Dell global category manager Shannon Blando tightened her own hotel program during Covid-19 and paved the way for other travel buyers to realize new opportunities as the industry recovers in 2021.
Like most companies, Dell's business travel came to a
screeching halt in March when the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a
pandemic. But there were some functions within the company that didn't have the
luxury of sheltering in place—namely, technicians. Those men and women were
essential to keeping the rest of us Dell users working for our own companies,
making sure we had the hardware to connect with the world even as we isolated
and stopped going into our offices.
Global category manager Shannon Blando needed to keep her
technicians moving and keep them safe. Like many travel managers, she also saw
a dramatic upheaval that required a programmatic response.
"I work in procurement, so I watch the markets every
day," Blando said. Not only were hotel rates starting to plummet, she
said, hotel closures were creating an environment in which her travelers might
book a room night that ostensibly no longer existed.
Blando could have turned to her travel management partner to
research the bookings manually—TMCs have commented all year about increased
booking complexity and manual interventions they are handling to ensure such
issues are mitigated for their clients.
"We needed an automated solution," she said.
"I knew Tripbam would be able to move quickly, whereas TMCs aren't always
as nimble with technology." Plus, she said, Tripbam had the continuously
updated local market data that could provide insights after the booking. Blando
asked Tripbam to bring hotel closure data forward by adding a duty- of-care tab
on the company's Hotel Intelligence dashboard. This change provided all Tripbam
clients with real-time visibility into reservations made at subsequently closed
hotels that needed to be rebooked.
Indeed, Blando has blazed other trails for her hotel program
that should provide new opportunities for others. She has moved Dell's entire
program to dynamic pricing and negotiated a percentage off local best available rates
with all hotel partners. She also worked with one supplier to iron out a method to keep
corporate sales in the loop as she added new properties to her program without
needing to go through her national account manager to get a deal. This has
resolved a major, longstanding procurement headache that is typically outside
of industry standard.
According
to one of Dell's supplier partners familiar with her strategies, Blando
tends to target the most immoveable suppliers for innovation to prove the
industry can change, not just a particular relationship.
Yet, she's not all about the buyer. Blando is
looking beyond the acute challenges of Covid-19 to position her program and her
partnerships for recovery in 2021. She already has seen it happening. "We
have many fewer rebookings due to hotel closures now," she said. "I'm
seeing the market open back up and we want to be a valued partner as the
industry regains its footing."