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Worldspan rolls out car rental tool

Worldspan, L.P. has introduced an advanced car rental marketing tool to help suppliers and travel agents increase revenues. Worldspan Car UpSell, a part of Worldspan’s new Encore! content merchandising program, gives car rental companies the ability to display higher-class vehicle options to Worldspan travel agents—while agents are in the booking process.

Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental are the first companies to introduce Car UpSell options worldwide through Worldspan.

Worldspan Car UpSell alerts a travel agent during the booking process when a higher-class vehicle is available from the same car rental company. Car UpSell automatically calculates the cost of the upgrade and gives the travel agent the ability to book the reservation with a single click. For example, when a travel agent requests an economy car, an available upgrade from the supplier is presented on the agent’s screen, prompting the agent to convey the best deal to the traveller and ‘upsell’ the booking. Car UpSell expands sales opportunities and distribution efficiencies for suppliers, and presents higher commission opportunities to travel agents when accepting upgrade offers.

“Car UpSell adds a new layer of marketing power to our car rental technologies by enabling suppliers to promote relevant strategic offerings at the point of sale. Travel agents benefit from seeing value-added offerings in addition to their shopping requests,” said Kathy Fitzpatrick, Worldspan vice president - North America Sales and Worldwide Travel Supplier Solutions. “Through the Worldspan Encore! merchandising program, we will continue to deliver solutions that enhance revenue opportunities for all of our customers.”

Car UpSell is the first in a series of intelligent distribution, merchandising and shopping tools to become available through Worldspan’s new Encore! content merchandising program. The Worldspan Encore! merchandising program builds on the technology infrastructure and solutions Worldspan has created that intelligently gather and present the most comprehensive content during the shopping process and at the point of sale. Car UpSell and forthcoming Encore! solutions are designed to give travel buyers dynamic upsell and cross-sell capabilities, as well as exclusive supplier offerings and other travel distribution advantages through product displays and other marketing techniques.

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With Worldspan Car UpSell, car rental companies can target offerings to specific points of sale or markets through Worldspan, and use real-time tracking and reporting tools to

monitor booking patterns and optimise strategies. Car UpSell is available to suppliers and
travel agencies worldwide, and integrates with Worldspan Car SelectSM and the browser-based Worldspan Go!SM Car Booking Tool, both global shopping and booking solutions.
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