TripBam is growing fast. What started as a rate checking and re-shopping service now also can serve as a tool for hotel rate negotiations. Its analytics dashboard evolved into a hotel program management system. Now, to better cover client needs, TripBam is working to bring in data on bookings made directly with hotels and put those reservations through… Read More »
Travel purchasing outside of approved channels isn’t new and it may not even be a growing problem, but it’s still a problem. Traxo has been working to solve the challenge for several years. Adding to a few approaches already in the market, the company’s new Filter solution seems likely to fit the bill for many clients. Filter is more… Read More »
[UPDATE, Aug. 5, 2017: Concur pushed back to Sept. 16 its simplification of the TripLink user permission process.] [CORRECTION, July 31, 2017: The original version of this article mischaracterized improvements in the TripLink on-boarding process, suggesting travelers do not need to agree to connect their loyalty programs with their Concur profiles. They do still need to permit that… Read More »
[UPDATE, Jan. 10, 2017: The headline of this article was revised to add clarity.] Carlson Wagonlit Travel is discontinuing the consumer-facing version of WorldMate, the popular itinerary app it bought in 2012 for reportedly $20 million. A company official said CWT would continue to support WorldMate’s email parsing API, which backs several similar apps and services including Sabre’s TripCase. “CWT is… Read More »
A Lufthansa executive this month reportedly named American Express Global Business Travel and BCD Travel as potential partners for the airline’s direct-booking initiative. However, the travel management companies don’t sound interested. According to an Amex executive, Lufthansa’s proposed alternative would end up costing more than the airline’s 16 euro surcharge for traditional distribution. A BCD Travel spokesperson said the… Read More »
Travel and Transport isn’t in the “mega” TMC category, but it’s big enough now for global aspirations beyond the Radius Travel network it has helped steer for more than 20 years. Investing in overseas markets is one way the Omaha, Neb.-based company is trying to control its future. So is building more proprietary systems, including an agent desktop and a business intelligence platform. After years of exploring agent desktops available from… Read More »
Google’s travel program has been closely watched for the better part of a decade. It helped vault “open booking” into industry vernacular. Capturing data when travelers book what and how they want — within some price guidelines — may be an attractive idea for some program managers at other organizations. But all these years later, very few big… Read More »