Overview:

• When booking accommodation in Manchester please use Hyatt Regency Manchester which offers preferential rates to The University of Manchester.
• All Manchester hotel booking for 4*or above must in the first instance go through the AMBS online booking form for booking of the on campus contracted hotel. The booker will require approval from the relevant Head of School Finance to deviate from this.
• UK Hotel rates - you are expected to go no higher than £150 per night (£200 for London).
• Many Hotel Bookings require same day approval. Key Travel cannot hold the room(s) as the availability & prices fluctuate. If a hotel booking is not approved on the same day it is highly likely that the availability and price will change causing this to expire. The entire booking will need to be resubmitted in such cases. (Remember to give your approver sufficient time to review your request).
• If you cannot find a hotel, this is likely to indicate the hotel is full rather than missing from the Key Travel feed.
• The University of Manchester does not permit the use of Airbnb for several reasons including:-
  • Duty of Care - The University needs to know where its staff/students are when away on business, in case of political disturbance or natural disaster in their destination country. We can only do this if staff book their accommodation via Key Travel.
  • Airbnb accommodation is not regulated to the same standard as hotels, especially with regard to safety, fire and hygiene regulations. There is also the additional risk such accommodation brings with it (e.g. where to collect the keys, landlord access and accessibility).
  • There is little/no support or assistance from a travel agent if there are issues with the accommodation or location (as opposed to any bookings made through Key Travel).
  • The University’s Travel Insurance policy does not cover any claims as a result of any incident in relation to private homes, Airbnb or similar type of accommodations.
• All bookings through Key Travel are invoiced and paid by Key Travel.  Key contacts the hotelier to confirm this.  However, it is worth checking on arrival and presenting your booking voucher to make sure this is clear.  Unfortunately Key Travel cannot guarantee that the person on the desk is fully au-fait with your booking and checking at the start of your stay allows time to resolve any misunderstanding.
• In the event of being asked by the hotel to pay for the accommodation please contact the 24 hour Key Travel emergency assistance line.
• Accommodation is mainly on bill back which means the hotel will bill after completion of stay and in turn Key Travel bill UoM.
• An exception to the use of Key Travel is payment for a Hotel attached to a conference where a discounted rate is on offer.  For these you are able to pay direct through University credit card.

General Information applicable to all travel bookings:

• Ensure a clear reason for travel (as well as justification for out of policy bookings when prompted) is included on all travel. This is required for audit purposes.
• Do book at least 14 days in advance to obtain access to more favourable rates.
• Do check the cancellation policies on bookings (displayed in the booking tool).
• Best prices are obtained on restricted rather than open tickets.
• Always take into account approval timelines especially when the deadline for approval is outside of core working hours. The online booking tool is available 24/7 however approvers are restricted by their normal working hours.
• Avoid booking travel on Friday afternoons.
• If you know that your approver is away, check that they have delegated their approval responsibilities to someone else.
• If approval is required urgently do alert your approver before making the booking!
• If you receive a message indicating booking has failed due to a technical reason this is usually as a result of issues with the feeder website e.g. Booking.com or Expedia. It is recommended you contact the Key Travel Offline (Reservations) team if this occurs.
• Types of Billing (applicable to rail/flights/hotels): 
  • Prepaid/Instant: Rail, low cost airlines and ‘prepaid’ hotel rates are invoiced at time of booking.
  • Bill-back:-the majority of hotels bill after completion of stay. Usually within a week, but not controlled by Key Travel.
  • Booking confirmed: for non-low cost airlines booking is completed at a point before the flight. The airline do invoice speedily and reliably on this date.