Sabre Travel Network today announced the acquisition of online request-for-proposals management supplier BidStork as the global distribution system launches a new hotel rate negotiating and auditing service for corporate travel management.
BidStork, launched in 2006, is a Web-based tool that allows travel managers to create and deliver a hotel RFP compliant with the National Business Travel Association modular form as well as map hotels, negotiate rates and create final contracts
(BTNonline, July 23, 2007). It has about 300 clients, including Wal-Mart, Google, Nike and Accenture.
With the acquisition, Sabre now is the first GDS to offer a hotel RFP tool and a negotiated rate auditing option, which the company plans to enhance later this year. "The result of bringing these capabilities together is that Sabre corporate agencies and corporate customers will now have a fully integrated RFP management process via an easy-to-use online tool—a critical piece of a travel procurement program—that until now was not possible since no viable solutions existed in the marketplace," Sabre chief marketing officer Greg Webb said in a statement.
Sabre now can offer its corporate customers and agencies RFP and rate auditing tools as well as reporting capabilities. Later this year and into next year, it will add rate auditing and RFP management tools for hoteliers, benchmarking reports, multi-GDS rate auditing capabilities, digital media of hotels worldwide and real-time updates as hotels change their names and brands.
For example, buyers using the service to check rates can send a captured screen shot directly to hoteliers. As the tool is enhanced, hoteliers also will be able to check the rates themselves through the same view available to buyers and agencies.
"Our initial version of the software rapidly penetrated the market by allowing travel managers, travel agencies and procurement departments to easily find, negotiate and contract with hotels and hotel chains worldwide," BidStork founder and president Joseph Friedman said in a statement. "The affiliation with Sabre is really exciting and will allow us to make the process a truly synchronized dance for corporate travel and the hospitality industry worldwide."