Welcome to the first quarterly edition of BCD Travel’s Online Channel. In this issue we pose the question, “Does your online tool support your travel policy and vendor strategy?” This edition will discuss the best practices for applying these strategies within your online program.

Helping You Achieve Your Program Goals

Does Your Online Tool Support Your Travel Policy and Vendor Strategy? 
BCD Travel asked its customers in our 2007 Client Benchmark Survey, “If your travel policy changed in 2007, what changes were made?” Respondents said:

• Mandate Policy Compliance (15%)
• Enforce Preferred Vendor Policies (12%)
• Mandate Corporate Card (10%)
• Mandate Hotel Program (9%)
• Require Trip Approval (8%)
• Implement or Enforce Daily Per Diem Rates (3%)

Additionally, when asked to identify major challenges in managing their company’s travel program, 32% ranked their biggest challenge as travel policy compliance. In compiling these results, one thing became obvious: all of these items can be heavily influenced in online booking tools.

With many of these same customers achieving such high online adoption, we had to ask ourselves if they were taking advantage of all that could be customized from a policy and vendor management perspective in their online booking technology. In many cases, the answer was no. While customers review hundreds of policy scenarios when procuring an online booking tool, when implementing the tool they are more reluctant to limit or lock down their travelers’ abilities for fear their travelers may not trust the information if these filters or limits are put in place. We also saw cases where customers roll out an online tool and apply preferred vendor and policy triggers only to see the policy, preferred vendors or travel management change and the tool become out of sync with corporate goals and objectives. Lastly, and equally important, are new features. Online vendors have listened to the voice of their customers and have developed new features to enhance corporate compliance that should be reviewed and implemented in line with your strategy.

So how can corporate customers ensure they are supporting their travel policy and vendor strategies online? Let’s take a look at some of our online vendors’ capabilities and customers’ best practices related to vendor preferencing.

The first and most basic way to promote preferred vendors is to use the online systems’ rating capabilities to ensure your top suppliers are noted. Whether it is dots, check marks, gold diamonds, stoplight color coding or contract symbols, all tools offer this user-friendly preferencing. Many even offer customization of these symbols to provide opportunities to upload company logos or other more appealing preference indicators. Ensuring corporate contracts are visible and referenced with preference within your online system for air, car and hotel vendors is basic policy that all corporations need to apply to have successful influence on their travelers’ spend.

Further enhancements can be applied to dictate lane, market or promotion of one vendor over another in general terms. One vs. three dots, checks or diamonds show that one vendor is more preferred than others. The ability to customize text in or around these graphical displays is also an option. Relating preference of one hotel property over another based on length of stay, complimentary services offered or by applying messaging to non-preferred vendors to ensure travelers are directed back to the previously noted preferred partners are all great examples of the custom-text application. Additionally, loading customer or office locations for ease of use with online mapping to note preference or convenience to these facilities is very effective.

In specific air scenarios, the promotion of a single carrier or vendor in a specific market can and will ensure market-share commitments are met. One BCD Travel customer, Cathy Winter, travel director for Weyerhaeuser, confesses this isn’t an easy feat.

“We are in constant review of our online policy ensuring it is in perfect harmony with our corporate objectives and that may shift month to month, ” she said. “Certainly on a general level we dictate first-, second- and third-level preferred suppliers, but when it comes to market-by-market scenarios and adhering to the hurdles or commitments in place with supplies, there is need for constant review, and it has paid off.”

Good analytics and a steadfast commitment are essential, but for corporate customers like Weyerhaeuser that are not in major hubs, education of travelers and directing traffic is required to keep their bottom line in check. These capabilities in the online tool are a necessity to get the job done.

Let’s now shift and take a look at travel policy and best practice scenarios. One common practice is asking travelers “why?” If preferred suppliers are noted with precision, as mentioned above, then why are they not being selected?

“The [online booking] tool lists preferred properties, low to high,” said Tom Barrett, Trane global strategic sourcing director. “If travelers do not select one when booking an air reservation, the system may tell them that their reservation is not compliant, or it may generate an e-mail to their managers.”

A list of valid reasons in line with corporate policy is made available to travelers in these cases, but each exception is monitored and not all past muster. This logic is not just applied to air, but can equally be applied to car and hotel vendors, and is a basic function of all the big market players in the online arena. Questions about why a traveler didn’t book a hotel when he or she booked an overnight air reservation are also common. In addition to the actual property selected, the channel in which a traveler chooses to use to book their overnight lodging can impact the preferred supplier program. Noticing a traveler is not using the online tool for hotel reservations, prompting them to explain why, and explaining the concern of their well-being from a safety and security prospective if booking outside of the preferred mechanisms, can go a long way.

Policy is also commonly driven via cost triggers. For example, companies should question not only whether travelers are using the preferred carriers, but whether they doing so at the least cost or lowest logical fare. Least-cost logic varies company to company, but dollar thresholds need to be set asking why these fares are not selected. If preferred vendors are not satisfying low-fare initiatives, it may be time to re-evaluate these vendors. These triggers can build the case needed when talking to suppliers.

According to the 2007 BCD Travel Client Benchmark Survey, 8% applied some form of travel approval. Approval can be incorporated into the non-use of preferred vendors if air, car or hotel costs exceed policy or per-diem limits for a subset of travelers or for all travelers. With procurement at the helm of many corporate travel programs, trip approval has made a resurgence. If strategically applied, it can certainly drive compliance success. It can, however, cause adverse effects when trying to achieve a fully automated or touchless online process so balance in the set-up of this feature is critical.

Lastly, policy compliance wouldn’t be complete without ensuring travelers have knowledge of unused ticket credits. The online vendors have recently made it possible to convert these credits from our TripSource: Ticket Tracker to visual reminders throughout the online booking process. One success story lies within a quote from Brenda Miller, purchasing manager-Travel Services, for Nestle’ Business Services-North America.

“Our non-refundable ticket liability balance has gone down 17% in just 3 short months,” she said. “What a great cost recovery process and the value back to Nestle’ for this process is invaluable. These are very real and proven results for enhancement initiatives!”

How Can We Help?
Online customers using tools through BCD Travel’s reseller program are encouraged to attend our online release discussions. In tandem with our online partners’ product release cycle, BCD Travel offers its customers opportunities to discuss overviews of new features and how they can be best utilized. Many of these new features are policy and control oriented. These sessions are offered internally as well, ensuring our account managers and online system administrators are armed with the same information to act quickly.  Please ask your BCD Travel account manager today if your are interested. Education is key!

Thought for Action

New Policy and Preferencing Trends 
So what, if any, are the new emerging policy and preferencing trends?

One such trend is asking travelers the nature of their trip prior to displaying traveler options. In this scenario, pre-defined trip types are aligned with specific travel policies. For example, you may want to allow billable travel liberties that would not be granted on trips that are non-billable or overhead expenses. We frequently see these layers built according to job title within an organization, but dictating policy by trip type has a whole new set of advantages.

Another trend is the previously mentioned “targeted messaging.” With recent technology, this messaging can be presented to travelers at key junctures in their shopping process with heavy influence. This messaging can be offered to describe included amenities at hotels, in concert with policy to better explain logic and parameters or to emphasize cities where your organization has video conferencing options questioning travel necessity. We have also seen a green trend, with targeted messaging aimed at educating travelers with regards to anticipated emissions or their carbon footprint. Further to this trend, we have seen green supplier designation options, allowing your travelers to see “Green Partners” when perusing trip options.

Lastly, as we see new online capabilities emerging after tickets are issued, so are the abilities to drive policy in post-ticket scenarios. Can your traveler change their ticket if the cost to the organization exceeds a given threshold? Do you require justification when changing a ticket and/or notify a traveler’s manager. Trip approval is not a viable option once a ticketed itinerary is changed, as the change itself is at a cost, but travel managers can still invoke policy and communicate bad habits higher up.

Atlanta is an international corporate stronghold, where Coca Cola, CNN, Delta Air Lines – and BCD Travel Americas – have their headquarters. It is also famously known as a city where most residents are not native Atlantans.

As fans of Margaret Mitchell’s epic novel Gone with the Wind already know, Atlanta was burned to the ground during the Civil War and rose from the ashes to become the cosmopolitan Mecca and southern cultural oasis it is today. One only has to travel through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to see Atlanta’s bustle. The world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson accommodated 89.3 million passengers and 994,346 flights in 2007, serving 243 nonstop destinations in 46 countries, more than any other airline hub in the world.

Atlanta boasts a range of political and historical sites. Befitting the city’s status as the cradle of the American civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Center for Non-Violent Change is located in downtown Atlanta, where King was born and buried. Another influential Georgian, former President Jimmy Carter, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for promoting social and economic justice. The vehicle for his global humanitarian efforts, the Carter Center also houses his Presidential Library. Atlanta also has several notable Civil War sites and museums including the Cyclorama, which depicts the Battle of Atlanta and billed as the world’s largest oil painting; the Atlanta History Center, one of the largest history museums in the country; and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield, a 2,884 acre site that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta campaign.

Atlantans are very active (despite the heat and humidity!) and Piedmont Park in Midtown is the 183-acre epicenter of outdoor activities within the city. Every July 4, 60,000 runners participate in the Peachtree Road Race, the largest 10-kilometer race in the world. For anyone who likes a good climb, Stone Mountain, the largest piece of exposed granite on earth, is a challenging hike and only a 30-minute drive from downtown.

In spite of its reputation as a sprawling city, Atlanta is defined by neighborhoods, located on each side of Peachtree Street. In what might be seen, were Atlantans not so famously courteous and friendly, as a move expressly intended to befuddle tourists, over 50 streets in Atlanta have the word “Peachtree” in their names. The public train system MARTA is the best way for visitors to get around the city and avoid battling traffic.

Exploring the landscape
The city contains multitudes – one handy approach is to structure your sightseeing according to the activities you are most interested in.

Shopping and dining
Buckhead
Atlanta’s uptown features first-class hotels, high-end shopping and elegant dining. Stop by the contemporary Terminus building for a bite at one of the chic new restaurants or get a hot lather shave at the Grooming Lounge. Take a scenic ride down West Paces Ferry Road to see some of Atlanta’s most stunning old-money homes, including the Governor’s mansion, and a number of glitzy celebrity dwellings.

Cultural activites
Midtown
Music, theatre, dance, art and green spaces shape this cluster. If you’re looking for a combination of too-cool restaurants, cultural venues and sheer entertainment, this is your spot. Midtown features the Fox Theater, the Woodruff Arts Center, the High Museum of Art, Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Botanical Garden, plus some of the city’s top-rated restaurants.

Neighborhood strolls
Virginia Highlands and Little Five Points
Two neighborhoods stand out for their proximity, yet they’re a world apart. Virginia Highlands is delightful for a stroll and some unusual shopping; the streets are flanked with large trees and charming houses, giving it a civilized, laidback feel. Close out an evening here with a visit to Blind Willie’s blues bar. The other side of the spectrum is a mile away: visit funky Little Five Points for a bohemian experience of music at the Variety Playhouse or the Star Bar, vintage shopping at the Junkman’s Daughter and the best burgers in town at biker bar The Vortex.

Tourism galore
Downtown
This is your stop for tourist attractions: you can visit Underground Atlanta, the Aquarium (don’t miss the beluga whales!), the Coca Cola Museum, CNN Center and Centennial Park in a day. If history’s your thing, the King Center and the Carter Center are close by.

A taste of the town
Atlantans are passionate about food. Atlanta has more than its share of fine restaurants, showcasing diverse, high-caliber cuisines from around the world.

Kevin Rathbun Steak
Atlanta has a vast number of great places for steak, with celebrated standards like Chops and Bones and trendy Brazilian restaurants like Fogo de Chão. But one of the top choices for locals who both great meat and a chance to be part of the hip crowd is Kevin Rathbun. Step next door for an amazing wine selection at Krog Bar.

Cuerno
This new restaurant is quickly earning a reputation as one of the most coveted tables in town. The upscale bohemian atmosphere conveys the mood of Barcelona, while the food incorporates both traditional and “new Spanish� cuisine. There’s a nice selection of tapas and jamón ibérico, plus traditional Northern Spanish dishes like cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig). Have a cocktail at adjacent restaurant Beleza, for a taste of Brazil.

The Food Studio
Probably the only place in Atlanta that serves sweetbreads and will keep you asking for more! This restaurant, located in an admittedly industrial but rapidly gentrifying area known as King Plow Arts Center, features exceptionally innovative dishes. You’ll enjoy not only the food and extensive wine list, but the way the old factory loft housing the restaurant has been refurbished.

Bluepointe
This upscale and modern restaurant is a favourite with visitors and locals alike. The décor features chrome railings, white tile floors, oversized windows, and blue velvet booths; the kitchen specializes in delicate Asian fusion dishes and some of the best sushi in town. The impressive bar is the place to see and be seen. As a bonus, if you’re in the mood for a Gucci scarf or a pair of Jimmy Choos, Atlanta’s most upscale shopping destination, Phipps Plaza, is right across the street.

The mere mention of Vienna brings to mind images of swirling skirts and dapper tuxedoes on polished wood floors, cozy coffee houses displaying a treasure trove of pastries and tortes, and glorious white stallions moving with balletic precision under enormous chandeliers. Vienna is a unique blend of the historic and the modern, so full of tradition it can be read on the face of the city, yet with a forward-looking, energetic approach.

SEASONAL SPECIALS

In Central Europe in December, one’s thoughts turn toward mulled wine, spiced cookies and small wooden chalets.  Luckily, Vienna’s Christkindlmärkten (Christmas Markets) are some of the best on the continent.  They are held from mid-November until 24 December in a variety of locations throughout the city; the largest can be found at the Rathausplatz, Spittleberg Quarter and Freyung (corner of Innerstadt).

In 2006, Vienna will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart, with various special events throughout the year. There are still hundreds of concerts on tap for the month of December.  Visit www.mozart2006.net for more information.

GETTING AROUND

Vienna’s extensive public transport system (underground U-bahn, commuter rail, tram and bus) makes it a perfect city for exploring (it’s also a great city for walking, but it’s nice to know there are other options if your feet get tired).

A single fare for U-bahn, bus and tram costs €1.50 (€2 if purchased on the tram or bus) and there is no additional charge for transfers. Visitors should take advantage of the Vienna Card, a pass that allows for 72 hours of travel on the U-bahn, trams and buses (except for night buses) and offers discounts on attractions, at many shops and restaurants (see Passes in Sightseeing). Passes are available from Wiener Linien ticket offices and service centres.

The heart of Vienna is the Innerestadt – the area that lay within the city walls, until they were demolished in the mid-19th century. It is here that some of Vienna’s most popular tourist attractions can be found, along with pedestrian streets lined with countless shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. The centre point is the Graben (literally “moatâ€?), which is a wide square lined with shops and pavement cafés under large umbrellas. Following the demolition of the city walls in 1857, the Ringstrasse was laid out and some of Vienna’s most beautiful buildings were built along it, between 1858 and 1865.

NOT TO BE MISSED 

Stephansdom (St Stephen’s Cathedral)
The imposing St Stephen’s Cathedral marks Graben’s eastern end and is easily spotted, due to its brightly coloured roof tiles, from more distant viewpoints. Construction began on the cathedral in the 12th century and was completed in 1433. Major restoration and rebuilding work was necessary after the cathedral caught fire at the end of World War II.
Stephansplatz 1
www.stephansdom.at

Hofburg
The Imperial Palace until 1918, the Hofburg is almost a city in itself. Today, it houses the office of the Austrian president, an international conference centre, a number of museums, the chapel where the Vienna Boys’ Choir sings and the hall in which the Lipizzan stallions perform. Visitors can tour the Kaiserappartements (Imperial Apartments), including Franz Joseph’s and Empress Elisabeth’s private rooms. The Schatzkammer (Treasury), contains stunning exhibits that exemplify the power and wealth of one of Europe’s most important empires. The Imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire is here, as is the crown of the Austrian Empire and the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Innerer Burghof 1, Kaisertor
www.hofburg.wien.info or www.hofburg-wien.at

Spanische Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School)
For over 400 years, the horses of the Spanish Riding School have performed their elegant maneuvers at the Imperial Stables. The easiest way for visitors to see the horses in action is at their morning training sessions, 10:00-12:00 Tuesday to Saturday. Tickets to the training sessions, which involve classical dressage exercise to music, are only available at the door on the day. Guided tours Tues-Sat in the afternoon.
Michaelerplatz 1
www.spanische-reitschule.com or www.lipizzaner.at

Schloss Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Palace)
Schönbrunn Palace is Vienna’s answer to Versailles and was used as the summer residence of the Habsburgs from the 18th century until 1918. Of the 1,411 rooms in the palace and its adjacent buildings, 40 state rooms are open to the public. The golden-yellow palace is set within equally magnificent gardens, landscaped in the Baroque style, with some fabulous views. The palace and gardens are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
www.schoenbrunn.at

MuseumsQuartier
On the site of the former imperial stables, this large cultural complex, which opened in 2001, is one of the biggest of its kind in the world. Don’t miss the excellent Leopold Museum, a must for anyone interested in Austrian art, and MUMOK, the Museum of Modern Art.
Museumplatz 1
www.mqw.at or www.leopoldmuseum.org or www.mumok.at

IF YOU’RE FEELING PECKISH …

Restaurant Anna Sacher
Since 1876, dining at the Hotel Sacher has been as much a social experience as a culinary one. Most celebrities visiting Vienna eventually end up at the scarlet dining room, usually to enjoy its most famous (and Austria’s national) dish, tafelspitz (boiled beef), served with an apple and horseradish and a chive sauce. Diners should always save room for the dessert speciality, Sachertorte, a chocolate tart split in half, spread with apricot jam and iced with chocolate.
Hotel Sacher Wien, Philarmonikerstrasse 4
www.sacher.com

Wiener Rathauskeller
Throughout the Teutonic world, city halls have traditionally maintained basement restaurants. Vienna’s city hall is no exception. It features six neo-Gothic rooms, still with all their original stained-glass windows and vaulted ceilings. Besides the usual Viennese dishes, the speciality here is the Rathauskellerplatte for two, consisting of various veal, pork and lamb dishes.
Rathausplatz 1
www.wiener-rathauskeller.at

Zwölf-Apostelkeller (Stadtheurigen)
“City heurigen” are generally located in the cellars of Vienna’s old monasteries. Parts of the “12 Apostles Cellar” predate 1561, with wooden tables under lighting partially provided by streetlights set into the floor. The traditional dishes on offer include goulash, meat dumplings and schlachtplatte (a selection of meats with hot bacon and cabbage salad). Wine comes from a barrel rather than a bottle, and is sold by the quarter liter.
Sonnenfelsgasse 3

Sunshine State to City of Angels

Friday 4th July 2008: Brisbane, Australia: Australia’s newest international airline, V Australia, has announced it will launch direct flights between Brisbane, Queensland and Los Angeles, California, from early next year.

Queensland Premier, the Hon. Anna Bligh, joined V Australia Executive General Manager, Scott Swift, to reveal the news while on a site tour of Virgin Blue’s soon-to-be-opened brand new Head Office in Brisbane.

Brisbane-Los Angeles is the second route to be announced for V Australia which will take off on its inaugural flight between Sydney and Los Angeles on 15th December 2008^.

V Australia will launch three flights a week between Brisbane and Los Angeles from 1st March 2009^. The carrier will operate Boeing 777-300ER aircraft configured to a three class cabin offering International Business Class, International Premium Economy Class and International Economy class.

V Australia Executive General Manager, Scott Swift, said, “We are excited to announce Brisbane as V Australia’s second destination. This will be tremendous for Virgin Blue’s home state of Queensland and will bring new opportunities for Queenslanders to travel to the USA. Importantly, it will also provide a direct link from the USA to Queensland and with that, increased business and tourism dollars for the state.�

V Australia will direct its third 777-300ER aircraft to the Brisbane-Los Angeles route and carried out extensive research before deciding to commit the resources to operating a trans-Pacific flight to and from Brisbane. Only one other airline currently operates direct services between the two cities, making it ripe for competition.

Scott Swift continued, “Sydney-LA may be the busiest route between Australia and Los Angeles but V Australia is also eager to give the Brisbane-Los Angeles route a red hot go and we are keen to help ramp up visitor numbers to the state of Queensland.�

Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh said, “I am delighted that V Australia has identified the Brisbane-LA route as having strong potential in terms of passenger growth and we welcome V Australia’s vote of confidence in Queensland. Virgin Blue has already delivered significant benefits to this state in terms of domestic tourism and resulting business and economic spin-off’s. No doubt, the new V Australia direct flight will do the same.�

Premier Bligh added, “Providing direct access for US travellers to Brisbane is going to be critical in luring more visitors to experience the attractions of South East Queensland and then travel onwards to other world famous Queensland destinations like Cairns and the Whitsundays via Virgin Blue’s domestic flights.�

V Australia will initially introduce three direct flights a week between Brisbane and LA on a Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and is confident its attractive fares, convenient direct flight and Virgin style product and people will prove a successful formula.

Every day return economy fares will start from $2087 return which is 17% lower than the current lowest available published fare on the route for the same travel period (as at 9am Friday 4 July 2008).