| | Runzheimer: 2005 Go Expenses To Rise 13 Percent<BR clear="none" /><BR clear="none" />Runzheimer International last month outlook overall travel costs will be up 10 percent in 2005, having air, lodging, food and car charges all expected to increase. The travel management consulting and benchmarking corporation said overall air spend will be right up 5 percent. "We expect airline travel volume to rise through 10 percent, but the charges impact of low-cost bag fares as well as competitiveness between the major providers will result in only a Five percent expense increase ,In . the firm stated. Lodging is expected to see the biggest hike as spend is expected to generally be 13 percent higher than this year, given estimated higher prices plus much more occupancy. Meanwhile, the corporation said car rental expend will be up 6 % and meals may spike by Ten %.<BR clear="none" /><BR clear="none" />Demand Strengthens Hotels' Hand With Negotiating Table<BR clear="none" /><BR clear="none" />Citigroup Smith Barney analizer Michael Rietbrock said an increase in corporate transient require over the summer provides resulted in hotels seeing more profits out of rate hikes just occupancy gains. On the meetings side, higher-paying groups are generally replacing lower-rated ones, claimed JP Morgan Chase's Harry Curtis. Deluxe plus upper upscale inns are the beneficiaries with the shift as are economic downturn versus suburban locations. Among hotel firms, this mostly rewards Marriott International, Hilton Hotels Corp. plus Starwood Hotels & Resorts World-wide, the multi-brand majors with which potential buyers are most likely to negotiate chainwide promotions. In rate dialogue, buyers also are gonna face more level of resistance in bargaining within the property level having airport hotels. This jump in corporate traveling has translated in more demand from these mostly midprice accommodations, driving late-August revenue every available room right up almost 10 percent more than a year ago. <BR clear="none" /><BR clear="none" />CWT Rolls Outside Global Reporting Device, Thins Hierarchy<BR clear="none" /><BR clear="none" />Carlson Wagonlit Travel is implementing its Discovery coverage tool so that through the beginning of next year it'll have a common global canceling tool. Such worldwide integration is a main focus of Hubert Joly, leader and CEO associated with Carlson Wagonlit Travel Worldwide due to the fact July. Late a few weeks ago, Joly and Jack O'Neill, leading operating officer pertaining to North America, took about new duties following the resignation of Robin Schleien because president of Carlson Wagonlit Travel North America. Schleien will serve being a consultant until they leaves at the end of March. "It was Robin's decision in order to step down," O'Neill said. "He got Carlson Wagonlit Vacation back from the verge. Personally, I visited CWT with the complete expectancy that we'd be partners." Today O'Neill is responsible for all You actually.S. and Canada customers and workers. Joly, who plans to commit about half of his or her time in the United States, represents the rest of Schleien's duties. "With Robin's leaving, we have the opportunity to lean out the organization and it lean," O'Neill said, "while globalizing the company more, and pulling collectively the sensible discussed services."<BR clear="none" /><BR clear="none" />Meetings Tech Cos. PlanSoft, SeeUthere Merge<BR clear="none" /><BR clear="none" />Meetings technology firms SeeUthere Technologies as well as PlanSoft Inc. last week combined into a new company called OnVantage, headquartered within Santa Clara, Calif. The new business is split into two sections. One, operating beyond SeeUthere's Santa Clara base, is going to focus on serving commercial clients. The other will concentrate on the supplier market place and operate out from PlanSoft's Twinsburg, Ohio, home. This all-stock transaction was charged as a merger of equals. SeeUthere CEO and president John Adjust will serve as President. SeeUthere COO Stanley Chin is going to lead the corporate section. <BR clear="none" /><BR clear="none" />Radius Taps Amadeus In Pursuit Of International Business<BR clear="none" /><BR clear="none" />Global travel management company Radius last week said hello had selected Amadeus to provide a common technology platform for its Business Improvement group. Member companies, which in the United States include things like Northwestern Travel Management, Vacation & Transport and TraveLeaders, "can now compete for important corporate customers, globally," said Distance president and Founder Tony Hughes. "Shared multinational business for Radius shareholders will have the leading office booking instrument, the Radius Tire quality-control (BTN, Aug. 16), mid-office and reporting all looking at a common GDS." Gillian Gibson, vp of the Amadeus multinational buyer group, said the firm customized certain methods "to be specific to help Radius' processes" and that the platform may integrate mid-office technology from either TRX suspension trainer幼urrently used by Radius熔r Amadeus' own product, Global Greatest extent. TQ3 Navigant last month said it picked out Global Max for even more back-office consolidation, doubling the business of the current contract between the two companies and upgrading Navigant acquisition Sato Travel to up to date version of Global Max.
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