Guide
Writing a travel policy people follow
A policy works when it's short, specific and enforced before booking. These are the rules worth writing down, and how silentVIP applies each one.
1. Cabin class by flight length
Set the cabin by scheduled flight time, not by seniority alone. A common pattern is economy under 6 hours, premium economy from 6 to 9 hours and business class above 9 hours. Use policy groups for any seniority differences.
2. Hotel caps by city
One nightly cap fails in expensive cities. Set a default, then raise it for the cities you actually visit, using last year's average rate plus 10%.
3. Advance booking
Ask for flights to be booked a set number of days ahead (14 is common). Don't block late bookings; require a reason, so urgent trips still happen and patterns show up in reports.
4. Approvals
Approve exceptions, not every trip. Name each traveller's approver, and a delegate for when they're away. Decide whether a change after approval needs approving again (we recommend yes, if it costs more).
5. Restricted destinations
List places that always need approval, and any you won't send people to. Review the list each quarter.
6. Points and personal travel
Say whether loyalty points earned on company trips belong to the employee, and whether personal days can be added to a work trip. Ask your accountant about any reporting implications.
Worked example: a 7-hour flight in business class is out of policy for the standard group. The traveller writes a reason ("client meeting on arrival, overnight flight"), the approver sees it next to the premium-economy price, approves it, and the decision is kept on the booking.
See it in the product
Every guide matches what the portal does. The demo shows it working.