Policy Potpourri
What are the requirements for a meeting to be requested in iMeet?
If there are 10 or more guest rooms for any night of the meeting, a request should be submitted in iMeet for strategic sourcing and contracting by the meetings team.
How does a meeting attendee cancel an air travel or rail reservation if travel is no longer needed?
Staff must cancel travel arrangements via the online travel booking tool prior to flight departure. Volunteers must call the TMC directly to cancel flight reservations prior to flight departure.
Do attendees have to book their hotel room and air travel on a meeting registration site.
Yes. All negotiated hotel rates and discounted airfares are built into a registration site.
Name ACS' preferred hotel chains.
Hilton Hotels Worldwide and Best Western International, Inc.
What is the best way to submit questions about meetings and/or travel?
Go to helpme.cancer.org and click on the Meetings and Travel Management and then select either the Travel Management or Meetings Management section. Be sure to click on the more options under each section to see all of the information. Additionally, Ask Navi information is being added for quick, self service.
Can a hotel be reserved using a hotel website or other online travel booking options such as Travelocity?
No. All travelers must book air, rail, lodging, and car rentals through Concur Travel.
Am I required to process a hotel contract for a meeting sponsored by my department/Division through the legal review?
No, the Meetings and Travel Management team will process all meeting related contracts via legal review and signature.
When booking an airline ticket, what class of service can be booked?
All travel must be in coach class. American Cancer Society travelers are expected to use the lowest logical airfare available. (Upgrades for domestic travel are allowed at the traveler’s expense).
A traveler may not decline a fare in a lower class of service in order to upgrade.
Can I still use the Lyft for Business app if I already use Lyft for personal travel?
Yes, the Lyft app will allow you to toggle between Lyft for Business and Lyft for personal rides and charge each one individually.
What types of information can be collected on the meeting registration website?
Participant contact information, dietary requirements, emergency contact information, custom questions, workshop/breakout registration, meal or special event counts, housing requirements and direct link to book air travel.
When renting a car for business purposes, should insurance be purchased?
The Society’s national rental car agreements contain liability insurance covering bodily injury, property damage and collision insurance. Travelers should not purchase duplicative liability or collision coverages. The Society’s agreements do not cover personal injury protection, medical payments, uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist or no fault coverage, unless required by state law.
Do all meeting details need to be known to submit an iMeet request?
Yes. Since the strategic sourcing tool goes directly to hotels, hotels need to know all of the details for sleeping rooms and meeting space to provide a proposal.
Do you know how the 2 cost savings programs in Concur - Hotel Price Assurance and Airfare Price Assurance save the Society money?
Hotel Price Assurance is an automated feature that continually checks for lower hotel room rates after a trip is booked. To maximize savings, travelers need to take action when emailed from Concur and not ignore the email.
Airfare Price Assurance also continually checks for lower airfare options for the same booked flights. If a lower fare is found, it’ll automatically rebook the ticket and send an updated itinerary.
What car rental companies does the Society have a partnership with for business travel?
Special rates and insurance have been negotiated and contracted with Avis/Budget and Enterprise/National. Renting outside of these car rental companies is not reimbursable by the Society.
Cargo vans and box trucks can also be reserved through Avis/Budget and Enterprise/National.
Is there travel insurance for staff and volunteers who travel on behalf of the Society?
The American Cancer Society provides travel accident insurance for staff and eligible volunteers while traveling on Society business. BCD Travel, the official Travel Management Company for the Society provides additional travel insurance for each ticket issued.
What is the lead time for meetings requested in iMeet?
• 3 months or more for small/simple meetings (50 rooms per night or less)
• 6 months or more for medium/complex meetings (over 50 rooms per night)
• 12 months or more for large/complex meetings (over 500 total room nights)
Are multi-city trips able to be done with the online travel booking tool?
Yes, for individual business travel the online booking tool offers One Way, Round Trip and Multi-Segment travel options. Some complex itineraries involving more than 5 segments (3 or more destinations in the same reservation) may warrant a call to BCD Travel and a $50 travel management fee will apply.
Only round trip travel may be booked via the online travel booking tool for Meeting Travel.
What happens if a Non-Refundable Ticket is cancelled?
Airlines require travelers to cancel reservations prior to the original departure date or the original ticket will have no value after the flight’s departure. Unused tickets for all carriers are indicated in the online travel booking tool Traveler’s Profile. In addition travelers will receive a notification from BCD Travel if they have an upcoming trip using a non-refundable ticket. Travelers will be responsible to login to the online travel booking took to cancel their reservation prior to departure. BCD Travel will place unused Non-Refundable tickets on file to use for applicable future travel.
Are there any airport parking partnership?
Yes, ACS partners with the Park 'N Fly Network. Parking off-airport typically costs 40% to 60% less than parking at the airport. Parking reservations can be added to your Concur Travel itinerary with a single click
How do I get guest travel arranger access?
Submit a helpdesk ticket indicating you need guest travel arranger access.
Can rental properties or accommodation booking websites permitted for business lodging?
Hotel chains have been selected as preferred suppliers based on location, rate, and safety. To date, rental properties present a liability to travelers and the organization, therefore these types of lodging are not reimbursable.
Should meeting dates be confirmed before submitting an iMeet request?
Preferably not. Having more flexibility the meetings team has to search for available hotels over multiple dates is ideal.
Why should staff remember to book their air, car, hotel and/or rail in a single reservation in Concur?
Booking trips in a single reservation helps ACS save money since each reservation component is considered a separate transaction cost in Concur Travel. It also helps travelers manage their trips more efficiently and BCD Travel to manage changes in case of emergencies.
What are the benefits of a travel management company?
* To maximize ACS’ ability to negotiate discounted rates with suppliers by consolidation of purchasing power.
* To ensure that all Society travelers have a safe and productive experience while reducing the risk and liability to the organization. This allows the Society the ability to locate all travelers during an emergency and provide immediate assistance as required.
* Provides a cost control and policy adherence.
* Provides industry expertise and state of the art technology to Society travelers.
What are some factors that could cause my meeting to be cancelled or postponed?
A meeting could be cancelled or postponed if there is a security, health, or transportation risk in the city where the meeting is being held. A threat of severe weather that could impact the arrival or departure of the meeting attendees could also cause cancellation and/or postponement. The MTM team will collaborate with the meeting owner and the Risk Management team to make a decision about meeting cancellation or postponement.