BCD Travel launches new digital platform

Buying Business Travel | September 30, 2019

BCD Travel has released Connect, a “digital engagement platform” that enables peer collaboration and provides access to training material and industry information.Connect provides the TMC’s customers with community discussion groups, as well as information on programme best practices, product updates and case studies. It also features proprietary research, industry trends, support and account details.Yannis Karmis, senior VP of product planning and innovation for BCD Travel, said: “At BCD Travel we do more than manage travel programmes. We serve as a trusted advisor to our customers. Connect will give our customers a dynamic digital environment in which to interact with BCD programme optimisation and technology experts, peers with shared interests and provide information and guidance on our various products and solutions.

Spotlight

Spotlight

Related News

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY

Leading Well-Being Brand, Exhale™ Continues Its Expansion in Hospitality With Iconic Virgin Hotels New York City

businesswire | May 26, 2023

Exhale™ the leading health and wellness brand, announces a collaboration with Virgin Hotels New York City to help serve hotel guests and the community with access to its transformative mind-body therapies and programming. Exhale™ continues to expand its footprint, giving communities a new standard of well-being with the proven quality and service for over the last 23 years. The long-standing brand will now offer boutique wellness services catering to the hotel's guests and neighborhood visitors. The updated programming will include recovery services: floating massage chairs, IV drips, sound and vibrational therapy, infrared therapy and the first European snow room to be unveiled in North America. In addition to their well-known fitness and spa services, guests will have an enhanced experience that embraces new technology and services. "Together, Exhale™ and its hospitality partners provide impactful, total mind-body wellness experiences to improve inner and outer well-being through boutique fitness classes, results-driven spa therapies and recovery services while collaborating with the industry's best-in-class partners," said Kim Vaughn, chief commercial officer, Exhale™. "We are thrilled to expand Exhale™ with such an iconic brand like Virgin Hotels, which allows even more people to access our wellbeing-focused programs. Located in this beautiful hotel, Exhale™ is a destination spa experience designed to enhance everyday life and assist our communities with their daily well-being routines." “We look forward to welcoming Exhale™ to Virgin Hotels New York City,” said James Bermingham, chief executive officer, Virgin Hotels. “It will serve as a valuable amenity for our guests and locals looking to relax and recharge from the bustle of Manhattan life. Exhale's foray into the hospitality space will meet the needs of travelers as well as hotel developers. Exhale™ supports several luxury and lifestyle brands across the US and Bermuda. Exhale™ at Virgin Hotels New York City is scheduled to open December 2023. "Exhale™ has been a stalwart brand in NYC for many years, and their move into being more closely aligned with the hospitality industry makes perfect sense as wellness services have been in demand as more people prioritize self-care," said Jeffrey Roseman of Newmark. "Any real estate owner looking to amenitize their property would benefit from a partnership with Exhale™ as they can take smaller spaces and create a best-in-class wellness destination for tenants and area residents." The new Exhale™ space requires a minimal footprint of 4,000 square feet, and the brand has an in-house development, design and construction team that can quickly build out its requirements led by its founder Julia Sutton, architect and designer James Harb and construction management team led by Peter Bryant. of IDCC, LLC This added all in-house service offers owners peace of mind since the tenant has a successful history of setting up shop in raw open space. Exhale™ was founded in 2002 in New York City with its first location. They are most known for being one of the first pioneers of Barre classes and high-quality spa services. The Virgin Hotel marks the brand's fourth NYC outpost in hospitality. About Exhale Exhale™ is a unique well-being brand that has addressed mind and body through spa and fitness for 23 years. Dedicated to total well-being, Exhale™ operates in luxury hotels across the U.S. and Caribbean, offering dozens of proprietary boutique fitness classes and award-winning, transformative spa therapies, including new recovery services with Therabody and IV drips.

Read More

DESTINATION AND TOURISM

CMIT Solutions Expands Its Network of Resources to Enhance Support for Hospitality Industry

prnewswire | April 19, 2023

Leading IT managed services provider (MSP) CMIT Solutions is growing its capacity to serve the hospitality industry with the assistance of HKW, a middle-market private equity firm focused on growth companies in the US and Canada. CMIT Solutions is one of only a few MSPs with hospitality-specific IT and cybersecurity expertise and solutions. HKW's support will help CMIT Solutions bring even more industry-aligned innovation to hoteliers through initiatives like increasing operational efficiencies and IT services fulfillment capabilities. "For many years, we have been the go-to IT and security services provider for more than 400 hotel operators in 41 states. Our reputation for exceptional service within this space is strong, and now we have the opportunity to build on these strengths to define the next level of IT and security support for this rapidly evolving industry," said Jason Arabian, CMIT Solutions Chief Strategy Officer and founder of the CMIT Solutions Central Rhode Island location that shaped the company's extensive hospitality service offerings. "We have an intimate knowledge of the industry that we've leveraged to create and fine tune a hospitality-specific IT and cybersecurity service bundle. HKW's investment enables our team to improve and scale our capabilities so we can deliver even bigger and better MSP solutions tailored to the hospitality industry." HKW's backing strengthens CMIT Solution's ability to assist a greater number of large hoteliers with expansive portfolios. Establishing a larger central team of IT and security professionals will provide clients with solutions for larger and more complex projects. According to American Hotel and Lodging Association, the demand for hotel lodging has increased 11.1% over the past 12 months. The continued growth of the hospitality industry increases its cyber risk profile driving the need for more sophisticated IT and cybersecurity products and solutions — this makes it the optimum time for HKW's support. CMIT Solutions offers a broad spectrum of technology services, from proactive computer monitoring and maintenance to cybersecurity solutions, with quick support when unexpected crises occur. Through locally-owned locations backed by an expansive network of nationwide resources and technology partners, CMIT Solutions has carved out its niche as an IT company that provides customers with unparalleled levels of one-to-one attention and advanced technology. As a result, the local business community now has a competitive advantage in today's increasingly challenging marketplace. About CMIT Solutions CMIT Solutions LLC (CMIT) is a leading Managed Services Provider (MSP) franchisor delivering information technology (IT) and cybersecurity solutions to businesses. Through a large network of enterprise-class technology resources, the company supports businesses anywhere in the United States and Canada, and its locally owned franchise model enables CMIT to serve customers through high-trust, direct relationships. CMIT offers a wide variety of services and products, including IT management and maintenance, cybersecurity monitoring, help desk support, data backup and recovery, and more. The organization has ranked in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 list for eight consecutive years and is designated as a World Class Franchise by the Franchise Research Institute.

Read More

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY

Everbridge Research Finds Only One-Quarter of Surveyed Organizations Have Solid Travel Risk Management Program

businesswire | April 26, 2023

Everbridge, Inc. the global leader in critical event management (CEM) and national public warning software solutions, revealed findings today that only 24% of surveyed organizations have a strong Travel Risk Management (TRM) program in place as defined by TRM Standard ISO 31030. The results come from the company’s year-long study of more than 200 global C-suite executives. Additionally, only 21% of those surveyed feel that their organizations have adequate measures in place to meet the standard’s key requirements for travel safety. “Addressing potential gaps in a company’s travel risk management program is critical to successfully building a more resilient workforce,” said Tracy Reinhold, Chief Security Officer at Everbridge. “The good news is that the introduction of ISO 31030 has removed much of the guesswork in how to do that. But there is still plenty of room for improvement as organizations seek to mitigate risks and fulfill their duty of care. Even those in the top category should ensure continuous reviews of their programs and policies as risks consistently evolve.” ISO 31030 is the officially recognized International Standard for travel risk management, providing guidance on how to manage risks to organizations and travelers. To help organizations benchmark their travel risk programs against this standard and identify any shortfalls, Everbridge developed Measuring Up Against ISO 31030 – The Travel Risk Management Standard, an online survey measuring the seven key areas of the standard: Understanding risk context; Managing travel risk effectively; Travel risk assessment and treatment; Incident response; Specialist support; Communication and consultation; and Program monitoring and review. Among the survey’s key findings: Only 24% of respondents have a solid travel risk management program in place as defined by ISO 31030 Only 27% of respondents have a clear understanding of their organization’s risk profile Only 36% of respondents feel that their TRM policies are aligned with other organizational policies Only 21% of respondents feel that adequate measures are in place to safeguard travelers Only 19% feel that policies and procedures have been effectively communicated and understood 81% believe their organization needs to improve the way their TRM program is evaluated and reviewed Adds Reinhold: “While risks associated with the global pandemic dominated the attention of travel professionals for the last three years, severe weather events and civil unrest now pose the biggest threats to business travel. ISO guidance is a boon to travel managers as it gives them a chance to evaluate their own programs against industry standards. It is also a terrific opportunity to review and refresh established TRM programs.” To take the survey and see how your organization measures up against ISO 31030, click here. Upon completion of the survey, respondents receive an instant score and a personalized report. Everbridge will present the survey’s key findings and best practices at The Security Event in Birmingham, UK this week, in a session entitled “Regulation & Governance: New ISO 31030 Standard and its Impact on Travel Risk Mitigation.” About Everbridge Everbridge empowers enterprises and government organizations to anticipate, mitigate, respond to, and recover stronger from critical events. In today’s unpredictable world, resilient organizations minimize impact to people and operations, absorb stress, and return to productivity faster when deploying critical event management (CEM) technology. Everbridge digitizes organizational resilience by combining intelligent automation with the industry’s most comprehensive risk data to Keep People Safe and Organizations Running™.

Read More