Adelman Travel has launched a new service that enables corporate clients to identify high-risk locations and automatically approve or deny travel bookings to such locations based on preset policy controls. Dubbed Hot Spot Approvals, the tool is available for travel originating in the U.S. to domestic and international destinations, according to the Milwaukee-based travel management company, a subsidiary of BCD Travel.
Amid the uncertainty and risk driven by the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, pre-trip approvals have been on the rise, with many companies instituting or enhancing such policies in recent months.
"Due to the global pandemic, travel protocols and requirements are changing constantly, and companies need to be able to evaluate risks and trigger approval requirements in real time based on the destinations they choose," Adelman president and COO Steve Cline said in a statement.
In order to reduce the pain points historically related to pre-trip approvals—including the potential of such policies to create bottlenecks, hinder workflow and drive travelers to out-of-policy booking channels—Adelman has leveraged automation to simplify the process, the TMC said.
The web-based Hot Spot Approvals tool integrates real-time global risk intelligence to enable travel managers to discover and flag high-risk locations. Subsequently, when a traveler attempts to book a trip to a flagged destination, the system emails the authorizer, who can approve or deny the travel with one click. A response then is sent to the traveler and the reservation is automatically ticketed or canceled.
Hot Spot Approvals also provides access to traveler-tracking reports to capture trips already booked to locate employees in an emergency.