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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESPONSE - RFP - P687 TRAVEL MANAGEMENT SERVICES® 4® i I :11 WU 8bbl Ntjl1;IAIC1 �Jn1i5�'If,)a:(lci MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL •; CITY OF FORT COLLINS Submitted by CHOICE TRAVEL 8L CRUISE, INC. A TRAVEL MANAGEMENT COMPANY SINCE 1966 CORPORATE SERVICES COMPUTER STORED CLIENT PROFILE Each traveler will complete a personal preference sheet providing Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc with travel related information Information is then stored in a computer reservation system called a client profile Each file is permanent and is integrated into the traveler's reservation Profiles are reviewed and updated on a quarterly basis or as needed to ensure quality personal service to travelers COMPUTER RESERVATION SYSTEM Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc is equipped with the Amadeus Computer Systems Through the use of these systems, our professionals are able to search and find the lowest available airfares at the time of booking Our system provides instant availability and confirmation on over 6,700 airline, 20 car rental companies with over 5,000 locations, more than 15,000 hotel properties and Amtrak WORKSTATIONS Each state -of -the are workstation enables your Personal Travel Consultant to store information regarding the City of Fort Collins policies and procedures, as well as personal traveler information Corporate billing numbers, frequent flyer numbers, airplane seating and meal preferences, are already in the system at the time of the reservation These workstations are egwped to fax directly to your offices the itinerary and details of travel for your personal review prior to the issuing of the tickets With these workstations, your Personal Travel Consultant can get straight to the point - Your business needs H H u 0 TRAMS INTERFACE WITH THE CRS Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc utilizes the Trams Airline Accounting Program located in the office for a direct interface with the Computer Reservation System to capture all accounting elements necessary for producing passenger reports and summary data CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC t Il N H k hi LJ H, n W CORPORATE SERVICES REPORTING CAPABILITY Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc will provide your company with detailed management reports custom designed to your requests and specific needs Each report can be issued at your convenience monthly, semimonthly, quarterly, semiannualy or annually In addition to the specified minimum reports in your proposal request of a Itemized, monthly, travel reports for City representatives including (1) The Travel Authorization number for the travel documented (II) The full name of each traveler, ticket number, travel dates, and transportation charges by mode of travel (III) Lodging and rental vehicle charges (IV) Exceptions to policy, rates, carriers, and lodging refused by traveler b Official transportation services reserved or purchased with the City's credit card account must be included, to the extent possible, in management information data reports required under contract The contractors must reconcile credit card billing and contractors's billing c Annual usage reports containg a summary of the monthly reporting Below are brief descriptions of reports also available, but the City of Fort Collins is not limited to these reports only Dollar Savings Report: This report indicates the difference between actual fare purchased and the regular fare Other information includes traveler name, date of ticket issue, travel dates and reason for discount fare or extra expense Car Rental Analysis: This report provides the traveler with information regarding frequently used rental agencies Car size, rental rate, traveler name, dates of rental and location are reported Hotel Analysis: This report provides the traveler with information regarding hotels used Hotel rate, number of nights stayed, dates of stay, traveler name, hotel location and confirmation number are all reported Air Travel Analysis: This report describes the fare paid and the restrictions that applied at the time of booking Also reported are cities of travel, carrier used and traveler name With the rising cost of airfare, hotel rooms and car rentals, a reporting system is necessary in tracking the use of cost effective travel management services. By utilizing -our reporting system to set up policies, enforce current procedures and track spending and common travel patterns, expenses are much easier controlled and reduced n CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC ® INTERNATIOWL SERVICES INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL International travel requires expertise in pricing, geography, routing and numerous other skills To ensure professional, accurate and efficient service for our international clients, Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc has designed exclusive International Desks After tracking international travel patterns and examining the number of trips taken over- seas, Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc will negotiate discounted fares on behalf of our clients, if volume permits Also, consolidators may be used in purchasing discount airline tickets INTERNATIONAL RATE DESK To ensure we procure the lowest available international fares, Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc utilizes the industry's most sophisticated quality control resource, the Corp -net International Rate Desk (IRD) RATE QUOTE Our specialist will examine your fixed itinerary and give you the best fare applicable for your special needs, provide you with researched alternate routes to save the City of Fort Collins time and money It is crucial that complex international itineraries allow for proper rest, accommodations and flexibility to ensure peak performance in important meetings e PASSPORTS/VISAS Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc will assist your travelers in obtaining passports and visas for e international travel A passport camera is on premises, along with passport applications and visa applications to speed the application process There is no charge to the city for the pictures when the traveler is arranging their international travel with our office There also is no charge for our consultants to make special arrangements for expediting the documentation other than the postoffice normal charges K P 9 CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC i>, CORPOWTE SERVICES HOTEL DISCOUNTS Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc has access to the lowest hotel rates of any travel management e firm Through our affiliations, we can offer a special hotel rate program to our clinets They are between 20% and 50% below rack rates and 10% to 20% below the standard corporate rates. This adds up to big savings if this program is actively used by the travelers Our agents know to look for these special hotel locations and make you aware of them We will provide as many pocket hotel guides as your company requires This Special Hotel Rate Program is another tool used by Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc to manage travel costs As an authorized travel provider for the State of Colorado, our office also has access to the government rates should they prove to be more economical than our own hotel rate program RENTAL CAR DISCOUNTS RV' 11J F H M M V Through our Corp -Net affiliation and negotiations, Choice Travel & Cruise' clients receive discounts with Dollar Rent a Car and National Car Rental Choice Travel & Cruise will negotiate rates on the City of Fort Collins' behalf with any car rental agency they feel would better suit their needs Rental CARS AND LODGING AT GOVERNMENT RATES Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc is authorized to provide services to the State of Colorado and a copy of the authorization follows this page As such authorization is provided our agency is able and willing to provide rental vehicles and lodging at discounted government rates should they prove more economical than our above listed rates Y2K Compliance Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc has assessed the Y21K compliance status of the three vendors who supply them with the systems now in use in the office at 3501 South Shields All three vendors have assured Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc of their progress toward the Y2K compliance and the upgrades which will be forthcoming prior to the end of the year 1999 C u GENERAL SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION OF CENTRAL SERVICES 225 East 16th Avenue, Suite 800 Denver, Colorado 80203 Phone (303)866-3970 Fax (303) 894-2375 0 June 29, 1998 I I, H of <I -li I Attn JAMES V MUCKLOW CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE 3501 S SHIELDS AVE FORT COLLINS. CO 80526 Dear JAMES V MUCKLOW, STATE OF COLORADO Roy Romer Governor Department of Personnel Andr6 N Pemgre,v Executive Director Richard Malmowsk, Division Director The Statewide Travel Management Program has authorized your travel agency for services to the State of Colorado and Its agencies and Institutions of higher education I have Included your travel agency Information as it will appear In our travel agency listing Please carefully review the Information concerning your travel agency and make sure everything is correct Please do so Immediately If you would like for us to Include a toll - free number or would like to provide additional Information concerning special features your agency offers, please add them to the Information below and return them so we can add them to our directory update We do not Intend to Include your ARC number in our final listing Here Is your travel agency Information enc I D I Travel Agency Name C ntan(si 8 Adi Telecommunications 7 e of u mess FEIN 84-1188874 CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE Phone 970-226-6080 ARC# 06818055 JAMES V MUCKLOW Fax 970-226-5509 small business 3501 S SHIELDS AVE, CO 80526 Tollfree 800-283-6080 Main Office Y E-mail INFO@CHOICETRAVELSYSTE MS COM Above agency provides: You have up to 240 characters (including spaces) to describe your distinctive services _ --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Please remember that we do not guarantee any additional business to State -authorized travel agencies Marketing your travel agency to State agencies and Institutions of higher education is your responsibility Prior to issuing tickets for official State travel, an agency must notify our office in writing that It wishes to use your services My office will then Instruct Diners Club to issue a ghost card number for your travel agency to use for that particular State agency Each ghost card number is unique to one travel agency and to one State agency One of the RFQ requirements is that newly -authorized travel agencies must receive training prior to the issuance of Diners Club ghost card accounts We will soon notify you concerning opportunities for training and marketing to State agencies We look forward to working with your agency � Sincerely, 7, Norm Wilson a Supporting The Business of Colorado State Government c Itelta98y doc I Nil ), 14 IS, l of K ill K I M EMPLOYEE SELECTION Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc hires Travel Consultants with no less than two years experience in an IATA approved office with "hands on" experience on a CRS They are hired on a three month probationary period to demonstrate their ability and expertise in providing the service we expect and need Persons hired with no experience and/or travel training only are not considered `Travel Consultants' They are hired on a three month probationary period and a two year internship under the guidance of one of our professional Consultants Their basic duties at that point will be answering and directing phone calls, taking messages, delivering tickets, filing travel related matter, and going through a rigorous training procedure Basic and advanced training on the computers is obtained at a training center in Texas which they must agree to attend at various periods during the first two years CONTINUING EDUCATION Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc Travel Consultants are encouraged and expected to attend classes and seminars throughout each year to develop and improve their skills and knowledge of both the technology and the locations with which they must work In part, these are provided by the Amadeus training sessions lasting from one to five days, ASTA's CompUSA programs and CTC courses held locally and throughout the world where they can work on credits to obtain their CTC Certification Funds are set aside each year to assist in the Internees and Travel Consultants further education in the travel industry The accomplishments and time spent by the individual is noted during the employee evaluation conferences CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC .. IC I'- III I FI„ CORPORATE SERVICES TICKETING FEES As stipulated in the City of Fort Collins Travel Management Services Request for Proposal, Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc shall not charge additional ticketing fees or charges over and above the cost of the tickets providing the airlines remain at the 8 percent capped commission to travel agencies If commissions decline, Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc will assess a ticketing fee of $3 00 per percentage of decline In other words, at 7% commission the ticketing fee would be $3 00 per ticket, at 6% commission the ticketing fee would be $6 per ticket and so on Ticket exchanges requested by the traveler will carry a $10 ticketing fee Coupons or credits from the airlines applicable toward reducing the fare of the traveler require additional procedures by the ticketing agent and will carry a $10 ticketing fee If the traveler makes three telephone calls after the reservation is completed for any particular trip to change or inquire about changes or reconfirmation of arrangements, there will be a $3 fee for the third call and any thereafter CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC James B O'Neill II, CPPO Director of Purchasing & Risk Management City of Fort Collins 256 W Mountain Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 Thank you for the opportunity to reintroduce Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc and our Travel Management Services Over the past 31 years, Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc has grown to be a strong, reputable force in the travel industry With offices in Fort Collins and over 350 affiliated offices nationwide, we have the experience and technology needed to provide our clients with the best in travel management services Ranked in the top travel management firms in the Front Range, Choice Travel & Cruise,lnc knows what it takes to be successful in this competitive industry Choice Travel & Cruise will take every step possible in making certain that the needs of your travelers are met and we will help you manage your travel expenses by constantly finding ways to save your company money Again, thank you for your time If you or any of your associates have questins regarding the information in this proposal, please do not hesitate to call me We would look forward to serving you and your travel needs Sincerely, ames V Mucklow President n n 0 �y: H h Acknowledgment of receipt of Addendum No 1 by Choice Travel & 1 Cruise, Inc S Signed, e6)amAes V Mucklow N `I AHa J E i �1 H E E l�J CBW Automation -Contact 3939 Automation Way Ft Collins CO 80525 REFERENCES Dave Carson 229-9500 Optimus Corporation -Contact Eric Ringkjob 226-3466 155 East Boardwalk Drive, Suite 300 Ft Collins CO 80525 Colorado State University -Contact Jackie or Laine 491-6242 Various Addresses on Campus Innovative GIS-Contact Frank Schnener or David Buckley 490-5900 e Bankone Budding 2000 South College, Suite 300 Ft Collins CO 80525 eSEACOR-Contact Janez 226-4040 4700 McMurry Drive, Suite 101 Ft Collins CO 80525 Engineering Data Management, Inc -Contact Barb Victor 204-4007 4001 Automation Way Ft Collins CO 80525 U LJ K II AFFILIATIONS Corp -Net International International Association of Travel Agents (IATA) Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) Better Business Bureau Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce African Travel Bureau Fort Collins Visitor and Convention Bureau CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC H 8 4' R 4� x? E N CORP-NET INTERNATIONAL WORLDWIDE AFFILIATES Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc is a stockholder in CORP-NET INTERNATIONAL. Throught CORP-NET, we share a close association with over 50 other travel management companies in over 300 locations around the globe who uphold the same consistent standards our clients can centralize bookings locally, yet have their tickets delivered in over 70 cities The City of Fort Collins may purchase or change tickets at any of our affiliates throughout the world DISCOUNTS CORP-NET INTERNATIONAL does a volume of more than $1 5 billion dollars in travel every year This creates tremendous negotiating strength with airline, hotel and car vendors For example, clients receive hotel discounts of up to 50% below the normal rates and receive preferred treatment MEMBERSHIP In order to be a Corp -net member, a travel management firm must be locally owned and have a caliber of professionalism, service and financial strength that sets it apart from all competitors Our clients are receiving the best in professional service while receiving the lowest fares and rates through Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc and their affiliates all over the world LJ L CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC V CORPORATE SIORVICES TRAVEL COORDINATOR FOR CITY OF FORT COLLINS James Mucklow, President, Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc Founder in 1966 of the 'Rocky Mountain Travel King' agencies known as Denver Travel King, Loveland Travel King, Greeley Travel King, Glenwood Springs Travel King and Boulder Travel King Founder in 1983 of Choice Travel Systems in Colorado with locations in Ft Collins, Loveland, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Downtown Denver, South Denver at 1-25 and 225 and Steamboat Springs 1966-1998 Travel consultant -emphasis on corporate group travel incentives and group travel all over the world Jim is available to see that all facets of the travelers for the City of Fort Collins are coordinated and run smoothly 1 TRAVEL CONSULTANTS ASSIGNED TO THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS .r H R U0 E Ll u ICJ Roberta 'Jean' Miller 1986-1989 Travel Consultant at International Tours, Ft Collins CO, doing general corporate and leisure travel 1989-Present Travel Consultant at Choice Travel and Cruise, Inc specializing in Corporate travel, presently general manager of the agency With twelve years of experience and nine working incorporate travel, Jean's individual skills are exceeded by none in Ft Collins Jean currently averages between 80,000 and 90,000 in booked travel per month Her accuracy with details is the example we have used in setting our standards for our quality control Carol Jordan 1984 Attended Travel School preparatory to beginning a new career 1984-1991 Travel Consultant at Rocky Mountain Travel King, Ft Collins CO 1991-Present Travel Consultant at Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc Fourteen years as a Travel Consultant in the city of Ft Collins have provided Carol with the expertise to book any mode of travel requested by a traveler Although Carol has the aptitude to book both leisure and corporate travel, she much prefers to work with the corporate client Carol's close attention to details involved in completing her traveler's itineraries has enabled her to work closely with Jean Miller in developing the quality control used for all travelers Jennie Baird 1987-1993 Reservationist at Continental Airlines, Denver Co 11 1993-1995 Travel Consultant at Loveland Travel King, Loveland CO 14� 1995-Present Travel Consultant at Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc With eleven years at -a,.,; reservations computer Jennie's speed at booking reservations and accessing vitafinf6wation in the computer is amazing Jennie could easily handle the entire City of Ft Collins travelers each month by herself Jennie is constantly alert for courses or schools which will enhance her capability in reservations and a quick learner with great adaptability at the lessons to which she is exposed CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC 0 I I i IJ L511 1 N, u LJ K M ki ki L� l CORPORATE SERVICES HOURS OF SERVICE Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc provides reqular hours of service from 8 00 a m to 5 30 p m , Monday through Friday, and 9 00 a m to 1 00 p m on Saturday Emergency services out- side working hours and on holidays are covered by a 24-hour, toll -free telephone number of a service which has access to our reservations and profiles to accommodate the client with whatever request they make This service makes notes of the name of caller, their request and what was accomplished or not accomplished, and queues it into our office with the record to be reviewed by our office on the next working day TICKET DELIVERY Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc guarantees ticket delivery upon request with a 30 minute rush guarantee throughout a four mile radius of our office. If no rush delivery is necessary, tickets will be delivered at your request per bid instructions, not later than 2 days nor more than 5 days in advance of scheduled travel date unless the traveler requests otherwise Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc ticket deliveries go out to the travelers on a regular daily basis Electronic tickets for airport pickup are available on a number of the certificated carriers OVERNIGHT DELIVERY Many times, overnight delivery is necessary, and some of our clients rely solely on over- night delivery of tickets to office locations in cities other than where we have offices Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc will send overnight ticket deliveries for the City of Fort Collins and have the cost billed directly to the City of Fort Collins billing number ELECTRONIC TICKETING Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc has the ability with most major certificated airlines to book your traveler's reservations and have the ticket waiting for them at the airport, eliminating the need for ticket deliveries or misplaced tickets This cababdity is also necessary for changes made while the traveler is already in another city or if the City of Fort Collins is flying some- one in for business CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC ® CORPORATE SERVICES ERROR FREE SERVICE As part of Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc 's continual effort to provide our corporate clients with professional, efficient and error free service, we have developed a 7 - step quality control program to ensure our service standards are maintained We find integrating manual quality control procedures with our automated quality control applications is essential in any effort to provide error free service MANUAL CHECKS Our Manual Quality Control entails cross-referencing your computer reservations against each printed ticket and itinerary to check for errors in flight, hotel or car segments before the documents leave our office for delivery The following are the minimum checks performed for each ticket *Date continuity *Accurate accounting infromation *Car and hotel Confirmation numbers *Wartlist information for lower fares *Correct seat assignment *Correct form of payment a *Traveler profile requests *Frequent flyer numbers *Special meal requests *Notification of drop charges *Proper international documentation *Boarding passes(when permitted - many major airlines no longer allow boarding passes prior to check in for for security reasons ) AUTOMATED CHECKS Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc frequently uses FareScan to enhance our manual quality control staff with difficult or cumbersome records Automated quality control is an effective tool in monitoring the following *Seat assignments *Waitlist clearance for lower fares, *Travel policy compliance other flights and better seat *Department or project numbers selection *Employee identification numbers *Itinerary continuity x LJ CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC K �°n 0 CORPORATE SERVICES FARESCAN A third party auditor, not represented by any airline, automatically audits queued fares 24 hours a day to guarantee the lowest fare at the time of ticketing Once a reservation is held in the computer, FareScan "tracks" the fare for different charges If a lower fare is located, FareScan automatically books a reservation on that different flight or fare and alerts our travel consultants that a lower fare is available FareScan also checks other carriers and connections within the traveler's parameters, providing practical alternatives Finally, FareScan will automatically clear waitlist passengers by tracking the availability of open seats FareScan enhances Choice Travel & Cruise's Quality Control Program by checking every detail for consistency on each reservation PERSONAL TRAVEL CONSULTANT Roberta "Jean" Miller will be assigned to serve the City of Fort Collins travelers as their Personal Travel Consultant. Carol Jordan and Jennie Baird will also be assigned as backup consultants for busy times or in case your PTC is not available Each of these consultants have years of corporate travel experience and are easily able to book over $90,000 volume in one month Their resumes are enclosed Upon agreement, Mr Mucklow will arrange a "One on One" meeting between your travel coordinator, the travelers and your assigned PTC, Jean Miller This meeting will give the travelers of the City of Fort Collins the opportunity to specify needs, discuss administrative or accounting requirements of your office and to generally acquaint all parties involved in travel planning This meeting is another of Choice Travel & Cruise' ways of ensuring the best personal and professional service possible Getting to know each other and having a better understanding of your travelers' needs from the beginning is very important in ensuring that your travelers are taken care of in the manner they expect and deserve GUARANTEED RESPONSE TIME Business travel is often urgent, and time is of the essence Choice Travel & Cruise, Inc enforces a guaranteed response time policy In the event your PTC is not available at the time of your call, a 30-minute response time is guaranteed Your PTC or one of the backup consultants for your account will return the call within 30 minutes The same response time limit is enforced for fax or E Mail reservations and any other situation demanding a response, unless otherwise agreed upon between your PTC and your travel coordinator 8 CHOICE TRAVEL & CRUISE, INC.