George Washington faculty and staff now have one place to access their travel information thanks to a new online travel booking tool.
iBuy Travel, the first phase of an all-in-one travel and expense reimbursement solution, allows users to make air, rail, hotel and car reservations; receive itineraries and notifications via email and text; create passenger profiles; and pay online with a GW P-Card or personal credit card. Housed within iBuy Central, the tool is available 24-7 and is provided by American Express Business Travel.
In an effort to better control costs associated with travel, GW established the iBuyTravel portal in November to integrate with an expense reimbursement system. Both travel and expense reconciliations now occur within a single application, offering a smooth travel, receipt and timely reimbursement process for GW staff and faculty.
The portal will be managed by Travel Manager Marguerite Gustkey, former travel services manager at Penn State University.
“After developing the travel program for Penn State and managing that program for 25 years, I am looking forward to a new challenge at George Washington,” she said. “I’m confident that with the support and enthusiasm that I have seen in my early interactions at George Washington, we will be able to bring about some helpful added services, new pricing opportunities and customer service for the traveling faculty and staff.”
Within the travel portal, users can expect to find prices that match those of other online travel tools such as Orbitz and Travelocity; however, negotiated agreements George Washington has with United, American and Delta airlines should provide users with a minimum discount of 2 percent beyond these prices, as well as greater savings between select cities and select hotel chains.
GW School Grants Coordinator Gary Reynolds said he found cheaper rates for car rentals and hotels using iBuy Travel, and also received the 2 percent discount on airfare. “It is nice to find cheaper pricing than the airlines’ websites,” he said. “The system is really easy to use.”
For group travel or complex travel requirements, GW’s contract with American Express Business Travel Services provides travel agent services through TravelLink at 1-888-477-0451. The agents at TravelLink are experts in all types of travel and stand ready to assist callers with bookings.
American Express will also assist users with event and conference planning. From site availability to contract negotiation, American Express offers full-service events planning at a variety of levels to meet individual needs.
Fees associated with the iBuy Travel services begin at $8 per airline or rail booking and are based on individual travel needs and requirements. For more information, visit http://www.gwu.edu/~supchn/iBuy_Travel/ or email travel
gwu [dot] edu (travel[at]gwu[dot]edu).