Wyndham Worldwide has made fewer headlines on book-direct programs than some competitors, but it has one too. Asked in an interview how companies should respond when these campaigns impact support for managed travel programs, an exec last week offered what some may see as an insensitive or unrealistic answer: non-reimbursement. Reading it there makes it seem like Wyndham SVP for global…
[UPDATE, June 10: Amadeus clarified comments on NDC, which may have given some readers the wrong impression. This article contains revised quotes.] Egencia in March began selling bag checks online to European customers. It’s another example of a corporate travel distributor making gains on access to ancillary airline options. In partnership with Amadeus, the service is available on 14 airlines….
Given the intensity of its people’s travel, The Boston Consulting Group is not known as a stickler on expenses. But relatively flexible policies and willingness to spend on better services aren’t everything. Ease of process is important, too. BCG head of global travel Gehan Colliander said the company is moving toward a more employee-centric travel program. Some observers would interpret…
Most of the recently announced members-only rates from major hotel chains are available in managed travel channels, but that’s not the whole point. Business travelers may still think they can get better rates elsewhere. Absent strong policies related to hotel bookings, travel managers need to wield all the communication and engagement tools at their disposal to educate employees about what’s…
Integration between immersive remote conferencing systems and travel providers was popular several years ago. Marriott and Starwood installed some telepresence rooms. Sabre explored and its GetThere unit built booking systems for conference facilities. American Express Global Business Travel and Carlson Wagonlit Travel partnered with a Cisco reseller. It all fizzled. Last month, BCD Travel announced…
Building a great online booking interface is hard. Dealing with multiple platforms in the mobile era adds complexity. Making a buck on bookings may be the biggest challenge of all. Business travel entrepreneurs typically can map all that out. If they don’t have industry experience, though, they can stumble in integrating with external systems in the business travel world. Application…
Business travel startups are huge right now. New-entrant corporate booking tool NexTravel is working on its mobile app. Artificial intelligence and text bots are making a go of it. Agents are going virtual. Also hot? Rewards. The notion of the incentive program isn’t new, but it’s rapidly attracting automation. Rocketrip was the first in a club that during the past year added a…
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