Group Travel
Find information on booking group travel, meetings, and events for ten or more people.
Direct Travel's Group Travel team supports University-sponsored travel and events involving ten (10) or more travelers or attendees. Services include group air travel, hotel room blocks, and Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) services.
All Group Travel arrangements must comply with University travel policies, applicable funding requirements, and approved procurement processes.
What Qualifies as Group Travel?
Group Travel is defined as pre-approved University-sponsored travel involving ten (10) or more travelers.
Group Travel Services
Group Air Travel
Direct Travel manages airline group reservations and related services, including:
- Blocked airline space
- Fare quotations
- Airline negotiations
- Deposits and payment collection
- Ticketing
- Name management
- Traveler tracking and reporting
- Schedule change management
Group Air Travel may be used for:
- Ten (10) or more travelers departing from the same origin and traveling to the same destination on the same flights and may involve block space
- Ten (10) or more travelers departing from multiple origins and traveling to the same destination
Note: Air travel for fewer than ten (10) travelers should be booked individually through Concur Travel or with a Direct Travel agent.
Hotel Room Blocks
Hotel room block services are available for ten (10) or more guest rooms. Hotel room blocks at Columbia’s preferred New York City hotels and at any of the four Millennium Hotels in New York City must be sourced directly with the hotel. If you need assistance obtaining sales contact information, please contact [email protected]. For hotel room block sourcing assistance at hotels outside of Columbia’s preferred and Millennium Hotel partnerships, whether in New York City or globally, please contact Direct Travel’s Group Travel team.
Columbia-Sponsored Room Blocks
Under this model:
- Columbia University executes the hotel agreement through the appropriate procurement process.
- The requesting School or Department is financially responsible for applicable room charges.
- The School or Department assumes responsibility for negotiated attrition and cancellation provisions.
Attendee Self-Pay Room Blocks
Under this model:
- Attendees reserve and pay for their own rooms.
- Attendees are responsible for reservation cancellations.
- Columbia University assumes no financial responsibility for unused rooms.
- A hotel contract may still be required, depending on supplier requirements.
Note: Requests for fewer than ten (10) rooms should be booked individually through Concur Travel or with a Direct Travel agent.
Strategic Meetings Management (SMM)
Strategic Meetings Management services support more complex University-sponsored events.
Services may include:
- Venue and hotel sourcing
- Contract negotiations
- Registration and attendee management
- Housing management
- Budget development and tracking
- Meeting logistics
- Onsite support (when requested)
- Duty of care coordination
- Supplier management
- Post-event reconciliation and reporting
Roles and Responsibilities
Columbia Meeting Planner / Travel Arranger
The designated CU Meeting Planner or Travel Arranger is responsible for:
- Submitting Group Travel requests
- Providing traveler and event information
- Reviewing supplier proposals and recommendations
- Obtaining required University approvals
- Executing Statements of Work (SOWs), when applicable
- Ensuring compliance with sponsored funding requirements
Only individuals with the Columbia Travel Arranger role may initiate and manage Group Travel services.
Group Air Travel and Hotel Room Blocks
- Submit a Group Travel Request Form.
- Provide event details and service requirements.
- Maintain an active Concur profile.
- Participate in a consultation with Direct Travel’s Group Travel team.
- Review available options and pricing.
- Approve selected arrangements for booking and ongoing management.
Strategic Meetings Management (SMM)
- Define event objectives, requirements, and estimated attendance.
- Maintain an active Concur profile.
- Participate in a discovery consultation.
- Review recommendations and fee estimates.
- Execute a Statement of Work (SOW).
- Services begin upon SOW execution.
Fees
- Hotel room block sourcing is provided at no cost.
- Standard Group Air transaction fees apply.
- Initial consultation and discovery sessions are provided at no cost.
- If SMM services are required, Direct Travel will outline applicable fees in a Statement of Work (SOW).
- Fee-based SMM services may not begin until the SOW has been fully approved and executed.
Only authorized Travel Arrangers may approve payment for Group Travel services.
Group Air Travel
- Columbia Air/Rail Central Pay Account (BTA)
Strategic Meetings Management Services
- Columbia University Corporate Card
Tax Exemption
Columbia University is a tax-exempt organization. When applicable, Direct Travel will support the University's tax-exempt status by:
- Communicating Columbia's tax-exempt status to hotels, venues, and other suppliers
- Assisting with the collection and submission of required tax-exemption documentation
- Requesting tax-exempt treatment for meetings and events held in jurisdictions that recognize Columbia University's tax-exempt status
To qualify for tax exemption, expenses must be paid directly by the University using an approved University payment method. Purchases made with personal funds, even if later reimbursed by the University, are generally not eligible for tax exemption.
Please visit Exemption & State/Sales/User Taxes for a list of states that provide sales tax exemption. Should a tax exemption certificate be requested by a supplier, it may be obtained through the Finance Service Center.
Expenses related to Group Travel must be reconciled by Meeting Planners/Travel Arrangers via Concur Expense. Each air/rail ticket issued will show as an individual charge in Concur to be reconciled in Concur.
Refunded deposits for block space on flights must also be reconciled by the Meeting Planner/Travel Arranger in Concur.