Disaster Recovery: What the Last 5 Years Taught Us About Business Travel Safety
In the ever-evolving landscape of global mobility and business travel, one lesson is abundantly clear: safety isn’t just about procedures—it’s about people, preparedness and the ability to lead through the unexpected.
From global pandemics to geopolitical tensions and natural disasters, the need for swift, strategic and compassionate disaster recovery responses has never been more vital. At Synergy, we’ve long understood our role in disaster recovery and our emergency relocation services extends far beyond providing a place to stay. We understand that the importance of having the right people in the right place, and at the right time, is more critical than ever before.
Exemplary Leadership and Duty of Care During Crises
As the corporate housing industry grapples with ongoing threats to guest safety and client business continuity, Synergy’s emergency relocation services were marked by speed, flexibility, proactivity and strategic collaboration.
Lessons Learned:
1. Proactivity is Key
Crisis readiness starts with crisis-specific procedures, associate training and strong industry serviced apartment relationships which can be activated at speed.
2. Robust Traveller Tracking Is Essential
Access to a readily available traveller tracking suite is essential to not only ensuring we can locate our guests during crises, but it enables us to remain confident, proactive and act quickly to provide stellar duty of care.
3. A people centric approach is a non-negotiable
Navigating crises can be an exceptionally difficult and emotional time for those affected. People should be at the heart of everything we do—and having access to an empathetic team who can act with care, consideration and understanding will truly be the difference between a successful crisis management programme and an unsuccessful one.
4. Flexibility Is Essential to Business Resilience
Whether it’s negotiating cancellation protections or enabling same-day move-ins, flexibility within corporate housing is a non-negotiable.
5. Agility Without Compromise is Fundamental
Crisis conditions demand rapid changes to standard procedures and protocols. Whether its streamlining guest check-in or altering supplier onboarding processes, we’ve learned how to adapt fast without compromising our duty of care standards.
6. Partnership is Power
Synergy’s supplier relationships with corporate housing providers enabled us to act quickly and at scale. Through collaboration and shared values industry-wide, we created emergency relocation services that prioritised guest safety while minimising risk for clients, even in the most volatile conditions.
Real-World Case Studies
Case Study 1: A Humanitarian Mission in Ukraine
In early 2022, as war broke out in Ukraine, Synergy was tasked with an extraordinary duty of care challenge: locate and secure emergency serviced apartments for more than 365 displaced individuals and families across multiple countries, all within a matter of hours.
Key challenges:
- Skyrocketing demand for serviced apartments in neighbouring safe zones
- Inconsistent and rapidly changing travel and border regulations
- Blocked credit cards, communication outages and disrupted transportation networks
- Urgent need for seamless guest check-ins and ongoing care
Outcomes:
- Safely relocated 365+ evacuees in under 72 hours.
- Mitigated £650,000 in risk for one client via flexible extension/cancellation terms.
- Maintained a 98% guest satisfaction rate during the crisis.
- Donated $25,000 to the Red Cross through internal fundraising
This wasn’t just about emergency corporate housing, it was a humanitarian mission that reinforced the power of a proactive, dignified and empathy-led service in the most challenging of times.
Case Study 2: Wildfires in Los Angeles: Rapid Relocation at Scale
More recently, Synergy supported corporate travellers and local residents displaced by the Los Angeles wildfires. Clients with operations in the affected areas urgently needed relocation and duty of care support.
Key Challenges:
- Mass neighbourhood evacuations
- Disrupted transportation routes and overwhelmed emergency services
- Significant spike in demand for serviced apartments
- Inflated pricing for accommodation options near affected areas
Outcomes:
- Pre-Positioned Inventory: rapidly identified and secured alternative accommodations across unaffected zones for 195 individuals
- Proactive Client and Guest Communication: Provided real-time updates, direct guest support and emergency assistance after-hours
- Flexible Terms: provided $70,000 in rent concessions as well as negotiated cancellation protections and flexible leases to ease client risk amid uncertain timelines.
- Safety First: Coordinated with local authorities to confirm safe zones and ensured all apartments met emergency access and safety standards.
By acting swiftly and collaboratively, Synergy’s emergency relocation services ensured zero guest displacement, safeguarded client operations and provided peace of mind in a time of overwhelm and fear.
Case Study 3: Managing Costs Amidst Military Escalations: India/Pakistan Conflict
Earlier this year, geopolitical tensions escalated between India and Pakistan marked one of the most severe military conflicts the two countries had faced in years. With risk to guest safety, strict business travel restrictions in place and uncertainty growing, Synergy’s team acted with speed and integrity.
Key Challenges:
- Sudden escalation of geopolitical tensions causing regional instability
- Mass flight cancellations and travel restrictions resulting in risk to guest travel plans and potential financial penalties
- Time-sensitive duty of care response needed over the weekend, outside normal business hours
Outcomes:
- Proactively used Synergy’s advanced reporting tools to locate and assess guest exposure, thankfully everyone was safe
- INR 60,000 cancellation fee fully waived for one guest whose trip was impacted, thanks to Synergy’s supplier relationships
- Issue resolved over the weekend, demonstrating Synergy’s 24/7 commitment
- Guest risk eliminated with zero business disruption
Looking Ahead: Resilience at the Core of Synergy’s Service
As the world faces increasing volatility, from climate events to geopolitical instability, Synergy continues to evolve our emergency relocation and duty of care services. The lessons we’ve learned have become standard practice, guiding our ability to ensure guest safety, delivery an uninterrupted service and protect business continuity while acting with empathy and guaranteeing a dignified experience for all. We’ve also scaled this model globally, applying it to recent events including the Myanmar earthquake, escalating tensions in the Middle East, and other regional disruptions across the world.
For Synergy, emergency relocation services aren’t a reactive function, they a fundamental must in the world of serviced apartments. We stand ready to support, to care and to lead whenever and wherever our clients and guests need us most.
