American Express Global Business Travel this year will bring its hotel reshopping function to markets beyond North America. Like services from Tripbam and Yapta, it uses automation to scan for lower rates after a traveler makes a reservation, and rebooks when appropriate.
The system only looks for comparable rates – same hotel, room type, etc. It monitors up to 24 hours before check-in.
Hotel Re-Shop Expert is accessible to agents through the GBT Global Trip Record. Since last year it has been available in the United States and Canada in the Sabre GDS and for U.S. Apollo GDS users.
According to a GBT official, the reshopping service “will be available in all proprietary GBT geographies including the U.K., Australia, Mexico, France and Germany by the end of 2019.”
BCD Travel last year extended a Tripbam-powered reshopping service to all clients as a standard part of the TripSource platform. CWT uses Yapta for the same purpose, as well as for air reshopping, and last year expanded the partnership.
GBT used third parties in the past (Yapta still powers its air reshopping) but opted for a proprietary system due to “the complexity and broadness of our client base,” according to Wes Bergstrom, Amex GBT VP of hotel value and revenue management.
Related
• Reshopping Can Be Free, But Beware The Bias
• Saving Money With TripBam And Yapta Means Considering How Much To Annoy Travelers, Hoteliers
• Data From Price Assurance Tools Promise Power For Buyers
• Price Assurance Firms Go Global, Add Features
