Author Archives: Scott Gillespie

Let’s Buy Less Effective Trips!

Posted on 05/25/2017

Said no one, ever. Imagine giving management a choice between these two travel programs: “Nickels and Dimes” and “Goldmine”. In the Nickels and Dimes program, they get travelers who are more burned out, more likely to quit, have less productivity, report … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel Management, Travel Policy, Trip Friction | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Hourly Cost of Air Travel

Posted on 01/26/2017

Road warriors, by definition, do a lot of traveling. All their airline tickets add up to some pretty big expenses, as do the hours they spend inside airplanes. Why not take those two pieces of data and show what it … Continue reading →

Posted in Airlines, Data, Metrics and KPIs | Tagged , | 4 Comments

GBT’s Non-GDS Charge Makes Sense

Posted on 10/17/2016

Buyers have a new distribution dilemma. American Express GBT is phasing in a $10 surcharge for handling airline tickets from carriers who don’t use common industry channels for sales and settlement. (More coverage here, here and here.) Think of this as … Continue reading →

Posted in Airlines, Distribution, Travel Management | 4 Comments

Relationship Advice for Road Warriors

Posted on 08/01/2016

Surely a ton of travel creates unique strains for road warriors and their families. Fortunately, these problems are fairly predictable, and can be managed with a bit of planning, effort and honest communication.  If you know a road warrior or … Continue reading →

Posted in Traveler Friction | Tagged , | 1 Comment

What’s The Real Goal of a Travel Program?

Posted on 07/08/2016

  Quick – name three metrics that travel managers care most about…and no, you can’t say savings, savings and savings. Savings, for sure, maybe followed by discounts and policy compliance, or average ticket price/room/car rate.    These are time-tested, industry-accepted, … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Innovation, Travel Management, Travel Procurement, Traveler Friction | Tagged , | 52 Comments

Two Steps Closer to a 2-Channel Future

Posted on 03/30/2016

Travel managers, you’re gonna need a two-channel booking strategy.  Maybe not this year, but fairly soon in the scheme of corporate travel time. The second shoe dropped last week, when The Company Dime broke the news (paywall, worth it) about airlines … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on 03/30/2016 | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

4 Services for Reducing Traveler Friction

Posted on 01/21/2016

Innovation and traveler friction are popular topics for you folks, so here are a few quick profiles of new ways to make life easier for travelers. DUFL – Allows travelers to travel without luggage.  A mashup of FedEx and your favorite … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Tools, Innovation, Traveler Friction | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Top 5 Posts in 2015; What should I write about in 2016?

Posted on 01/05/2016

Let’s start 2016 off in the right direction.. Please tell me what you’d like me to write about. To make things quick, easy and anonymous, here’s a 1-question survey of possible topics: Tell Gillespie what to write about If you’re … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on 01/05/2016 | 1 Comment

Hotel RFP Hell: Is the End at Hand?

Posted on 10/06/2015

Let’s agree that all our friends and colleagues who are in the midst of yet another grueling hotel RFP season should have our sympathies. You’re dealing with big chunks of invisible hotel spend, crappy data on the visible spend, clunky RFP … Continue reading →

Posted in Hotels, Travel Technology | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Delta Makes On-time Bet; Leads on Total Cost of Travel

Posted on 08/03/2015

Remember when Delta capped commissions twenty years ago?  It shocked the industry. Transformed corporate travel programs into cost centers.   Re-wrote the buyer-TMC business model. Ushered in professional procurement practices. Overnight.  Wow. Well, Delta has done it again.  Much less drama … Continue reading →

Posted in Airlines, Innovation, Metrics and KPIs, Travel Procurement | Tagged , , | 3 Comments