Carlson Wagonlit Travel for the first time will offer an unassisted online booking fee of $5 as part of a new standardized initiative for U.S. clients that it is calling I-Select, the company announced today at the Association of Corporate Travel Executives conference in Orlando.
I-Select will offer "core" services that include: "the online booking tool, an implementation package, Web reporting, safety and security, a Web portal, profile management, policy manager, customer support, pre-trip authorization, ticket fulfillment, communications package, account representative, and analytics and point-of-sale travel management preference reports. Value-added components include: adoption package, profile package, change management package, mobile services, offline domestic and international, VIP/concierge, upgrades, limo and rail service, two levels of an account manager service, hotel sourcing, air sourcing, analytics to optimize travel program effectiveness and enhanced IT."
CWT North America president Robin Schleien said the company spent more than six months developing I-Select. While online bookings call for a $5 fee where CWT collects overrides, agent-initiated domestic reservations have a price of $15 and agent-initiated international reservations cost $25. If clients are netting out overrides or other commissions, CWT officials said, the pricing would be $3 higher. Officials said CWT still collects any GDS incentives.
When travelers call for service on an existing transaction, CWT will charge an additional $10 with a cap of $20 regardless of the total number of calls. "If you can limit it to one call, we can often get to $15," Schleien said. He said more than 100 clients are using CWT's proprietary Symphonie platform, and that they average about 1.3 calls per transaction. "The average should be way less than $20.
"We're not rookies at this," Schleien added. "And if that sounds like a pointed attack, that's okay. We've been doing corporate online travel for about 10 years, not 12 months, not 18 months. We expect absolutely to be directly in competition with the online travel agencies, from every perspective."
I-Select will be expanded next year to Canada, he said.