Billing is often the final step of the transactional process wherein vendors have the opportunity to frustrate, or even infuriate, the client. In the case of hotels, a traveler who made a reservation, checked in, stayed at a hotel without issue, and enjoyed a smooth checkout process is not entirely free of potential problems until the bill has been paid.
To assist with the reconciliation process for Individually Billed Accounts (IBA), Centrally Billed Accounts (CBA), and Direct Billed Accounts, some elementary materials communicating a base-level expectation of the kind of billing and terms vendors should expect could prove useful.
Particularly in heavily franchised industries, the dissemination of rudimentary information explaining proper invoicing could prove useful. From within the hotel industry alone, a large corporate client or government agency representing significant CONUS travel spend could face the prospect of working with hundreds of individual corporate structures due to the popularity of the franchise model. While most franchise operations are professionally run with sophisticated accounting systems in place, many still struggle to understand and implement fundamentally sound accounting practices. Basic literature and/or a single online resource highlighting the basic requirements of the different reconciliation processes would go a long way toward helping the brands guide these franchise locations to better operations, thereby resulting in an improved final step in the travel transaction.
Enhancing the ease of access to any such existing information also would prove beneficial to both the traveler and the vendor. Encouraging local workshops through Convention & Visitors Bureaus, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Commissions, Small Business Administrations, and other community-based organizations would help reach those smaller businesses and franchisees who might otherwise not have the resources to attend trade conferences to obtain similar information.
By: Mark Feggeler