Corporate travel management · Since 1984
Corporate travel management for companies that value their time.
One dedicated advisor for your whole team — flights, hotels, meetings, policy and duty of care — backed by 42+ years of experience and the Virtuoso network.
What is corporate travel management?
Quick answer
Corporate travel management is the outsourced planning, booking and support of a company's business travel. A travel manager books flights, hotels and ground transport within your policy, handles changes and disruptions, keeps traveler profiles and preferences on file, supports traveler safety (duty of care), and provides documentation for expenses — so your people travel well and your company controls cost and risk.
Empyrean has provided travel management since 1984, today from Los Angeles. Unlike a call center, every request goes to Gigi Becker — the same advisor who already knows your executives prefer an aisle seat, your sales team needs flexible fares, and your CFO wants one clean invoice trail.
Executive assistants
Hand off the itineraries, changes and 11 p.m. rebookings — keep the credit.
Office & ops managers
One point of contact for the whole company's travel, with preferences on file.
Founders & executives
Smart routings, premium cabins and hotels that make the trip productive.
Finance & HR
Policy compliance, expense-ready documentation and duty of care built in.
Services
Everything a corporate travel program needs.
Twelve services, one advisor. Pick what you need today — add the rest as you grow.
Corporate service
Business Flight Booking for Companies and Executives
Business flight booking from a Los Angeles corporate travel advisor: smarter fares, tracked ticket credits, and one person handling every change.
ExploreCorporate service
Executive and VIP Travel Management
Executive and VIP travel planned around how your leaders work: preferred seats, Virtuoso hotel perks, discreet handling, and a backup plan for every leg.
ExploreCorporate service
Meetings and Events Travel
Meetings and events travel for offsites, conferences and sales kickoffs: attendee flights, hotel room blocks and arrival logistics run by one advisor.
Explore
- Group and Team Business TravelGroup and team business travel booked as one plan: airline group fares, coordinated arrivals, rooming lists and changes handled by a single advisor.
- Corporate Travel Policy DesignCorporate travel policy design for growing companies: clear rules on booking, cabin class, hotels and approvals that control cost without frustrating travelers.
- Duty of Care for Business TravelersDuty of care for business travel explained: how employers keep traveling staff informed, located and supported, and how a travel advisor makes it practical.
- Travel Expense and Reporting SupportBusiness travel expense support: clean invoices, tracked ticket credits and trip summaries that help finance reconcile spend without chasing receipts.
- Small Business Travel ManagementSmall business travel management without a big-company program: one dedicated Los Angeles advisor who books, tracks and manages your team’s trips.
- International Business Travel ManagementInternational business travel planned end to end: long-haul flights, entry rules, visas, jet lag strategy and pre-trip briefings from a Los Angeles advisor.
- Investor Roadshow Travel PlanningInvestor roadshow travel planned to the minute: multi-city flights, backup routings, car service between meetings and hotel logistics for management teams.
- Entertainment and Production TravelEntertainment and production travel for film, TV and music crews: flexible bookings, gear-heavy logistics and fast changes when the schedule moves.
- Bleisure Travel: Adding Leisure Days to Business TripsBleisure travel done right: how to add leisure days to a business trip, what your policy should say, who pays for what, and how to keep expenses clean.
How it works
From first call to first trip in days, not months.
No software rollout, no minimum spend conversations up front — just a conversation about how your company travels.
Discovery call
Who travels, where, how often, what your policy says — and what has gone wrong before.
Profiles & preferences
Traveler profiles, loyalty numbers, seat, hotel and dietary preferences, approvers — captured once.
Booking & changes
Email or call one advisor. Options come back fast; changes, cancellations and unused tickets are tracked.
On-trip support & review
Help while traveling via the Virtuoso and Andavo network, then periodic reviews of spend and patterns.
Is it worth it?
A dedicated travel manager vs. everyone booking their own.
Self-booking works for a simple domestic trip. Here's where a managed program earns its keep.
- Who handles changes
- Empyrean corporate accountYour advisor rebooks and re-routes — you get options, not hold music.Everyone books their ownThe traveler, usually from an airport gate on their phone.
- Policy & approvals
- Empyrean corporate accountBuilt into every booking from day one.Everyone books their ownChecked after the fact, at expense-report time.
- Traveler safety
- Empyrean corporate accountItineraries on file, so you know who is where.Everyone books their ownScattered across personal inboxes.
- Hotel value
- Empyrean corporate accountVirtuoso amenities at partner hotels, typically breakfast, upgrades when available and credits.Everyone books their ownPublished rates, no added amenities.
- Unused tickets
- Empyrean corporate accountTracked and applied to future trips.Everyone books their ownOften forgotten and left to expire.
- Your time
- Empyrean corporate accountOne email or call.Everyone books their ownHours of comparison shopping per trip.
| Compare | Empyrean corporate account | Everyone books their own |
|---|---|---|
| Who handles changes | Your advisor rebooks and re-routes — you get options, not hold music. | The traveler, usually from an airport gate on their phone. |
| Policy & approvals | Built into every booking from day one. | Checked after the fact, at expense-report time. |
| Traveler safety | Itineraries on file, so you know who is where. | Scattered across personal inboxes. |
| Hotel value | Virtuoso amenities at partner hotels, typically breakfast, upgrades when available and credits. | Published rates, no added amenities. |
| Unused tickets | Tracked and applied to future trips. | Often forgotten and left to expire. |
| Your time | One email or call. | Hours of comparison shopping per trip. |
The verdict: If your company has more than a handful of trips a year, international travel, executives, or events, a dedicated travel manager usually pays for itself in time, avoided disruptions and recovered credits.
For travel bookers
Free resources for running business travel.
City-by-city business travel guides, industry playbooks and copy-ready templates — use them with or without us.
Business travel city guides
Airports, districts, etiquette and timing for 36 cities.
Free templates
Corporate travel guides
Expert reading for travel buyers.
- What Is a Travel Management Company (TMC)?
- Corporate Travel Program Checklist: Policy, Suppliers, Duty of Care and Data
- Business Travel Etiquette Around the World
- How to Reduce Corporate Travel Costs Without Hurting Your Travelers
- How to Plan an International Company Offsite
- How to Handle a Cancelled Business Flight
- Per Diem Explained: How Business Travel Allowances Work
- Sustainable Business Travel: How to Cut Emissions Without Cutting Results
- How to Choose a Travel Management Company
- Corporate Travel RFP Guide: How to Run a TMC Request for Proposal
- Managing Unused Airline Tickets: How Companies Stop Losing Credits
- Booking Group Air for Events: Group Fares, Event Discounts and Manifests
- Business Travel Insurance Explained: What Employers Should Cover
- ATA Carnet Guide: Taking Equipment and Samples Abroad Duty-Free
- Business Visa Invitation Letters: What to Include and How to Get One
- Traveler Tracking Explained: How Companies Know Where Their Travelers Are
Corporate travel FAQ
What does a corporate travel manager do?
A corporate travel manager books and manages a company’s business travel, including flights, hotels and ground transport, within a travel policy. Beyond booking, they handle changes and cancellations, track unused ticket credits, keep records for finance, and support duty of care by knowing where travelers are. At Empyrean, that role is filled by Gigi Becker, and the company has provided travel management since 1984.
Is Empyrean a fit for a small company?
Often, yes. Small and midsize companies rarely have a travel department, and one dedicated advisor gives them the essentials, including consistent booking, tracked credits, clean records and help with changes, without building one. Gigi works directly with executives, assistants and office managers. The quickest way to find out is a short conversation about who travels, where they go and how often.
How do changes and cancellations work while someone is traveling?
Gigi handles changes directly, and once someone is on the road, help with disruptions such as cancellations or missed connections also comes through the Virtuoso/Andavo support network, so travelers aren’t relying on a single phone line. During major disruptions we also recommend using the airline’s app in parallel; whichever confirms a new seat first wins. Hotels and cars are then adjusted to the new plan.
Can you work within our existing travel policy?
Yes. Share your policy, even if it’s a short email, and it’s applied on every booking. Anything outside the rules is flagged with the price difference before ticketing so your approver can decide. If parts of the policy are unclear or out of date, we’ll point them out and suggest practical fixes, but the rules themselves always remain your company’s decision.
How do we get started?
Send a corporate enquiry, email gigi@emptvl.com or call 310-480-5832 with a short note on who travels, where and how often. Gigi responds personally within one business day to set up a conversation, then gathers traveler profiles and any policy you have. Once profiles are in place, each trip is requested with a simple email or call.
Do we have to book every trip through Empyrean?
No, though you get the most value when you do. Central booking keeps every itinerary in one place, which matters for credit tracking, consistent policy and knowing where people are in an emergency. Some companies route all travel through Empyrean; others start with executives or complex international trips and expand from there. Either approach works.
What kinds of corporate travel does Empyrean handle?
Business flights, executive and VIP trips, meetings and events, group and team travel, international business trips, investor roadshows, entertainment and production travel, and bleisure extensions. Alongside booking, Empyrean helps with travel policy design, duty of care and expense documentation. Hotels, ground transfers and Virtuoso hotel benefits at partner properties are part of the same service.
What does the Virtuoso affiliation mean for business travelers?
Empyrean is a registered California Seller of Travel (CST #2100177) affiliated with Andavo Travel, a Virtuoso member agency. For business travelers, that means Virtuoso benefits at partner hotels, typically daily breakfast for two, a property credit or amenity, a room upgrade and early check-in or late check-out when available, and Wi-Fi, plus help while traveling through the Virtuoso/Andavo support network.
Make business travel the easy part.
Tell Gigi how your company travels. You'll get a personal reply within one business day — and a plan, not a sales pitch.