American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), the world’s largest business travel agency, is strengthening its foothold in Finland as SMT starts using the name of its parent company on 29 October 2018. Finnish business travellers and business event organisers will not be forgotten, however; our local expertise will remain in place and be supplemented by the benefits brought about by international volume and service selection.
“Actually, American Express GBT has been focusing even more on local services and markets”, says Client Portfolio Manager Laura Jokinen. “A good example of this is the new implementation model that helps to make the transition to using a travel agency even smoother and easier, especially for companies that do not have a full-time Travel Manager taking care of travel-related matters.”
Perks for business travellers
American Express GBT’s significant position in the international travel market and large volume at destinations around the world will also bring benefits to Finnish business travellers.
“Many local companies do not have the volume to negotiate better contract prices outside of a few key destinations”, Laura reminds us. “When reserving from us, your prices will automatically include benefits on a global level, such as contract prices or additional services. For example, breakfast and Wi-Fi are additional services valued by business travellers that the lowest online room rates do not automatically include.”
Another good example on improving services for Finnish business travellers is GBT Mobile application that will be available for both iOS and Android devices during this year. Thanks to the application, both trip itineraries and new bookings are available anywhere and whenever - always in your pocket.
Local presence remains
Even after the name change, your local contacts will remain available here in Finland. In addition to our head office next to Helsinki Airport, we have offices in Oulu, Vaasa and Turku.
Even more important to us is our network of local experts who work from home to support our clients. This means that our employees can be found everywhere in Finland, from Åland to Rovaniemi and from Joensuu to Salo. Our contact information will remain unchanged and the travel portal will continue to be your window into all things travel – in Finnish as well as English.
“Our expertise concerning the needs of Finnish business travellers and companies remains valuable, even on a global scale. By the number of reservations, Finland is the region with the second-highest online reservations in Europe. This is why we and our feedback are heard”, Laura tells us – speaking from experience.
American Express GBT also offers benefits to local clients. For example, travel can be benchmarked against an even more extensive database, allowing you to gather ideas for travel development from similar companies in Sweden and the UK. You can also easily extend your local travel services contract to your branch offices in other Nordic countries.
Our most important long-term goal was to become the leading business travel agency in Finland, and we have now achieved that. Our dynamic business style and GBT's substantial resources make us a powerful and efficient business travel partner for businesses everywhere in Finland.