Egencia® TripNavigator Launches for iPhone

-- A "Smart Travel Companion" App for Business Travellers Worldwide

-- App offers 'turn-by-turn' guidance, access to full-content hotel shopping and quick access to Egencia customer service

LONDON, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Egencia®, the business travel brand of the Expedia group (NASDAQ: EXPE), today announced the worldwide launch of Egencia® TripNavigator, a "smart travel companion" app for business travellers. Egencia TripNavigator improves travellers' in-trip experiences by displaying a contextualised, actionable view of the itinerary, real-time alerts, and full-content hotel shopping and booking to reduce friction as travel plans change, expectedly or unexpectedly.

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As mobile adoption grows around the world, corporate travellers are turning to their smartphones and tablets for help. In fact, a recent Future of Travel survey from Expedia® and Egencia found that 70% of 18-30 year-old professionals use their mobile devices when booking travel or monitoring their trip in Europe.

Christophe Peymirat, Senior Vice President of Egencia in Europe and Asia Pacific, points out, "As the Future of Travel study shows, travellers will increasingly look at their mobile devices to help save time and be more efficient when they are on the go. With Egencia TripNavigator, we are addressing this trend and continuing our core strategy of leveraging research and development from the Expedia group to accelerate our rhythm of innovation. Through technology, we will continue to dramatically improve the traveller experience."

With a consumer-grade interface, Egencia TripNavigator incorporates technology from the Expedia brand's acquisition of Mobiata®, a creator of best-selling mobile travel apps, with a design that has been optimised for the more complex world of business travel.  Developed with feedback from Egencia customers, the app provides travellers with step-by-step navigation, much like a GPS device offers driving directions, and features, among other things, access to Egencia's robust global hotel inventory.

"Consumer brands have set a high bar with leisure travel apps that travel management companies, like Egencia, need to meet in order to drive sustained use of corporate travel apps," says Rob Greyber, President of Egencia. "Egencia TripNavigator brings the best consumer travel experience to the enterprise user, serving as a must-have mobile travel assistant with integrated access to Egencia Customer Service when help is needed."

Fully integrated into Egencia's travel management platform, the app provides all of the same hotel choices, policy-compliant options and peer reviews available on the Egencia web site.

As Richard Sebald, Manager of Meeting & Travel Services at Bearing Point says, "TripNavigator puts a sleek app with up-to-the-minute design in the hands of our travellers. It provides critical hotel booking help on the spot, no matter where they are. From a mobile device, they can choose from a full set of in-policy options, just like they would on the web-site in the office."

Egencia TripNavigator provides a clear and interactive view of the traveller's current trip by delivering relevant information based on the trip timeline. TripNavigator calls out important information and the next logical action a traveller should take. For example:

• It is time to check-in for your flight and a check-in action;
• A hotel has not yet been booked for your trip with an option to book a hotel now;
• Remember to fill up your rental car including an interactive map to guide a user to nearby petrol stations;
• Your flight is delayed or cancelled along with actions to book a new flight or a room at a local hotel; and
• A major event (with details) is impacting your travel plans and options to connect with an Egencia Travel Consultant.

Egencia TripNavigator is available to Egencia clients from Egencia apps on the iOS platform. Egencia will deliver this functionality in native app format for Android phones in early 2014. Any user, including non-Egencia clients, can download the app and take it for a test drive via the "Explore" option available on the "Sign In" screen.

About Egencia, an Expedia group brand
Egencia is a leading full-service travel management company delivering innovative business travel technology and expert local service to more than 10,000 clients in more than 60 countries around the world. As part of the Expedia group, the world's largest travel marketplace, Egencia provides forward-looking companies with the ability to drive compliance and cost savings in their travel programmes, while meeting the needs and requirements of the modern business traveller.  For more information please visit us at www.egencia.co.uk or connect with us on Twitter @Egencia_UK.

Egencia and the Egencia logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Expedia group in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. © 2013 Egencia, LLC.  All rights reserved. CST # 2083922-50.

SOURCE Egencia