NBTA to Provide Members 2005 Hotel RFP Training

Revised RFP Will Save Time, Improve Data for Travel Managers and Hotels

CONTACT: Caleb Tiller | 703-684-0836 ext. 38

Alexandria, VA (June 8, 2004) – In web-based seminars to be held June 16 and 23 at 2:00 p.m. ET, members of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) will have opportunities to learn more about the Association’s enhanced 2005 NBTA Modular Hotel Request for Proposal (RFP) tool. Additional education will be offered at the NBTA 36th Annual Convention and Trade Show in Orlando, August 1-4, 2004, where attendees can participate in a seminar on the 2005 NBTA Modular Hotel RFP and see a live demonstration in the Technology Pavilion.

The new RFP was designed by the NBTA Hotel Committee with input from corporations, hotels and third-party vendors to provide enhanced efficiency and data quality.

“The changes to the 2005 NBTA Modular Hotel RFP facilitate improved business processes for all parties,” said Beth Caligiuri, Chair of the NBTA Hotel Committee and Strategic Procurement Manager of The Coca-Cola Company. “I encourage all NBTA member buyers and hotels to learn how to save time and enhance their businesses by using the new RFP.”

With the continued goal of supplying the standard RFP for the hotel industry, the Committee made significant revisions to the 2005 version, including splitting the old Core module into two modules -- one for basic property information (Property Basic) and one for client-specific information (Client Specific). Additional changes include rearranging data fields, deleting outdated data fields and adding new data fields to meet demand for property details, such as global positioning.

The June 16 web-based seminar is offered to Direct Members of NBTA, and the June 23 session is offered to Allied Members. For more on NBTA’s NetSmart^TM distance learning sessions and on the NBTA 36th Annual Convention and Trade Show in Orlando website, see www.nbta.org.

The National Business Travel Association is the source for critical information on the business travel industry. For more than 35 years, NBTA has dedicated itself to the professional development of its members through advocacy, education and training, and networking opportunities. NBTA represents over 2,400 corporate travel managers and travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of expenditures within the business travel industry.

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