Business Travel News - May 18, 2009 - (Page 6)

NEWS Accor Links Res System To Both Travelport GDSs BY JAY BOEHMER PROFILES IN TRAVEL MANAGEMENT Parexel Parlays Policy,Practices Into Compliance Rapidly expanding biopharmaceutical serv- kets are well taken care of by people who have a ices provider Parexel International’s procurement- lot of experience and knowledge,” Crooks-Garcia driven travel program globalization has helped said. “Yet, they are able to report the data I need create considerable savings by applying new met- to be able to manage the global program.” Crooks-Garcia greatly increased compliance rics to shifting traveler behavior, using a best-inmarket supplier approach, moving to a lodge two years ago when Parexel began rolling out from Germany an AirPlus-iscard in some of its largest marsued central-bill airfare lodge kets and building a companycard program with Universal Air wide travel council to aid in the Travel Plan. Parexel now uses change management process the payment program in Canafor 9,250 employees. da, France, Hungary, Italy, Spain Changes in policy and proand, following a May 2008 globcurement practices thus far al policy rollout, the United have reduced Waltham, Mass.States. It will add China and Sinbased Parexel’s T&E spending gapore next quarter. The payby 15 percent to 25 percent. The ment method transition has recompany had more than $10 duced agency leakage 30 million in U.S. booked air volpercent to 50 percent, she said. ume in 2008. “As soon as we moved to a In March, the company beCYNTHIA CROOKS-GARCIA central managed card,” she said, gan consolidating data, pay“I was able to detect anyone Parexel vice president of ment tools and agencies. Conworldwide procurement who was going outside of the solidation is underway in the agency to buy their airfare.” United Kingdom and United Demand management and traveler educaStates. Currently, Lufthansa City Center and HRG handle most of Europe. Asia/Pacific consolida- tion efforts also created savings. Videoconfertion with FCm Travel Solutions also has begun. ences increased 200 percent from last year, “When you put all of your business with one Crooks-Garcia said. Department vice president vendor, whether its telecommunications or hard- approval is required for most travel. Previously, ware, you really reduce your ability to be agile manager/director-level approval was required. With the significant travel management alterand to move from one vendor to another when ations at Parexel, Crooks-Garcia has enlisted the aid of a travel administrative council first estabCOMPANY: PAREXEL lished in October 2008. The worldwide travel and HEADQUARTERS: WALTHAM, MASS. procurement team—travel arrangers and meet2008 U.S. AIR VOLUME: MORE THAN $10 MILLION ing planners from 71 offices in 51 countries— originally formed to educate employees about needed,” said vice president of worldwide pro- cost savings, but has evolved into a testing curement and travel Cynthia Crooks-Garcia. “I like ground for new projects and technology. The to have an approach that gives me flexibility and council meets monthly. Members also belong to committees responsible for such categories as keeps sharp competition for the business.” When Crooks-Garcia joined Parexel in 2006, meetings management, online booking tools travel was handled country by country—region- and payment systems, which was key for the ally, in some cases—with a variety of travel man- move to central payment in the United States. “It was quite smooth,” said Crooks-Garcia, “beagement companies. In her first six months, she laid the foundation for a cohesive global travel cause we educated all of the admins who we management unit. Rather than consolidate with know are doing the bulk of the expense reports one agency, Crooks-Garcia leveraged her pro- and managing their executives to get the work curement background to focus on regional done and changes done with the least amount of interruption of the flow of business.” agency consolidations. “We’re trying to make sure that our local mar—Seth Harris Travelport GDS and Accor last month globally launched a single XML connection between the hotel company’s central reservation system and the global distribution firm’s Galileo and Worldspan entities. Accor is the first hotel company to adopt the new connection, helping to pave the way for Travelport’s evolving hotel distribution strategy, which eventually will include selling a la carte hotel services through the GDS. Travelport GDS senior vice president commercial Flo Lugli called the Open Travel Alliancecompliant XML direct connection, “the first phase for our future hospitality product and strategy that will enable us to expand the content we’ll be able to serve up to our customers. This connection will be the foundation of the way we’ll do business in the future.” Travelport expects to add direct XML connections with other hospitality organizations “later in the year.” Much like GDS efforts to enable unbundled and a la carte airline pricing, Lugli said the new hotel connection, when combined with an agency desktop set to launch next year, will enable the selling of “new product types, besides just selling a room,” including “merchandizing opportunities, upsell opportunities, dining, transfers— all those point-of-sale opportunities that drive additional revenue to hotels.” Subscribers “now have the ability to see realtime rates and availability for all hotels coming from Accor’s own central reservation system, right from the initial hotel search request,” Travelport said. However, as Travelport GDS rolls out its new agency desktop—with a 2010 target for mass-market availability, following co-development with select agencies this year—the distribution firm “will enable a lot of workflow improvements and processes that we’re calling our Hotel Hub,” Lugli said. Lugli said XML offers a “single connection into both Galileo and Worldspan” from Accor’s central reservations system. She said the new XML connection, which replaces “direct EDIFACT connections or through a switch,” enables new hotel selling and purchasing opportunities. Lugli claimed the new connection has improved response time for Accor and almost eliminated timeouts in rate searches and reservations. Travelport said Accor can reduce distribution costs through the connection by “removing intermediary switch company fees,” and “only supporting a single connection to both GDS platforms.” ■ jboehmer@btnonline.com ■ 6 Monday, May 18, 2009 www.BTNonline.com Business Travel News http://www.BTNonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Business Travel News - May 18, 2009

Business Travel News - May 18, 2009
Contents
Inside Track
Profiles In Travel Management
Forum
Aviation
Lodging
Meetings Today
Destinations
Silver Anniversary Celebration

Business Travel News - May 18, 2009