American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) today announced Travel Vitals launched, a dynamic online platform where travelers and travel managers can find all the information they need in one place before, during and after a business trip. Data from hundreds of sources are brought together so users can access travel guidelines by destination, airline, airport, hotel chain, railroad and land transportation provider. The know-before-you-go tool shows travel restrictions for specific locations and identifies peaks and hotspots of Covid-19 infections.
The online platform is free and available to all travel managers, travel management companies (TMCs) and travelers. For GBT customers and travelers, Travel Vitals™ provides route-specific information through digital channels, including the Amex GBT mobile app, chat and online booking tools (OBTs). GBT travel advisors who answer phone calls and messages around the world also have full access to the platform, contributing to the refinement of local information in real time.
Mark McSpadden, Vice President of Product Strategy and Experience at GBT said, “Travel information is important to build trust and provide a sense of security. We need to quickly assemble relevant data in a world where guidelines change daily. Travel information is dynamic and we update the online platform daily. But given the volatility of the situation, we can only be as current as the information available. Therefore, we welcome additional validated sources. We do this because, from now on, we need to manage each trip as if we were planning an event. Door-to-door travel management has long been an aspiration within our industry, but it is not enough under these circumstances. The TMC’s role now begins as soon as the need to travel first becomes apparent and ends long after the traveler has returned home.”
For travel managers, Travel Vitals™ is integrated into the travel audit process and can trigger alerts when trips are booked to high-risk destinations. Through reporting, future bookings are monitored. This audit process helps ensure compliance with travel policies when hotel stays or land transportation are not booked with air travel. Conversely, past bookings are tracked through reporting, which is critical if a person’s movements need to be traced retrospectively due to a spike in infection rates at a specific location.
Although Travel Vitals™ is available to everyone online, GBT deliberately follows a mobile-first strategy to give customers and travelers maximum confidence. “We want travelers to have easy access to this information on the go. Chatting with a GBT travel advisor through the mobile app, using messaging services like Apple Business Chat or receiving travel manager notifications during a trip all help travelers feel confident and connected,” McSpadden adds.
