Online travel legend Jay Walker is putting his best spin on Upside Travel’s pivot, but it’s hard to envision which way the company will be facing when it stops. From any angle, Upside’s first idea failed. Too many business travelers want neither packages nor gift cards. While those stayed in the mix, Upside beginning in the summer…
There are three weeks to go before a surcharge takes effect on global distribution system bookings with British Airways and Iberia. Big travel management companies are revealing that they’re avoiding the fee on bookings through Amadeus thanks to the GDS company’s agreements with the airlines. Following a related Hogg Robinson Group announcement last week, American Express…
Big travel management companies are beefing up their hotel programs. They say it’s a content play. Aggregating inventory, special prices and perks counteracts fragmentation. It gives their clients’ travelers less reason to stray from managed programs. That improves reporting and risk management. All good stuff. But, wait. Follow the money. First, a bit of history….
Corporate travel policy has taken a lot of grief lately. It’s too long, so nobody reads it. It’s not traveler-centric. It doesn’t incorporate “behavioral economics.” Its ability to control behavior is a “myth.” Some generalizations are less true than others, and corporate policy is often misunderstood. That doesn’t mean companies can stand pat. The business…
The reception to some hotel chains’ new 48-hour cancellation rules has been “perfectly fine,” according to Hilton Worldwide CEO Christopher Nassetta. “Nobody likes incremental restrictions on the flexibility of reservations, but I think most customers understand that we’ve got a need to manage our inventory and avoid walking people,” said Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson. “As a…
After beating the packaging drum for more than a year, Jay Walker’s Upside Travel is now also offering flights and hotels individually. It added Uber as a packaging option and will soon announce new support services. TMC relationships have not advanced, but Walker reiterated during a Thursday interview that they’re part of the plan. Upside…
It’s well known that lodging is a strategic driver for travel management companies. Mobile is a key vehicle. American Express Global Business Travel next month in the United Kingdom will add hotel booking and chat to its Amex GBT mobile app. The move furthers a hotel strategy that recently included the integration of Booking.com content,…
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