Hickory Travel Systems today announced a partnership with ProcurePoint Travel Solutions

, a leader in online sourcing and negotiation for corporate hotel services.
Under this agreement, Hickory will offer ProcurePoint’s software and service solutions to member agencies, which can expect to achieve major process improvements in working with hotels to determine rates for rooms and services related to transient travel and off-site meetings. In the second half of 2002, ProcurePoint clients negotiated for more than 450,000 room nights with nearly 1500 hotels in 50 countries. 

Hickory’s 85 member agencies serve the travel needs of more than 20,000 corporate clients worldwide. Currently, the Hickory/Custom Travel Worldwide Preferred Hotel Program consists of more than 6,000 hotel listings in 1,000 cities and 100 countries.  Using ProcurePoint Enterprise Transient, Hickory member agencies will be able to automate the hotel sourcing and negotiation process and close contracts quickly and efficiently, driving best value for their corporate clients. Hotels will benefit from a transparent, streamlined and fair process which focuses on best overall value.

 

Commenting on the new agreement, Ed Sarraille, president and CEO of ProcurePoint, said that Hickory Travel Systems is helping its member agencies stay ahead of the curve as they take advantage of the growing convergence of travel and procurement within corporations. “By offering our platform to its members,” Sarraille said,  “Hickory Travel Systems is taking a leadership role in helping companies integrate procurement best practices into their hotel spending as they streamline operations and maximize value.”

 

“Our goal is to help our member agencies work more efficiently and, as a result, boost their bottom lines,” said Alfred J. Luthy, vice president hotel programs for Hickory/Custom Travel Systems. “ProcurePoint has already been used successfully by a number of Fortune 500 companies—including some clients of Hickory members—dramatically reducing the time and energy travel managers must devote to the process of negotiating transient travel. We believe it will provide our member agencies a means to streamline their operations while at the same time improving the level of service they can provide their clients.  Partnering with ProcurePoint supports our ultimate goal of helping our member agencies gain a competitive edge in this tough marketplace.”

 

Related stories on ITN:

(17/01/2003) Procurepoint Releases 2003 Preferred Corporate Hotel Rates

(13/05/2002) New Appointment for ProcurePoint Travel Solutions

(26/02/2002) ProcurePoint Delivers Revolutionary Travel Software

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