every discount involves some sort of trade-off, and the greatest risk from seeking (or imposing) such discounts is that it will end up costing more in the long run, for the employee or the company or both.

one expensive lesson i learned was that it is more cost-effective for me to book refundable tickets, as my work travel is constantly shifting. i paid the price when i booked a non-refundable flight for a trip i thought was fixed, only for the return date to change.

other trade-offs involve consuming too much time hunting down a discount, or giving up too much personal information. i have lost lots of opportunities because they would have required me to sign up for facebook, for example.

i personally believe that airline/hotel loyalty programs pay off for the employer as well as the employee. by flying the same airline and staying in the same hotel chain regularly, i know what to expect when i travel and know better how to deal with disruptions. i can get more work done in a delta club than by sitting by the gate. i always know what i'm getting when i stay at a hampton (internet, breakfast, and not having to pay for parking or wait for a valet), i have yet to travel anywhere for my work, other than some big cities, that didn't have a hampton nearby (and i'm sure my office doesn't mind that hamptons are consistently cheaper than many other major chains).

but every now and then some higher expenses are both justified and unavoidable. i had an interesting discussion with a client about some expenses i incurred on a business trip to hawaii, where i told him that all of his problems could have been avoided if the expense report had a billing category for hookers and blow.