World Travel Service will hold two meet-and-greet sessions on campus Tuesday, Oct. 27, just prior to taking over as Vanderbilt’s new travel agency next Friday. The hourlong sessions will be held at 10:15 a.m. in 214 Light Hall and 3 p.m. in the Sarratt Cinema. Representatives will be on hand to answer travel-related questions.
World Travel, a BCD Travel company, is the world’s third-largest travel management company with extensive experience with higher education clients and international travel. An internal search committee of faculty and staff reviewed agency proposals this summer and recommended that World Travel be selected.
The change to World Travel is set for Friday, Oct. 30. During the switch, the Concur online travel booking tool will not be available from 6 to 10 a.m. If you need to book a trip during the four-hour transition period, World Travel will be available at the following numbers to assist you with your travel booking needs:
- Vanderbilt University: 877-271-9258
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center: 877-549-1570
If you choose to book with an agent during the four-hour transition period, you will need to provide your TSA-required information, credit card and frequent traveler reward number(s). If booking your trip can wait until after the four-hour transition, World Travel Service will have access to your full profile after 10 a.m. that day. Users will continue to access Concur via the link on the Vanderbilt E-Business webpage. Trips booked through the CTM travel agency (our prior travel agency) before the transition will still be valid and will be managed by CTM. For assistance on existing reservations, call CTM at (866) 303-1019.
Vanderbilt Travel will partner with the Faculty Senate, the University Staff Advisory Council and the Medical Center Staff Advisory Council to survey traveler satisfaction with the new service. That survey will occur in mid-December and again in February 2016 to gather feedback on how the new travel agency is performing and identify any potential areas for improvement if necessary.
An FAQ on the transition is available here. For further information, please email travel@vanderbilt.edu.