InterContinental Hotels Group last month announced a partnership with online group reservation company Passkey to offer full integration with Passkey's tools. Planners will be able to upload rooming lists and have access to real-time reports that monitor room block pick-up and reservation status. Attendees will be able to make reservations online. IHG will implement this in more than 250 hotels in the United States and Canada during 2008. "Utilizing Passkey across our InterContinental and Crowne Plaza brands in the U.S. and Canada will provide meeting planners with consistent and reliable group booking capabilities and help ensure their event attendees enjoy the experience," IHG vice president of distribution marketing for the Americas Del Ross said in a prepared statement.
Worldspan To Allow Some Meeting Space BookingGlobal distribution system provider Worldspan last month announced an agreement to integrate meeting-space reservation system Worktopia's booking service, allowing access to the meeting reservation systems of more than 1,800 hotels and meeting centers. Worktopia counts Global Hyatt Corp. and business center provider The Regus Group
(Meetings Today, Feb. 7, 2005) as its supply partners. Worktopia also allows booking through the Sabre global distribution system
(Meetings Today, Nov. 6, 2006). "Procurement for corporate meetings is migrating online, and we are proud to be the first to offer a comprehensive, real-time solution," Worktopia CEO John Arenas said in a prepared statement. Online booking of meeting space with live inventory listed on a global distribution system is rare, in part because hoteliers typically do not see any benefit to allowing a buyer to book such space without negotiating meeting amenities and services, including food and beverage.
ResRunner, NuTravel Allow Post-Reg Travel BookingOnline meeting management technology provider ResRunner and online travel reservation tool provider NuTravel this summer announced a preferred relationship that will allow users to complete meeting registration reservations and travel booking through a single sign-on. Once meeting registration is complete, users will be asked if they require travel arrangements. It also will allow the booking of multiple passengers on one passenger name record, the purchasing of tickets without having a traveler profile and a master billing option. "We are prepared to help reduce the amount of time and costs spent managing groups and meetings for both the corporation and our travel management partners," NuTravel president and CEO Carmine Carpanzano said in a prepared statement.
FCm Plans North American Meetings AcquisitionTravel management company FCm Travel Solutions told Meetings Today this month that it plans to acquire a meetings and incentive management company in North America and brand it with the CiEvents name of its Australian meetings division
(Meetings Today, April 23). "Rather than starting from new, we'll be matching the businesses that we've already established in other countries, and find a business over here that we'd be able to relate with and grow together with our success in the niche markets," according to FCm Travel Solutions North America president Dan O'Brien.
StarCite Adds Web Center, Could Offer Group BookingMeetings technology company StarCite last month launched a meetings Web center with hotel listings, property videos and meeting planning blogs, and the firm eventually expects to include instant group booking capabilities. Additional future plans include adding property ratings and planner surveys. "We are committed to bringing Travel 2.0 technology to the meeting planning world. StarCite TV will be the place where we launch new technologies and determine the value of these technologies to our meeting planner community," StarCite president and CEO Michael Boult said in a prepared statement. The Web center is located at www.starcite.tv.
Corporate Trainer MicroTek Branches Into MeetingsMicroTek, a company specializing in providing facilities and programming for corporate training events, last month announced the creation of a meeting services division with services including site selection and contract negotiation. "Meeting services is the next logical addition to our expanding portfolio of on-demand business education services," CEO Don Slivensky said in a prepared statement. "For 16 years, we have been focused on the logistics of training events in our own MicroTek facilities, and have now expanded that breadth of reach to provide site selection and meeting services for all corporate meeting events."