New Amex Tool To Track Hotel Spend

American Express Business Travel's latest innovation is geared toward companies looking for ways to make sure they're not leaking dollars from their corporate hotel programs.

Amex announced Oct. 29 the launch of "AX HotelHub," a tool that monitors hotel rates and spend. AX HotelHub aims to assemble properties from a variety of sources, including GDSs, the internet, consolidators and direct hotel connections, into one single source. With this increase in content -- Amex boasts of joining more than 120,000 properties in this interface -- this "one-stop-shop" can offer a variety of rates, according to Bruno Peynichou, VP of global distribution strategy at American Express.

Benefits: For travelers, the tool is meant to assure them that they will be making booking within corporate policy as well as getting a negotiated rate, Peynichou says. Travel managers will likely concentrate more on using the system to identify hotel usage, and also to drive supplier negotiations, track program performance and determine opportunities for savings, according to Amex.

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