These are a few of the many program enhancements for 2022.

Egencia is now part of American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), the world’s leading business partner for managed travel, after the acquisition of Egencia by GBT. Stanford travelers can continue to use the Egencia platform for online bookings and access the Expedia Group content (including their worldwide discounted hotel rates), and will also have the added benefits of GBT’s robust programs and new investments in technology.  

Egencia pledges to ensure every trip is as successful, rewarding and pleasant as possible with the Egencia Promise, which includes a flight price guarantee. 

Stanford welcomes seven new FCM experienced travel agents to assist with Stanford’s return to travel. To learn more about the FCM travel agent team for Stanford, visit the FCM Booking Channel page on Fingate.

FCM is also implementing a hotel rate shopping tool (similar to Egencia’s Savings Finder) that will monitor airline and hotel reservations for 24 hours after a booking has been confirmed. If a lower airfare or hotel rate becomes available, FCM will rebook the reservation for the same dates (and flight or room type) at the lower price. Rollout details for this new tool will be posted on the fms-stanford-travel Slack channel.

Continuing from 2021

Travelers who enroll in United Corporate Direct (UCD) for university-sponsored travel are also eligible for the United Break from Business personal discounts for up to eight companions on the same reservation. To learn more, visit the UCD booking channel page. 

While students can book through any Stanford booking channel, all active Stanford undergraduate and graduate students also have StudentUniverse accounts. StudentUniverse offers student discounts and specializes in group travel. Students who choose to book university-sponsored travel through StudentUniverse must log in to their account through Stanford’s StudentUniverse portal to ensure their bookings are compliant with the university travel booking policy and automatically sent to InternationalSOS.

If you are looking for local lodging, Stanford Travel now offers new discounts with over 20 properties in Palo Alto, Redwood City and the surrounding area. These discounted rates can easily be booked via Egencia and FCM for faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars and students as well as guests of the university. 

In keeping with the university’s focus on sustainability, we are excited to announce that we have added several sustainable hotel options to the Stanford Travel program. Shashi Hotel generates 25% of its power onsite and has 10 onsite Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Located just minutes from campus, Hotel Citrine’s guest rooms and suites feature sustainable bedding and eco-friendly finishes.

Need to rent a vehicle for your next university-sponsored trip? Stanford has new discounted rates with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The discounts are automatically applied to all car rental bookings (with the exception of the on campus location) made via Egencia and FCM.

The Administrative Guide Policy 5.4.2: Business and Travel Expenses states that, to be reimbursed for university-sponsored travel, faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars and students must use Stanford Travel when booking airfare, hotels or car rentals (with limited exemptions). Exempted travel does not need to be booked through Stanford Travel booking channels. Expenses associated with booking policy exemptions are still reimbursable as long as they are in accordance with their respective travel policies.

Note: International travel that is not booked through Stanford Travel must be registered with International SOS. International SOS allows Stanford to contact you and offer assistance in the event of a major emergency or changing circumstances related to your travel destination.

Registering your travel is as easy as forwarding an itinerary confirmation from your Stanford email address to StanfordTravel@itinerary.internationalsos.com. Learn more about sending itinerary information for multiple travelers and travel arrangers. 

If you experience any issues with forwarding an itinerary, please contact globalrisk@stanford.edu

Key booking policy exemptions include: 

• Conference hotels, which may be booked directly with the hotel at the conference or meeting rate.
• Remote travel to destinations that are hard to access or have limited options.

For a full list of exemptions, visit the Exemptions section of Business and Travel Expense Policies.

Download the Stanford Travel Booking Policy & Exemptions Desk Guide as a quick reference for the university travel booking policy and exemptions.

• Links to book travel or learn more about the four Stanford Travel booking channels
• Phone numbers and email addresses 24/7 for support or emergency assistance from our travel partners
• Links to optional travel services
• Information about booking air travel, lodging, ground transportation, and car rentals

Other top travel pages on Fingate include Business and Travel Expense Policies, which includes information on travel booking policies and exemptions. For answers to common booking questions, such as how to change a traveler’s name in their travel profile, visit recent updates on booking university-sponsored travel.

• Office hour - A Q&A focused event where attendees can ask the teams questions
• Information session - A presentation based event with limited time for Q&A

Stanford Travel is planning to provide additional opportunities to win prizes such as bonus loyalty points, club passes, hotel stays and more throughout the upcoming year.

• Egencia Travel Advisor – https://egencia.com/travel-advisor
• FCM COVID-19 Travel News – https://hub.fcm.travel
• StudentUniverse Travel & COVID-19 – https://studentuniverse.com/coronavirus
• United Airlines Travel Ready Center – https://united.com/en/us/travelreadycenter

• Before you book travel, always check Health Alerts for Stanford Travelers for the latest university guidance on traveling and COVID-19.
• To stay up-to-date on FMS information related to COVID-19, including Travel, visit FMS Updates Related to COVID-19.
• To access contact information for each of the booking channels or to get general travel support, visit or bookmark the Stanford Travel Program page. 

• Follow the Stanford Travel Slack channel #fms-stanford-travel for announcements and updates.
• Follow the Stanford-wide FMS channel #stanford-fms-news to stay updated on important financial news, tools, and deadlines.