Travel Services

Sponsor: Paul Page, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance

Team Leaders: Sandy Anderson, Campus Services
                       Chris Roberts, Hotel, Travel, and Restaurant Administration

The project team reviewing travel services at UMass asked two main questions: is the University providing the right level of service to clients? Is the University using the volume of travel expenditures to full economic advantage? Noting the range of innovative improvements already made in this area, the team recommended implementation of an integrated travel program under the direction of a travel services manager. The leaders of the project team continued to meet in the fall of 1999 to refine their recommendations in light of rapid changes in the airline industry. A job description for the position of travel services manager was developed, as was a preliminary departmental budget. Investing in an integrated travel program at a time when the travel industry is undergoing such changes as airline commission cuts, transaction fees, e-commerce, and agency consolidations is not being made at this time. More data is needed regarding the factors which effect travelers' decision making for purchasing travel, and regarding the university's ability to leverage its travel expenditures to its best advantage.

Go to Progress