Business Travel News
Business Travel News
  • SECTIONS
    • Transportation
    • Lodging
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • Distribution
    • Meetings
    • Global
    • Management
    • Travel Procurement
    • Voices
    • Recent Issues
  • EXPERT Q&A
    • VIEW ALL INTERVIEWS
  • RESEARCH
    • Corporate Travel 100
    • Corporate Travel Index
    • Expense Manager Report
    • Small & Midsize Enterprise
    • Salary Survey
    • Strategic Meetings Report
    • VIEW ALL
  • WEBINARS
    • View All Webinars
  • EVENTS
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit
    • Business Travel Lodging Summit
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Business Travel Trends Forecasts
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Government Travel Summit
    • Innovate
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Corporate Travel Index Calculator
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
    • White Papers & Case Studies
    • Influencers
    • Webinars
    • Videos
    • Hotel Search
  • SECTIONS
    • Transportation
    • Lodging
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • Distribution
    • Meetings
    • Global
    • Management
    • Travel Procurement
    • Voices
    • Recent Issues
  • EXPERT Q&A
    • VIEW ALL INTERVIEWS
  • RESEARCH
    • Corporate Travel 100
    • Corporate Travel Index
    • Expense Manager Report
    • Small & Midsize Enterprise
    • Salary Survey
    • Strategic Meetings Report
    • VIEW ALL
  • WEBINARS
    • View All Webinars
  • EVENTS
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit
    • Business Travel Lodging Summit
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Business Travel Trends Forecasts
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Government Travel Summit
    • Innovate
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Corporate Travel Index Calculator
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
    • White Papers & Case Studies
    • Influencers
    • Webinars
    • Videos
    • Hotel Search
Business Travel News
  • SECTIONS
    • Transportation
    • Lodging
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • Distribution
    • Meetings
    • Global
    • Management
    • Travel Procurement
    • Voices
    • Recent Issues
    Subscribe to NewslettersBTN DailyBTN GlobalBTN Travel ManagementTravel Procurement
    Subscribe to Print IssuesBusiness Travel NewsTravel Procurement
  • EXPERT Q&A
    • VIEW ALL INTERVIEWS
    As Properties Multiply, Sonesta Aims to Grow Corp. Travel BusinessAs Properties Multiply, Sonesta Aims to Grow Corp. Travel Business
    Leibman and TarasAfter New Investment, Frosch and TCG Seek Opportunities in a Changed Market
    Alex ZoghlinNew ATPCO CEO Zoghlin Plans Focus on Simplification
  • RESEARCH
    • Corporate Travel 100
    • Corporate Travel Index
    • Expense Manager Report
    • Small & Midsize Enterprise
    • Salary Survey
    • Strategic Meetings Report
    • VIEW ALL
    Annual Supplier Ratings• Car Rental Survey & Report• Hotel Survey & Report• Airline Survey & Report
    Special Reports• State of the Industry Report• Business Travel Stakeholders
  • WEBINARS
    • View All Webinars
    Hot Topics in Corporate Travel

    Tues, Feb 16 at 1pm ET / 10am PT
    Sponsored By: TripActions

    Keeping Your Executives Focused on Travel After the Pandemic

    Tue, Jan 19 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
    Sponsored by: TripActions

    How Travel Works for Remote-First Companies

    Tue, Jan 12 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
    Sponsored by: TripActions

  • EVENTS
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit
    • Business Travel Lodging Summit
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Business Travel Trends Forecasts
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Government Travel Summit
    • Innovate
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
    Inaugural Travel Procurement Virtual Workshop Series

    Virtual - Wednesdays from March 3 through April 7

    BTN Group Symposium: Dissecting Digital Health Passports

    Virtual Event - March 4, 2021

    6th Annual Entertainment Travel Summit

    Virtual Event - March 23, 2021

  • RESOURCES
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Corporate Travel Index Calculator
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
    • White Papers & Case Studies
    • Influencers
    • Webinars
    • Videos
    • Hotel Search
    BTN CTI Calculator

    Filter in or out as many as 200 cities, as well as hotel and car rental class and meals of the day and watch as the per-diem calculator automatically adjusts per diems to your program. Drill down into cost breakdowns and export the results.

  • Business Travel News Supplier DirectorySUPPLIER DIRECTORY
T R A V E L   P R O C U R E M E N T

Procurement

Amex GBT Lands Ovation Travel Group

By Elizabeth West / January 21, 2021 / Contact Reporter
Share

American Express Global Business Travel has acquired New York-based Ovation Travel Group, the parent company of Ovation Travel, Lawyers Travel and Chartwell Travel, the travel management company announced Thursday. The purchase by GBT is a major move in what could well be an active mergers and acquisitions environment in 2021 for travel management companies. 

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

According to the press announcement, Ovation Travel Group and its employees will become a division of GBT's global customer partnerships organization and will continue to be led by Ovation chairman and CEO Paul Metselaar and the current executive team.

GBT global head of mergers and acquisitions Eric Bock said in a press statement that GBT continues to execute on its acquisition strategy in the U.S. small and medium enterprise segment. "This acquisition adds a very high-quality asset and business that will enhance the service and capabilities we offer customers." 

Ovation Travel Group ranked No. 15 on Travel Weekly's 2020 Power List, based on 2019 volumes. At the time, the company claimed $1.6 billion in annual sales, with 84 percent pegged as corporate travel volume. GBT, ranked No. 3 on that list, claimed $34.1 billion in annual sales volume that year.

Recent developments at Ovation include a 2019 relocation within New York City and establishing new offices in London. In 2020, as the company maneuvered through the pandemic, it introduced private air charter service and enhanced its traveler safety and support services. 

The company also diversified its online booking partners, announcing last summer a new reseller partnership with Serko for its Zeno tool, which joined a booking partner roster that already included SAP Concur, GetThere and Deem. With the acquisition, the company presumably will add GBT's KDS Neo to that offering. 

Metselaar said in a provided statement, "GBT's 100 years of service excellence, its values-driven culture, and its commitment to leading the industry complement us on a global scale, giv[es] me huge confidence in the future. I am delighted we are joining the GBT family."

GBT's Ovation acquisition follows Corporate Travel Management's September 2020 acquisition of Travel and Transport, which ranked No. 13 on Travel Weekly's list. Direct Travel earlier this month acquired Short's Travel Management's corporate travel portfolio, not including the Short's sports travel business, according to a memo Short's sent to clients.

More Procurement
Related
Extended Stay America to Launch New Brand, Rebrand Remaining Portfolio

Extended Stay America this year will introduce a new brand aimed at the higher end of the midscale...

Accor Lost Nearly €2B in 2020, Though Limiting Cash Burn

Accor lost nearly €2 billion during 2020, yet managed to reduce its monthly cash burn through...

Turning Travel Banks Into Good Works

Like many organizations with managed travel programs, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation amid the...

More Procurement

IHG: Death of Business Travel Exaggerated, Remote Work Could Offer Boost
Business Travel by the Numbers
Hyatt Hints Meetings Might Recover Before Corp. Transient Travel
Marriott Starting to See 'Green Shoots' of Corp. Transient, Group Demand

VIEW ALL
Subscribe to Our

Free Newsletters

pixel2

Click Here for our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Business Travel News Business Travel News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS
NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP
Business Travel News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Upload Print Ad Material
  • Purchase Reprints
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Subscribe to BTN
  • Subscribe to Travel Procurement
  • Subscribe to Newsletters
  • BTN Europe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
Business Travel News
Business Travel News Travel Procurement The Beat
Northstar Travel Group
  • Retail Travel
  • Travel Weekly
  • Travel Weekly Asia
  • Travel Weekly China
  • TravelAge West
  • TravelPulse
  • TravelPulse Canada
  • TravelPulse Quebec

  • Hotel Investment
  • Burba Hotel Network

  • Travel Technology
  • Inntopia
  • Phocuswire
  • Phocuswright
  • Web In Travel
  • Meetings & Incentives
  • Northstar Meetings Group
  • Meetings & Conventions
  • Meetings & Conventions China
  • Meetings & Conventions Asia
  • Meeting News
  • Successful Meetings
  • Incentive
  • SportsTravel

  • Data Products
  • Agent Studio
  • AXUS Travel App
  • Intelliguide
  • travel42
Northstar Travel Group
Copyright ©2021 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. All rights reserved.    100 Lighting Way Secaucus, NJ 07094-3626 USA | Telephone: (201) 902-2000
RRManagement rrtestprocurement