Business Travel News - May 5, 2008 - (Page 3)

NEWS Corporations Building Conference Centers Once Again BY ELISSA HUNTER After a several-year hiatus, some major companies again are building corporate conference centers to support internal training programs and cut costs. Government defense contractor The airline industry needs to downsize from 15 percent to 20 percent in order to recalibrate for profitability at current fuel prices. Lockheed Martin is building an onMark DiPiero, senior vice presi- trend of resurgence,” he said. site conference center with 183 dent of global acquisitions for conCalled the Center for Leadership sleeping rooms for its Bethesda, Md., ference center company Dolce In- Excellence, Lockheed Martin’s conheadquarters and acternational, said he ference center will provide space for For on-demand Webcasts, counting firm KPMG had been contacted employee training sessions, said see btnonline.com/Webcasts is planning to open a over the past four Dennis Shanahan, the center’s dinew conference center at the com- months by companies wanting to rector. “We have an extensive leadpany’s Montvale, N.J., location in the understand the value of a corporate ership development program,” Continued on page 8 spring of 2010. conference center. “I’m seeing a While many companies turned away from self-owned conference centers in recent years, they have been making somewhat of a comeback recently, said Tom Bolman, executive vice president of the InterCarlson Wagonlit Travel in April announced national Association of Conference that its board of directors named executive vice Centers. president and CFO Douglas Anderson as presi“Usually the real thing that fuels dent and CEO of the company. Anderson sucthem is the ability to infuse their ceeds Hubert Joly, who became president and own culture. They can get what they CEO of CWT majority shareholder Carlson Cos. want in terms of meeting space and on March 1. accessories,” he said. “There’s been JP MORGAN ANALYST JAMIE BAKER, Initial priorities for Anderson include carrying a trend over the past 10 years of corPAGE 12 out the company’s growth strategy for the next porations not wanting to own that three years and addressing the travel manageasset. This is kind of a new wave.” ment company’s position in the face of the current economic slowdown, which has spurred Anderson to reevaluate CWT’s operational cost structure. Anderson, who is based in Paris, is well-versed on the CWT 2010 threeMay 5, 2008 Issue 657 Vol. 25, No. 6 year growth plan, which was unveiled earlier this year (BTNonline, Feb. 14). He was the main architect of the plan, even beginning its development weeks prior to formally joining CWT in March 2007 after previous executive Inside Track: Marriott tempers 2008 forecast . . . . . . . . . . 4 22 positions at UPS Logistics Group and Geneva-based SITA Group. Anderson Profile: New policy tightens Novartis’ booking . . . . . . . . 6 BROOKLYN LODGERS was selected to his newest post after a three-month board search. BTN Research: Greening supplier selection. . . . . . 10 Full-service, midsize Due to current macroeconomic conditions and a year-over-year decelerated increase in revenue and volume during the first two months of hotels target Kings. Aviation: Skyrocketing fuel costs cripple carriers . . 12 2008, Anderson, who described himself as an “operational CFO,” plans to AVAILABLE ONLINE Lodging: Choice names new CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 “capture economies of scale that are available in the operating model.” One way of doing that is to hold operating costs “flat or in slight decline,” Business Travel Travel Management: Amex promotes execs. . . . . . . . . . 16 Buyer’s Handbook he said. “During the next 12 months, as things slow down a bit, I’ll be lookTravel Management Tech: Travelport uses G2 tools. . . 17 ing to accelerate those initiatives because that will be important for us going forward, as we don’t have as much top-line growth as we’ve had Executive Dashboard: Open Skies spurs capacity. . . . 18 the last couple of years.” Corporate Travel World: Only weeks away . . . . . . . . . . 20 Other ways Anderson will attempt to offset the slowdown include insee btnonline.com vesting in new technology and standardizing processes throughout the orDestinations: Brooklyn hotel supply increases . . . . . . 22 ganization, thus eliminating redundancies and some manual processes, such as billing and invoicing. FIND DAILY NEWS UPDATES AND MORE AT WWW.BTNONLINE.COM While Joly still has a prominent role in CWT as chair of its board, he BTN (USPS 0728-870, ISSN 8750-3670) is published monthly, except semi-monthly in March, May, July, September and October by Nielsen Business said, “I have been very clear with the team that Doug is the new CEO and Media Inc.,770 Broadway,New York,NY 10003,tel.646-654-5000,and is distributed free of charge to qualified corporate travel buyers and travel agents specializing in business travel in the United States and Canada. The cost of a subscription to non-qualified subscribers is $119 in the U.S.; $135 in he will be doing a number of things differently. The priorities for CWT don’t Canada; $135 in Mexico and Central America; $200 in South America and Europe; and $200 in Asia,Africa and Australia; payable in advance in U.S. dollars. change necessarily because the CEO changes. Clearly, you want the CEO Registered for GST as Nielsen Business Media Inc. USA GST No. 124513185. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No.40031729.Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to:DHL Global Mail 4960-2 Walker Road,Windsor,ON N9A 6J3. to drive the development of the strategy and the responsibility as the Business Travel News is a trademark owned exclusively by Nielsen Business Media Inc.Copyright © 2008 by Nielsen Business Media Inc.Reproduction of this chair of the board is to make sure the strategy makes sense. The view is that magazine,in whole or in part,is prohibited unless authorized by the publisher.Editorial and advertising offices:770 Broadway,New York,NY 10003.For address changes (please include mailing label), single copy sales ($10 per issue including shipping and handling, prepayment required), subscription information, and Doug is in the leading role at CWT. There is no doubt about that.” other customer service inquiries,write to Business Travel News,P.O.Box 1187,Skokie,IL 60076,or call 847-647-7987 outside the U.S. ON THE RECORD CWT Names Anderson CEO NEWSMAKER CONTENTS 2008 RESOURCE GUIDE POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to BTN, P.O. Box 1187, Skokie, IL 60076. Printed in the USA. —Seth Harris Business Travel News www.BTNonline.com Monday, May 5, 2008 3 http://btnonline.com/Webcasts http://WWW.BTNONLINE.COM http://www.BTNonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Business Travel News - May 5, 2008

Business Travel News - May 5, 2008
Contents
Inside Track
Profile
BTN Research
Aviation
Lodging
Travel Management
Travel Management Tech
Executive Dashboard
Corporate Travel World
Destinations

Business Travel News - May 5, 2008