New Brand Introduces New Capabilities and Enhanced Services Providing a Local and Flexible Approach to Travel, Expense and Cash Flow Management with a Focus on ROI

Regardless of company size, business travel is frequently one of the largest controllable expenses – yet many small to mid-sized companies may not believe travel management programs are accessible for their travel budget. To meet these companies’ needs with a range of services tailored to their unique requirements, American Express Business Travel has reaffirmed its commitment to small and mid-sized companies with the launch of aXcentis. Backed by American Express Business Travel’s global travel management expertise, aXcentis is a newly branded offer introducing new capabilities and enhanced services focused on delivering localized, flexible and comprehensive travel management programs to companies with up to $10 million in annual travel spending.

“The new brand, aXcentis, is part of an enhanced suite of services and new capabilities designed to address the evolution of small to mid-sized company needs for sophisticated managed travel programs at a reasonable cost,” said John Berkley, vice president, U.S. middle market client segment, American Express Business Travel. “We have a long history of working with small and mid-sized firms, but many of our services have not been clearly defined and we saw an opportunity to add new innovations through one singular offering. It was important to launch aXcentis as a way to raise awareness about our services and further demonstrate our commitment to helping these companies get their travelers back on the road and growing their business.”

Transcending the basic tools and practices traditionally employed by small and mid-sized businesses, aXcentis can manage 100 percent of total travel and expense spending focusing on:

* Program Strategy – Applying proprietary methodology to evaluate a company’s current travel and expense process, identifying areas of improvement and matching a business goal-driven program with clearly defined measurements for return on travel investment.

* Cash Flow Management / Spend Recycling – Employing a system to manage budget spent on unused travel so these resources can be applied to future trips; this “spend recycling” technique can save companies 3-7 percent, freeing up cash that can be used to invest in other business areas.

* Insight and Benchmarking – Using its large and comprehensive database of T&E spend to deliver business intelligence that informs sourcing and spend efforts and provides the basis for benchmarking and performance measurement.

Driving Return on Travel Investment
A well-designed travel management program helps companies ensure that they do not under-invest or overspend as their need for travel increases in line with economic revival. Recent studies suggest that business travel can have a positive impact to growing revenues, and companies with a managed travel program can achieve a greater return on their travel investment.

Berkley continued, “A common challenge facing small to mid-sized companies is that many lack a dedicated internal travel department, and with the Great Recession, most businesses were forced to cut back on resources and spending dedicated to travel services. But in the new normal of business travel – where companies will begin traveling again but with likely spending constraints – there is a clear opportunity for these companies to invest their travel spending more strategically.”

Ongoing program management is handled through a local and dedicated aXcentis client management team that will work with companies to optimize their program and provide counsel to help them realize the greatest return on travel spending. Clients also have access to experienced travel counselors who understand the needs of small and mid-sized companies and are available 24 hours a day.

To underscore the combined dual global and local nature of the aXcentis brand, American Express Business Travel has introduced the tagline, ‘Wherever you are, we speak your language’. The name ‘aXcentis’ is derived from the word ‘accent’, illustrating American Express Business Travel’s emphasis on the new offering. An accent is also literally “a mark used in many different languages to create emphasis on specific sounds” – symbolizing American Express Business Travel’s ability to provide local service, worldwide. The American Express Business Travel ‘X’ branding standard was used to illustrate how aXcentis is a key component of the overall corporate brand, taking American Express Business Travel’s core attributes and incorporating them into the new offering. The brand also introduces a new vibrant orange color to the American Express palette, giving aXcentis a unique visual identity.

Additional benefits of aXcentis include:

* Access to exclusive negotiated deals with suppliers and the lowest total trip costs in the industry.

* An automated travel manager suite, including a pre-trip auditor and authorization tools, which support travel policy both on and offline. Additionally, traveler tracking tools are included to help companies identify where their travelers are at all times.

* A meetings management package that includes a self-service booking tool for smaller meetings and access to a meetings desk of experts to assist with larger meetings.

* Tools to calculate potential savings, recover unused airline tickets automatically, and manage expenses online.

The new aXcentis brand and offering is being rolled out in six key markets including the U.S., Canada and Australia. In the UK, the Nordic region and France a similar platform is being launched called aXcent.

About aXcentis – by American Express Business Travel
aXcentis is backed by nearly a century of American Express experience in providing travel management services to business of all sizes and travel budgets. Through aXcentis, small to medium-sized companies have access to a broad array of travel services through local account management and a reliable and experienced global organization. A focus on driving savings and control over travel and related spending through a proactive and consultative approach can help companies achieve a positive return on travel investment. Our reach may be global, but at the heart of our success are businesses just like yours.

About American Express Business Travel
American Express Business Travel (www.americanexpress.com/businesstravel), a division of American Express Company, is committed to helping its clients maximize the greatest return on their travel investment through increased cost savings, world-class customer service and greater spending control. Ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations, American Express Business Travel provides a combination of industry-leading technology, travel management consulting, strategic sourcing and supplier negotiation support, alongside global customer service available online and offline. The Company also provides a dynamic online community (www.BusinessTravelConneXion.com) harnessing the collective intelligence of those in the business travel industry offering a variety of perspectives, best practices, current research and industry news.

American Express operates one of the world’s largest travel agency networks with locations in over 140 countries worldwide.

American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com) is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

Leading timeshare companies and service providers have thrown their chips in to be Signature Sponsors of the 2010 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention and Exposition at Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. The annual convention, from March 14–18, will feature an impressive line-up of speakers and entertainers, including keynote speaker Andy Sernovitz. Sernovitz is considered the guru of the word-of-mouth marketing movement, helping countless companies understand the radical changes brought by blogs, MySpace, and consumer-generated media.

The 2010 Signature Sponsors include American Express, Equiant Financial Services, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Systems International (HSI), International Cruise and Excursions, Inc. (ICE), Interval International, iTravel Companion, RCI, Redweek.com, ResortCom International, Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., and VacationGuard, Inc.

The convention offers companies prime exposure to top vacation ownership industry professionals who gather to network, learn the latest industry trends, and visit hundreds of industry suppliers on the exhibit floor. Thanks to the generosity of the Signature Sponsors, the ARDA Convention has become the number-one annual resource, providing networking for industry leaders, timely educational programming, and exposure for sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees.

“We are grateful for the support we receive from our Signature Sponsors,” said Howard Nusbaum, ARDA president and CEO. “These companies enable us to offer the high-quality events our members need, while getting great visibility among the attendees.”

RCI is once again sponsoring the RCI/AIF Open Golf Tournament at Bear’s Best Las Vegas golf club. Interval International is hosting its annual “Party with a Cause” with ticket proceeds benefiting industry research and education. Equiant Financial Services is providing the “smart car fortwo” for the AIF Auto Driveaway contest. The ARDA Awards Gala, sponsored by Holiday Systems International (HSI), will include a cocktail reception, elegant dinner, presentation of the annual ARDA Awards and live entertainment by the Rhythmics.

Companies interested in participating as sponsors or exhibitors at the timeshare industry’s premier annual event may contact Bob Craycraft at 202-371-6700, or bcraycraft@arda.org. Visit www.ARDA.org for more information about the 2010 convention.

The American Resort Development Association is the Washington D.C.-based professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. Established in 1969, ARDA today has over 1,000 members ranging from privately held firms to publicly traded companies and international corporations with expertise in shared ownership interests in leisure real estate. The membership also includes timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies, and owners through the ARDA Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC).

Leading vacation ownership companies and service providers have signed on as Signature Sponsors of the 2009 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention and Exposition at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida. The annual convention, from March 29 – April 2, will feature an impressive line-up of speakers and entertainers, including keynote speaker Dr. Jeffrey Rosensweig, global economics forecaster and expert on global investing and business strategy.
 
The 2009 Signature Sponsors include American Express, Group RCI, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Systems International (HSI), International Cruise and Excursions , Inc. (ICE), Interval International, Redweek.com, Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., Textron Financial Corporation, VacationGuard, Inc., and Whirlpool Corporation.
 
The convention offers companies prime exposure to top vacation ownership industry professionals who gather to network, learn the latest industry trends, and visit hundreds of industry suppliers on the exhibit floor. Thanks to the generosity of the Signature Sponsors, the ARDA convention has become the number one resource for networking with industry leaders, timely educational programming, and exposure for sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees.
 
“We are grateful for the 2009 Signature Sponsors whose support enables us to continue to bring cutting-edge programs and high-quality events,” said Howard C. Nusbaum, ARDA’s president and CEO.
 
Group RCI is sponsoring the Group RCI/AIF Open Golf Tournament at Hawk’s Landing Golf Club. Interval International is hosting their annual “Party with a Cause” with ticket proceeds benefiting industry research and education. The Breakfast of Champions will feature gold medal swimmer, Janet Evans. The ARDA Awards Gala, sponsored by Holiday Systems International (HSI), will include a cocktail reception, elegant dinner, presentation of the annual ARDA Awards, and entertainment by music notable, Marvin Hamlisch.
 
Companies interested in participating as sponsors or exhibitors at the timeshare industry’s premier annual event may contact Bob Craycraft at 202-371-6700, or bcraycraft@arda.org. Visit www.ARDA.org for more information about the 2009 convention.