Portman Travel goes live with Hotel Tracker - a hotel bill back solution from Barclaycard Business and Conferma

December 14 2007

Barclaycard Business recently announced that its Hotel Tracker, a cutting edge hotel billing system, went live on 8th October with Portman, the UK's leading independent travel management company. Developed and implemented in partnership with Conferma Ltd, a specialist provider of corporate hotel booking tools, Hotel Tracker will streamline hotel payments for corporates, booking agencies and hotels alike.

Portman is the first major travel management company to adopt the technology and will offer the Hotel Tracker solution to its corporate clients. Interest from other travel management companies in this innovative technology has also been strong and Barclaycard Business expects a high demand for it over the coming months.

Hotel Tracker gives each hotel booking a unique reference that is matched against the payment. Barclaycard Business takes responsibility for hotel payments which are charged to the Barclaycard Business Hotel Tracker account upon departure. Hotel Tracker uses Conferma's Hotel Tracker booking platform to track all payments, provide data consolidation and issue prompt and accurate monthly transaction reports. For travel management companies, Hotel Tracker means refused and delayed payments will be a thing of the past. For corporations it removes the frustration and confusion of the hotel bill back by providing accurate and timely management information about hotel spend at a much quicker rate than before, with little change to their current booking process.

Benefits include:

• Reduces time spent on administration and disputes
• Provides corporations with a simple way to track how much individual employees spend and whether they adhere to travel policy
• Gives travel management companies the ability to streamline and improve customer service
• Removes financial exposure for travel management companies and hotel booking agencies
• Offers wide acceptance - any hotel that accepts Visa can participate in the programme
• Reduced financial exposure for hotels

Denise Leleux, Director of Commercial Cards at Barclaycard Business, said:
"Hotel bill back has been an unresolved issue in the business travel industry - and that is why we are delighted to bring Hotel Tracker to our clients. Hotel Tracker is a simple solution to hotel bill back that benefits all stakeholders. Corporate clients will receive more transparent and useful information about their hotel spend, travel management companies and hotel booking agencies will have less financial exposure and a more streamlined system, and hotels will receive payments quickly. It is a win-win solution and we look forward to rolling it out across the industry in the coming months."

Paul Raymond, Managing Director of Conferma, commented:
"We have been overwhelmed with interest in Hotel Tracker and it is easy to see why. For corporate clients, hotels, travel management companies and hotel booking agencies, it provides an automated, centralised, commercial card solution to hotel bill back. This is the first technology of its kind, so we anticipate seeing continued rapid uptake."

Graham Flack, Managing Director of Portman, said:
"Portman has built its reputation on finding innovative ways to deliver a smart travel management service to our customers. Hotel Tracker is a great example of how smart solutions can make a complex issue like hotel bill back simple and beneficial for our clients. We are delighted to be able to again lead the field in offering it to Portman customers first."

Barclaycard Business and Conferma Ltd are currently rolling out this technology. Travel management companies, hotel booking agencies or corporations that are interested in finding out more about Hotel Tracker should contact: 0870 366 2657.

Issued by Filby Mark, Marketing Manager, Barclaycard Business (Mark.Filby@barclaycard.co.uk)