In corporate travel, businesses are rightly placing traveller wellbeing high on the agenda. But with rising costs, tightening budgets, and increased scrutiny on ROI, many travel managers are left asking, “Can we really support our travellers’ wellbeing, without blowing the budget?”
At HTS, we believe the answer is a firm yes. Supporting the mental and physical health of travellers doesn’t always require luxury upgrades or first-class tickets. It starts with a clear policy and choosing the right partners.
Here’s how you can boost wellbeing and maintain cost control at the same time.
Make policy work for people
Your travel policy should protect your budget, yes – but it should also protect your people. A few small updates can make a huge difference in wellbeing, without significant cost:
- Set realistic travel hours – Avoid red-eye flights or same-day returns when feasible. Allow buffer time to rest and recover.
- Offer more flexibility – Let travellers choose travel times that suit them best within policy parameters.
- Clarify support for disruptions – Clear guidance reduces stress when plans change.
“Wellbeing doesn’t have to be expensive – it just has to be intentional,” says Lottie Stokes, National Account Manager at HTS. “Clear, human-centred policy can be your first and most impactful step.”
Use traveller feedback to shape policy
Not sure what your travellers really need? Ask them.
Short surveys after trips or quarterly check-ins with frequent travellers can uncover what’s working – and what’s not. And many improvements they suggest may not involve extra spend at all.
For example:
- Reducing tight stopovers
- Offering more direct flights
- Streamlining approvals to reduce stress
Top Tip: Use your TMC’s reporting tools to cross-reference feedback with data – like delays, productivity loss, or complaints – to build a strong case for minor but effective policy changes.
Focus on rest, not rewards
Upgrading to a suite isn’t the only way to support wellbeing. Sometimes, simply choosing the right kind of accommodation makes all the difference.
At HTS, we can help clients:
- Prioritise hotels with 24-hour check-in, or on-site fitness facilities
- Filter properties based on proximity to meetings (reducing travel time and stress)
- Choose brands that offer healthier in-room dining or wellbeing services
“You can improve rest quality and reduce stress without increasing rates – just by choosing better-aligned hotels for your employees’ needs,” says Lottie.
Communicate the support you already offer
Often, travellers don’t know what’s available to them – like 24/7 support lines, access to quiet hotel rooms, or health and safety protocols.
Make wellbeing part of your travel comms:
- Create short wellbeing guides for travellers
- Provide links to your company’s mental health or EAP services when relevant
“Don’t assume they know – they probably don’t,” adds Lottie. “By simply raising awareness, you’re already improving the experience.”
Use tech for traveller wellbeing wins
Tools like MISynergy (our online booking platform for travel and events) can support traveller wellbeing by:
- Reducing the admin and back-and-forth of booking
- Offering visibility over hotel choices with wellbeing-focused filter such as swimming pool facilities
- Capturing traveller preferences for a more personalised experience
Bonus: Tech like MISynergy also improves data capture, which helps you track and report on traveller wellbeing-related metrics without guesswork.
Take a holistic view of value
Sometimes the cheapest option costs you more in the long run – through productivity loss, missed meetings, or traveller burnout.
Take a more total cost of trip approach:
- What’s the time cost of a 5am departure?
- Will a slightly higher hotel rate save money on transport or meals?
- Could wellbeing-related disruption end up costing more than a better travel option?
HTS helps clients take this broader view so you can balance cost with care, backed by data – not guesswork.
Small changes
Improving traveller wellbeing doesn’t mean a blank cheque. It means enabling smarter choices, having a more empathetic policy, and better visibility of what your people need to thrive.
At HTS, we help businesses design travel programmes that care for people and budgets.
Want to explore how we can help shape a more wellbeing-focused programme?
