Expedia Corporate Travel surpasses industry expectations

February 11, 2004 |

Expedia Corporate Travel is the travel provider for more than 1,100 actively-booking companies and has achieved an online adoption rate of more than 80 percent.

Expedia Corporate Travel is the travel provider for more than 1,100 actively-booking companies and has achieved an online adoption rate of more than 80 percent, which far exceeds the industry average.

As part of this momentum, Safeco is the latest Fortune 500 company to name Expedia Corporate Travel, a full-service travel management company operated by Expedia, Inc., as its preferred travel vendor.

“There has been some skepticism in the marketplace on whether online agencies such as Expedia can effectively provide full-service travel solutions for businesses of all sizes,” said Norm Rose, a leading industry analyst and founder/President of Travel Tech Consulting, Inc. “As the first online-based travel management company to announce this level of adoption and traction in the marketplace, Expedia(R) Corporate Travel has proven beyond any doubt that an online travel company can effectively combine low cost with full-service to drive down the overall cost of corporate travel.”

Safeco, a leading provider of personal and small-business insurance products, selected Expedia(R) Corporate Travel following a competitive review and rigorous testing period.

“We decided to sign on with Expedia Corporate Travel based on the site’s user-friendly interface, cost effectiveness, instant ticketing capabilities and round-the-clock accessibility,” said Nancy Dilloo, director of Corporate Services for Safeco. “We’ve been pleased with the service and our employees’ acceptance of using the new online booking tool in the short time we’ve been working with Expedia.”

“Expedia Corporate Travel’s unique hybrid of high-powered technology and client services help reduce companies’ travel expenses, so when adoption rates are high it means cost-savings are maximized,” said Matt Hulett, president of Expedia(R) Corporate Travel. “The bottom line is that our adoption rate symbolizes the confidence, satisfaction and comfort our customers have in using Expedia Corporate Travel for their online and offline travel needs.”

As a recognized leader in the insurance area, Safeco is the latest addition to Expedia Corporate Travel’s diverse client base and joins the ranks of previously announced customers, including Harvard University, Onyx and Salesforce.com, which represent the range of industry sectors that use the service.