Travelport and IBM to Integrate Expense Management and Corporate Booking Tools

Travelport GDS has signed an agreement with IBM to jointly deliver an integrated expense management and booking solution that combines IBM’s Global Expense Reporting Solutions (GERS) with the capability to integrate all Travelport GDS bookings.

The deal brings to Travelport and IBM customers an expense management solution with integrated travel booking data regardless of how the transaction was booked.

Under the agreement, Travelport GDS will focus on its core competencies of delivering GDS content and Traversa, the company’s online travel management booking solution.

IBM will provide expense management services via its well known GERS solution that enables employees to submit, approve, reimburse, and monitor T&E and other business related expenses with an efficient automated workflow.

Travellers whose organisations deploy Travelport solutions coupled with GERS will enjoy the convenience of having credit card billings automatically matched against travel reservation transactions.

Corporations will benefit because greater visibility into booked versus actual spend, is a critical component of effective corporate travel policy compliance.

The joint solution offers:

- Increased traveller satisfaction and user adoption

- Enhanced corporate control and travel policy compliance

- Streamlined travel and expense management reimbursement processes

- Expert Global delivery and localised support

- Robust enterprise business travel Intelligence

“Our new agreement with Travelport reflects our commitment to the business travel marketplace,” said Ray Curatolo, director of GERS for IBM. “It is a key step in our strategy to demonstrate IBM’s leadership in global end-to-end travel management.”

Armin Meier, chief commercial officer, Travelport GDS, added, “This integrated solution will provide our mutual customers with innovative expense management capabilities, helping companies control travel and expense processing costs and manage, analyse and retrieve reports on business travel-related operations. Importantly, it will also facilitate travel policy compliance.”

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