An article in Fast Company about managing corporate travel urges travel departments to negotiate good rates with a couple of hotels in cities their employees frequently travel to, then:
Maximize your business at these properties by requiring employees to register any meetings they will be holding with the travel manager, who in turn can encourage them to use the same properties as much as possible. Managing meetings is politically sensitive, as many meeting planners receive gifts and rewards from the hotels to which they bring business. Like every purchasing decision, though, it's important to base the choice of a meeting location on what's best for the firm, not the individual doing the buying. Centralizing and managing your meeting spend is likely the biggest single remaining opportunity for travel management for smaller companies. (Emphasis added.)
Maybe I just don't talk to the right (or is that wrong?) people, but planners I've met tend to be a very ethical bunch. I find it hard to believe that a fam or a gift bottle of wine is going to sway them to hold a meeting somewhere that's not best for their organization.
Write a letter to the editor of Fast Company now and set the record straight. The last thing this biz needs is to be slammed as unethical in the business press.