(FORTUNE Magazine) – For all the talk at many corporations about the need for employees to travel less to help cut expenses, executives are taking more trips than they did last year (see chart). The 46.5% rise in the past 12 months in the ''discount'' fares that airlines offer to business travelers has driven many to trains. Amtrak's Metroliner, connecting New York and Washington, expects more than two million passengers this year, up from 1.9 million in 1988. Reports of a glut in hotel rooms seem exaggerated too. Occupancy is up one percentage point over 1988, to 63%, and companies are paying 3.6% more for rooms. Hotels will get $34.7 billion in revenues from business guests for their rooms this year, compared with $30.8 billion in 1988. | Hotels remain highly competitive, which gives corporate travel managers immense buying power. One hotel chain asked several of them to report on what fixtures business travelers like to find in their rooms (see next story). D.J.M.

CHART: NOT AVAILABLE CREDIT: SOURCE: U.S. TRAVEL DATA CENTER CAPTION: MORE FREQUENT TRAVELING Business travelers will make 5% more trips this year than last.