CHICAGO – Dallas-based Traxo and New York-based Rocketrip announced at the ACTE Global Summit in Chicago a partnership to bring corporate travel budget incentives to previously unmanaged off-channel bookings. The partnership will allow Rocketrip clients to optimize their travel spend by applying “Price to Beat” incentives to bookings made outside of a traditional travel management company (TMC) or online booking tool (OBT).
“Partnering with Traxo gives Rocketrip the opportunity to bring corporate travel incentives to bookings from ANY channel, including supplier direct and OTAs,” said Rocketrip Founder and CEO Dan Ruch. “Bringing these previously ‘invisible’ bookings into the Rocketrip platform will give companies greater assurance that employees will make smart decisions on their business travel purchases, while simultaneously giving employees more flexibility on where to book.”
Rocketrip helps companies reduce travel costs by rewarding employees who save on business travel. For every dollar saved when booking trips, employees keep a portion of that savings to spend on an array of rewards, prizes, and experiences ranging from family vacations to home improvements to a day at the spa. By motivating employees to spend less on their flights, hotels, trains, and rental cars, Rocketrip clients have seen savings of over $200 on the average business trip.
“We’re thrilled to add an innovative partner like Rocketrip to our Traxo CONNECT marketplace because of the tangible value they provide to corporate clients by incenting budget-friendly purchase decisions,” said Traxo Chief Commercial Officer Cara Whitehill. “This approach makes it easier for companies to offer more employee-friendly travel options because they still get the same budget management capabilities even if travelers book outside the managed program.”
Once live, Rocketrip clients who use the service via their TMC will be able to sign up for Traxo CONNECT to automatically capture non-TMC booking details and sync them to Rocketrip for post-transaction budget tracking and behavioral change incentives. If a trip exceeds the “Price to Beat,” Rocketrip will automatically notify the employee and encourage them to rebook a more budget-friendly option. Existing Traxo CONNECT clients will be able to sign up with Rocketrip and authorize their company’s booking data to be automatically synced with Rocketrip via Traxo for real-time reporting and benchmarking.
“Enterprise clients who struggle to enforce compliance will now have a new tool to promote responsible spending habits and to track costs, even among employees who book outside the online booking tools (OBTs),” noted Whitehill. “Employees will be happier with the booking flexibility, travel managers will be happier with the consolidated data visibility, and CFOs will be happier with the cost savings.”
