March 2023 - Release Notes

Here are the most recent enhancements to Spotnana’s Travel-as-a-Service Platform. The features are grouped by functional category (Content, Self-service, etc.).

Content 

Discounted Spotnana Saver Fares with American Airlines through NDC

Spotnana Online Booking Tool users can now access special American Airlines discounted fares available through our NDC connection with American Airlines.  

To locate these fares when searching for flights, look out for the “Special prices available” notice. These discounted fares are highlighted as Spotnana Saver fares with the Spotnana “S” logo next to the fare. 

Discounted International Spotnana Saver Fares

Users can now access additional discounted Spotnana Saver fares for international flights. Spotnana Saver fares are negotiated by Spotnana and highlighted with the Spotnana “S” logo next to the fare. 

Self-service 

Hotel Booking Modification

Users now have the ability to select a different rate or room at the same hotel for the same or alternative dates on a self service basis. These changes can be made when the rate is refundable and within the time range allowed for refunds. Bookings that are modifiable can be changed by selecting Change in the options icon next to the booking. Please note that prepaid hotel bookings and Booking.com rates that are modifiable can only be changed by canceling and rebooking in the Online Booking Tool or by contacting an agent.

Profile Editing Safeguards Added for all Travel Types

Many times, arrangers are booking and managing travel across several profiles at one time. Previously, arrangers could accidentally update the wrong profile when trying to confirm details for a traveler on the checkout page. This issue was addressed by adding additional safeguards to prevent such accidental edits for flights. These safeguards have now been added for hotel, car, and rail.

Now, the arranger must select the Edit Profile button to make changes to the profile. This allows the arranger to avoid the risk of accidentally updating the wrong profile when they are booking. 

Search and Trips 

Filter Hotel Search by Modifiable Rates 

A new filter has been added to the hotel search results page that allows users to display only those rates that are modifiable. Users can see these rates by selecting Show modifiable only in the More Filters drop down menu on the booking results page. 

Enhanced Display of Federal, Government, and Military Rates 

Labels displaying federal, government, and military rates for hotels have been updated to more clearly display these rate types during the booking process. 

Detailed Breakdown for Hotel Payments 

Additional details have been added to the payment page when booking hotels using the Online Booking Tool. Now, when paying for a hotel, the rate, taxes, and fees will each be displayed in separate dedicated rows (in addition to the total due). In addition, if portions of the total payment are due at separate times, the amount due now versus due later will be clearly displayed. These detailed entries will also be included in trip payment details and confirmation emails.

Policy and Reporting

Lowest Logical Fare

Spotnana has added support for the enforcement of policies based on a lowest logical fare (LLF). This includes a mechanism for calculating the lowest fare for a given itinerary. Administrators can customize the parameters that are used to calculate the lowest logical fare for travelers and build in tolerances to allow them to still book flights that reasonably meet their travel needs. For more details, see Spotnana’s Lowest Logical Fare Guide. 

Corporate Preferred Suppliers for Airlines and Hotel Chains

Travel managers can now designate specific airlines and hotel chains as preferred suppliers in Spotnana’s Online Booking Tool. Preferred suppliers are clearly labeled and appear at the top of search results. In addition, the order in which they are displayed can be determined by a travel manager. This feature can be configured in the Preferred Vendors settings located under the Company menu in the Program menu. 

Travel managers were already able to designate specific hotel properties (but not hotel chains) and car rental companies as preferred. This feature expands that list.

Reporting for Out of Policy Violations

Out of policy reason codes and descriptions for past bookings are now available for viewing or download in the Air, Hotel, and Car Transactions reports. As a result, travel administrators can now leverage this data to better understand why bookings were out of policy and determine if making adjustments to their policy is necessary to achieve greater compliance. 

Soft Approval Details Included in Email

Trips subject to soft approval are automatically approved unless one of the approvers chooses to reject the booking within the approval time window. Now, approvers will receive more details in the approval email including the booking window, cancellation policy, policy compliance, and, when applicable, an out of policy reason.