I read with much interest yesterday's release of something called the Hotel Negotiability Index by Egencia for 2010. Egencia, the travel management arm of Expedia, says its Index is an indicator of the overall supply landscape and other factors in top cities globally. The data indicates that, at least across North America, it'll continue to be a buyer's market up until at least the last two quarters of next year.
Last seen trying but failing to avert what became apparently the largest
bankruptcy and liquidation by a modern travel management company, former Total Travel Management CEO Linda Lossing (previously Linda Garback) recently joined Egencia (formerly Expedia Corporate Travel) as a global sales manager in Tampa, Fla. Total Travel Management dba Global Experts in Travel ceased operations in May 2007.
An Orbitz official said the company is "admittedly" disappointed in usage of the social networking component of its Traveler Update service, in which travelers can post "real-time updates from fellow travelers about security wait times, traffic and parking, taxi lines and more." Still in beta, the service shows Orbitz isn't "afraid to take risks," said the spokesman. "It's important to try new things, and we're eager to see what will work." He said other components of Traveler Update--including one-way dissemination of weather and traffic information--have "gained traction."
I asked about the service after Egencia CEO Jean-Pierre Remy took a swipe at it during this summer's National Business Travel Association convention: "It's a real stretch to think that business travelers will stand in a queue at security or waiting for a cab and suddenly go online to upload this information. I would like to believe this, but I would probably call my wife or my assistant first. Don't try to change their behavior; try to get as much as you can from the way they behave today."
The following is a proposal to speak at The Beat Live. Rob will speak on a panel discussion about travel management companies. Click here for the conference agenda.
What will you speak about?
"New Frontier or Yesterday’s News: A hard look at social networking, user-generated content and traveler-driven trends affecting our industry"
