P&O TRAVEL is preparing to launch a hotel division to cater specifically for its corporate clients.
Managing director Tony Hughes said the new division was in response to business customers who want to keep a closer eye on their travel budgets.
Hughes said: “Corporates have got a lot more switched on to the fact they need to keep an eye on their hotel spend.
“It used to be the case that companies only considered air fares in working out the costs of their travel.
“We would have a situation where one of our consultants could be taking a reservation for the cheapest flight, but the business traveller would then think nothing of spending thousands of pounds on hotel accommodation.”
P&O’s hotel division will be launched in November and will be operated from its Liverpool office.
Hughes said he has enlisted the help of a hotel consultant who is negotiating special deals which P&O will then be able to offer to its corporate clients.
He said: “We currently work with hotel specialists when we want to book accommodation. We will continue to work with them, but it is just that we want to be in charge of booking the bulk of the accommodation ourselves.”
Clients who want to book air only will call one telephone number while those wanting to make air and hotel bookings will be asked to dial a different number. The calls will then be routed through to the correct person.
Meanwhile, the agency has signed up Budget Rent A Car and three other companies on its books.
The three other companies are – St Paul Management which has switched its £1.2m travel business from Gray Dawes Travel; Bush Boake Allen, which switched its £1.2m travel account from Intra Business; and Hepworth, a global company which previously used various agencies including Carlson.