Corporate Program to Small Businesses
CHICAGO, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Travel just got easier for small
business. Orbitz Worldwide's Corporate Travel Solutions, whose managed
travel products serve more than one million business travelers, today
announced it is further extending the familiar Orbitz for Business managed
booking tool to small businesses everywhere, through the launch of a new
self-managed travel site.
The site allows small businesses and their travelers to access and book
through Orbitz for Business with a simple self-registration process. The
new offering includes many of the same features and benefits of Orbitz's
larger managed programs, including access to corporate travel rates, at no
cost beyond the transaction fees.
"This gives small businesses a sense of having their own managedprogram on Orbitz for Business and furthers our commitment to having anarray of travel products that are a great fit for any size business," saidDean Sivley, COO and general manager, Orbitz Worldwide's Corporate TravelSolutions. "We're now catering not just to small businesses, but to any andevery small business that has travel requirements and wants greatercontrol." The Orbitz for Business self-managed site offers a number ofbusiness-specific resources including:
-- Dedicated site reporting -- Including monthly executive travel summaries documenting all travel categories, allowing customers to manage travel expenditures more efficiently.
-- A unique, dedicated Orbitz for Business site -- created specifically for small businesses and their travelers.
-- Unused E-ticket Tracking
-- Track value and expiration dates of unused tickets every time you log in. Unused e-ticket tracking is seamless, requiring no call to an agent nor transaction fees.
-- Board Room Rates, Flexible Hotel Choices -- Identifies discounted hotels offering business-specific resources and amenities.
-- Free Online Exchanges, Cancellations and Voids
-- No charges or fees for trip bookings that can't be completed. Airline-imposed fees may still apply.
-- Dedicated Customer Service Line
-- Member number provides quick and easy access to a live agent, with customer support available 24/7. Orbitz Worldwide's business travel portfolio now features four distincttravel products to serve everyone from the individual unmanaged traveler tothe large, Fortune 500 corporation. These offerings include:
-- Road Warrior (http://roadwarrior.orbitz.com/)
-- An extension of Orbitz.com, the Road Warrior microsite offers business-specific tools like Wi-Fi finder, restaurant reservations, business hotel reviews and relevant inventory for independent and unmanaged business travelers.
-- Orbitz for Business, Self-managed -- Ideal for small businesses whose travel spend is less than $250K per year, and who are seeking to optimize travel spend through lower transaction fees and negotiated business hotel rates. Gives small businesses a scaled managedprogram, including many features and benefits of the larger Orbitz for Business managed site.
-- Orbitz for Business -- A full-service, online corporate travel agency for companies with many travelers, managed program needs and travel spend in excess of $250K per year. A business travel solution for companies seeking higher adoption rates, online tools customized for a business audience and reporting that delivers insights into travel usage and trends.
-- Travelport for Business -- A flexible, full-service corporate travel agency ideal for companies with larger numbers of travelers and more comprehensive travel requirements, including executives requiring VIP care. Offers maximum control over travel spend, in-depth reporting, advanced policy tools and company-negotiated rates supported in the online booking tool. All Orbitz Worldwide business and leisure customers also enjoy thebenefits of OrbitzTLC (http://www.destinationorbitz.com/tlc). OrbitzTLC isan umbrella of proactive customer care services and technology, includingproactive alerts, which notify travelers and their designated contacts offlight status changes, cancellations and any event that might impacttravel. In addition to alerts, podcasts, hotel reviews and mobile access(http://mobile.orbitz.com/) help the on-the-go business traveler make theirtrip more enjoyable and hassle free. Other benefits include a team orformer air traffic controllers, travel agents and a full time journalistwatching out for travel conditions that might impact customers, from badweather to transit strikes. Orbitz.com has sent more than 80 million alertsto customers since 2003. In addition to the Orbitz for Business self-managed site launch, OrbitzWorldwide's commitment to serving small businesses also included its recentsponsorship of the Small Business Administration's (http://www.sba.gov/)"Small Business Week" in April 2007. "We recognize and appreciate the importance of small business to ourindustry and to our nation's economy as a whole," said Steve Barnhart,president and CEO, Orbitz Worldwide. "We believe we're better serving thissegment of the market, keeping small business travelers a step ahead withofferings like OrbitzTLC." Launched in 2002, Orbitz for Business continues to boast among thehighest corporate adoption rates in the industry at an average of 90percent, as well as a near-perfect client retention rate of 99.4 percent.The brand's success, coupled with an investment to enable an automatedself-registration process and automated reporting, led to the developmentof the self-managed product. About Orbitz Worldwide's Corporate Travel Solutions Orbitz Worldwide's Corporate Travel Solutions includes managed travelproducts Orbitz for Business and Travelport for Business. Orbitz Worldwidecurrently serves over 2,000 corporate customers and more than one millionmanaged business travelers. Orbitz for Business launched in 2002 as one ofthe first full-service business travel programs offered by an onlineagency. Travelport for Business, ideal for programs with more comprehensivetravel requirements, launched in 2005 and deploys innovative technologiesthat integrate the online platform and offline agent services. Bothfull-service corporate travel agencies offer greater control over travelspend and policy, and feature an easy-to-use, configurable travelmanagement solution backed by 24x7 proactive customer care. About Orbitz Worldwide Orbitz Worldwide is a leading global online travel company that usesinnovative technology to enable leisure and business travelers to research,plan and book a broad range of travel products. Orbitz Worldwide owns andoperates a strong portfolio of consumer brands that includes Orbitz(http://www.orbitz.com/), CheapTickets (http://www.cheaptickets.com/),ebookers (http://www.ebookers.com/), HotelClub (http://www.hotelclub.com/),RatesToGo (http://www.ratestogo.com/) and the Away Network(http://www.away.com/) and corporate travel products Orbitz for Business andTravelport for Business.
