Contracted Travel Agency Updates: NEW Travel Agency AND Now Accessible Through Okta
We are excited to announce several changes that we hope will make it easier for you to book travel through our contracted travel agencies, including a new contract with Diversity Travel and making both the Diversity Travel Reservations Portal and the Collegiate Travel Planners' (CTP) Concur Portal accessible through the Okta sign-on!
Booking travel through one of the two contracted travel agencies provides you with a human travel agent as your single point of contact when changes need to be made or problems arise, enables you to utilize contracted rates for fares and often additional fare options, assures purchases follow Iowa State University policies, and assures that you avoid fraudulent and/or predatory third-party sites as well as additional (sometimes hidden) fees.
New Contracted Travel Agency: Diversity Travel
The Diversity Travel Reservations Portal is now available to all Faculty,
Staff, and Graduate Students to add to their Okta Dashboards! Once you navigate to your Sign Ons from the Iowa State University Homepage, select Add Apps from the menu on the left, and then type Diversity Travel into the search field under the App Catalog title, and then click add!
Once you’ve added the App to your Okta Dashboard you can use it to enter the Diversity Travel Reservations Portal and book travel. You do not need to set up a travel profile to use the reservation portal, but you may choose to do so to have your information auto-populate each time you make a reservation. If you would like to designate a profile manager (someone who can book travel on our behalf), you will need to create a travel profile.
Video tutorials for creating a travel profile, booking a flight, and booking a hotel can be found on the Diversity Travel Contract Webpage, along with the full Diversity Travel Pricing Chart.
Air tickets booked through the Diversity Travel Reservation Portal will be charged $9. Reservations made directly with one of the members of the dedicated reservations team by calling 703-440-7964 or emailing rushmore@diversitytravel.com will incur a $24 agent fee for domestic travel, or a $34 agent fee for international travel.
Emergency support is available at no additional cost by calling 703-440-7964.
The Team from Diversity Travel will also be on-campus Tuesday, Sept. 10
for demonstrations and information sessions. All are welcome
to attend as their schedules allow; no registration is needed.
- 9-10 a.m., Study Abroad Trips or Group Travel Information session: 0118 Horticulture Hall
- 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Open session: Working with Diversity Travel, reservation portal demonstrations will begin at 10:30 a.m. and noon, 2630 Memorial Union
- 1:30-2:30 p.m., Study Abroad Trips or Group Travel Information session: 1105 Pearson Hall
Existing Contracted Travel Agency: Collegiate Travel Planners (CTP) - Concur
The CTP Concur App is now available to all Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students to add to their Okta Dashboards, which means you will no longer need to complete a multi-factor authentication process to book travel through CTP!
To add the CTP Concur App to your Okta Dashboard, navigate to your Sign Ons from the Iowa State University Homepage, select Add Apps from the menu on the left, and then type CTP into the search field under the App Catalog title, and then click add!
Once you’ve added the App to your Okta Dashboard, you can use it to enter the Concur Platform to book travel, if you previously used the Concur Platform and set up a travel profile.
If you have not previously used the Concur Platform or set up a travel profile, you will need to request access to Concur through CTP. Once you’ve completed the web form it will be sent for approval. Once approved, you can access the platform and complete your personal profile.
Video tutorials for updating your profile, booking guest travel, booking travel as a travel arranger, and searching for more fares can be found on the Collegiate Travel Planners (CTP) Contract Webpage, along with the full CTP Pricing Chart.
Air tickets booked through the CTP via the Concur Platform will be charged $5. Reservations made directly with a CTP travel agent by calling 855-261-7787 or emailing isutravel@ctptravelservices.com during business hours and will incur a $28 agent fee for domestic travel, or a $30 agent fee for international travel.
After hours emergency support is available from CTP by calling 800-823-9917, but will incur an additional $25 after-hours fee (should only be used after 6pm and before 7am, all other emergency support should be requested via 855-261-7787).
What’s happening with Key Travel?
We are working to phase out the use of Key Travel as our contract with this travel agency has ended. Any tickets that have already been purchased through Key Travel will still be honored, and Key Travel will continue to provide support and all of the benefits associated with utilizing one of the contracted travel agencies (as listed above) for those tickets.
Getting ready to travel? Don’t forget about these changes!
Securing lodging within the state of Iowa? Prior to securing any lodging within the state of Iowa for a University Employee or a visitor and/or guest, it is the responsibility of the cardholder making the reservation to verify that the lodging provider has completed their Human Trafficking Prevention Certification by checking the Certified Locations page of the Iowa Office to Combat Human Trafficking Website.
Each in-state lodging provider must complete the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Human Trafficking Prevention Training Certification to receive public funds for state employee lodging, conferences, meetings, banquets, or any state-funded event. This applies to ALL lodging, including rental properties, cabin rental, bed and breakfasts, and Airbnb for Work.
GSA per diem rates and lodging rates now apply in Iowa too! Additional information regarding per diem and meals while on travel, along with a link to the GSA rates, can be found on the Travel Expenses: Allowed page of the Controller’s Website.
Additional information regarding lodging while on travel, along with a link to the GSA rates, can be found on the Lodging page of the Controller’s Website.
Paying for a Conference Registration? Don’t forget to attach the itinerary or agenda for the conference to both the card transaction (T&H Card or P-Card) when you reconcile that transaction AND to keep a copy of that itinerary or agenda to attach to your Request a Reimbursement Form (along with your other travel expenses) to document which meals were covered by the conference registration.
Payment for conference registrations are preferred on a T&H Card unless the T&H Card is declined for merchant code control. If the T&H Card is declined, or you do not have a T&H Card, a P-Card may be used to pay for conference registration.
Purchasing an Airline Ticket with your T&H Card? When purchasing an airline ticket with your T&H Card, especially when purchasing a ticket months in advance, please reconcile the transaction as soon as it posts to Workday.
There is no need to wait for the travel to occur as it is an Iowa State purchase on an Iowa State card, and card transactions must be reconciled within 30 days. You can use the Request a Reimbursement and Reconcile T&H Transactions Form to reconcile your T&H Card transaction.
Leading a Study Abroad Trip? As a Study Abroad Program Director please make sure you have a T&H Card!
- The T&H Card application must be submitted by the applicant through the Create Request task in Workday. Additional information and step-by-step instructions can be found on our How To Get a Card Webpage.
- Please note:
- It takes 7-10 days for cards to arrive, once the application has been approved and the card has been ordered.
- T&H Card transactions will be declined until Travel and Hospitality Card Orientation is completed. You can enroll in upcoming Travel and Hospitality Card Orientation sessions through Workday Learning.
Make sure to touch base with the International Programs Office in your respective college(s) so that they can advise you regarding any additional potential needs, requirements, or requests that you will need to make.