2014 Sales: $1.02 billion
Employees: 582
Previous Ranking: 18
71 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10003
T (800) 431-1112
F (212) 726-0910
Website Website Executives
CHAIRMAN/CEO: Paul Metselaar
EVP: Sunil Mahtani
EVP: Michael Steiner
EVP/GENERAL COUNSEL: Elie Gordis
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER: Thomas Gehrke
SVP, OPERATIONS: Isabel Torres
SVP, CLIENT SOLUTIONS GROUP: Lisa Lundquist
2014 Developments
• Partnered with Monroe College to create Ovation Academy, a 10-week program offering travel consultant training. Those students who succeeded in the program have joined the company as the first class of junior travel consultants.
• Implemented Exceed Excellence Training Program designed to strengthen travel consultants’ skills in customer service and team building for cross-serving of accounts.
• Migrated Ovation to a new midoffice tool, which enables the company to increase efficiencies such as international traveler alerts, missed ticketing and hotel alerts; also added a new unused e-ticket tool.
• Launched Get Healthy Ovation, a voluntary program aimed at encouraging a culture of health and wellness. With initiatives such as smoking cessation and individual health assessments, this program strives for healthier employees and to cut health insurance premiums.
• Added additional modules to Ovation’s Travel Portal to enhance the experience for travelers, travel managers and travel arrangers.
Company Facts
• Provides direct sales of travel products to clients.
• ARC sales of $665 million.
• $123 million in sales from hosted agents.
• 120 outside agents.
• 90% of sales from business, 6% leisure, 4% other.
• Comprises three operating companies: Ovation Corporate Travel, Lawyers Travel and Ovation Vacation.
• Member of BCD Travel, Virtuoso, Travelsavers.
• Privately held; Paul Metselaar is majority shareholder.
Looking ahead
• Increasing focus on bringing third-party tech offerings and creating a seamless solution to clients. Areas of specific concentration include tools like TripLingo, coupled with rate search tools provided by Yapta.
• Exploring the latest advances in mobile technology and offerings in order to further develop benefits for clients.
• Continuing to explore the newest advances in privacy and security in order to keep clients and their information safe.