Carlson Wagonlit Travel joined rivals Amex GBT and HRG in creating a deal to avoid the IAG carriers’ GDS surcharge. CWT would use “participating GDSs.” It did not name the lone participating GDS, Amadeus, in its press statement. CWT said very little about the New Distribution Capability, posting the following in a client Q&A: “What agreement is in place between… Read More »
Carlson Wagonlit Travel is showing it’s serious about lodging, with 150 people already in its RoomIt dedicated hotel division, and more to come next year. Six salespeople are selling RoomIt to businesses that are not clients of the mother ship. “We have already signed a RoomIt-only client,” said CWT president for hotels Scott Brennan during a late September… Read More »
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. U.S. airlines chipped… Read More »
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 environment is always… Read More »
When Amway global sourcing manager Guy Langenburg attempted to gather data for global travel management consolidation, some local managers and suppliers hid it from him. No, really. They acted like children. It’s far from the first illustration of what corporate travel educators have been saying for years about globalization projects. You need to know your company. You need… Read More »
American Express Global Business Travel will use ground transportation platform Mozio to offer clients a range of options through an agent portal, the KDS booking tool and the GBT mobile app. Mozio also works with Carlson Wagonlit Travel, which owns a piece of the five-year-old marketplace of roughly 3,000 transport providers. Inventory includes public transit systems, black cars and… Read More »
Boston – Travel management professionals agree that to be effective, new airline distribution programs need to offer at least as much functionality as existing systems do. Based on expert commentary at last week’s Global Business Travel Association convention here, it would appear that a solution to be welcomed by all key parties is a ways off. Dozens of speakers… Read More »
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, according to American… Read More »
You generally will not see interviews published here, but an opportunity that came up last week made an exception worthwhile. What follows are excerpts of separate interviews with top executives at the three largest travel management companies. We spoke by phone with American Express Global Business Travel president Philippe Chérèque last Monday, Carlson Wagonlit Travel president and CEO… Read More »
Efforts encouraging corporate travelers to do the right thing run the gamut. Punitive measures for policy noncompliance range from informing managers to withholding reimbursement. Short of requiring pre-trip approval, other strategies use incentives like gift cards, cash or simple positive reinforcement. Why not reward travelers with loyalty program points? Frequent flyer, guest and renter programs are the lifeblood for… Read More »