Drake University is making a change to its travel program for all non-athletic departments. Short’s Travel Management has made the business decision to focus on athletic travel only so all non-athletic travel services will transition to Direct Travel beginning April 12, 2021. Athletic travel will not be impacted by this transition. With their assistance our goal will be to provide continued support for our business travelers and management of our travel spend. Drake University along with Direct Travel and our current provider, Short’s Travel Management (STM), have been working closely over the past few months to ensure a seamless transition with minimal impact to our travelers and overall travel program.    

Please note this change does not impact our current travel policy and restrictions on travel. If you have questions please refer to the travel FAQ.

Here’s what to expect in the upcoming transition:

• Existing travel profiles including preferences, loyalty numbers, and unused tickets will be transferred to Direct Travel.
• No change to existing phone number. It’s still 877-263-2550.
• New agent support email address: corporatealo@dt.com.  
• New Direct Travel itineraries (Direct2U).

We are excited to announce a change to our online booking tool as part of the transition. Drake will be using Etta powered by Deem. Etta provides business travelers an effortless and modern booking experience including enhancements like Deem’s innovative Travel SafetyCheck which presents hotel neighborhood safety scores as well as current and historical COVID related information in the selected area. More information will follow regarding this change including site access and training. 

For those travelers that had previously used a Short’s Travel Management Portal as their landing page for booking tools and profile management please note the following changes: 

• Your online booking tool will be the primary resource to access items previously available through the STM portal including but not limited to:
  — Booking Travel
  — Travel Profile Access/Updates
  — Unused Tickets/Credits
  — Administration of Travel (Department or Company level access)
• Copies of travel invoices can easily be found using DT’s Invoices on Demand.

We are confident that a travel partnership with Direct Travel is in the best interest of Drake University. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email procurement@drake.edu. Your cooperation is appreciated.

About Direct Travel
Direct Travel, Inc. is a privately held corporation with the ultimate goal to create a best-­in­-class TMC through acquisition and organic growth. Direct Travel has been providing travel management services for over 40 years; by working with clients to develop highly customized travel programs. By leveraging both the expertise of its people and innovative solutions, Direct Travel helps clients derive the greatest value from their travel program in terms of superior service, internet-based technologies, and significant cost savings. Direct Travel has offices in 39 locations across the US, and is ranked among the top US corporate travel management companies.

— Heather Winslow, Administrative Services Specialist