R&M/Book

Key information

Companies using the tool 870
Number of users/seats Not disclosed
Number of bookings handled annually Not disclosed
Total transaction volume annually Not disclosed
Frequency of updates 28-day sprint cycles
Type of company Travel management company
Main markets UK, US, Germany, Singapore, Australia, Dubai

Pricing model

Set‐up fees Yes
Ongoing fixed costs No
Transaction fees Flat fee per booking

Content

Air Content includes GDS partnerships. Multi-source strategy also includes online travel agencies, low-cost carrier content, direct connects and British Airways NDC.
Accommodation Multiple GDSs and OTAs including Booking.com and Expedia as well as direct connects. Users can filter content based on Covid‐19 safety measures, star ratings, photography, amenities, and eco‐status.
Rail R&M sources rail content from Evolvi. Travellers can add in railcards, search by class/direct trains and reserve seats.
Car All major car hire companies offered and can be filtered by price and preferred supplier. Travellers can view distance from an intended destination and can view branch opening times, taxes, waivers, surcharges, insurance, fuel, drop‐off and more.
NDC content and other direct connects Reed & Mackay was the first TMC to directly connect with the BA NDC. It also offers content from Southwest Airlines.

Key staff

CEO Fred Stratford
COO Julie Oliver
CTO Matthew Everson
Co‐founder and director Tracy Baumfield
Global sales director Gary Povey

What the company says

According to Reed & Mackay, "R&M/Book is built to meet the exacting needs of Reed & Mackay’s professional services client base." Given its target the market, the tool is configured specifically to support the travel booker or executive assistant in booking on behalf of other travellers. That said, the company underscores it offers a good experience for the traveller as well. R&M/Book evolved from R&M/iQ, Reed & Mackay’s agent booking tool, which the company says, was "built on the continuous learnings from decades of service excellence. This ensures R&M/Book delivers the most personalised service available both online and offline." The Reed & Mackay team identified its biggest R&M/Book innovation in 2021 as the implementation of Covid-19 safety measures.

What buyers say

One buyer said that R&M’s traveller tracking was the tool’s best feature. “It assists with our duty of care and assists with the safety of our people,” they said. They rated the R&M tool as very good across all categories – responsiveness to change requests, quality of training, helpline support, uptime, offline support for bookings and account management. Another buyer credited R&M/Book’s user-friendliness, the ability to customise and duty of care capabilities as major reasons for choosing the tool and said its content was “very comprehensive” across the board.

What consultants say

Available to Reed & Mackay clients only, this tool was developed hand-in-hand between offline and online for professional services, legal and other high-touch clients. As such, consultants said, it concentrates on recent trips and personal preferences and some specific configurations that appeal to this type of client. One noted that R&M worked primarily on the Sabre GDS. All speculated about R&M/Book since TripActions has acquired Reed & Mackay, but the company confirmed this booking tool continues sales, service and investment.