Certify SpendSmart™ Report

How business travelers are spending the corporate dime while on the road

The Certify SpendSmart™ quarterly report analyzes the most recent business expense transactions and vendor ratings data to provide valuable insights to Certify clients and the corporate T&E industry at large.

Third Quarter, 2017

July 1, 2017 - September 30, 2017

Restaurant Summary

The restaurant summary is a snapshot of all meal expenses including breakfast, lunch and dinner. This data indicates which vendor is most frequently expensed, the average expense amount and the average satisfaction rating.

Most Expensed Restaurants

Vendor Name Expense Percentage* Average Amount
Starbucks 4.95% $12.20
McDonald's 3.02% $9.19
Panera Bread 1.68% $44.08
Subway 1.53% $18.07
Chick-Fil-A 1.42% $25.02
Dunkin' Donuts 1.30% $12.48
Wendy's 0.79% $10.21
HMS Host 0.76% $16.59
Burger King 0.73% $9.74
Jimmy John's 0.71% $39.68
Chipotle 0.70% $20.76
Taco Bell 0.55% $9.77
Chili's 0.45% $35.05
Applebee's 0.45% $35.54
Arby's 0.41% $42.53
*Expense Percentage represents the number of expenses divided by the total number of expenses for the expense type.

Top Rated Restaurants

Vendor Name Average Rating*
Chick-Fil-A 4.5
Panera Bread 4.4
Jimmy John's 4.3
Starbucks 4.3
Texas Roadhouse 4.3
Chipotle 4.2
Cracker Barrel 4.2
Dunkin' Donuts 4.2
Olive Garden 4.1
Buffalo Wild Wings 4.0
Outback Steakhouse 4.0
Pizza Hut 3.9
Subway 3.9
Applebee's 3.8
Panda Express 3.8
*Average Rating represents the average 1 through 5 star rating for all expenses for each vendor, with 5 stars being the highest rating and 1 being the lowest.

Most Expensed Restaurant by Meal

Breakfast Starbucks 15.86%
Lunch McDonald's 3.44%
Dinner McDonald's 1.76%
*Meal percentage represents the total number of expenses for the vendor divided by total expenses for the expense type (Meal-Breakfast, Meal-Lunch, Meal-Dinner).

Lodging Summary

The lodging summary is a snapshot of all lodging expenses. This data indicates which vendor is most frequently expensed, the average amount per expense and the average satisfaction rating.

Most Expensed Hotel

Vendor Name Expense Percentage* Average Amount
Hampton Inn 9.20% $248.13
Marriott 8.18% $257.02
Courtyard by Marriott 7.66% $185.39
Holiday Inn Express 4.93% $244.39
Hilton Garden Inn 4.62% $227.75
Hilton 4.08% $253.84
Holiday Inn 3.78% $189.90
DoubleTree 3.45% $227.33
Fairfield Inn 2.58% $227.43
Hyatt 2.33% $270.93
Comfort Inn 2.17% $176.07
Embassy Suites 1.59% $277.38
Sheraton 1.38% $251.00
Residence Inn 1.29% $372.15
Best Western 1.29% $216.88
*Expense Percentage represents the number of expenses divided by the total number of expenses within the expense type.

Top Rated Hotels

Vendor Name Average Rating*
Hyatt 4.4
Embassy Suites 4.3
Hilton Garden Inn 4.3
Homewood Suites 4.3
Marriott 4.3
*Average Rating represents the average 1 through 5 star rating for all expenses for each vendor, with 5 stars being the highest rating and 1 being the lowest.

Rental Car Summary

The rental car summary is a snapshot of all of the rental car expenses. This data indicates which vendor is most frequently expensed, the average amount per expense and the average satisfaction rating.

Most Expensed Rental Car Companies

Vendor Name Expense Percentage* Average Amount
National Car Rental 27.22% $193.05
Enterprise Rent-A-Car 15.82% $208.51
Hertz 13.45% $209.79
Avis Car Rental 13.01% $180.53
Budget Car Rental 4.27% $202.83
*Expense Percentage represents the number of expenses divided by the total number of expenses within the expense type.

Top Rated Rental Car Companies

Vendor Name Average Rating*
National Car Rental 4.4
Enterprise Rent-A-Car 4.3
Avis Car Rental 4.0
Hertz 4.0
Budget Car Rental 3.6
*Average Rating represents the average 1 through 5 star rating for all expenses for each vendor, with 5 stars being the highest rating and 1 being the lowest.

Airline Summary

The airline summary is a snapshot of all airfare expenses. This data indicates which vendor is most frequently expensed, the average expense amount and the average satisfaction rating.

Most Expensed Airlines

Vendor Name Expense Percentage* Average Amount
Delta 20.98% $419.47
American Airlines 16.95% $333.44
Southwest Airlines 15.37% $277.23
United Airlines 14.12% $393.10
Alaska Airlines 1.58% $282.32
*Expense Percentage represents the number of expenses divided by the total number of expenses within the expense type.

Top Rated Airlines

Vendor Name Average Rating*
Southwest Airlines 4.5
Alaska Airlines 4.5
JetBlue 4.5
Delta 4.3
American Airlines 3.9
*Average Rating represents the average 1 through 5 star rating for all expenses for each vendor, with 5 stars being the highest rating and 1 being the lowest.

About This Report: The Certify SpendSmart™ Report provides a quarterly snapshot of the current spend trends of business travelers in North America with all data compiled from actual expense data from submitted expense reports.

For all media inquires please contact Kevin Wolf of TGPR, kevin@tgprllc.com or (650) 327-1641.

Archived SpendSmart™ Reports

  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Second Quarter Report, 2018 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - First Quarter Report, 2018 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Fourth Quarter Report, 2017 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Third Quarter Report, 2017 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Second Quarter Report, 2017 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - First Quarter Report, 2017 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Fourth Quarter Report, 2016 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Third Quarter Report, 2016 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Second Quarter Report, 2016 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - First Quarter Report, 2016 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Fourth Quarter Report, 2015 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Third Quarter Report, 2015 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Second Quarter Report, 2015 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - First Quarter Report, 2015 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Fourth Quarter Report, 2014 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Third Quarter Report, 2014 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Second Quarter Report, 2014 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - First Quarter Report, 2014 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Fourth Quarter Report, 2013 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Third Quarter Report, 2013 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - Second Quarter Report, 2013 View Report
  • Certify SpendSmart™ Report - First Quarter Report, 2013 View Report
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