Isochronous

So apparently the company is adopting Egencia as the corporate travel booking tool.

Since this is run by Expedia I assume being forced to use this will deprive us of SPG benefits/points and the same for all other hotels?

mahasamatman

I believe you'll be OK, since Egencia is a real travel agency and not an OTA.

Isochronous

I can only hope that's true! Would be grateful to hear from others with experience using them.

DeathRabbit

You have to be very careful of the rate you select when booking using Egencia. Some rates chosen mean you will get no benefits at check-in. I had a colleague learn this the hard way when he arrived at a hotel.

The options you have for booking in/out of policy will depend on what corporate policies you've selected. I'm lucky that with our hotels we have full freedom on which rates to chose.

I have found the the customer service you get from Egencia is appalling. I had one flight booked that was cancelled due to a Lufthansa strike. I received no notice from Egencia, and when I called to rebook my flight they told me "we don't have a record of you being booked on that flight". I had to call the airline directly and make other arrangements. Needless to say I was unimpressed.

KENNECTED

Egencia/Expedia Corporate and SPG points?
SPG Stays/Nights Credit

makin'miles

Egencia is the corporate arm of Expedia, right? I'm not surprised the service is terrible - Expedia customer service is an absolute disaster.

LoganFlyer

My company just switched to Egencia as well. The trick for us at least is to make sure to pick a hotel rate that explicitly states that it's eligible for hotel loyalty points, otherwise you risk getting no benefits or points for the stay. (Very thankfully, I work for a company that is willing to let us book a more expensive room to make sure we get the points.)

DeathRabbit

I'm in the same situation. It's definitely what you have to do with Egencia.

uppereastsider

I use Egencia and am able to renew my platinum status with it.

You need to book a rate that is points Eligible - specifically, an "Egencia Preferred Rate" or a "Negotiated Rate" (if your company has a negotiated rate with a hotel in a specific region).

You need to be careful of looking at a hotel that is "Egencia Preferred" but then ensuring the room you book is on a preferred rate. Some of my colleagues book an Egencia preferred hotel, but book a room at the "special rate", which won't earn points.

Also, be prepared to be friends with [email protected]. About 30% of the hotels I visit that are "Egencia preferred", I don't receive points because of the way their systems are set up. So, I have to email the research team, include a copy of my Egencia itinerary (showing the preferred rate), copy of the receipt and a link explaining how preferred rates work. About 80% of the time, you'll get your points on the first try, but then you'll sometimes have to ask for a supervisor because they will say "You booked on Expedia and can't earn points".

Also, some hotels will see the stay is from Expedia and will not give you platinum benefits. I've asked for breakfast and some have said "well you booked on Expedia". I've said "well its actually Egencia my corporate travel service, and a preferred rate and blah blah". So, be prepared for that battle.

Also, I've never seen a Marriott become points eligible on Egencia. So, that may cause some questions and concerns once the merger actually happens.

On a side note, I've seen plenty of Hyatts that earn points on Egencia... but with 0 of the issues posting points.

Good luck!