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FAQs

FAQ's regarding travel within Informatics

  • What if I need to book a hotel that comes with a conference discount?
    • Please note that discounted conference accommodation can only be booked directly by the traveller. The rate per night should still fall within University guidelines but can be claimed via expenses. If you are aware this is how you will be booking accommodation, you should make note of this to your budget approver. You can find information relating to claiming expenses on the Finance SharePoint pages. 

 

  • What is the allowed rate per night for accommodation?

    • The University's Sustainability Policy states ideal room only rates as £250 per night for London and other major global cities and £180 per night for all other locations including the rest of the UK. 

 

  • Why am I struggling to get the gateway to work in my browser? 

    • Some web browsers struggle with the Gateway. We advise Chrome or Edge. 

 

  • How do I book non-UK rail travel?
    • Diversity have updated their online booking portal to include the capability of booking European train travel as well as additional luggage on low-cost airlines. If you are still struggling to do this, please contact UOE@diversitytravel.com with your requirements and  one of Diversity's Edinburgh team will get back to you with a quote.

 

  • What if Diversity are taking too long to respond to me?
    • It is common for Diversity Travel response times to be beyond 72 hours. However, if you are due to travel soon and have been experiencing extensive delays in receiving a response from Diversity, please contact the Institute Administration team. 

 

  • What if the quotes from Diversity take the trip beyond my budget?
    • University policy states that we must use Diversity travel, but certain instances can be considered exceptions. Please consult the sustainable travel policy and your Portfolio Manager if this is the case.

 

 

  • What if the quotes I have obtained expire?
    • You can try refreshing the quote. If this does not work, you may need to search again for a fresh quote.

 

  • What if my tickets do not work whilst I am travelling? 

    • Please contact Diversity in the first instance if you experience any issues with your flight/train tickets or hotel vouchers during your trip. The contact number for the Edinburgh team is +44 161 235 5405. 

      In emergency situations outside office hours, Diversity can be contacted on +44 161 300 8258 or +44 161 302 5403.

      Please note that these numbers are for emergencies only where travel is taking place before the next working day. They number can only accept calls and not SMS messages. If the call is not answered immediately please leave a message and Diversity will contact you as soon as possible.

 

  • Why can I not just send my passport information to the Institutes Admins instead of using the traveller profile?
    • Traveller profiles are GDPR compliant. Exchanging passport information via email is not recommended.
    • If you have a booker profile you can complete your traveller profile from the drop-down menu in the top right of the Diversity online portal.
    • If you are new to using Diversity, the institutes admin team can ask Diversity to create a traveller profile for you. The Diversity Travel team will then send a welcome email for you to edit your profile and, once updated, the booker will be able to request access.

 

  • I’m going on a trip and wish to take my family with me, can this be arranged?
    • Due to changes in the University`s expenses policy, organisation of such complex travel arrangements can no longer be easily supported. The institute admin team are still happy to provide advice on potential solutions.    

 

  • How do I make a complaint?

    • We’re sorry to hear the concerns expressed by some colleagues about their experience of the service from Diversity Travel. We have published a complaints procedure to help us record and act on feedback so that the service can be improved.

      It’s essential that colleagues use the process in the document below to record complains and escalations. This will mean that all complaints are recorded in one place which will enable us to take an evidence-based approach when reviewing Diversity Travel’s performance. The Procurement team meet Diversity Travel weekly to discuss concerns and the improvements needed. We will be feeding back regularly on how we are working together to improve the experience for all our travellers.

      Diversity Travel Complaints Procedure

      If you wish to raise an escalation, please email uoeescalations@diversitytravel.com and CC the Institute Administration Team Institutes-admin@inf.ed.ac.uk and Louise.Connolly@ed.ac.uk.

      If you wish to make a complaint about the service you have received from Diversity Travel, please email CUSTOMERCARE@DIVERSITYTRAVEL.COM and CC the Institute Administration Team Institutes-admin@inf.ed.ac.uk and Louise.Connolly@ed.ac.uk.

      As a reminder, the difference between an escalation and a complaint is:

      • Escalation is raised when SLA response times have not been met, errors have been made while arranging travel, you are due to travel and have not received further detail/confirmation, etc.
      • Complaint is raised where an escalation has not been resolved - or - issues relating to service encountered while travelling. Complaints should be raised within 10-14 days of the incident or 21 days if on business travel.
Diversity travel complaints procedure (72.41 KB Word)
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