By Brent Blake, President, Acendas Travel
Some 20 years ago, Acendas Travel struck a partnership with BCD Travel, one of the world’s largest purchasers of corporate travel. The focus of the relationship was to share buying power and technology assets.
Since that time, the Acendas – BCD relationship has developed from a simple exchange of resources to a collaborative platform to serve the marketplace. In fact, Acendas is now a wholly owned subsidiary of BCD Travel.
What does that mean for businesses seeking solutions for their travel needs? It means that associates at every level of Acendas and BCD are working together to develop tools that enable businesses to maximize their financial investment in travel, be more efficient in booking travel, provide for a more safe and productive travel experience, and enhance traveler decision-making when on the road. Together, the Acendas – BCD partnership delivers the best in managed travel for companies of all sizes.
On that basis, BCD has designated Acendas Travel as its Small/Medium Enterprise (SME) brand for managed travel, serving those companies with an annual travel spend (air, hotel, rental car) of $250,000 – $25 million. Being the SME brand within BCD Travel, Acendas solves BCD’s growing need to have a financial stake in a high-touch, proven travel management service provider for clients in the SME range. In addition, it allowed Acendas open access to a wealth of knowledge and global consolidation expertise associated with a worldwide network that includes 1,300 locations across the U.S., 3,200-plus offices worldwide, and the purchasing leverage of annual revenues that exceed $26 billion. This strategic decision has proven to be an overwhelming success for our clients, BCD and Acendas brands.
Our clients, who are positioned in the SME market range of $25MM and under, take advantage of the same industry-leading technology solutions, proprietary corporate travel discounts, global consolidation abilities and analytical reporting platform which are normally afforded to only Fortune 500 companies around the world.
For companies in that SME market, Acendas Travel offers exceptional support for corporate travel services. It brings an entrepreneurial and nimble team backed by the strong investment in developing cutting edge technology of a worldwide leader.
If you are searching for better, the answer might just lie in having the right team behind you.