Service

Much of the rationale for a managed travel program is providing appropriate and satisfactory service to corporate travelers. That means working with airlines, hotels, ground transport firms, travel management companies, tech providers and others to optimize each step of a trip, from booking and planning through to post-trip reports and surveys.

Coverage areas include:
• Travel agents, both real and virtual
• Employee engagement
Mobile technologies for travelers
• Variability in hotel services
Personalizing travel
Visa processing travel

Op Ed: Tony D’Astolfo On Getting Business Travelers Resigned To The Great Resignation

Serko’s Tony D’Astolfo is always ready to serve his two cents with a smile. There’s been a lot of talk about the Great Resignation. And while we could debate why it’s happening, something not up for debate is how hard the travel industry has been hit by it. Hospitality executives lament the difficulty of replacing…

Never Universal, Dynamic Hotel Discounts Lose Appeal In Seller’s Market

That they see the lodging sector as a seller’s market right now means many corporate travel buyers are waiting until later than usual to start rate negotiations for the coming year. It also means the dynamic discount model hotels began pushing well before the pandemic — which then served as a component of the dual-rate…

Marriott Sees Progress, Seeks ‘Time And Patience’ To Get Back To Expected Service Levels

Corporate travel buyers and travelers have lost some confidence in the services and quality to expect at hotels, but Marriott International doesn’t see that making its way into contractual relationships with corporate accounts.  “It’s only come up a couple times, and we have actually tried our best not to engage in those conversations,” said Julius…

Is Dynamic Pricing Coming To Corporate Car Rental Deals?

Negotiating a discount off floating market rates is the prevailing model in airline corporate deals and a component of corporate hotel agreements. Is car rental the next sector to take this plunge with its medium-sized and larger accounts? There’s talk, but most observers don’t see that happening in the near term. “Hertz has always maintained…

Op Ed: CWT’s Nick Vournakis On How It’s Time For TMCs ‘To Step Up And Improve’

Travel manager Brad Seitz touched a nerve in his June 22 Op Ed cautioning travel suppliers not to blame corporate clients for failing to precisely project when and to what degree booking volumes would recover. In his response below, CWT chief customer officer Nick Vournakis doesn’t make excuses for insufficient TMC service. He knows providers…

Op Ed: Brad Seitz On The Travel Implosion Right Before Our Eyes

Everyone is swamped and emotions are running high in travel. Industry veteran Brad Seitz, now head of travel, facilities and sustainability for workforce management firm Pro Unlimited, is not alone in accusing travel suppliers, particularly travel management companies, of playing a blame game in laying responsibility for some service woes at the feet of their…

Offshore Providers Also Face Staffing Issues As Demand Bounces Back 

Holes in staff coverage are causing a corporate travel meltdown. For business process outsourcing firms, this may represent an opportunity even though they are not immune to many of the same issues. EXL Services, a $1.1 billion New York-based firm that supports an undisclosed portion of American Express Global Business Travel’s operation, dealt with the…

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