How Haymes Paint rolled out smarter travel

See how Haymes Paint gave their travel a smoother finish with smarter systems, clearer visibility, and a dedicated travel manager who feels like part of the family.

The customer

Haymes Paint has been keeping Australia colourful since 1935. As the country’s largest family-owned paint manufacturer, available through more than 350 stockists, including 57 Haymes Paint Shops, their team regularly travels between stores and warehouses. From major cities to remote towns, staying connected face-to-face is a huge part of how the business operates and grows.

Industry: Manufacturing & retail

Active Travellers: 100

Headquarters: Mitchell Park, Victoria

The challenges

Before Corporate Traveller, travel at Haymes Paint was, in their own words, a complete free for all. As the business grew (quadrupling in size over the years), there was no centralised booking process, no approval workflow, and no real visibility over who was travelling or what it was costing. Invoices were dispersed across credit cards and individual bookings, making it nearly impossible for the finance team to allocate expenses back to the right stores, departments, or cost centres.

Meanwhile, the travel itself was complex. With stores and customers spread across metropolitan hubs to small regional towns, team members were regularly juggling multi-stop itineraries across multiple locations, often in areas with limited flight options and tight connections. Without expert support, that kind of coordination took a lot of time and still left plenty of room for error.

Why Haymes Paint chose Corporate Traveller

Haymes Paint needed more than an online booking tool. They needed a partner who understood the rhythm of a fast-growing family business and could bring real expertise and accountability to every trip.

The Corporate Traveller solution

Dedicated travel manager

Tim, Travel Manager at Corporate Traveller, has been part of the Haymes Paint family for over a decade. As Matthew said, “Tim is the glue.” Responsive, solution-focused, and deeply familiar with the business, Tim regularly goes above and beyond, often helping long after he’s officially clocked off.

Easy and efficient finances

With reporting and visibility front of mind, Corporate Traveller helped implement a formal travel policy that gave Hydro Tasmania’s leaders the ability to forecast budgets with confidence. The switch also gave access to robust travel data and quarterly reporting, outlining the sweet spot for bookings. This has helped the team set advance purchase periods, book ahead, and accomplish savings across the board. By consolidating their travel program, Hydro Tasmania has been able to reduce costs, identify efficiencies, and avoid price hikes caused by delays in booking.

Regional travel made simpler

Getting around regional Australia takes a bit of know-how. Limited flights, multi-stop trips, and tight timing can turn into a puzzle. Corporate Traveller pieces it together seamlessly, so the Haymes team can get where they need to go without the runaround.

24/7 emergency support

Flights change, people get stuck, airlines can be tricky to reach. With after-hours support on hand, Haymes Paint knows its travellers have backup when they need it most. Matthew says, “It’s all about knowing they’re secure, they’re safe, and they’ve got that option that they can just pick the phone up.”

Smart tech backed by real people

Haymes Paint can log in and book travel online. But for them, the magic is in the mix: clever tech as the base coat, with real human expertise layered on top. As Matthew put it: “Corporate Traveller’s balanced approach is spot on.”

"As long as our Travel Manager remains at Corporate Traveller, I'm there for life. When you find a relationship that is that special and that unique, you just don't walk away from it."

Matthew Haymes
Director, Haymes Paint

Winning outcomes

A clearer view of travel spend across the business, with simpler invoicing and faster reconciliation for finance teams
More time back for employees who no longer need to juggle bookings and regional travel logistics
Better value from Corporate Traveller’s supplier relationships, helping them make smarter decisions across flights and hotels
Reliable, expert support, with travellers knowing help is only ever a phone call away

Before Corporate Traveller, Haymes Paint was flying blind, juggling tricky bookings and untracked spend, with no real process to hold it together. Today, their business travel is more organised and way less stressful. With a trusted partner in their corner and systems that genuinely work, the team at Haymes Paint can get back to doing what they do best: making the finest paint in Australia.

Ready to stop the travel free for all?

If your travel program has outgrown the way you’re managing it, talk to our experts and we can paint a picture of better business travel, with clearer visibility, less admin, and support that feels like an extension of your team.