Travelsavers Taps Into Corporate Travel Technology
<B> Travelsavers Taps Into Corporate Travel Technology</B>
By Sarah Welt
<I>Oyster Bay, N.Y.</I> - Travelsavers, a national marketing organization that includes a retail chain of more than 2,000 travel agencies, last month launched a corporate program.
Travelsavers has been known as primarily a leisure network, though it is trying to change its image with the new program to provide its agencies with travel technology, marketing and management tools.
"For a travel agency looking for leisure, we were fine," said Betty Tilton, senior director, corporate services division. "We were not complete, and now we are." The organization now has a mix of 56 percent corporate, 44 percent leisure, she claimed. "We work to maintain a balance that is desirable to travel agencies. We aren't putting all our eggs in one basket," Tilton said. "Agencies can't do that anymore."
To provide technology to its members, Travelsavers has partnered with several vendors. It has an arrangement with Unisys Travel Alliance Services to provide an online booking tool, travel and entertainment reporting, marketing, data warehousing and back-office reporting. The Chicago-based Trondent is offering fax and email capabilities as well as electronic ticket tracking and pricing software.
Travelsavers also will begin rolling out Travel Technologies Group's quality control software, CoRRe, as well as Southwest Direct for agencies to link to Southwest Airlines, in the next few weeks. Through TTG, the group also will offer meeting planner software called Meeting Partner, which manages the meeting process from beginning to end, regardless of size.
The network has a relationship with Worldspan to provide members with a customized version of Worldspan GO which will allow agency owners and front line reservationists access to preferred vendor information. The group also plans to begin offering Web-based training through GO in the coming months. The tutorial will teach agents to take online bookings.
Agencies also can participate in Travelsavers' Travel Club, which began three years ago and is geared toward capturing the leisure business of corporate accounts.
The club consists of Travelsavers' hotel program, with more than 9,000 preferred rates worldwide. Members get a hotel directory, discount coupons on air both domestically and abroad, tour packages and discounts on car rental and theme parks as well as cruise upgrades. Group members are referred to a local travel agency instead of an 800 number. Said V. Jim Mazza, vice president of operations, "We are selling the Travel Club to corporate travel agencies and corporations as an employee benefit."
Participation in the club is possible through the Internet for $59.95 by going to www.travelsaversclub.com, and is sold at a discount to Travelsaver agencies.
The group also has an in-house cruise reservation center and a 24-hour help line. There is a lifetime membership fee of $5,000, but no annual fee. The hotel program is a basic part of membership, while the 24-hour service is a separate fee.
Travelsavers' business approach is unique: Each agency network member is given an exclusive territory in their local area, which includes a population of up to 50,000 people. The group also cofounded the Worldwide Independent Network in 1986, a marketing company with 7,500 agency members in 14 countries.