ATLANTA -- WorldTravel Partners and BTI Americas, the nation's
third-largest travel agency, will announce their long-awaited
merger as early as Monday following months of intensive
negotiations, according to an industry executive familiar with the
talks.
The WorldTravel Partners name will survive under the newly
merged agency, which will be based in Atlanta. The new agency will
be part of the Business Travel International agency network, led by
London-based Hogg Robinson.
WorldTravel International, the parent company of WorldTravel
Partners, based here, helped finance the June buyout of BTI
Americas from Electronic Data Systems by a team of BTI's top
executives. The new team will include executives from both BTI
Americas and WorldTravel Partners. No job cuts or office closings
are planned as part of the merger, industry sources said.
The newly merged company will also announce plans for its future
technology platform. WorldTravel Partners has worked closely over
the years with the Travel Technologies Group, and that relationship
is expected to continue.
A relationship that will change is expected to change is the
WorldTravel Partners alliance with GTM Global Travel Management.
GTM will no longer be the main European ally of WorldTravel
Partners, and may be free to pursue other relationship.