Bayer's Travel Police Banned Execs From Nice Hotels; Verbal Warnings for Transgressors

(MoneyWatch)  If you're a Bayer employee and you're wondering why -- since last year -- you can no longer stay at the hotels you want or take the flights that are most convenient, wonder no more.

Bayer implemented a "nonmandated" travel policy to cut costs -- and woe betide execs who want to stay at the nice hotels or ride the airline that gives them airmiles. Bayer is watching, and folks who book in the "wrong" hotels or choose the "wrong" flights can expect "verbal" warnings. Also, your corporate credit card usage will be flagged.

The new travel policy is described in detail in Travel Procurement, a publication for folks who work in the business expenses business:

Bayer used to allow people flying to its Pittsburgh base to choose any hotel they wanted. That had to be stopped, according to manager of travel services for Bayer North America Paul Lang.

Bayer's local program had included a wide variety of properties, but providing travelers with so many options proved detrimental to the corporation as many opted for hotels with high price tags rather than great value.

He suggested a redesign of the company's online booking tool using Pittsburgh--the largest volume area--as a test market. The redesign ranked hotel properties in order of most preferred ...

Bayer advised employees to book with a property that had a negotiated rate that was at least $30 cheaper than the property that was a favorite among travelers.

After the change was implemented ... Lang watched compliance at the preferred hotel jump from 22 percent to 78 percent by year-end 2008.

Bayer's travel enforcement police are watching to make sure everyone behaves:

... If employees go against policy, Bayer's travel department reports them to the proper contacts within the business.

Lang also tracked compliance through back-end reporting compiled from credit card data. Bayer monitored the hotel bookings of employees who stayed in Pittsburgh, and those who were found to be noncompliant were given verbal notices.