Guest Blog: More room on top – how the right content can drive savings even in a mature travel programme

Your travel programme is mature. Compliance levels are high, preferred suppliers won’t give any more ground on rate, terms or availability and traveller feedback is generally positive. So, what can you do to drive more savings, make processes more efficient and keep stakeholders happy?

One area where you can find more room on top is ‘content’.

To answer all the questions a traveller or booker may have, any booking channel must provide the right breadth of information and depth of supplier choice. Millennial travellers know more about, and are therefore more demanding of, travel choices than previous generations. They also expect the same quality of booking experience as the OTAs provide for their leisure travel. In the social media age, traveller feedback can be more powerful than a cheap rate.

Good content stops the buyer from looking elsewhere and benefits every stakeholder.

The supplier’s product is presented in the most compelling way; the booker or traveller has the reassurance of information that enables informed purchasing decisions to be made, whilst the travel manager drives greater policy compliance.

So, what does good content look like? After ensuring that the choice of preferred suppliers meets travellers’ needs in terms of location, amenities and personal security, the essentials include images that reflect the personality and features of a hotel and its different room types; professionally-translated descriptions (where required), plus detailed information about facilities, services and location, room availability and cancellation policy.

Content also includes NDC (New Distribution Capability), the IATA-sponsored supported programme for the industry adoption of a new, XML-based data transmission standard to enable travel management companies and online booking tools to access airline ancillary services and more dynamic airline pricing.

We have been working closely with our technology partners and key airline suppliers for the last two years on new ways to integrate airline content into our existing booking platforms. We will soon be announcing our NDC development roadmap and are proud to be playing a key part in shaping the roadmap for NDC in the TMC space for the benefit of our customers.

NDC brings opportunities to improve traveller services by ensuring their programmes benefit from the changes.

This blog was posted by Alexander Blunt, Head of Hotel Supplier Relations at FCM Travel Solutions who will be taking part in the Business Travel Show conference panel session ‘Policy – why it’s time for a complete re-think’ at 1600 hours on Wednesday 21^st February