How the Houston Rockets shoot for success with a trusted team
Just like many pro sports teams, the Houston Rockets travel a lot. On top of that, their travelers don't all have the same needs. Executives, players, and staff all have different priorities and types of travel.
Timing is important, with a hectic schedule and lots of changes. It's not just domestic travel, either. International trips also add complexity to their travel planning.
Not to worry! With their team of travel experts at Corporate Traveler, travel has never been smoother for the Rockets.
Picking the right team for business travel
The Rockets started out handling all their travel in-house. One designated person managed everything and tried to stay on top of it. Booking, approvals, changes, and after hours, they did it all. A heroic effort, but teamwork beats individual actions every time.
Bumps in the road were common. The Rockets wanted 24/7 support and access to additional savings. When player injuries or unexpected delays happen, the Rockets need the full support of a team.
Travel management can be a complex game with 300+ travelers and frequently changing situations. Just ask Alisha Naik, Senior Business Operations Coordinator. Alisha can book up to 3 trips per week and oversees travel for 200+ full-time staff members. While Jimmy Paulis, Vice President Player Personnel has 10-15 people who are on the road 15-20 days out of the month scouting. That’s a lot of moving people and their travel isn’t always point-to-point. Corporate Traveler adds sports travel expertise to their efforts, so Jimmy and Alisha aren’t doing it all on their own.
"We have a ton of travel. You're traveling for games. You're traveling for prospects. You're traveling for business meetings. You have to divide the travel up between the basketball operations side and the business side. Although we're all rowing in the same direction, it's very different. Corporate Traveler has helped us manage both sides of that very well."
- Larry Kaiser, Chief Financial Officer, Houston Rockets
Travel management designed for sports
The Houston Rockets chose Corporate Traveler to take over their travel program in 2016 so they could focus on their players and get back to their regular day-to-day. Travel can occupy up to 20 days per month, with four different cities in any given week. That's huge!
They know they can count on their travel team at Corporate Traveler to plan travel that works for them, where every detail matters. Knowing preferences down to the time of flight, which airport specific people prefer to fly into, and seat preference (whether in first class or not) is all part of the deal. A solid team who understands your industry nuances and travel tools have made all the difference for the Rockets over the years.
"We feel like it's almost tailored to the Houston Rockets and what our needs are. I think a lot of that comes from Corporate Traveler being flexible. They are willing to work with each individual, with what works best for them." - Jimmy Paulis, VP of Player Personnel, Houston Rockets
24/7 support tailored to fit (literally)
Corporate Traveler's 24/7 support looked a little different when the Rockets first signed on and it's because of them that all our customers use that new and improved model today. The Rockets needed true around-the-clock support that was consistent. While Corporate Traveler had 24/7 staff available to help, not everyone was suited to know the needs of the Rockets team. Working with them on their feedback, we were able to build out a whole new 24/7 team, fully trained in sports, ready for all our sports industry customers.
"There is always someone there to help - 24/7. I feel like no matter what situation we are in, I'm able to email someone and get a response quickly. Not only a response, but a solution. I feel a huge sense of comfort knowing that I just have to email. Literally, send one email, and they will reroute. They will fix it." - Alisha, Senior Business Operations Coordinator, Houston Rockets
Making complex travel simpler
Some business trips are trickier than others, especially for the Rockets' corporate team. They might be traveling internationally with multiple flights to different cities in one country. Everything, from travel visas to passport requirements, can be planned with just one email from internal staff.
During the draft, it's the most challenging time of the year for the Rockets, travel-wise. Staff fly into a location from all over the country to draft prospects. It can get super complicated. But our travel experts take it all in stride.
Travel partnerships get better with age
A solid team and travel expertise have made all the difference for the Rockets. After the first year working with us, their travel manager saw recurring trends in pricing and spending. He helped create a program that worked best for the Rockets without compromising what they really needed.
Over the years, conversations with suppliers built strong relationships, savings, and support to lean on. The program has become quite complex, but it's a seamless travel program for the Rockets, with extra benefits they didn't have before. After many successful seasons together, the team is thrilled with our seamless support.
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