network signals, it will also show you Network info, network ID, encryption status and channel information. It will even let you scroll through multiple networks if more than one is present.

Aego M speakers
£99.95
Unlike most mp3 player speakers, the Aego M speakers actually sound better than a bluebottle trying to fight its way out of a jam jar. High quality craftsmanship, sleek and contemporary design and high technical specifications all combine to deliver a speaker system that sounds as good as it looks. The amplifier is built into the subwoofer, which delivers robust bass sounds, and the two tiny speakers will bring out crystal-clear treble notes. All this high-quality engineering will probably be wasted if you spend your time listening to ‘Gertcha’ by Chas and Dave, or ‘Gangbang’ by Black Lace – but each to his own.  

Breitling Emergency Watch
We’ve all been there. Everything is going fine, you’re flying your helicopter over the Himalayas, and suddenly you hear a spluttering noise as the engine comes to a halt. After plummeting for several thousand feet and crashing into the side of a mountain, you find yourself stranded, injured and without any hope of rescue. Until now. Enter the Breitling Emergency Watch – simply unscrew the protective cap on the side, pull out the antenna, and the watch will transmit an emergency signal over a range of 100 miles for 48 hours, which can be picked up by aircrafts flying at up to 20,000ft.

Now all you have to do is sit back, relax and tend to your horrific injuries.

Wind-up charger
£5.99
Keeping your mobile phone fully juiced up while out on your travels is one of life’s great difficulties; but now help is at hand with this new wind-up mobile phone charger. It comes supplied with a set of adapters which will fit most types of phone – Nokia, Motorola and Ericsson are all catered for – so all you need to do when you see those little bars running down on the edge of your screen is whip out the charger and get cranking. It could even become part of your daily work-out routine, especially if you want one of your arms to be freakishly more developed than the other.

Shure E500 Earphones
£289.99
Like the Aego M speakers, these earphones pack an audio punch which belies their miniscule size. As well as offering incredible sound quality, they also have a sound isolating feature, which blocks 90 percent of ambient noise. The Shure 500 include a detachable Push-to-Hear Control, which enables you to switch between the music coming from the earphones and the noises in the world around you – so if you want to have a conversation without removing the earphones, all you have to do is push the button and the specially designed VoicePort microphone will pick up any nearby voices in perfect quality. Or you could just pretend to be listening while you’re actually rocking on out to Metallica.   

Professional weather station
Talking about the weather is one of the favourite pastimes of the average Briton – so just imagine being able to predict the weather with your very own weather station! Everyone at dinner parties will be queuing up to speak to you. When somebody says “Ooh, it’s a bit warm today,” you’ll be able to reply with “That’s because we’re experiencing unusually high pressure, and my graph indicates that there’s more on the way.” What fun you’ll have keeping track of humidity, temperature and air pressure, and what fun your friends and family will have listening to you – just don’t be surprised if they suddenly take to wearing the Shure E500 earphones when you’re around.

E-TEN Glofiish X800
If you ignore the stupid name for a second, the Glofiish X800 is actually one of the most advanced PC pocket phones available. Not only does it have a high-resolution VGA display, 3.5G connectivity and GPS, it is also one of the thinnest phones of its kind, measuring just 15.8mm. It may be lightweight in terms of its physical properties, but it is certainly not when it comes to technology – running on Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft’s latest mobile platform, it is ideal for working with messages, documents and multimedia while you’re out and about. It can even be used as an in-car navigation device. It also has not one, but two cameras – one on the back for taking pictures, and one on the front for video calls.

Recycling more than empty bottles

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Carbon off-setting is a subject that has many businesses and business travel specialists coughing nervously into their complimentary take-off drink. According to a recent survey, the number of business flights made by British business people in 2003 was 3.43 million, meaning an average of 285,833 flights per month. Airlines are setting up various carbon off-setting schemes (Virgin Atlantic, for example, plans to run trial flights of a biofuel-powered Boeing jumbo jet next year), and we can all pay a little more on our tickets to help green initiatives.

But why stop there? Many airlines are asking that their wine be supplied in lighter glass bottles, or other recyclable materials to help lighten the load. Alongside this, an increasing number of vineyards are also looking at limiting their impact on the environment, whether by offsetting their emissions, using less chemical products, using horses in the vineyard instead of machines or putting their wine in recycled packaging materials. The wine industry is hardly the world’s worst culprit, and the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation isn’t exactly up there with pollution from factories along the Yangtze that saw off the Chinese river dolphin, but all these things go towards redressing the balance – and we can help by paying attention to greener producers.

Girolate 3rd Vintage (2003), Despagne Family Vineyards, Bordeaux (approx £40)
This wine is exceptional by pretty much any standard. Its merlot fruit is rich and smooth, with intense layers of chocolate and coffee, and its tannins seem to have performed the amazing trick of being both powerful but invisible, a bit like the voiceover in Desperate Housewives. But not content with creating a wine that far exceeds the expectations of the appellation, the Despagne family has instigated a programme for biofuel and recyling in an attempt to create a carbon neutral vineyard, the first one in Bordeaux. The family has replaced unproductive vines with sunflowers destined for biofuels – with the secondary side effect of ensuring that grapes from any lesser vines are kept out of the bottle.

Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 (£8.49)
The grape that built New Zealand… and although they are trying to widen their repertoire with sauvignon gris and riesling, they are still very serious about sauvignon, having doubled the area planted since 2003. Gorgeous crisp nose and palate, almost English Cox crispness, some lovely gooseberry and kiwi notes. Instant appeal although slightly short- but one I’ll definitely be opening again. And impeccable green credentials, as a sticker on the back tells you that Grove Mill, from New Zealand’s Marlborough region, has not only achieved carbon neutrality in the production of wines, but in their delivery. In 2005, it managed to offset more than 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide through the plating of trees and use of renewable energy products. Grove Mill bottles are made from lighter glass, packaging is kept to a minimum and they plant longer rows of vines, thus reducing the fuel expended by tractors.

Backsberg Estate, Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Stellenbosch, South Africa (approx £8)
There’s no doubting this winery’s commitment – they have hired a full time environmentalist to look at green projects. On top of that, 10 percent of the farm has already been set aside for non-cultivation – to allow indigenous species of shrub to be preserved, and owner Michael Back is planning to reserve another 10 percent for growing eucalyptus trees as renewable forms of energy. When you get to the bottle, the flavours are fairly overblown, which I find is quite frequently with South African wines, but in this case comes from the well developed varietal flavours and aromas of sauvignon, coaxed out by cold temperature fermentation and French oak barrels used on just 15 percent of the wine. The excellent grip of acidity keeps things well within the designated area, and I love the little kick of pear and lime that you are left with.

Adobe Carmenere, Vinedoas Organicos Emiliana,  2005 (£7.95)
An organic vineyard that is making great strides to keep harmful chemicals out of the soils. Chile has a near ideal climate for organic wines, and they capitalise on it here with a range of fantastic wines, including the far better known Coyam. This one has a lovely rich nose, still young but in three or four years it should be deliciously inviting. Carmenere is a close cousin of the merlot grape (in fact, much of Chile thought it was happily growing merlot until recently, when studies revealed it was in fact carmenere). This has a fresh taste despite being an almighty 14.5 degrees, with layers of chocolate and raspberries, and evident tannins – but although a bit of bottle ageing would be helpful, even now they are ripe and silky.

Terroirs des Châteaux Forts, Domaine Rolly-Gassmann, Alsace 2004 (£8.25)
Most consumers today are largely unaware of carbon neutral vineyards – and it has to be said there are still only a handful worldwide – but biodynamism has been in the general conscience for a number of years. Most simply, it is a style of viticulture that is about working in harmony with nature, rather than trying to control it, and this Alsace estate is a leading proponent. The wine is a mix of gewürztraminer, auxerrois, riesling and pinot gris, which gives it rich, yellowy hue and a slightly disconcerting palate at first. But the flavours quickly meld into complexity rather than confusion – it flirts with sweetness but has a charmingly sour finish, with notes of grapefruit, pear and mandarin.

Parducci, Pinot Noir, Mendocino County (approx £8)
This is a fruity, deceptively simple wine, but then the best pinot noir have an almost zen-like purity, and for the money it’s fantastic value. Elegant and fresh but with more emphasis on plums and brambly fruits than a Burgundy pinot, and a dash of American oak in the ageing that gives it some sweetness that makes it a good match for an array of foods (I loved this wine with crispy duck and pancakes). And – drum roll – you’re buying from America’s first carbon neutral winery. Parducci has gone about it as officially as possible; working with the California Climate Action Registry to calculate emissions of greenhouse gases, and then mitigate and offset emissions. In recent years they have installed solar energy, used biodiesel in company vehicles and farm equipment, converted from incandescent to fluorescent lighting in the winery and begun a local tree planting program. Oh, and managed to make some pretty decent wine along the way.

Flight of fancy

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ACTE was founded in 1988, through the vision of travel industry suppliers and corporates, seeking justifiable representation in the travel management profession. The ACTE founders foresaw a global organisation, in which corporate travel managers and suppliers were treated equally, and could work together in a mutual partnership to develop a unique educational resource for the business travel profession. Joined by progressive senior-level travel managers, their model called for an international network which emphasized smaller but more numerous educational forums held throughout the world.
 
ACTE has offices in London, Paris, Johannesburg, Singapore, Buenos Aires, Ottawa, Hamburg, and Washington, DC with professional staff providing support to ACTE members in over 50 countries worldwide. ACTE is also working with ministries and government agencies in Asia, Canada, Europe, and the United States.
 
While ACTE analyses legislative developments regarding industry matters such as safety, security, privacy, and customer service issues, it declines political activism or political action committee fundraising. As an international organisation, ACTE cannot raise money for legislative efforts that puts one nation at a greater advantage over another, nor support legislation in potential conflict with other member supported efforts. ACTE advocates on behalf of all of our members, representing the voice of each segment of the industry. ACTE’s role is to educate individuals on the issues, foster dialogue, and encourage balanced solutions.
 
ACTE has pioneered, advocated, and initiated a generation of global travel management industry innovations and improvements. The association has been in the forefront of:
– security legislation
-contagion/business preparedness
– GDS evolution
– technological development
– safety and communications procedures
– corporate social responsibility
– government policy
– taxation
– hotel processes and theory
– safeguarding proprietary information on computers

Global from the ground up, ACTE’s international board (with over 50 percent representation from outside the US) recommends an integrated approach of national culture, corporate culture, and common objectives in proposing uniform travel standards. The association does not export one country’s interpretation of travel management policies as the “best practice” for the industry worldwide. (ACTE relies on the experiences and expertise of our members, leaders, and staff in the regions to develop the most relevant programs).
 
Nineteen years after its founding, ACTE remains the primary resource for global corporate travel cost containment. Our vision has carried the industry through SARS, wars, 9/11, economic downtrends, and industry upheaval. Nearly two decades after it was first proposed, the ACTE model has become widely replicated in education, communication, and industry initiatives. We are pleased that many of our initiatives are being replicated by other organisations such as ACTE’s leadership in CSR, business resiliency, etc.
 
Yet its originality has never been challenged. With the introduction of its Global Centre for Research and Education, ACTE has unveiled the first industry centre that reduces the financial burden on suppliers by increasing corporate contributions.
 
Our membership’s enduring philosophy has brought ACTE to over 50 countries, through educational events that reach more than 6,000 executives annually. If you have additional questions, please visit our newly developed FAQ section of our website.

As you may have heard by now, ACTE has expanded to six independent regions, thus transforming EMEA to Europe and Middle East & Africa.

Europe has certainly had some exciting developments in the first half of the year, with 10 Executive Forums, Power Talks and Partnered sessions taking place throughout Europe from January to June.

The second half of 2007 will be no exception with ACTE’s Global Education Conference taking place in Munich, Germany from 21 to 23 October 2007. The conference theme, Harnessing the Power of a €200 Billion Business, is completely woven throughout the entire conference programme.

The fall will see a schedule of ACTE events in Europe to include; four executive forums  – Helsinki, Manchester, Madrid/Toledo, Paris and 2 Partnered Events – Brussels and London for the remainder of 2007. This year’s schedule boasts educational programmes focusing on forecasts for 2008, globalisation, hotel programs, meetings consolidation, CSR, sustainable procurement and much more. The local planning committees are working hard to produce worthwhile, regionally focused education sessions so please check the online Education Calendar for the most up to date agendas.

In line with all of these developments, the ACTE Europe team has also seen some changes this year. We are delighted to inform you that Christine Dunton-Tinnus of DuntonTinnus Consulting out of Stuttgart, Germany will provide strategic support to ACTE in the European region. Christine, who was responsible for global travel purchasing for Daimler, will be working closely with Jennifer Fitzgerald, ACTE Regional Manager, Europe.

We are truly delighted by the warm welcome that ACTE has received in the region and by the level of passion and commitment that delegates have shown towards education and the advancement of the travel industry in the Middle East and Africa. Since the two launch events, our member base has increased to over 60 members and we look forward to further growth in the coming months.

Travel issues

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Each year, myriad issues concerning the business travel industry arise around the world creating international policy, regulatory, and legal ramifications for members of the business travel industry. The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), as an international membership organisation, seeks to serve as a global advocate for international travelers on critical issues facing the industry.

ACTE files commentary and testimony on behalf of their membership – positions presented are based on ACTE member surveys, studies, and advisory group recommendations – before international organisations, governmental institutions, and business organisations, on a variety of matters.  Throughout this process, ACTE offers regional expertise, through the use of local volunteers and regional offices, on proposed legislation and initiatives affecting the business travel community. This article focuses upon four advocacy issues, first presented by ACTE, directly impacting the European membership base with potential global implications.  

Passenger name record data
Passenger Name Record (PNR) information for flights between the European Union and the United States is becoming a heavily debated topic. A new draft agreement between the US and the EU, signed June 2007, replaces a permanent agreement signed in 2004 which was deemed unlawful on technical grounds by the European Court of Justice. The new pact, scheduled to enter force August 2007, allows airlines to transmit European PNR information to US officials, prompting renewed debate on passengers’ privacy rights versus US national security interests.  

The business travel industry has greeted the pact with mixed reviews, ranging from concerns over fundamental privacy rights, and alleged lack of information to welcoming a compromise on the agreement which substantially reduces information transmitted internationally. Susan Gurley, ACTE Executive Director, exemplified the industry’s disparity in views when applauding the reduction in fields of requested information while simultaneously voicing concern over the amount of time data can be held (3.5 to 15 years), the number of agencies having unchecked access to the data, how data can be used, and the undetermined rights of the passenger to check the data. Gurley added, “As an international organisation, it is ACTE’s responsibility to be cognizant of both the security needs of the US government and privacy rights of European travelers.”

Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, issued a statement assuring Americans and Europeans alike that this was a necessary step, and that the data would not be abused. Chertoff was quoted as saying “Our agreement ensures that PNR data is not used or shared for purposes other than for which it is collected. Adding that “This information has proven necessary in concluding numerous investigations, and continued access will be invaluable in the fight against terrorism, and successfully protecting our borders.”

With ACTE leading the charge against the abuse of PNR data, European officials have also begun to find fault with the new pact, Gurley concluded by saying, “These issues need to be properly addressed, or this will be one agreement subject to contentious revision in a few years.”  

Carbon dioxide emissions
Emissions reduction has become one of the pre-eminent issues within the global warming movement. In Europe much of the focus on emissions has been specified into sectors, one being the aviation sector. The manner in which the aviation emissions should be dealt with has become a matter of some contention. Airlines naturally do not want to be regulated anymore than necessary, therefore leaving the debate on how to curb an admittedly small, but rising amount of CO2 intensifying.

To this effect, the European Commission has handed down a legislative proposal in December 2006 suggesting a cap on CO2 emissions for all planes arriving or departing from EU airports, while allowing airlines to buy and sell “pollution credits” on the EU “carbon market.” The emissions from aviation are directly correlated to the amount of fuel consumed, and since 1990 the amounts CO2 of emissions from aviation have increased 87 percent, which is directly correlated with the increase in commercial flights. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that aviation accounts for 3.5 percent of total human activities contributing to climate change and predicts it will account for five percent by 2050. This natural growth rate in travel, and its share in climate change, have undermined industries efforts in this area, and remain one reason why the EU has come up continuously short of meeting their Kyoto commitments. 

Notwithstanding the uphill battle to find a strategy allowing the aviation industry to reverse current emission trends, leaders in the industry have not allowed this to slow efforts to battle climate change. ACTE has joined forces with British Airways (BA) to offset conference delegate carbon output for travel to and from ACTE conferences. To achieve this, BA replaces fossil fuels with renewable bio-fuels in the State of Karnataka, India. The bio-fuels help village communities increase self-sufficiency by decreasing their reliance on petroleum products. The global warming effects of more than 700 tonnes of carbon dioxide have been neutralised as a result of this pioneering partnership. These efforts expanded beyond the trial run at ACTE’s Barcelona conference to the recent ACTE Global Education Conferences in Miami (May 2007) and Munich (October 2007).

Mobile devices on planes
With the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval for the use of handheld communication instruments – cell phones and BlackBerry-type devices – on airborne flights in Europe, ACTE has been working to keep members up-to-date on the technical aspects along with the apparent disparity in mobile efficiency United States versus European road-warriors will invariably face.  

Closely following former ACTE president Greeley Koch’s testimony before United States Congress on in-flight cell-phone service, an ACTE 2005/06 survey found 66 percent of respondents supported repealing the mobile-phone ban with 91 percent preferring in-flight texting over typical voice communications.  However, with the recent EASA approval and the March 2007 U.S. Federal Communications Commission  (FCC) announcement to end proceedings analyzing a lift on the cell phone ban (47 C.F.R. §22.925 ) due to insufficient information generated from the 2004 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, U.S. road-warrior mobile productivity faces a set-back in comparison to EU counterparts.

According to Heidi Skatrud, Vice President of Runzheimher International,  mobile workers – often comprised of top executives, sales professionals, client service managers and other critical segments – account for at least one-quarter of the workforce, with their numbers expected to continue in growth. As such, European technological advancements and capabilities have led to the strong implication that US road-warrior mobile productivity has been surpassed.

Susan Gurley, ACTE Executive Director, commented “Just five years ago, hotels were debating the wisdom of investing in WiFi. Now high-speed internet access is regarded as essential as running water in a hotel room. And properties that charge for it earn a bit of resentment. Eventually the same will be true for in-flight cell service and internet access. Ignoring the subject not only deprives travelers of an option, but it wastes critical product development time.”

ACTE’s global advocacy has sought to increase awareness of ministry, government, and industry decision makers on matters such as business resiliency, contagion, passenger seating manifest information, data privacy issues regarding laptop seizures, CRS and CSR regulations, and Belgian employment regulations.

Additionally, ACTE proactively collaborates with local and country travel associations to assure that the local perspective on global issues is represented. As such, ACTE public policy issues are broken down on a regional basis to provide membership with localised in-house expertise based on current and ongoing regional issues impacting the business travel community.

Smooth operator

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The average man will shave more than 20,000 times throughout his life and with modern man’s growing preoccupation with his physical appearance shaving will always remain at the forefront of any man’s grooming regime. Preparation is key to any clean shave so use a facial cleanser or exfoliator to get rid of any dead skin cells and help prepare the skin. Timing is crucial so ideally wait until after you have showered for optimum results as the steam from the shower will open pores and swell the hair shaft making it softer and easier to shave.

A close shave
Applying shaving oil is crucial to achieving a baby soft shave as it will help soften the beard, offer the skin maximum protection for shaving and help ease the razor’s glide across the hair. Grooming expert and founder of The Perfect Shave salon and website, Robert  Gillespie recommends applying the pre-shave oil to skin that has been patted dry. “Pour the equivalent of a £1 coin into the palm of the hand and massage the pre-shave oil into the beard going against the grain. This will lift the hair from the skin, and open the pores enabling a closer more comfortable shave,” he recommends.  Ren Tamanu High Glide Shaving oil, £15 (www.lookfantastic.com) is perfect to lubricate the skin and is specially formulated with 100 percent pure plant oils to provide a smooth, easy shave while minimising post-shave dryness and irritation.

Before you begin your shave, thoroughly massage shaving cream or gel into the stubble as this will help to soften the beard. Choose a vitamin E or aloe vera based shaving cream or gel that will help protect against razor rashes and burns. King of Shaves Ultragel ULX, £3.99 (Boots stores nationwide) is ideal for more sensitive skintypes as it contains skin cooling menthol, essential oils and soothing aloe vera and vitamin E.

To achieve a perfect shave, choose a razor that suits your style. If you are pressed for time, use an electric razor and dry shave for instant results. The new Smart Control3 from Braun, from £45 (Boots stores nationwide) is ideal for this and is a classy addition to any bathroom shelf. Its unique three stage cutting system is designed to capture hair growing from different directions offering a closer finish.

For the cleanest cut, you cannot beat the trusty wet shave. There are many different varieties available today from the more traditional double edge blades to the latest multi blade technology promising the ultimate finish. Whichever you choose, be sure to use short and slow strokes and always shave with the grain as going against it will cause irritation to the skin. Try and change blades after every two or three shaves for maximum results.

Directions wise according to the www.theperfectshave.com, Start shaving on the cheek areas first moving inwards towards the mouth. Leave the moustache and chin areas until last. The hair in this area is the stiffest on the face and requires more time for the shaving cream to soften. After shaving the cheek areas move onto the neck area, and finally back to the moustache and chin area.

The after effect
Give your skin a refreshing drink post shave with a soothing (alcohol-free) balm. Check the ingredients list for soothing ingredients like aloe vera, chamomile to help prevent any irritation. Elave shave balm £7.49 (www.elave.co.uk) will calm freshly shaved skin as it is free from common skin irritants which leave the skin aggravated making it ideal for sensitive skin.  It also contains calming aloe vera to soothe sensitive skin.

Bullet time

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In January this year, an estimated 2,000 disgruntled commuters from Somerset and Wiltshire staged a fares strike against First Great Western. Fed up with paying sky-high prices to spend their daily journey to work in overcrowded and dirty conditions – and sometimes finding themselves unable to squeeze themselves onto a train at all – protest group More Trains Less Strain printed up a series of ‘alternative’ fare strike tickets which were handed to rail staff in lieu of the real thing.

Such outrage and passenger action is becoming increasingly commonplace on British railways. Rail users are furious at having to brave the jam-packed conditions caused by a reduced number of carriages on many routes across the country, fare increases that have soared above inflation and a notoriously unreliable service. Sardine Man, a man in a shiny fish suit who is the mascot of Transport 2000’s Growing the Railways campaign, has been popping up with increased frequency on Britain’s most over-crowded trains, highlighting how oversubscribed many trains already are. Last year, Anthony Smith, the chief executive of the Rail Passengers Council, pointed out that ours was becoming a “rich man’s railway”.

“For passengers travelling long distance, what we’re now seeing is a type of railway where only certain people can afford to travel at certain times,” he said. “People should be able to use the service roughly when they want to be able to use it.”

As a result of these less-than-desirable conditions, travellers – particularly those going cross-country for business who need to be able to put their faith in a reliable timetable – are turning to other means of transport, such as cars and air travel, to get them to that all-important meeting on time. After all, why would you fork out £200 for a train ticket when there is an airline that will fly you to the same destination for half the price, in half the time and, perhaps most importantly, punctually?

Over the years, British rail travel has become synonymous with discomfort, overcrowding and overcharging. However, a trip to Japan soon reveals that it doesn’t have to be that way.

Those who have experienced travelling across Japan on the world famous shinkansen (or “bullet trains”) know that it is possible for a train journey to be super-fast, clean, timed to the second and – dare they admit it – pleasant. The jewels in the crown of the Japanese transport system, this high speed service boasts levels of luxury unheard of on British shores. The romantically-named trains (such as “Light”, “Echo”, and “Desire”) have sleek shells that are aerodynamically designed with futuristic ‘noses’ that would not look out of place on a jumbo jet. Inside, they have neatly uniformed staff and welcoming seats that rotate either to face the direction of travel or to form facing bays for passenger comfort. The carriages are often double deckers and are all meticulously cleaned after every journey. Rather than forcing passengers to lurch through littered aisles to the buffet car to stock up on stale sandwiches or lukewarm baked potatoes, operators Japan Railways provide regular food trolleys that offer beautifully-presented local delicacies in a lunch box called an ebekin, featuring snacks such as sushi, noodles and rice balls. What is more, the bullet trains shoot along at astonishing speeds of up to 186mph, there are departures every five minutes between Tokyo and Osaka – and, despite operating in a country plagued not by fog and drizzle but by earthquakes and typhoons, they have never once been the cause of a fatal accident.

On enjoying such a service in Japan, those UK commuters who are only too familiar with rail replacement buses have grown accustomed to hearing stories of “leaves on the line” and who resort to making grim-faced jokes about the “wrong sort of snow” cannot help but be envious of the shinkansen system. It is, after all, a network that is alien to us in its punctuality: an apology is issued if a train arrives more than two minutes late. Indeed, the timetable operates to such pinpoint precision that trains stop for just one or two minutes at each station. The ticket prices may be comparable to those in the UK, but it could be argued that they deliver value for money. Surely, they ask, we can tread in the footsteps of the Japanese?

The shinkansen was first unveiled in 1964. Overnight, it cut the journey time between Tokyo and Osaka from six-and-a-half hours to four, and since then it has only got faster, thanks to the improvements in signalling, maintenance and infrastructure – the cost of which eat up one third of the railway’s entire budget. The dedicated high-speed railway lines were opened in time for the Tokyo Olympic Games and were an immediate success. By 1967 it had transported 100 million passengers and by 1976 this figure hit the one billion mark. The network soon expanded to include several new lines linking a number of major cities across Japan.

The bullet trains, which serve nearly 60 million people, have successfully competed with the airlines for travel between the two major business hubs, Tokyo and Osaka. The stations have the advantage of being centrally located to cut journey times too, plus there is none of the inconvenience of allowing check-in time.

It may seem the perfect model, but it is a rail system that is borne of Japanese culture and geographical conditions. The country itself is a long and narrow shape, with much of its population concentrated in the cities down the eastern side. As a result, the bullet trains can easily connect them with one line – a system that could not be directly echoed in Britain, as the scattered cities require a spider’s web of railway lines. Due to Japan’s layout of its core cities, the distance between stations is very short, so in order to enable a rapid-transit route, various trains are in operation to meet differing passenger needs, some stopping at stations more frequently than others.

Then, of course, there is the marked difference between Japanese and British culture. As Mike Knutton of the International Railway Journal told the BBC: “[The Japanese] are fortunate to have a very disciplined and compliant public. They do not spray graffiti on station walls or put their feet on the seats and they queue up where they are supposed to on the platforms.”

Part of the success of the Shinkansen from a business point of view is determined by culture, explains director of InsideJapan Tours, Alastair Donnelly.

“The Japanese place a lot more emphasis on face-to-face meetings,” he says. “I have often travelled to Tokyo and back from Nagoya for just a 30-minute meeting with a supplier, when in the UK a phone call or teleconference would often be seen as adequate.

“The shinkansen has allowed many more of these meetings to happen and has meant businessmen can travel Tokyo to Osaka in a day and not have to stay overnight – a significant factor in increasing efficiency and lowering costs.”

It has also transformed the face of business in Japan. As well as the obvious development of new hotels, golf courses and other recreational facilities surrounding the major shinkansen stations, Kakegawa City, in its midway position between the two cities, has developed into a site for national conferences and meetings.

The shinkansen has not been without its problems, however. While it has an incredible safety record (in more than 40 years and an excess of six billion passengers, there have been no passenger fatalities due to derailments or collisions), the bullet train system is extremely expensive to build and run and has amounted enormous debts. In 1987, the network was privatized, but Central Japan Railway is still subjected to high repayments many years later.

The future
Concerns about noise pollution have meant that increasing the speed of the bullet trains is difficult. It is currently unable to operate at its maximum potential as there are many houses situated very close to much of the railway lines, and the faster the train travels, the louder it sounds, particularly as a train enters a tunnel. As a result, strict noise pollution regulations have been imposed.

While various network extensions for the shinkansen have been planned for the next few years, the world’s rail companies are turning their attentions to the use of magnetic levitation (maglev) technology, which uses electric-powered magnets to propel trains at speeds of up to 260mph, eliminating friction and vibration by literally floating the carriages a few centimetres above specially-built tracks.

It is a method that is still very much in the development stages the world over. The UK originally led the way, operating a maglev train between Birmingham International Airport and the nearby railway station. However, it was scrapped after eleven years in 1995 following operational difficulties, and was replaced by a conventional railtrack. The only maglev train currently in operation is at China’s Shanghai International Airport, completing its 19-mile journey to the city centre in just eight minutes, although Germany and Japan are both looking into developing their own lines in the future.

Japan’s proposed maglev line, the Chuo Shinkansen, would link Tokyo and Osaka and could cut the journey time to one hour. However, the expense would be extraordinary – some sources are estimating the cost to be in the region of £42bn. The line would have about 62 miles of tunnels, at a depth of up to 40 metres, and could take between seven and 10 years to build.

However, the development, while it may not be started until 2030, is seen by many to be crucial to Japan’s disaster recovery plans.

Alastair Donnelly explains: “They are so economically dependent on the Shinkansen that if a major earthquake was to destroy a large part of the line then the effect would be very serious indeed.

“The maglev is going to follow a more direct route and it is hoped will provide a second artery for this crucial business route.”

It is not a system that the UK is in any hurry to adopt. As maglev systems require entirely new tracks featuring a complex system of magnets (conventional trains are unable to run on them, and vice versa) they are approximately five times as expensive as a standard railway line, so for now, Network Rail has dismissed the idea.

200mph bullet trains on dedicated tracks were considered in a six-month study by First Great Western in 2002 as a link between the south west and London, with a potential to cut journey times from Plymouth to London from four hours to two hours and 20 minutes. However, the Strategic Rail Authority advised the company to concentrate on the service it already provided, so the project was shelved.

For now, it looks like British travellers will still have to venture abroad to avoid long journeys with the Sardine Man.

Seven-day rail passes for unlimited, countrywide travel for foreign visitors to Japan are available from InsideJapan’s online Japan Rail Pass shop at www.insidejapantours.com, or by calling 0870 120 5600.

Facts
Shinkansen means “new trunk line” in Japanese, although it is commonly used to also describe the trains themselves.

The trains do not run between midnight and 6am, a time reserved for daily track and overhead line maintenance.

When the Kyushu shinkansen is completed in 2013, it will reduce the journey time between Hakata and Kagoshima from four hours and 30 minutes to just over one hour.

One double decker train on the Tohoku shinkansen has a capacity of 1,634, the largest of any train in the world.

A shinkansen train has been derailed only once, during the Chūetsu earthquake of October 2004. Despite there being 154 people on board, there were no casualties.

The flexible grape

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Maybe it’s the thought of sultry summer days, but as soon as spring arrives, I start hankering for Asian foods; delicate rows of sushi and sashimi, spicy prawn curries peppered with lemon grass and coriander, chicken infused with cardamom and cumin. What this usually means is a fight over what to order alongside the dishes; Tiger or Tsing Tao beer, or an Alsace gewurztraminer. Beer has definitely won the majority vote when it comes to a good curry, but – not surprisingly – I think we are too quick to put the corkscrew away. You just have to follow a few rules when it comes to matching highly perfumed foods with wine. Because Asian food often emphasises contrast between flavours and textures, the classic grapes of cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay aren’t an easy match, especially the bigger, more alcoholic styles. As a rule, the best wines for Asian foods are those with lower levels of alcohol, more gentle tannins, crisper acidity, or even a small amount of residual sugar. And while gewurztraminer is an excellent match, it’s just too easy to always reach for the same bottle whenever your food has a hint of soy sauce. There are many lesser known grapes that are undergoing a revival at the moment, and it’s an area that rewards experimenting – although I haven’t included it in this list, I had an amazing Ribero del Duero red with shabu shabu beef and Japanese mushrooms the other night that was just gorgeous.

Ravenswood Old Vines Zinfandel 2004, £7.50 
A gorgeously smoky nose from this Sanoma Valley wine. This has real depth of flavour, and is a beautiful example of a zinfandel, with very round sour cherry fruit and a good structure. It’s literally a sweet and sour wine – it starts with savoury overtones would perfectly suit shredded duck pancakes, but then an underlying sweetness kicks in mid palate that would bring out the best of a plum dipping sauce.

Bellingham Chenin Blanc, the Maverick 2004, £ 8.54 
This South African chenin blanc started off with a slightly one dimensional flavour profile, but had a lovely honey sweetness that made me persevere, and a seductive mix of lemon freshness with sweet oak. I don’t suggest pairing it with any really strong spicy flavours, or it could be overpowered; it would bring out the best in a Thai mango salad, or even a Chinese-style chicken with black bean sauce. Having said that, I had it with a spicy prawn stir fry and it started to take on a really good kick after a bit of garlic and ginger.

La Rose Bellevue 2006, Premieres Cotes de Blaye, Cuvée Tradition, £6.99 (approx)
From the often overlooked Premieres Cotes de Blaye region of Bordeaux, this lovely sauvignon blanc is unoaked, so make the most of its clean, fresh flavours with sashimi or sushi. There’s also an excellent lightly oaked version (Cuvée Prestige) that is perfect with the rounder flavours of Chinese food.

Bonterra Viognier 2005, £17 (approx)
Organically grown wine from Mendocino County in California. This is highly floral, with lovely notes of elderflower, gooseberry and Turkish delight. There are so many delicate flavours going on that anything too hot and spicy might be a shame, but this will stand up to layers of lemongrass and subtle flavour infusions. I had it with crab and prawn spring rolls, but it would be an equally good match for a fragrant Thai curry.

Brampton 2005 Viognier, £ 8.99
Another viognier, this time from South Africa. It’s hard not to keep recommending this grape; just such a gorgeous, mix of honeysuckle, lemon and rose, and brilliant for Asian food (I had it with a Thai prawn curry, with ginger and garlic) because its flavours are just so zesty and full of life. Incidentally, some people think this grape is related to gewurztraminer because of its aromatic and slightly floral qualities – so this is a good way to keep the gewurztraminer link with Asian foods, but also trying something a little bit fresher.

Petale de Rosé Chateau la Tour de l’Eveque £9.00
Why is rosé wine so underused with Asian dishes? It has a natural sweetness and high acidity and more body than many whites. Regine Sumeire makes beautifully ragrant, lightly colour roses from this Provencal domaine, and you’re going to be very popular if you bring it out at a dinner party with a lightly spiced Indian prawn puri.

Mad Fish Reisling £7.95
Okay, so reisling is almost as well traveled as gewurtraminer when it come to matching with Asian food, but trying this Australian version rather than a sweeter German reisling makes a good change. There is gorgeous acidity in this wine, but also real character. It’s very adaptable, working across a range of Asian foods, from chicken and pork satay to ramen, to a spicy phad thai.

Three Choirs 2005 Stone Brook, £5.95
An English wine with an delicate, almost appley flavour. The nose is beautifully aromatic, although it loses some grip and depth on the palate. Would go well with Cantonese-style pork ribs, as the sweetness would draw out the flavour of the pork.

The ‘e’ word

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For almost a decade, corporate travel managers have been clamouring for a comprehensive breakout of their hotel spend, commonly known as the hotel folio. The hotel folio itemises the rate versus the amount spent on tax, amenities – such as mini-bar, movies, and parking – and any other extras on a particular bill. Now corporate travel managers have access to such technology. Within the last year, eFolio, the electronic version of the hotel folio, has become widely available from major hotel chains in North America.

Knowing what your company actually spent on the hotel rate, and having the charges itemised and pre-populated by the corporate card provider in the corporation’s expense reporting tool, has obvious benefits. The content information provides travel managers with leverage in their negotiations with hotel suppliers. The greater accuracy of the data, as opposed to information the traveller manually inputs, also enables companies to better monitor compliance to their travel policy. The traveller meanwhile saves valuable time by having the expense report pre-populated with the detailed content.

Clearly, in today’s competitive and cost-conscious environment, having comprehensive data is the key to managing a successful travel programme. eFolio provides the answer, filling in the information gap on the hotel spend that has long created difficulties for travel managers.

The logic of adopting eFolio is obvious. Actual utilisation, however, has been a mystery.  To what extent has the marketplace been embracing this long-sought-for capability? To find out the degree of penetration, as well as the future prognosis of eFolio usage, ACTE, in partnership with MasterCard, conducted a survey on eFolio usage among North American buyers in August. The results are as follows:

12.5 percent of respondents currently receive hotel folio line item spending data from their card providers.
76.6 percent—more than three quarters of survey respondents—plan to obtain the content in the near future.
Almost half of respondents—47 percent rate the importance of getting electronic transmission of hotel folio data in their expense management system as “very critical.”

Respondents in the survey rated the various benefits of eFolio to the travel management programme, the traveller, and the company organisation. Under travel management, the results were as follows:
– 52 percent of respondents rated “expands hotel negotiations based on all spend, not just room” as very critical.
– 51 percent rated “enhances decision support through deeper levels of reporting and analysis” as critical.

More than a third noted the following benefits were either critical or very critical:
– “provides detailed metrics to track compliance and improve policies” (42 percent)
– “enhances value proposition to travelers along with price, location, services, etc.” (44 percent)
– “sustains/grows traveller adoption of travel tools” (42 percent)
– “streamlines pricing cycle via more accurate and detailed data” (39 percent)

Early adopters and those in beta testing validate the survey response of perceived benefits to managing hotel spend.
 
ON Semiconductor, based in Phoenix, is currently in a beta test with its corporate card provider. Strategic sourcing manager Colleen Guhin said she has already identified instances in which the hotel did not charge the traveller the negotiated rate. Previously, Guhin relied on the travel agency and the corporate card provider for the data. “I could not audit the hotels to see if we were getting the preferred rates or see the spend per night,” Guhin said. “Now I can better see what we need to do when negotiating. Also, it is a way to monitor policy compliance.”

Another travel manager summed up the benefits: “First, it validates what we are actually buying. Is it close or not to the corporate discount? Second, we will be able to sit down with the supplier at these hotels and see that we are paying this much for the restaurant and other amenities. If we spend $10m with a given chain and $2m of that is for high-speed internet access, we will want to negotiate that expense.”

Five years ago, the eFolio initiative got its first big boost from IBM, which became the first corporation to obtain the data. IBM began requiring its preferred properties to provide the efolio. At IBM, eFolio has “taken the cost out of the system for everybody,” Mark Williams, category consultant at ISC Procurement Services at IBM said. “It is easier for the card companies and saves on auditing costs. From an auditing perspective, it detects fraud and will kick out anything out of policy.”          

The corporation is a stakeholder, also, in deriving benefit from the expansion of eFolio, especially related to auditing. 

In terms of the value to the organisation, the survey results illustrate the following:
– 54 percent of the survey takers rated “further automates the internal auditing process” as critical.
– 46 percent noted “helps avoid travel expense reporting fraud” was critical.
– 40 percent said “moves the company to a more paperless environment” was critical.    
 
James Haddow, chief global procurement officer at AT Kearney, Inc, based in Alexandria, Vancouver, said his company audits all expense reports. However, once eFolio is implemented—an initiative that is “high on the radar screen from a procurement and management and finance perspective”–he expected the automated feed of the line item detail from the card provider would “probably give us a savings in labour” because the company would switch to auditing a sampling of reports. This would “potentially reduce the number of auditors needed.”

One particularly valuable feature of eFolio was the elimination of paper receipts.  As an electronic receipt, which is acceptable to the government, eFolio is an invaluable aid to auditors. The pre-populated report also represents a time savings for travellers and enables the company to monitor expense reporting to a degree that was not possible before

Regarding value to the traveller, the ACTE-MasterCard survey results were as follows:

Almost half of participants — 47 percent — said “increased productivity via faster expense report completion” was very critical.

43 percent indicated “reduced errors association with manual calculation and data entry” is very critical.

With an eye to future roll-out of eFolio on a global basis, Haddow predicts one big advantage of having expense reports from stays in hotels outside of North America pre-populated with the data on a nearly real-time basis: “The exchange rate issue goes away. Because it is an electronic receipt, the eFolio relieves the traveller of having to keep track of paper receipts.”

eFolio represents a turning point in the advancement of business travel management. 

As more hotels sign on and corporations resolve privacy issues, eFolio can become an indispensable tool for successful management of the travel programme on a global basis.

Corporate travel managers will have complete transparency into where their dollars are being spent in the hotel portion of their programme. However, the expansion of eFolio beyond the fraction of US corporations currently using it will not occur unless corporate travel managers express the need to their hotel vendors and expense reporting systems vendors. Corporate travel managers are finally able to reap the benefits of eFolio, and the potential for expansion is virtually unlimited. Travel managers hold the keys as to whether this potential is realised, and the goal of universal availability of eFolio is achieved.