Travel Managers Travel Technology

As companies grow the travel budget needs to grow to reflect those changes.  It’s not only more trips but more people need to get there, where ever that there is.  With just a handful of people are moving across the States to do business one person can handle all those plans while multi-tasking to get regular business done and stay afloat. 

But as some point the demand on the multi-tasking person has to develop so much time to everyone’s travel that something give.  I looked around to some of our clients and asked them what technology they use to help them streamline their travel information.  Here’s a couple that were recommended:

Egencia

Why should making business travel plans online be difficult? Egencia simplifies the entire travel planning process so your travelers can focus on moving your business, not moving themselves. Maybe that’s why Egencia has the highest online adoption rate in the industry – over 80 percent.

Efficient Air Travel

Each Egencia flight search returns up to 2,500 flight options in seconds, and intelligent options and filters make it easy to narrow search results. Relevant flights are sorted and clearly marked to guide travelers toward your negotiated rates and away from out-of-policy options, resulting in lower cost itineraries. 

Efficient Hotel 

Travelers can search for hotels by city location or specific address, and filter results by business-focused amenities. Our innovative technology allows them to view hotel properties on an interactive map, take virtual property tours, and review photos, Egencia ratings and other travelers' experiences, prior to making their reservations.

Efficient Rental Car 

Rental car reservations can be completed in a matter of seconds, with results displayed from major vendors, or limited to your preferred suppliers. 

Your Travel Plans, All in One Place

Each traveler has a convenient summary of all upcoming purchased, reserved and saved trips. Managing expenses is easy; travelers can store up to 40 upcoming purchased and reserved trips. And Egencia stores all completed trips for one year, making managing expenses easier and more efficient.

Trip Alerts 

Egencia on the Go™ trip alerts allows employees to receive alerts notifying them of events impacting flights on their day of travel via email or text message. Your travelers are in the know wherever they go.

Avani Cimcon Techonolgies

Avani Cimcon Techonolgies was established in 1992, as a software technology company offering next generation Travel Technology Solutions in Travel Domain. We have a distinguishing combination of technology experience, proficiency and cost effectiveness. We have offices and representation in the United States, India, Australia, Middle-East, Caribbean, Oceanic Countries and Europe. We are contributing member for OTA (OpenTravel Alliance) schemas and have all-embracing domain knowledge. We were also chosen as one of the Top 100 IT Innovators by NASSCOM (www.nasscom.in/100itinnovators) in the year 2007.

Our Travel technology solutions allow companies to increase sales & distribution opportunities through XML integration, lower technology costs & augment marketing communication with clients and prospects. The ready to deploy technology solutions offers management and marketing teams with real-time analytics and dashboards to better help compete in the current aggressive market.

Our solutions cater to the IT needs of

• Travel Suppliers
• Associations (Travel, Tourism, Hotels)
• Travel Aggregators & Consolidators
• Travel Agents & Tour Operators
• Online Travel Portals
• Destination Agents

Travel Suppliers include Hotels, Airlines, Car-Rentals, Restaurants and Excursions leveraging our 15 years of experience in software development and our domain expertise in the Travel Industry offering customizable travel technology solutions for Online Travel Distribution, which includes:

• Booking Engine
• Hotel Booking Engine
• Airline Booking Engine
• Car-Rental Booking Engine
• Bus Booking Engine
• Excursion Booking Engine
• Restaurant Booking Engine
• Package Booking Engine
• Central Reservation System (CRS)
• Hotel Reservation System
• Car-Rental Reservation System
• Bus Reservation System
• Restaurant Reservation System
• Excursion Reservation System
• Package Reservation System
• XML Web Services Gateway
• OpenTravel Alliance compliant XML web services Gateway
• Travel Supplier Integration (Aggregation / Consolidation)
• Travel Distribution Platform
• Content Management System (CMS)
• Online Travel Portal
• Destination Portal
• Hotel Website
• CARMA
• Marketing Automation
• E-Campaigns & Analytics
• Social Networking
• Blogs, Templates Driven Sites & Online Activity updates
• Send mails & Updates to contacts
• Online Discussions & Events
• Share Photo Albums & Slide Shows
• Sharing & Integration with other Social Networking Sites
• User Generated Content

Bloggers Stay Here!

Recently one of our guests turned out to be a fellow blogger and once we found out we just HAD to ask if she would mind being a guest blogger for us... and to our enjoyment she said, "Yes."

Karyn also blogs at: http://www.thefernblogs.com/.   But here is what she wrote for us.... Thanks Karyn and we can't wait till you come back!

On Living at Embassy Suites for 10 Days

I always look at traveling to destinations as an adventure, a new place to explore and get to know. My trip to Denver would be no different.

I recently accepted a position with a new company. The orientation process included 10 days in Denver for training. How exciting, ten days in the Mile High City! It was going to be intensive, ten 10 hour days to get us all on the same page.

We filtered into Denver from all over the country, and made our way to the Embassy Suite- Denver Tech Center, our home away from home for the next ten days. We checked in with a very warm and receptive front desk staff and located our rooms. 

These were not your ordinary rooms. These were beautiful true two room suites that included an ample sitting area, a dining area, a wet bar with microwave and refrigerator, a great bathroom with a deep soaking tub, and last but not least, my very own personal king size bed. I was in heaven! (Personally, my suite may have as much room as my condo!) I unpacked and settled into my room.

The first morning was filled with anticipation as I prepared for my new adventure.  Now mind you ,I knew there were 30+ others getting up and getting ready as well. My shower was hot with great water pressure. Not once did I experience an unwelcome change in temperature or pressure- just the way I like it!

I made my way to the complimentary breakfast in the atrium- and how inviting is the space- great natural light fills the open area with greenery not just on the atrium floor, but visible surrounding the eight open floors above. The breakfast was great, AND made to order-  eggs, bacon, waffles, fruit, cereal, anything you wanted- and everyone with a smile on their face. It made a great start to the morning.

Our orientation was going to occur in the hotel meeting space, and every thing was made comfortable for us. Paper and pens at our seats, multiple places to plug in lap tops, convenient facilities to snacks and drinks to room temperature. If we had a question, the front desk staff was able to point us in the right directions- from ‘Where is Wal-Mart’ to ‘how do you get to .......?’ ( And just so you know, Wal-Mart is a block and half! ).

The manager’s reception quickly became a group favorite - we would gather in the atrium bar and enjoy conversation, rehashing the day, learning where we had come from, where we were going to, and where we should venture for dinner.

We all came big fans of the workout area as well as the pool and hot tub- a great way to relax after some of the presentations and lectures we ‘enjoyed’.

Something I never knew about Embassy Suites, but now know, they usually have a restaurant on site- there was a grill in this property that could make almost anything from their menu. One perk my new employer provided was a catered lunch every day. We would get out of a lecture to find tables set for us after we served ourselves buffet style. The wait staff was attentive, always ready with water or tea, not to mention a smile and an uplifting word. I must say for someone who ignores lunch, I enjoyed the mid afternoon meal put on for us.

Behind the scenes was the wonderful housekeeping staff. Every morning I was up and out, leaving my bed in disaray , only to come back to my room suite, to a beautifully made bed, remote with in easy reach, everything clean and pristine as if I had just checked in. I do recall one morning I was getting ready for the day and I realized I had misplaced one of my gray pearl earrings. I dumped out my cosmetics kit- bit I didn’t see it anywhere. I was pretty down, as I had bought them on my last trip to Spain.  I had just come back to my suite after a fairly grueling day and gone into the bathroom. Somewhere, somehow, the angel that cleaned my suite had found my earring.  Priceless!

There is nothing I would have changed about my room or the facilities my company utilized.  I needed to print and fax something- the business center was well equipped to handle my needs. The guest laundry was most appreciated by all of us- no going home with a bunch of dirty clothes! And best of all- for the one day I was a bit homesick and down- they had Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for sale at the little concession area- what more could a girl want?

So Friday is quickly approaching, and yes I want to go home, be with my family, my new condo and my belongings, but I am going to miss the little part of Denver that was home- the Embassy Suites. Thanks for making me feel so comfortable while I was so far from home!

Yours truly-

Room 208

Drive Through Embassy Suites Denver Tech Center!

If you choose to drive to your vacation spot you may want to think about stopping to rest before your next leg of your journey.  We offer all the amenities to help you relax so you can maximize your sleep before getting up and finishing your trip.  We can even set a reservation for you on the way back to ensure you have your room for your return home.

Tired drivers have been attributed to many accidents on the road and there are even reports that claim a tired driver is as dangerous as a drunk driver.  If you’re traveling with your family this maybe a great opportunity to split the driving up and let the kids work off that pent up energy in our pool!  Plus you can sit down to a real meal instead of another 99¢ heart attack in a bag.

If you’re driving from some of these cities or states we see a spike in our reservations from these areas due to vacationing families driving through on their way to their final vacation spot.

1.  Colorado Springs

2.  Atlanta Georgia

3.  Salt Lake City, Utah

4.  Cheyenne, Wyoming

5.  Fort Collins

6.  Pueblo

If your coming from one of these cities or others please consider us for your break from driving and stretch your legs here and sleep peacefully before continuing to your final vacation destination.  Have a safe and wonderful vacation!

Eight websites every traveler needs

vacationist.com
Private flash sales on stays at some of the world's most stylish and luxurious hotels.

hopstop.com
Subway and bus directions for eight domestic (New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., among others) and two international (Paris and London) cities.

oanda.com
T+L’s currency converter of choice, covering 164 different currencies.

thebathroomdiaries.com
Public restroom locations for more than 120 countries.

travel.state.gov
Travel advisories covering everything from civil unrest to health concerns.

travelersnet.com
Lists phone numbers for more than 100 domestic and international airlines.

urbanrail.net
Comprehensive subway maps for 250–300 cities worldwide.

world-airport-codes.com
Searchable database of more than 9,000 worldwide airport codes.

Traveling and Keeping to Your Diet

There are plenty of temptations on the road to divert you from your diet - but with some planning, you can stay committed.
Difficulty:
Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need

·         Bottled Water

·         Granola Bars

·         Hot Cereal Packets

·         Individual Boxes Of Cereal

·         Individual Cans Of Fruit

·         Camping Utensils

o        1  Avoid "road food" if you can by bringing along your own food on trips. Convenience foods such as granola bars, canned fruit, bottled water, single-serving boxes of cold cereal and packets of hot cereal require no refrigeration.

o        2  Carry around your own utensils so that you're not forced to rely on restaurants for meals. If you must dine out, have your own menu in mind without looking at the restaurant's. Think healthy, such as steamed vegetables, fish and grilled chicken.

o        3  Keep in mind methods of food preparation, calories and portions.

o        4  Give the airline 24 hours' notice and order a special meal if you're flying - you can usually select from a variety of foods. If not, eat before you get to the airport, or consider step 1.

o        5  Keep yourself busy to avoid excess snacking. Do you have an extended wait between connecting flights? Walk the magazine aisles. Anticipating long lines? Bring a book.

Luggage and Security

No one who has kept even half an eye on the news in the last couple of years could fail to be aware of the increasing need for airports and airlines to be ever more vigilant regarding security. Luggage remains one of the most scrutinized aspects of this security, and information is widely publicized regarding general advice and ways in which the public can help airports to maintain this level of risk reduction.

But although we generally understand the need for tightened security I want to give some tips on getting through security fairly easily as well as getting my bag at the end of my trip.  How many black bags look just like MINE! 

Obviously making your luggage easy to identify quickly saves time at the airline baggage carousel. I’ve seen  a brightly colored tape, available at art or office supply stores, and made into an 8 inch tall initial and stuck to the luggage. Easy to pick out, even from a distance. But over all a little ugly.

And how many times have we seen the handkerchief tied to the handle… to many times and what happens if the airline handlers loose it for some reason??  Not that they’re ever rough.

I’ve seen stenciled paw prints on luggage. I think this is a crafty way to make your bag unique.  You can get original stencils from a craft store and you can pick up some colored paint or ink designed for fabric that you like.

Getting through the security lines you may think there’s no help here… it’s just SLOW!  Well here are some tips from TSA themselves to help move you along:

• Pack an organized carry-on bag using layers – a layer of clothes, then electronics, more clothes, and then any heavier items. This will help transportation security officers see what's in your bag. Innocent items can actually appear to be potential threats in an X-ray image, simply by the way they are packed.
• When possible, do not pack oversized electronics (laptops, full-size video game consoles, DVD players and video cameras that use cassettes) in checked baggage. However, please be advised that these items must be removed from carry-on bags and submitted separately for X-ray screening. Click here for "checkpoint friendly" laptop bag procedures. Small electronics, such as iPods, can remain in carry-on baggage.
• Prepare a 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag of liquids before arriving at the airport. For more information on liquid rules: 3-1-1 for carry-ons, click here.
• Pack all coats and jackets in checked baggage when possible. All coats and jackets must go through the X-ray machine for inspection.
• Do not wrap gifts. If a security officer needs to inspect a package, they may have to unwrap the gift. Passengers should refrain from wrapping gifts until arriving at their final destination.  
• Film. Undeveloped film should go in carry-on bags. Passengers will be able to declare film that is faster than 800-speed to a transportation security officer for physical inspection to avoid being X-rayed.
• When in doubt, leave it out. Unsure if an item is prohibited or not? Travelers should place such items in their checked baggage or leave the item at home. Click here to see the list of prohibited items.

I hope this list helps you get through the security check points… Now if only you can arrive on time!  Good luck traveling and we’ll see you here!

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