To increase cost savings, compliance and convenience, the Department of
University Procurement developed a central University-specific online
gateway for travel reservations. Drexel's new Travel Portal, developed
through Campus Travel Management, a national leader is university travel
consulting, builds on a grow ing
consortium of over 40 colleges and universities. Drexel's portal utilizes
the latest internet travel reservation tools in conjunction with a core
group of participating travel agencies. The Travel Portal is not restricted
to individuals traveling on University business and can also be used for
personal business, as well as by alumni, students, families and friends
of Drexel to make their personal travel reservations.
A review of the University's practices for travel arrangements was completed
and compared with systems from other campuses. University Procurement
identified this opportunity to develop a program to strategically leverage
Drexel's travel volume to provide both internet- and agency-based services
to more effectively meet the collective travel needs of the campus community.
Based on the philosophy that travel services are best purchased when travelers
have the widest possible range of options, the Travel Portal offers not
only travel agency and internet pricing, but volume discount consolidators
and bucket shop airline pricing as well. Specifically:
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Booking
Through the Internet - It is widely understood that there are
many benefits to using the internet as a travel purchasing vehicle.
Most travelers have experienced these benefits with a wide range of
sites on their own. Booking through the Travel Portal offers a few
advantages that booking on your own does not: First, There is a monitoring
system in place to check and recheck the sites that are on the Travel
Portal, and terminate any that do not live up to the high ethical
and operational standards that Drexel demands. Second, booking through
the Travel Portal can protect travelers from errors and/or omissions
on the part of the internet provider. Because the Travel Portal is
built on thousands of transactions from over 40 college and university
communities, the University can usually get your case heard by the
right people, in a timely and fair manner. On the other hand, if you
book outside the Travel Portal, and there's an error or omission,
there's nothing we can do.
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Specific
Carriers - The internet offers discounts, but individual airlines
sometimes offer better discounts on their own sites. How do you know
whether the internet deal you've been offered through the Travel Portal
is better than the airline-direct offer? Well, here's where a travel
agency can help. The Travel Portal includes a number of Drexel preferred
travel agencies, each of which have made a commitment to finding the
cheapest fare with the most expeditious routing.
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International
Flight Consolidators - International flight consolidators are
high-volume airline discounters, mostly for international flights,
whose reduced rates are usually limited to travel agencies. By virtue
of the buying power of the Travel Portal, users have access to the
travel agency buying rates that would otherwise not be available to
you. For further information on this unique resource, visit the "Flights"
page; click "International Consolidators," and then click "Patheo"
to access these deeply discounted airfar es.
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Hotel
Reservations - For outbound reservations, the Travel Portal provides
direct access to a multitude of options including (1) discounted rates
on Choice Hotels, (2) a conventional link to lodgings.com, (3) a unique
link to Hotel Res Center travel agency, (4) special links to Hostelworld
and Bed & Breakfast Network of New York, (5) and for Philadelphia
inbound room reservations, Drexel has negotiated special rates with
Club Quarters and Sheraton City Center.
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Travel
Agencies - The Travel Portal offers five preferred travel agencies
which have agreed to offer users the best price and service levels
at reduced fees.
By using the new
Drexel Travel Portal, we believe the Drexel community will realize its
many benefits:
- Centralization
- One-stop shopping, with help available in the event of errors or
omissions.
- Reduced travel
agency fees - Preferred travel agencies with reduced fees for
online and/or conventional reservations.
- Esoteric
International Airlines - Highly popular discount carriers within
Europe, such as, Air Berlin, Ryan Air and Easy Jet, are all available
through the Travel Portal.
- Useful Links
- Direct links to travel insurance, health and government travel information,
as well as other valuable travel-related information sites.
University Procurement and Campus Travel Management will be updating the
Travel Portal on a regular basis. We encourage the Drexel community to
use the Travel Portal and we welcome any feedback on your experience.
FAQ’s:
Q: Why are only certain airlines emphasized?
A: Some airlines were chosen because of their low prices and
favorable cancellation, change and/or standby terms. Others were chosen
because of familiarity and name recognition. Either way, negotiations
between us and them are ongoing and, we hope, will lead in the future
to improved fares and terms and conditions.
Q: How were the participating travel agencies chosen?
A: Numerous travel agencies were given a chance to bid for our
business. Awards went to those agencies with superior technology, lower
prices and enhanced service levels. Two of which specialize in athletics
and study abroad travel arrangements. These preferred travel agencies
are listed under the "Authorized Travel Agencies" link..
Q: Can Drexel's Visa Procurement Cards be used to make business
travel reservations?
A: Yes, provided that the reservation is for University-sponsored
business travel. Purchasing cards may not be used for personal, spouse,
and/or guest travel without prior approval from University Procurement.
Q: Who can use the Drexel Travel Portal?
A: Faculty, staff, students, groups, guests and visitors of Drexel
University and Drexel University College of Medicine.
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