RFP Data Feeds Directories
Lanyon Inc. and Uversa International, two third-party vendors that work with travel buyers on their hotel request for proposal bids, have introduced new software applications that allow buyers—who now are at the start of this year's RFP season—to make further use electronically of the rich data they collect as part of the RFP process.
These tools use the high-quality data gathered in the bid process to create an electronic directory of the hotels that are selected to be in the company's program, saving buyers time and money.
"After completing RFP negotiations, buyers know that travelers need easy access—the quicker and more convenient, the better—to the names, rates and property information on the selected hotels," said Mario Sagastume, senior vice president of business development for Lanyon Inc., which last month launched its new application, part of its RFPpublisher-Corporate product. "When travelers are unable to get timely access to this information, there's a greater chance they'll choose a property that's outside the program. And buyers, therefore, are less likely to get the degree of compliance they're looking for that can make the hotel program a success."
If for no other reason, a directory is valuable because it informs travelers of the negotiated rate they can expect to pay when booking. "Without this awareness, travelers can't be blamed if, for some reason, the hotel has the wrong rate loaded into the global distribution system," Sagastume said.
The accuracy of the directory is a non-issue. "Accuracy is virtually assured because it's the same data that's already been accepted as part of the bid process," he said.
Similar to the RFP bid itself, the subsequent directory culled from the RFP data is customized to the needs of the specific client.
"We custom tailor each directory to the wishes of the travel buyer who knows the travelers' profiles and the corporate culture," said Sean Shelton, CEO and CIO of Uversa, whose directory application is included in its Uversa Travel Web Pack. "We include as much information on the hotels and their locations as the buyer feels is relevant. But the more data you include, the more important formatting becomes. Otherwise, the traveler can grow frustrated at the lack of easy access."
Some buyers, for example, prefer that the hotels in the directory be broken out by city, while others prefer the listing be by metropolitan area. State designations, by contrast, would be too broad. "Similar to online booking tools, the hotels within a city can be listed alphabetically or ranked by the buyer's preference, based on the rate that's been negotiated or other considerations," Shelton said.
At Uversa, directories also include a database of the client's office locations in that city or metropolitan area, so the traveler can make a decision based on proximity. "Links are included that bring up maps, so the traveler can find the way from the hotel to the office location," Shelton said. Another link brings up a weather site, allowing the traveler to check the forecast at that destination.
With printed hotel directories clearly a thing of the past, electronic directories, which typically are housed on the travel pages of a company's intranet or on a secure extranet site, are more economical. They don't require printing or manual distribution. And there's less risk of them becoming outdated, since the data can be updated as frequently as necessary, as hotels are admitted to or dropped from the program, promotional rates become available for limited periods of time, etc.
This year, a larger percentage of buyers than usual are expected to use electronic RFPs in the wake of the National Business Travel Association hotel committee's launch of a new streamlined RFP format in January. "Buyers who manage midsize to large hotel programs especially are expected to opt for the new modular approach, because it allows them to collect and collate information on hundreds of hotels, both domestic and international," said Tracey Wilt, Xerox Corp. purchasing consultant for business travel, who also is a member of the NBTA hotel committee.
A clear advantage to the new format is that buyers can request that hotels only complete the modules they're interested in to make their bids, saving considerable time.
However, some buyers—with an eye to the directory they'll eventually want to provide—are proceeding otherwise. The core module includes pricing information. Other modules cover services and amenities, safety and security, geography and transportation and communications and technology.
"I'm requesting that all modules be completed, because I want as much information on the properties as possible, if only for purposes of analysis," said Jon Elliott, travel manager for Chicago-based Andersen.
From Shelton's perspective, there's no such thing as collecting too much data. "Assuming you have the bandwidth and space to store it," he said, "it can all prove useful."