The story behind the savings.
In 1977, entrepreneurs in Wichita, Kansas discovered an opportunity to help independent hotels attract business from transportation companies. Starting with a small office and some used furniture, these people began to develop their dream. From this discovery, Corporate Lodging Consultants - and an entire new industry - was born.
In the beginning, CLC was staffed by two employees, including founder Barry Downing. Their task was to market the hotels to terminal managers at specific locations. Expanding beyond the initial properties and markets, CLC slowly began to develop relationships with hotels across the U.S.
At the outset, CLC's mission was to increase hotel volume by offering lower rates. Gradually, the emphasis was reversed, as the company changed from representing individual hotels to managing lodging for companies with a significant proportion of non-discretionary travel.
Establishing relationships one at a time with individual hotels across North America, Corporate Lodging Consultants steadily grew in both size and reputation. Eventually, the number of hotel billings became more than the staff could handle manually, and in the early 1980s, CLC installed its first computer system. Since CLC offered such a unique service, no software existed that could perform the accounting processes required. So, CLC developed its own proprietary software.
Not long after the PC-based system was in place, the company outgrew it. A mainframe system was developed in conjunction with an entirely new proprietary software package.
The company continued to develop and refine its services over the years. For instance, it identified negotiation as a key skill set from the very beginning. By testing its employees, CLC identified the characteristics that made a good negotiator and developed an intense training system that is unique to the lodging management business.
As Corporate Lodging Consultants grew, its customer base expanded. At first, CLC dealt with trucking companies. Eventually, its customers included airlines and railroads. The expansion continued into companies outside of the transportation industry - including emergency response, retail distribution and construction.
In the mid- to late 90s, CLC upgraded its accounting capabilities again with the installation of the multimillion dollar TALON (Travel and Lodging Online Network) system. Incorporating nearly three decades of lodging management expertise into its design and functionality, this unique Oracle-based system gives clients access to one of the most sophisticated lodging databases in the world.
Around the same time, Corporate Lodging Consultants dramatically sped up the hotel billing process by developing an electronic point-of-sale system. In the past, hotels typically waited 30 days to send out their bill. This proprietary system, installed at hotels throughout North America, sends billing data to CLC's headquarters in real-time, giving clients access to the most accurate and up-to-the-minute lodging information.
In 2003, Nautic Partners, a $1.8 billion private equity fund, made a major investment in the business, providing CLC with access to additional capital. In 2004, George Hansen was named CLC's president and CEO to build upon the company's vision and maintain its leadership role in the lodging management industry. CLC founder Barry Downing remains with the company, serving as chairman of the board.
As the lodging management services pioneer, CLC remains the largest and most innovative company within the industry. Today, CLC employs dozens of experts who deliver unique services to its clients - including tax specialists, negotiators and a 24-hour traveler support staff.
CLC now serves more than 250 industry-leading corporations - many of which have been clients for 15 to 20 years. CLC also has active relationships with more than 12,000 hotels throughout North America, and accounts for more than eight million room nights annually.