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American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has launched Travel Vitals, a dynamic travel briefing platform that gives travelers and travel managers a single source for all the information they need before, during and after a business trip. Data is aggregated from hundreds of sources, allowing users to search travel guidelines by destination, airline, airport, hotel chain, train operator, and ground transportation provider. The know-before-you-go tool shows travel restrictions for specific locations, while also identifying Covid-19 infection rate spikes and hot spots.
The journey assistant is free and available to all travel managers, travel management companies (TMCs) and travelers. For GBT clients and travelers, Travel Vitals powers itinerary-specific information in digital channels, including the Amex GBT mobile app, chat and online booking tools (OBTs). Travel counselors answering calls and messages around the world have full access and are contributing in real time to the refinement of local information.
Mark McSpadden, GBT’s Vice President of Product Strategy and Experience, said: “Trip information is going to be central to building trust and confidence. We have to quickly aggregate relevant data in a world in which guidance changes daily. It’s dynamic, and we’re updating it daily. Given the fluidity of the situation, we can only be as up to date as the information available. For that reason, we welcome additional validated sources. But we’re doing this because for the foreseeable future, we have to manage every trip as if we were planning an event. Door-to-door travel management has long been an aspiration for our industry, but that isn’t enough in these circumstances. The role of the TMC now begins as soon as the need to travel is first identified and ends long after the traveler has returned home.”
For travel managers, Travel Vitals is integrated into the trip audit process and can trigger alerts when journeys are booked to high-risk destinations. Reporting capabilities monitor future bookings, helping drive policy compliance when hotel stays, or ground options are not booked alongside air travel. Conversely, reports track historical bookings, critical if an individual’s movements need to be retrospectively traced because of an infection rate spike in a specific location.
While Travel Vitals is available to all online, GBT is consciously pursuing a mobile-first strategy to instill maximum confidence in our clients and travelers. “We want this content to be easy for travelers to access while they’re on the move. To chat with a travel counselor on the mobile app, use messaging like Apple Business Chat, or receive notifications from the travel manager while on a trip, all helps travelers feel confident and connected,” added McSpadden.
About American Express Global Business Travel
American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) is the world’s leading business partner for managed travel. We help companies and employees prosper by making sure travelers are present where and when it matters. We keep global business moving with the powerful backing of 18,000 travel professionals in more than 140 countries. Companies of all sizes, and in all places, rely on GBT to provide travel management services, organize meetings and events, and deliver business travel consulting.
Source: American Express Global Business Travel
