— Partnership with The Lido Group enables payment solution for non-card carrying business travellers, as well as access to a wide range of regional hotel properties —
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, August 3, 2015 – American Express Global Business Travel today announced the launch of a Hotel Chargeback Solution, enabling companies to settle hotel charges incurred in Australia for non-card carrying travellers by billing to a nominated central account. The Hotel Chargeback Solution is powered by The Lido Group, an Australian market leader in providing corporate accommodation payment solutions. The partnership with The Lido Group also provides American Express Global Business Travel customers with access to a wide range of non-GDS independent and regional hotel content in Australia.
The Hotel Chargeback solution provides companies with comprehensive, enhanced booking data allowing them to match room rates and incidentals like Wi-Fi and breakfast with the traveller. This data is useful for reconciliation purposes and provides companies with better visibility of their overall travel and expense spending, which in turn can assist with future supplier negotiations.
In addition to providing an alternative payment method for hotel accommodation, the partnership with The Lido Group provides American Express Global Business Travel customers with access to non-GDS hotel content including smaller regional or remote hotels, motels, apartments, and B&Bs. Under this agreement, the 10,500 hotels affiliated with The Lido Group will now be available to American Express Global Business Travel customers through online and offline booking channels. This partnership automates the process for booking these remote or regional hotels, thereby substantially reducing the booking time.
Jo Sully, Vice President and General Manager, American Express Global Business Travel, Australia and New Zealand, said, “It’s not practical for some businesses to provide every employee with a corporate card; furthermore, companies that regularly use contractors, such as within the mining or pharmaceutical sectors, have indicated that a chargeback solution that can provide enhanced data for reconciliation purposes would be greatly beneficial. We are very pleased to be offering this solution to meet their needs.
“In addition, ancillary fees can often amount to thirty percent of total travel and expense spending in a trip. With comprehensive reports on every corporate traveller’s spending, our customers can gain a better understanding of their purchasing patterns, achieve greater travel policy compliance, and be better placed to optimise their preferred supplier agreements.”
The Lido Group Managing Director Steve Mackenzie said, “Our unsurpassed portfolio of regional hotels, combined with our patented chargeback facility and enhanced data, provides a robust and simple solution for businesses that will enable oversight and greater opportunities for savings. By enabling organisations to monitor 100 per cent of a traveller’s accommodation and incidental spending we are setting a new benchmark for the travel industry.”
Ms. Sully continued, “Our partnership with The Lido Group provides us with an extensive portfolio of accommodation options across regional locations that supplements our existing portfolio available through the GDS. Amongst our customers locally, there has been a noticeable increase in the appetite for access to a wider variety of hotel content, particularly across boutique and independent hotels, and those in second-tier cities and remote locations.”
About American Express Global Business Travel
American Express Global Business Travel enables corporations and empowers business travelers with insights, connections and exceptional customer service on a global scale. Through technology and information, American Express Global Business Travel provides leading travel solutions, integrated consulting services, proprietary research, and end-to-end meetings and events capabilities. These innovative offerings enable clients to optimize the return on their travel and meetings investments.
American Express Global Business Travel has operations and network partners in nearly 140 countries worldwide with approximately 12,000 employees. American Express Global Business Travel ranked first among corporate travel providers in the 2014 Corporate Travel 100 (“CT100”), an annual listing compiled by Business Travel News which ranks companies with the largest volume of U.S. air bookings. Learn more about how American Express Global Business Travel connects the world at www.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com.
American Express Global Business Travel (“GBT”) is a joint venture that is not wholly-owned by American Express Company or any of its subsidiaries (“American Express”). “American Express Global Business Travel”, “American Express” and the American Express logo are trademarks of American Express, and are used under limited license.
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