Travel Center
Putnam University Center
Willamette University
900 State Street
Salem, Oregon 97301
503-370-6388
How Expedia Corporate Was Chosen
During the past year, the Willamette University Travel Center worked with the Independent Colleges of Washington (ICW) and the Oregon Independent Colleges Association (OICA) to form an ICW/OICA travel consortium. This group investigated several travel management options, including many on-line booking sites.
Expedia was identified as the ICW/OICA consortium vendor through a formal RFP process based on the following:
- It is the only on-line agency currently managing a university consortium, which involves a number of Northeastern private institutions. Those institutions provided very favorable program references.
- Expedia is the world's largest on-line travel provider, which supplies ongoing leverage for maintaining favorable agreements with air, hotel, and vehicle rental vendors.
- Expedia offers the strongest level of support for program implementation, program management, and preferred vendor discount negotiations.
- Expedia's corporate office is in Bellevue, Washington, which provides unique regional support opportunities for ICW and OICA.
- ICW/OICA institutions can individually customize their travel websites, using institutional logos and travel system. Travel sites are created by Expedia and are linked to institutions' primary sites for convenient access.
- According to independent studies, Expedia more frequently displays the lowest fares compared with other on-line agencies, including Orbitz and Travelocity.
- The Expedia Corporate program includes independent air carriers, such as Jet Blue, enhancing the number of lower cost options.
Beginning in August of 2004, Willamette University Travel Center will start to establish Expedia as the primary and preferred on-line corporate travel provider. Throughout the year, we will hold training sessions for faculty and staff, and we will continue to offer travel arrangements for faculty and staff business travel, group travel, athletics, and other unique demands.