Calgary, Alberta, June 8, 2016 – American Express Global Business Travel (“GBT”) and Gemstone Logistics Inc. (“Gemstone”), a specialist provider of planning and personnel logistics solutions, today announced a partnership to provide an efficient travel and accommodation management solution specifically designed to support oil, gas, mining and liquefied natural gas (LNG) companies. By integrating Gemstone’s CIRYS software, which makes it easier for companies to coordinate camp logistics, commercial travel and charter flights, GBT is able to provide a complete travel management solution addressing the uniquely challenging workforce travel and accommodation needs of large-scale, remote operations. This comprehensive, integrated solution will improve planning and booking workforce travel and accommodation at remote locations while helping to ensure the compliance of travellers and stakeholders.
The partnership will see Gemstone’s proprietary travel and accommodation management software, CIRYS, integrated with GBT’s booking and servicing solutions, providing optimum manpower planning capabilities, an end-to-end view of every traveller’s journey and seamless travel management. This integration provides significant benefits for owners and operators of major projects including:
Business travel for energy and mining workers can be incredibly complicated as it involves both commercial and private charter travel to move people to and from remote industrial locations. Traditionally, booking workforce travel in the sector has involved significant manual input, but this solution will greatly improve productivity, reduce the margin for error and reduce travel costs, allowing operations managers and travel coordinators to plan their rotations and travel movements based on full visibility and accurate data.
“We are investing in capabilities and partnerships to further improve the experience of our customers and their travellers in the energy and mining sectors,” said Jacinthe Ladouceur, VP and General Manager, American Express Global Business Travel, Canada. “This partnership with Gemstone and the use of CIRYS demonstrates our commitment to the sector and helps our customers manage complex traveller logistics, while prioritizing traveller safety.”
“We are delighted to announce this long-term partnership with American Express Global Business Travel today, in which two very complementary companies have come together to offer a holistic solution to the challenge that every major project faces,” says Tom McHale, CEO and Founder of Gemstone Logistics Inc. “Bringing the best of both companies into one solution will ensure that project owners are able to benefit from an efficient, consolidated approach to travel and accommodation, which will yield significant benefits when compared to using existing, often disparate processes.”
The new solution will be available in North America beginning Fall 2016. If you’re interested in learning more about this solution for your organization, please contact Laura Gadomski, Account Director at American Express Global Business Travel ([email protected]) or Ross Purdie, VP Corporate Development at Gemstone ([email protected]).
American Express Global Business Travel enables corporations and empowers business travellers with insights, connections and exceptional customer service on a global scale. Through technology and information, American Express Global Business Travel provides leading travel solutions, integrated consulting services, proprietary research, and end-to-end meetings and events capabilities. These innovative offerings enable clients to optimize the return on their travel and meetings investments.
American Express Global Business Travel has operations and network partners in nearly 140 countries worldwide with approximately 12,000 employees. American Express Global Business Travel ranked first among corporate travel providers in the 2015 Corporate Travel 100 (“CT100”), an annual listing compiled by Business Travel News which ranks companies with the largest volume of U.S. air bookings. Learn more about how American Express Global Business Travel connects the world at amexglobalbusinesstravel.com and twitter.com/amexgbt.
American Express Global Business Travel (“GBT”) is a joint venture that is not wholly-owned by American Express Company or any of its subsidiaries (“American Express”). “American Express Global Business Travel”, “American Express” and the American Express logo are trademarks of American Express, and are used under limited license.
Over the last decade, Gemstone has planned, coordinated, and managed several million passenger movements on behalf of major project owners for travellers across Canada going to remote work locations. Gemstone’s proprietary travel management software, CIRYS™, is the quickest and easiest way to book and manage travel and accommodations, while its subsidiary, Orissa Software Inc., has a suite of productivity tools, including CampWare™ to provide camp operators with a scalable software solution tailored to the front desk, housekeeping, food service, and guest management needs of workforce accommodation facilities.
Gemstone’s experience, knowledge and custom software is proven to enhance travel management processes and deliver extensive time and cost savings – for more information visit www.cirys.ca