Travelport has partnered with IBM to create IBM Travel
Manager, a platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help businesses
manage corporate travel spending.
"Delivered via the IBM Cloud, the platform uses IBM
Watson capabilities to intelligently track, manage, predict and analyze travel
costs in one place to fundamentally change how companies manage and optimize
their travel programs," Travelport said in a statement.
According to Travelport, the IBM Travel Manager's reporting
normally would have to be corralled from a number of sources, including travel
agencies and expense systems. IBM Travel Manager harnesses AI technology to
provide that reporting in one place, Travelport said.
It also enables forward-looking projections, like "what-if"
scenarios, Travelport said. That can help businesses by recommending
adjustments in booking behavior patterns to reduce travel spending.
"While other solutions only provide a fragmented
historical picture, IBM Travel Manager combines and normalizes data from all
key sources, allowing for more robust insights and benchmarking than other
reporting solutions," said Fiona Shanley, Travelport's chief customer and
marketing officer.