May 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

United Airlines NDC

Spotnana has added an advanced direct NDC integration with United Airlines, providing a wide range of benefits throughout the entire traveler journey.

During the booking process, travelers can now benefit from United’s continuous pricing, which provides access to 40% more fares with price points that are the same or lower than fares available via EDIFACT-based distribution channels. Corporations can also negotiate custom bundles that include a variety of amenities, and travelers can apply their loyalty status benefits when selecting seats.

Once the booking is complete, travelers have the flexibility to make self-service changes and cancellations, and servicing can occur either through Spotnana or United with data synced across both parties. In addition, if United is responsible for a flight change, travelers are automatically rescheduled, and should a traveler wish to change their flight or cancel, waiver codes are automatically applied. Spotnana’s real-time analytics have also been updated to allow travelers and travel managers to view and download reports with integrated data across NDC and EDIFACT-based bookings.

Expedia Content

Users can now book Expedia properties directly in the Spotnana Online Booking Tool, granting access to over 1 million properties across 200+ countries. This integration expands rate options and introduces new properties, providing more choices to travelers. Expedia rates can be easily identified by the Expedia logo displayed next to the price. Available Expedia rates require prepayment at the time of booking, except for a destination fee (local taxes & resort fees) that is payable upon hotel check-in.

Expedia content is exclusively accessible for US-based entities, and transactions are made in USD.

Search and Trips

Refund and credit options for flight cancellations

Airline tickets have fare rules that outline important information such as the price, refund eligibility, and any additional fees for modifying the booking. In some cases, if a traveler cancels a flight, the fare rules may allow a traveler to choose to pay a cancellation fee and receive a partial refund or receive a flight credit for the full booking value. Previously for this scenario, travelers had to work with an agent to make their selection.

Now, if a credit option is available for a greater amount than a refund, the Spotnana Online Booking Tool will present the credit amount alongside the refund amount. The traveler can then select between receiving a credit or a refund and continue with the self-service cancellation.

This is typically a fully automated process, but in cases where self-service cancellation is not possible, users can submit a cancellation request, or create a chat with an agent with the cancellation details pre-populated for quick and efficient support.

Enhanced seat selection and status emails for flights

We have enhanced our seat selection and status email notifications for flights to ensure travelers stay well-informed during the booking process and are aware of any seat-related changes. Travelers will receive email notifications in the following situations:

• Seat selection confirmation: Travelers will receive an email confirmation when they successfully select a seat from the trips page, ensuring their chosen seat is secured.
• Seat or cabin upgrade: Notification when a seat or cabin upgrade is granted, providing the traveler with the details of the upgrade.
• Traveler-initiated seat changes: Confirmation emails will be sent when the traveler makes any seat changes and will include updated seat information.

Hotel nightly median rate

Settings can now be enabled to display nightly median rates for hotels during the hotel search. By enabling this feature, the user will conveniently see the nightly median rate displayed alongside hotel search results, facilitating easy comparison and evaluation of different options. Administrators can customize the factors taken into account when calculating the median price, ensuring that hotels located too far away or outside of approved star ratings are not included in the calculation.

To configure and enable the nightly median rate, navigate to the Hotel section within Program > Policies.

Single-room, multi-occupancy hotels

Spotnana now offers the ability to book hotel rooms that accommodate multiple travelers in one room. When searching for a hotel, users can easily specify the number of travelers using a drop-down menu. With the option to add up to 5 travelers, the search results will be automatically filtered to display only the rooms that can accommodate the specified number of individuals.

Hotel search by office location

Users can now use office locations as the central point for hotel searches, making it convenient to find nearby properties. Company administrators can add office locations by accessing the Program > Company tab and navigating to the Offices section.

To assist users in visualizing the distance, these office locations will be displayed on the search result map with a corresponding logo. This visual representation simplifies the process of selecting hotel accommodations near the desired office location.

Please note: If office locations have been added previously, company administrators will need to re-enter any locations to be used for search purposes and ensure their visibility on the map.

Policy and Reporting

Restrict bookings for specific suppliers, keywords, and locations

Company administrators now have additional settings for restricting travel options:

• Restricted suppliers: Restrict booking from specific suppliers (airlines, specific hotel properties, hotel chains, and car rental companies). Restricted suppliers will still appear in search results, but travelers will not be able to book with these suppliers.
• Restricted hotel room rates by keyword: Restrict booking specific hotel room types based on designated keywords. The keywords can be configured by an administrator and will be compared to the hotel room rate name and description. If there’s a match, travelers will not be able to book that room rate, and the reason for the restriction will be displayed to the traveler.
• Restricted locations: Restrict travel bookings for specific countries designated by the company administrator. Restrictions can be set for specific booking types (air, hotel, rail, and/or car) or all booking types.

Settings for restricting bookings for specific suppliers, restricting by country, and restricting hotels by keyword options can all be configured within Company and Policy settings. For more details on how to configure these settings, see the Preferred and Restricted Suppliers User Guide.