hrg rennies travel

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VALUE PROPOSITION

Rennies BCD Travel is Africa’s leading corporate and online travel management company. Head quartered in South Africa and wholly owned by Bidvest, our core business is to provide strategic travel management services to the global corporate market. Our solution blends the expertise of our consultants with intuitive technology to deliver a personalised service and streamline the travel experience for businesses and travellers. Our technology innovation, payment solutions and consultative expertise offers our clients and their traveller’s best-in-class service, program savings, data insights, and innovative technology on a global scale.

We are also part of the BCD Travel global network. For travellers, this means keeping them safe and productive, and equipping them to make good choices on the road. For travel and procurement managers, it means advising them on how to grow the value of their travel program. In short, we help our clients travel smart and achieve more. We make this happen in 109 countries with almost 13,500 creative, committed and experienced people.

STATISTICS / DEMOGRAPHICS / HISTORY

Year founded: 1954 Employees: 744 Branches: 54 Trade affiliations: IATA, ASATA, SATSA,SAACI Memberships: IATA, ASATA, SAACI Strategic partnerships : Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), which operates in over 120 countries

CONTRACTS & AWARDS

Industrial standards: IATA and ASATA Recent awards: Various PMR Africa Awards, Finalist in Topco Media’s 8th Annual Top Women Awards

TRAINING & CSI

Trianing: Internal and external study bursaries − since the inception of the programme, the company have thus far hosted 30 learners (26 unemployed, and 4 employed), and have employed 23 of them on a permanent basis. Five bursaries have been awarded in the financial year 2011/12.

CSI initiatives: The philosophy behind HRG Rennies Travel SED is it should not be a programme simply of investment, but a programme of involvement and interaction with disadvantaged communities. Hence, each region/ branch is encouraged to become involved in community projects of its own. This includes support of Rally to Read, Food and Trees for Africa, and Wings and Wishes, among others.

EMPOWERMENT STATUS

Black Empowerment Level: shareholding: 25.1%-50% / executive directors/senior management: 42%

Gender Empowerment Level: female executives: >25.1%-50%

1. Headquartered in South Africa and with representation across Africa through a global partnership with Hogg Robinson Group 2. 100% owned by Bidvest, the brand is proven and trustworthy 3. Currently service a customer base of almost 3 000 clients 4. Operate over 40 in – house travel offices for clients across South Africa 5. Training spend over R1.5 – million per annum

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Rennies Travel South Africa

Rennies Travel is a partner of the Hogg Robinson Group , which together makes up HRG Rennies Travel, one of the big travel agencies in South Africa (along with Travelstart , Club Travel & Starlight Cruises ) and a travel brand known throughout the world. In South Africa they service over 1000 clients, through 27 in-house travel offices and over 700 employees, and consistently retain existing clients at re-tenders.

This travel management company was formed in 1954 , and is made up of two specialist divisions: Rennies Travel – Incentives and Event Management; and Rennies Travel – Destination Management. Basically they manage travel arrangements, whether for leisure or corporate, for international groups to South Africa, and for South African groups to the rest of Africa and popular international destinations. They are a 100% owned subsidiary of the Bidvest Group ; which is a Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed conglomerate. They have affiliations with IATA , ASATA and the ACTE ; and aare also members of SAACI , GBTA and ABTA .

As opposed to being just a regular travel agency in South Africa , the HRG Intellect in Africa offers the lazy corporate coordinator information on African destinations, such as business hub locations, hotel analysis and databases, daily allowance benchmarking analysis, and even an African airline safety pilot study, so that you can pick the safest airline for your next trip. You can also request Traveler manuals giving you basic information such as climate and official languages, but they also contain tips such as how to handle customs at a particular international airport, which could prove invaluable in Africa.

Travelling with HRG Rennies Travel includes perks such as access to their BIDAir Services Airport Lounges at OR Tambo International , Cape Town International , Durban 's King Shaka International Airport , Port Elizabeth , East London and George Airports, by paying per visit or with a BIDAir Services Airport Lounge card. They also offer charter options for traveling into Africa and even Fractional Ownership, where you can buy a share of an airplane managed by a charter company. The company offers a “Marine and Offshore Solution” based in Cape Town that is accredited with the International Marine Travel Group (IMTG), giving them access to exclusive discounted airfares .

Managing foreign currency is one of the biggest banes of traveling, which is where Rennies Foreign Exchange, a division of BIDVest Bank Limited, comes in handy. They offer their clients many options to make traveling easier; you can choose from American Express Traveler’s cheques, foreign currency, BIDVest Bank Cash Passport card (which works like a debit card), MoneyGram (for sending money abroad in 10 minutes), Draft cheques (to pay money into a foreign bank account), bank drafts and telegraphic transfers (for multinational corporates to transfer money to and from South Africa for events and traveling fees), and the Rand Travel Card (for visitors to South Africa, the card is preloaded and works like a debit card in South Africa).

Their Green Solution promises to deliver a greener travel solution through partnership with Cleaner Climate , a carbon services provider. Here I have to digress, but I had a look at the Cleaner Climate organisation’s website (www.cleanerclimate.com) and spent some time on their carbon calculator, working out how much carbon I would be emitting were I to take a week’s holiday to Rio, besides flights, they also include carbon emission for car hire , hotel room , cruise ships , and tour groups; it’s a lot more alarming when you have a concrete number staring back at you (the answer was 5.98 tons of CO2, with the majority of the carbon footprint contributed by the airplane and cruise ship). But back to HRG Rennies Travel, impressively their partner, Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), has recently won the Corporate Social Responsibility Award at the Business Travel and Meetings Show 2010 Innovation Awards in London with their CSR portfolio, which includes plans to impact travel carbon emissions and to help organizations meet environmental targets.

HRG Rennies Travel doesn’t pop up in the news much, but they were a finalist in the Customer Focus and Investing in People categories at the Topco Media sixth annual African Access National Business Awards 2010; they were nominated in the categories of Africa's Leading Travel Management Company 2010 and South Africa's Leading Travel Management Company 2010 in the 2010 seventeenth World Travel Awards. (See details of the World Travel Awards here: www.worldtravelawards.com). In August 2013 they won the category of "Travel Management Company" at the Business Traveller Africa Awards. At the Standard Bank Top Women Awards in 2014, they were a finalist in the On Travel, Leisure & Entertainment section. 2 Sep 2014 HRG Rennies Travel was recognised as being the Leading Travel Management Company in the Business Traveller Africa Awards in Johannesburg (for the 3rd year in a row). Their Socio Economic Development spend is aimed at uplifting disadvantage peoples, which each region looking at their own community.

Rennies works together with Cathsseta to elevate skills levels in the SA travel industry; and to this end they instituted a learnership program in 2008, which hosts some 10 learners a year, most of whom end up being employed by the group on a permanent basis.

Ask our lovely travel consultant your questions here. She would love to assist.

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BUSINESS TRAVEL MANAGEMENT BY RENNIES BCD TRAVEL

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Rennies BCD Travel

Rennies bcd travel south africa, nominated for: africa's leading travel management company 2024.

Nominated for: South Africa's Leading Travel Management Company 2024

Welcome to Rennies BCD Travel! Headquartered in South Africa and wholly owned by Bidvest, we form part of the BCD Travel global network. We are dedicated to providing sustainable, digitally-driven travel, consulting, and meeting solutions that exceed expectations. Our mission is to positively impact the lives of our clients, partners, and employees by delivering exceptional global travel management services. We prioritise our clients’ needs and empower our team to innovate and build trust, ensuring that our strategy is always aligned with their goals.

For travellers, this means keeping them safe and productive, and equipping them to make good choices on the road. For travel and procurement managers, it means advising them on how to grow the value of their travel program. In short, we help our clients travel smart and achieve more. We make this happen in 109 countries with almost 13,500 creative, committed, and experienced people.

Our goal is to ensure the safety and productivity of our clients while on the road. We work closely with travel and procurement managers to help them grow the value of their travel program. With 109 countries and a team of almost 13,500 creative, committed and experienced people, we are dedicated to making travel smart and achieving more for our clients. At Rennies BCD Travel, we understand that client needs come first and we make it our priority to deliver sustainable travel solutions.

Solutions for every business travel program

More than just business.

Reece Oakes CEO

As CEO, Reece Oakes spearheads Rennies BCD Travel, one of the largest corporate travel management companies in South Africa. VIEW FULL BIO

Lynn Howarth GM

Lynn Howarth is an experienced senior corporate executive with over 35 years of experience in the travel industry. VIEW FULL BIO

Yasmeen Khan Head of Commercial and Sales

As a highly successful commercial executive, Yasmeen Khan has established herself as a seasoned travel industry expert... VIEW FULL BIO

Michelle Flint Head of Customer Solutions

Michelle Flint is a seasoned business executive with 27 years of experience in the travel industry. VIEW FULL BIO

Tshenolo Koloane National Marketing and Comms Manager

As an accomplished marketing professional, Tshenolo Koloane is dedicated to driving brand success for her clients. VIEW FULL BIO

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HRG Rennies Travel | 5 Surrey Rd, Vincent, East London 5247, Eastern Cape

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Rennies BCD Travel Namibia

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For all Your Corporate Travel requirements

Rennies Travel is Your Corporate Travel Partner

Getting corporate travellers to where they want to be, safely, securely and hassle-free, is the reason we’re here.

We do it in the most possible cost-effective way, giving our clients access to the very best deals, booking technologies and reporting services.

Flight Reservations

As an IATA, ASATA and ANTA accredited travel management company Rennies Travel Namibia is able to offer cost effective flight reservations to all destinations.

With our Global HRG partnership and our regional partnership with Bidtravel and Rennies Travel South Africa, we can ensure the best supplier deals.

Accommodation

There is a wide variety of accommodation available throughout the World and Rennies Travel Namibia will assist in finding the most suitable one for our clients.

From Hotels to Guest Houses to B&B’s to Lodges, we can book it all.

Car Hire, Transfers, Bus, Rail, Ferry and a wide range of car rental options are available to our customers.

Rennies Travel Namibia acts as an agent for a number of reputable and recognized car rental companies.

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Our value-added services are a range of products for the benefit of our travellers allowing them a hassle free journey.

We focus on the development of our digital customer experience, optimising customer services, automating processes, managing change and delivering innovation to our clients and colleagues.

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HRG Rennies Travel Zimbabwe

Imagine where we can take you... HRG Rennies Travel will connect you to over 120 countries comfortably.

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Description

How could you not choose HRG Rennies Travel as your preferred business, corporate and leisure travel partner? With 60 years of expertise and consumer trust under our belt, it’s no wonder that Rennies Travel has become an award-winning Zimbabwean, travel management company. Take our global partnership with the travel services giant, the Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) into consideration and you have the perfect recipe for business travel management success. Our vast network of travel and in-house operations across Zimbabwe, Africa and the world, makes HRG Rennies Travel one of the largest and most capable corporate and business travel management companies in Africa. Big or small, complex or simple, HRG Rennies Travel has a tailored and individualised travel solution for your business. Owned entirely by the Bidvest Group, HRG Rennies Travel is fully equipped to manage and master your company's business travel budget. Together with vision, leadership and extraordinary talent, the helm of HRG Rennies Travel continually strive for business travel excellence.

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The Moscow Metro Museum of Art: 10 Must-See Stations

There are few times one can claim having been on the subway all afternoon and loving it, but the Moscow Metro provides just that opportunity. While many cities boast famous public transport systems—New York’s subway, London’s underground, San Salvador’s chicken buses—few warrant hours of exploration. Moscow is different: Take one ride on the Metro, and you’ll find out that this network of railways can be so much more than point A to B drudgery.

The Metro began operating in 1935 with just thirteen stations, covering less than seven miles, but it has since grown into the world’s third busiest transit system ( Tokyo is first ), spanning about 200 miles and offering over 180 stops along the way. The construction of the Metro began under Joseph Stalin’s command, and being one of the USSR’s most ambitious building projects, the iron-fisted leader instructed designers to create a place full of svet (radiance) and svetloe budushchee (a radiant future), a palace for the people and a tribute to the Mother nation.

Consequently, the Metro is among the most memorable attractions in Moscow. The stations provide a unique collection of public art, comparable to anything the city’s galleries have to offer and providing a sense of the Soviet era, which is absent from the State National History Museum. Even better, touring the Metro delivers palpable, experiential moments, which many of us don’t get standing in front of painting or a case of coins.

Though tours are available , discovering the Moscow Metro on your own provides a much more comprehensive, truer experience, something much less sterile than following a guide. What better place is there to see the “real” Moscow than on mass transit: A few hours will expose you to characters and caricatures you’ll be hard-pressed to find dining near the Bolshoi Theater. You become part of the attraction, hear it in the screech of the train, feel it as hurried commuters brush by: The Metro sucks you beneath the city and churns you into the mix.

With the recommendations of our born-and-bred Muscovite students, my wife Emma and I have just taken a self-guided tour of what some locals consider the top ten stations of the Moscow Metro. What most satisfied me about our Metro tour was the sense of adventure . I loved following our route on the maps of the wagon walls as we circled the city, plotting out the course to the subsequent stops; having the weird sensation of being underground for nearly four hours; and discovering the next cavern of treasures, playing Indiana Jones for the afternoon, piecing together fragments of Russia’s mysterious history. It’s the ultimate interactive museum.

Top Ten Stations (In order of appearance)

Kievskaya station.

Kievskaya Station went public in March of 1937, the rails between it and Park Kultury Station being the first to cross the Moscow River. Kievskaya is full of mosaics depicting aristocratic scenes of Russian life, with great cameo appearances by Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin. Each work has a Cyrillic title/explanation etched in the marble beneath it; however, if your Russian is rusty, you can just appreciate seeing familiar revolutionary dates like 1905 ( the Russian Revolution ) and 1917 ( the October Revolution ).

Mayakovskaya Station

Mayakovskaya Station ranks in my top three most notable Metro stations. Mayakovskaya just feels right, done Art Deco but no sense of gaudiness or pretention. The arches are adorned with rounded chrome piping and create feeling of being in a jukebox, but the roof’s expansive mosaics of the sky are the real showstopper. Subjects cleverly range from looking up at a high jumper, workers atop a building, spires of Orthodox cathedrals, to nimble aircraft humming by, a fleet of prop planes spelling out CCCP in the bluest of skies.

Novoslobodskaya Station

Novoslobodskaya is the Metro’s unique stained glass station. Each column has its own distinctive panels of colorful glass, most of them with a floral theme, some of them capturing the odd sailor, musician, artist, gardener, or stenographer in action. The glass is framed in Art Deco metalwork, and there is the lovely aspect of discovering panels in the less frequented haunches of the hall (on the trackside, between the incoming staircases). Novosblod is, I’ve been told, the favorite amongst out-of-town visitors.

Komsomolskaya Station

Komsomolskaya Station is one of palatial grandeur. It seems both magnificent and obligatory, like the presidential palace of a colonial city. The yellow ceiling has leafy, white concrete garland and a series of golden military mosaics accenting the tile mosaics of glorified Russian life. Switching lines here, the hallway has an Alice-in-Wonderland feel, impossibly long with decorative tile walls, culminating in a very old station left in a remarkable state of disrepair, offering a really tangible glimpse behind the palace walls.

Dostoevskaya Station

Dostoevskaya is a tribute to the late, great hero of Russian literature . The station at first glance seems bare and unimpressive, a stark marble platform without a whiff of reassembled chips of tile. However, two columns have eerie stone inlay collages of scenes from Dostoevsky’s work, including The Idiot , The Brothers Karamazov , and Crime and Punishment. Then, standing at the center of the platform, the marble creates a kaleidoscope of reflections. At the entrance, there is a large, inlay portrait of the author.

Chkalovskaya Station

Chkalovskaya does space Art Deco style (yet again). Chrome borders all. Passageways with curvy overhangs create the illusion of walking through the belly of a chic, new-age spacecraft. There are two (kos)mosaics, one at each end, with planetary subjects. Transferring here brings you above ground, where some rather elaborate metalwork is on display. By name similarity only, I’d expected Komsolskaya Station to deliver some kosmonaut décor; instead, it was Chkalovskaya that took us up to the space station.

Elektrozavodskaya Station

Elektrozavodskaya is full of marble reliefs of workers, men and women, laboring through the different stages of industry. The superhuman figures are round with muscles, Hollywood fit, and seemingly undeterred by each Herculean task they respectively perform. The station is chocked with brass, from hammer and sickle light fixtures to beautiful, angular framework up the innards of the columns. The station’s art pieces are less clever or extravagant than others, but identifying the different stages of industry is entertaining.

Baumanskaya Statio

Baumanskaya Station is the only stop that wasn’t suggested by the students. Pulling in, the network of statues was just too enticing: Out of half-circle depressions in the platform’s columns, the USSR’s proud and powerful labor force again flaunts its success. Pilots, blacksmiths, politicians, and artists have all congregated, posing amongst more Art Deco framing. At the far end, a massive Soviet flag dons the face of Lenin and banners for ’05, ’17, and ‘45. Standing in front of the flag, you can play with the echoing roof.

Ploshchad Revolutsii Station

Novokuznetskaya Station

Novokuznetskaya Station finishes off this tour, more or less, where it started: beautiful mosaics. This station recalls the skyward-facing pieces from Mayakovskaya (Station #2), only with a little larger pictures in a more cramped, very trafficked area. Due to a line of street lamps in the center of the platform, it has the atmosphere of a bustling market. The more inventive sky scenes include a man on a ladder, women picking fruit, and a tank-dozer being craned in. The station’s also has a handsome black-and-white stone mural.

Here is a map and a brief description of our route:

Start at (1)Kievskaya on the “ring line” (look for the squares at the bottom of the platform signs to help you navigate—the ring line is #5, brown line) and go north to Belorusskaya, make a quick switch to the Dark Green/#2 line, and go south one stop to (2)Mayakovskaya. Backtrack to the ring line—Brown/#5—and continue north, getting off at (3)Novosblodskaya and (4)Komsolskaya. At Komsolskaya Station, transfer to the Red/#1 line, go south for two stops to Chistye Prudy, and get on the Light Green/#10 line going north. Take a look at (5)Dostoevskaya Station on the northern segment of Light Green/#10 line then change directions and head south to (6)Chkalovskaya, which offers a transfer to the Dark Blue/#3 line, going west, away from the city center. Have a look (7)Elektroskaya Station before backtracking into the center of Moscow, stopping off at (8)Baumskaya, getting off the Dark Blue/#3 line at (9)Ploschad Revolyutsii. Change to the Dark Green/#2 line and go south one stop to see (10)Novokuznetskaya Station.

Check out our new Moscow Indie Travel Guide , book a flight to Moscow and read 10 Bars with Views Worth Blowing the Budget For

Jonathon Engels, formerly a patron saint of misadventure, has been stumbling his way across cultural borders since 2005 and is currently volunteering in the mountains outside of Antigua, Guatemala. For more of his work, visit his website and blog .

Photo credits: SergeyRod , all others courtesy of the author and may not be used without permission

Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow. Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?