Purpose
This article explains how to book a hotel and manage your stay, including canceling your reservation, using the TravelBank platform.
Audience
This article applies to all users with access to TravelBank travel management.
Get started
Before you book your hotel, complete a few preliminary tasks:
Add a payment method to your TravelBank account if you haven’t already.
To check whether you’ve added a payment method, or to ensure your payment information is accurate, select “My Account” from the TravelBank left navigation menu, then “Payment Methods”.
If your company has a corporate card used for purchasing travel through TravelBank, the card appears on the “Payment Methods” tab and also in the “Payment Method” pane on the checkout page.
Update or complete your Traveler Information.
Book a hotel
Book a hotel by taking the following steps.
Book a hotel from the web
To book a hotel, select “Travel” from the TravelBank left navigation menu.
Select the “Hotels” tab.
Complete the “Destination” and “Travel Dates” fields.
Select "Search Hotel". If your company has a travel policy and any search results are outside that policy, the results include a note (see Figure 1). A travel policy can affect both rates and the number of days in advance you’re required to book travel without needing any additional approval per your organization’s guidelines.
Figure 1. Out of policy notification
Review the list of hotel options, and filter your search results as needed:
Price: Set a minimum and maximum price, or show results within your company’s budget.
Star Rating: Select hotels with ratings from 1 to 5 stars.
Guest Rating: Select hotels with guest ratings from “Good” to “Wonderful”.
Hotel Brand: Search for a hotel brand, or select one from the provided options.
Amenities: Select hotels with your preferred amenities, such as free wifi, meeting and conference facilities, and fitness centers.
Distance: Search for hotels within a maximum distance from your searched location.
Once you have filtered your hotel options, you can view the options using Map View (the default view showing both a list of hotel options and a map of the options) or List View. Using Map View, you can view the hotel options in groups (see Figure 2). When you zoom in to the grouped options, the groups expand into individual options. When you zoom out, the hotel options are again grouped.
View a hotel option’s rooms and hotel details, as well as any information about special rates, by selecting the name of the hotel, or choosing “View Rooms” to the right of the row (see Figure 3). Special rates* may include AAA, AARP, Senior, and Government rates (see Figure 4). If you use a Government rate, you are required to show your government work ID when you check in to your hotel. (*Special rates are not enabled for all customers. If administrators want to enable these rates for their organization, they should reach out to their customer success manager.) Also note that if your organization has enabled travel rewards, your trip may make you eligible to earn rewards that you can redeem for personal use on a variety of services.
Figure 2. Grouped hotel options in Map View
Figure 3. Select a hotel to view room and hotel options
Figure 4. Hotel special rates
Earn hotel loyalty rewards
You may also be eligible to earn hotel loyalty points if you are a hotel loyalty member and select a room that is eligible for hotel loyalty points. When you select “View Rooms”, if a hotel has a rewards and loyalty program and has eligible rooms, a “Rewards and Loyalty” filter appears, as well as a “Hotel Loyalty Points” tag (see Figure 5).
Figure 5. Earn hotel loyalty points
Confirm your selection by choosing “Select Room”.
When you get to the Review Itinerary & Book Hotel page, select or add traveler information in the “Traveler Information” section. You can also take several other actions:
You can apply a promo code if you have one (see Figure 6). Note: Promo codes can only be applied to pay-now bookings, if the payment is collected at the hotel, the booking does not qualify to have a promo code applied to the stay.
Figure 6. Traveler Information section and Apply Promo Code field
If you have applied a Government rate to your booking, check the “Government Rate Applied” checkbox above the “Reserve Hotel” button. Checking this box shows that you acknowledge the discount details and agree to show your government work ID upon check-in.
Select “Enable Rewards” in the “You Could Be Earning Rewards” section at the top-right of the Review Itinerary & Book Hotel page (see Figure 7).
Figure 7. You Could Be Earning Rewards window
Confirm your reservation. Note: At this point, the confirmation button that appears to complete your booking depends on the type of reservation you’re booking:
Book Hotel: Your reservation requires payment during booking and is within policy.
Reserve Hotel: Your reservation requires payment during check-in at the hotel and is within policy.
Request Hotel Approval: Your selection is out of policy; the reason the selection is out of policy appears above the “Request Hotel Approval” button, and your selection requires manager approval.
Book a hotel from the mobile app
From your TravelBank mobile home page, select “Travel” at the bottom-right of your screen, or select the hamburger menu at the top-left and then “Travel”.
Select “Lodging”.
Enter your destination and travel dates in the respective fields.
Select “Search hotels”.
Review the list of hotel options, and filter your search results as needed:
Price (available on Android and iOS): Set a minimum and maximum price, or show results within your company’s budget.
Star Rating (available on Android and iOS): Select hotels with ratings from 1 to 5 stars.
Guest Rating (available on Android and iOS): Select hotels with guest ratings from “Good” to “Wonderful”.
Hotel Brand (available on Android and iOS): Search for a hotel brand, or select one from the provided options. (Note: The Hotel Brand filter is available on iOS only at an individual hotel level, not a hotel chain level.)
Amenities (available on Android): Select hotels with your preferred amenities, such as free wifi, meeting and conference facilities, and fitness centers.
Distance (available on Android and iOS): Search for hotels within a maximum distance from your searched location.
Use the map or list of hotel options to find a hotel that meets your needs (see Figure 8). If you select a hotel option, a “Hotel Details” page opens. Scroll down to the “Room Rates” section to see the available rooms for that hotel (see Figure 9).
Figure 8. Map and list of hotel options for your hotel search
Figure 9. Hotel Details, Room Rates
Choose “Select Room” for the room you want to book. This takes you to a confirmation page.
Select “Book Hotel” to confirm your reservation.
Manage your hotel booking
Once you have booked a hotel, take the following steps to modify your reservation. (As an alternative, you can also email an agent at reservations@travelbank.com to modify or cancel your reservation.)
Manage your hotel booking from the web
Select “Travel” from the TravelBank left navigation menu.
Scroll down to the “Trips” section > “Upcoming” tab.
Select “Modify” for the hotel reservation you’d like to make changes to. This brings up a chat window where you can work with an agent to modify or cancel your reservation.
Manage your hotel booking from the mobile app
From your TravelBank mobile home page, select “Travel” at the bottom-right of your screen, or select the hamburger menu at the top-left and then “Travel”.
Select “Trips”.
Select “Modify” for the booking you’d like to make changes to (see Figure 10). This brings up a Modify Trip pop-up window (Figure 11) with options to Live Chat (24/7) or Call an Agent.
Figure 10. Trips section, “Modify” hotel reservation button
Figure 11. Trips section, Modify Trip options
Cancel your hotel reservation
Cancel your hotel booking from the web
Select “Travel” from the TravelBank left navigation menu.
Scroll down to the “Trips” section > “Upcoming” tab.
Select “Cancel” for the hotel reservation you’d like to cancel (see Figure 12).
Figure 12. Cancel trip button
Cancel your hotel booking from the mobile app
From your TravelBank mobile home page, select “Travel” at the bottom-right of your screen, or select the hamburger menu at the top-left and then “Travel”.
Select “Trips”.
Select “Cancel” for the booking you’d like to cancel (see Figure 13).
Figure 13. Upcoming Trips tab, Cancel option for a hotel reservation
Frequently asked questions
Why am I receiving a "Missing Traveler Information" popup?
Even if you completed Traveler Information creation at the beginning of this process, ensure you have selected the traveler in the dropdown menu to the left of the booking or request approval button.
Why can't I apply a promo code to my hotel stay?
Promo codes can only be used with prepaid hotel stays. If the lodging you are considering is pay after booking, then a promo code is not eligible for use.
How long does it take to cancel a refundable reservation?
Some refundable cancellations can be systematically processed and you'll be credited as soon as they are complete, while other refunds may be more complex and must be canceled by an agent.
When will I receive my refund for a refundable reservation?
We try to have refunds to travelers in 3-5 business days, though some may take longer, and be around 5-7 business days. Depending on the hotel, some refunds may take longer.
Need help?
If you need help, contact the TravelBank support team:
Email support@travelbank.com.
From the website or mobile app: Open the TravelBank left navigation menu and select “Chat with us”.
Publish date: December 27, 2023
Last update: April 20, 2024