Travelport has completed the integration of Deem with the Travelport
Plus platform and, with its improved content access, plans to make more
of a global push for use of its booking tool.
Travelport announced in March its acquisition of Deem from Enterprise
Holdings, a move Travelport COO and deputy CEO John Elieson said was a
"natural extension" of Travelport's strategy as it moved to a single
platform. Deem's strengths are in its usability and customer experience,
and the integration helps where it was weaker—in terms of breadth of
content and global reach, he said.
"People told us it works great, and we love it, but we need full
access to content, and it needs to be serviceable," Elieson said. "Now
we're laser-focused on where [Deem] lagged the market, with content,
global applicability and [New Distribution Capability]."
Deem now can support global customers in more than 60 countries,
according to Travelport, and the company next year plans to double its
global footprint with a focus first on Europe, the Middle East and
Africa followed by the Asia-Pacific region. Travelport is in
conversation with potential "operational partners" in that expansion,
Elieson said.
Implementing enhanced emissions data into Deem, already available on
Travelport Plus, also is a near-term goal, the company said.
Following the integration, Deem remains an "agnostic" tool in terms
of global distribution systems, with Travelport "fully committed" to
supporting those customers using the booking tool with Sabre or Amadeus,
Elieson said.
One thing that did change, however, was its name. Gone is the Etta
name that Deem introduced upon launch of the booking tool that replaced
its Work Fource platform. The booking platform is now simply Deem, which
Elieson said was a stronger name on the market.
"Deem is a great brand, and there is a lot of loyalty and affinity with that brand," he said.
Travelport also will look at the expense reporting side with Deem.
While Deem already has relationships with some expense suppliers, that
could be enhanced by a deepened relationship or a proprietary tool
associated with the platform, according to Elieson.
Source: Business Travel News