Case Study: Short’s Travel Management

“Customers so far have been really receptive to the look and feel of the booking process and the capabilities [of Deem’s solution]…” – David LeCompte, CEO at Short’s Travel Management

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Established in 1946, Short’s Travel Management is a family-owned, woman-owned travel management company based in Iowa. Experts in specialized travel segments including corporate, government, university and sports, groups and meetings, and air charters, Short’s Travel is ranked as one of the top-30 travel management companies today and named “the most innovative TMC” by a top consultant in the industry.

“We are pretty niche in the fact that we do a lot of sport travel. We handle some unique clients,” said David LeCompte, CEO at Short’s Travel Management. “I think clients come to us because they feel like they are getting the best of both worlds; they can leverage our volumes because we have the size and are a player in the travel marketplace. But we also have the nimbleness to create custom solutions based on their needs.”

Short’s Travel recently partnered with Deem to offer more business travel booking solutions to its mid-range through top-level enterprise customers as it sunsets its own proprietary booking platform, STO. The two companies share synergies in industries such as sports and entertainment. And the philosophies of both companies are closely aligned, prizing both agility and technological innovation that focuses on the customer.

“Where another TMC might not be willing or capable of doing custom solutions that really align with their programs, whether it’s something for the travelers or access or development, we’re able to add some of our own toolsets to create custom solutions,” said LeCompte. “And we partner with third parties and integrate wherever we can.”

In addition to shared values, Short’s Travel chose Deem in part for both its Southwest Airlines direct access feature and its robust content around Covid-19 safety. Deem recently created Travel SafetyCheck, which adds airline cleaning protocols and hotel location safety scores within the booking process, where travelers need the information most.

“Customers so far have been really receptive to the look and feel of the booking process and the capabilities [of Deem’s solution] in comparison to what they were already getting with our own tool,” added LeCompte. For any TMC, choosing a partner also impacts its operations and culture. For Short’s Travel, collaborating with Deem has provided the experience they were looking for. “We’re really excited about the partnership,” said LeCompte, “I feel like we’re getting a lot of support and our timelines are moving exactly how we were hoping for. Just knowing that, in this environment and that the resources that travel companies have can be limited, I have appreciated feeling like a priority.”

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