by Margery Wilson

American Express.  Starting as an express mail company in 1850, the company name is synonymous with travel.  American Express travel products have long been the “gold standard” the world over.

Enter the latest business travel app: mobileXtend.

On May 18 American Express Business Travel unveiled the mobileXtend, an app that provides travelers with comprehensive support while traveling on business. The itinerary is synched to the traveler’s mobile device, along with real-time alerts and information based on destination — including maps, currency conversions, ground transportation options, negotiated business amenities and weather.  The app synchs general travel information, as is already available on many smart phone apps, with the specific travel policies for the traveler’s company. For instance, the traveler will be able to know which hotels have negotiated rates and specific amenities. Travelers also have access to their itinerary and can even stay connected with their personal and professional network through social networking capabilities.

“Both business travelers and the companies that keep them on the road recognize the importance of mobile capabilities and mobile’s potential to provide better communication, control and service,” said Lisa Durocher, senior vice president, American Express Business Travel. “Travelers expect to have access to their travel details while on-trip. At the same time, corporations are looking for a comprehensive solution. Our mobileXtend platform is re-inventing the travel experience by meeting these needs.”

Proprietary technology developed by American Express Business Travel makes enterprise deployment seamless and automates the delivery of travel reservations directly to the mobile device. The global solution is compatible with leading devices such as BlackBerry® smartphones and iPhones and can work with any mobile phone that is SMS text message enabled.

“We have invested in creating this proprietary technology to standardize travel information into one electronic language,” continued Durocher. “Through DTR, American Express Business Travel has been able to collaborate with multiple mobile technology developers and integrate these leading services to provide a comprehensive feature set that can be configured to meet the varying needs of our corporate clients. MobileXtend delivers what travelers increasingly demand by combining traveler-focused applications and functionality with enterprise technology and service.”

Johnny Thorsen, the co-founder & CEO of conTgo, commented, “conTgo is excited and proud to have worked closely with American Express Business Travel over the past five months to design, develop, pilot and launch our seamless integration with mobileXtend. Thanks to DTR technology, we can now integrate our full range of services on a global basis to customers serviced by American Express Business Travel without the traditional “country-by-country” approach. DTR allows us to retrieve and process all relevant travel bookings via a single common interface, resulting in massive cost reductions for business customers and a significantly faster rollout of the solution.”

KEY FEATURES:

* Itinerary management, including on-time alert service delivering each component of the itinerary (air, car, hotel, rail), suggested flight alternatives when necessary

* Destination service delivers relevant messages upon departure and arrival

* Traveler enabled to request keyword-based travel info (i.e., text “taxi” and receive response listing preferred vendors with corresponding telephone numbers)

* Dining search and reservation capabilities

* Flight schedule search

* Map integrations

* World clocks

* Social media integration

* Currency converter & exchange rates

* Click-to-call a travel agent

Additional compliance features and functionality available through SMS text messaging include:

* Policy Manager – Delivers messages to promote and enforce compliant behavior during travel.

* Communication Manager – Target messages to employees based on past, present or future travel.

* Broadcast – Issues a general message to a specified group of employees or travelers without any response tracking; can be sent immediately or with a specified delivery time.

* Survey – Sends a survey question to a select group of mobile numbers. Response is captured and stored and the final results are provided.

A video with information on how the app works can be viewed HERE

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