Morris Murdock Travel, LLC
Encyclopedia
Morris Murdock Travel, a subsidiary of Simmons Media Group
, is a travel agency
headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah
with 6 additional offices in Utah (Bountiful
, Draper
, Ogden
, Orem
and St. George
) and Montana (Billings
) and home-based agents located throughout Utah, Idaho and Montana. The agency primarily facilitates cruises, escorted tours, group travel, airfare, hotel accommodations, car rentals, full vacation packages, honeymoon/anniversary travel, luxury travel, and incentive travel programs.
approached Franklin Murdock about starting an agency to handle the travel needs of its employees and missionaries
. The modern Morris Murdock Travel is the result of combining multiple other travel companies, including the 1996 merger of Morris Travel and Beehive Tours and Travel and the 2000 merger of Morris Travel and Murdock Travel, among others. The company also developed from several acquisitions including Seattle's Diamond Travel in 1995, Corporate Travel Services in 1996, and Utah's LDS Travel Study, a provider of LDS faith-based travel, in November 2008. In addition, Morris Travel started Morris Air
in 1984, which chartered flights to Hawaii and Mexico from Utah. Due to its growth, Morris Air was sold to Southwest Airlines
in 1995. Morris Murdock sold its business travel division to Hess Travel in January 2009 in order to better serve its corporate clients.
In 1997, ownership of Morris Travel and Murdock Travel (which stood as two separate companies) belonged to Yamagata Enterprises and the officers of the company, respectively. In 2004, Crestwood Communications, LLC (a subsidiary of Simmons Media Group), took full control of the then merged Morris Murdock Travel.
As the oldest and largest privately-owned leisure travel agency in Utah and the Intermountain region
of the United States, Morris Murdock became an associate of Carlson Wagonlit Travel
in 2002 and joined the American Express U.S. Representative Travel Network in July 2007 . In the first quarter of 2010, Morris Murdock Travel left American Express
and joined the Signature Travel Network, an international network of 190 agencies that generates $4 billion in annual travel sales.
Due to the nature of the travel industry's relation to the overall health of local economies, Morris Murdock has undergone several changes to survive first the economic downturns that began in 2007 with the outbreak of the H1N1 Swine Influenza
followed by the economic recession of the late 2000's
. These changes include closing the company's Helena, Orem, Pocatello and Idaho Falls offices and a reduction in workforce at the company's remaining locations. Morris Murdock reopened their Orem, Utah location in April of 2010.
Simmons Media Group
The Simmons Media Group is a media company based in the United States. The company owns AM and FM radio stations, as well as outdoor advertising, a travel agency and an interactive agency.-Creation:...
, is a travel agency
Travel agency
A travel agency is a retail business that sells travel related products and services to customers on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and package holidays that combine several products...
headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
with 6 additional offices in Utah (Bountiful
Bountiful, Utah
Bountiful is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,552, a three percent increase over the 2000 figure of 41,301...
, Draper
Draper, Utah
Draper is a city in Salt Lake and Utah Counties in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Between 1990 and 2000 Draper was Utah's fastest-growing city over 5,000 people . Its population in 1990 was 7,143 and had grown to 25,220 by the 2000 census...
, Ogden
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, Orem
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...
and St. George
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
) and Montana (Billings
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
) and home-based agents located throughout Utah, Idaho and Montana. The agency primarily facilitates cruises, escorted tours, group travel, airfare, hotel accommodations, car rentals, full vacation packages, honeymoon/anniversary travel, luxury travel, and incentive travel programs.
History
Morris Murdock began in 1958 when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traces its current dispensation beginnings to Joseph Smith, Jr. on April 6, 1830 in Western New York. Initial converts were drawn to the church in part because of the newly published Book of Mormon, a self-described chronicle of indigenous American...
approached Franklin Murdock about starting an agency to handle the travel needs of its employees and missionaries
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
. The modern Morris Murdock Travel is the result of combining multiple other travel companies, including the 1996 merger of Morris Travel and Beehive Tours and Travel and the 2000 merger of Morris Travel and Murdock Travel, among others. The company also developed from several acquisitions including Seattle's Diamond Travel in 1995, Corporate Travel Services in 1996, and Utah's LDS Travel Study, a provider of LDS faith-based travel, in November 2008. In addition, Morris Travel started Morris Air
Morris Air
Morris Air was a low-fare airline based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. It began operations in 1992. It was sold to Southwest Airlines in December 1993 for over $130 million. The airline officially became part of Southwest in Summer 1994.-History:...
in 1984, which chartered flights to Hawaii and Mexico from Utah. Due to its growth, Morris Air was sold to Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
in 1995. Morris Murdock sold its business travel division to Hess Travel in January 2009 in order to better serve its corporate clients.
In 1997, ownership of Morris Travel and Murdock Travel (which stood as two separate companies) belonged to Yamagata Enterprises and the officers of the company, respectively. In 2004, Crestwood Communications, LLC (a subsidiary of Simmons Media Group), took full control of the then merged Morris Murdock Travel.
As the oldest and largest privately-owned leisure travel agency in Utah and the Intermountain region
Intermountain West
The Intermountain West is a region of North America lying between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the west. It is also called the Intermountain Region.- Topography :...
of the United States, Morris Murdock became an associate of Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Carlson Wagonlit Travel is a large travel agency, handling both business and leisure clients.It operates in 157 countries and territories, with 22,000 employees. According to Business Travel News Online.com, in 2007, CWT surpassed American Express Business Travel and became the world's largest...
in 2002 and joined the American Express U.S. Representative Travel Network in July 2007 . In the first quarter of 2010, Morris Murdock Travel left American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
and joined the Signature Travel Network, an international network of 190 agencies that generates $4 billion in annual travel sales.
Due to the nature of the travel industry's relation to the overall health of local economies, Morris Murdock has undergone several changes to survive first the economic downturns that began in 2007 with the outbreak of the H1N1 Swine Influenza
2009 flu pandemic
The 2009 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the second of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus , albeit in a new version...
followed by the economic recession of the late 2000's
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
. These changes include closing the company's Helena, Orem, Pocatello and Idaho Falls offices and a reduction in workforce at the company's remaining locations. Morris Murdock reopened their Orem, Utah location in April of 2010.
Company Divisions
- Morris Murdock Escorted Tours (MMET) is the "group travel" department of Morris Murdock Travel which specializes in hosted vacation tours and cruises to destinations using experienced guides and directors. Formed as a separate company in 1958, MMET was the first tour operator to offer Latter-day Saint (MormonMormonThe term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
) faith-based and Church History escorted tours. Since its inception, the group has expanded its offerings to include humanitarian, shopping, educational, historical, incentive and other theme-oriented cruises and tours. The company often selects tour guides that are considered experts in their field or celebrities with an attachment to the destination or tour's theme.
- Morris Meetings and Incentives' (MMI) was originally started in 1996 as a group leisure branch of Morris Murdock Travel and was formed into a separate company in 1998. The company focuses on specialized programs for incentive groups, meetings, conference and executive retreats and developed a proprietary software called ORCHID to provide clients with online registration. In July 2009 The Housing Connection, LLC purchased ORCHID Event Solutions to bolster their online registration and housing services with MMI maintaining close ties to the company.
- Black Pearl Luxury Services is a division of Morris Murdock that focuses on luxury, exotic, F.I.T. (Foreign Independent Travel) and higher-end travel. The group provides concierge services for travelers including event ticket assistance, personal shopping, dining reservations, destination information, car and air charters, household services and health and recreation services.
- LDS Travel Study (LDSTS) is a sub-company of Morris Murdock Travel that focuses on escorted tours for members of the Latter-day Saint (Mormon) faith. Founded after Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
closed down their travel department, Morris Murdock purchased LDS Travel Study in November 2008 for an undisclosed amount. A lawsuit between Morris Murdock Travel and former LDS Travel Study owner Doug Wren regarding un-forwarded customer deposits and quarterly revenue percentages was filed in August 2009.
- The division's destinations mainly focus around sites that are historically important to the LDS religion including Israel, Egypt, Canada and various sites in North America. LDS Travel Study itineraries differentiate from Morris Murdock Escorted Tours packages in that they place heavier emphases on site cultural, political, spiritual, geographical and geological studies.
- Jensen Baron Travel Express is an air consolidator sub-company of Morris Murdock Travel formed in 1984 that offers discounted airfare and increased commissions for travel agents to locations in Hawaii, Europe, North America, the Middle East, Central America and South America. The company is currently negotiating rates and commissions for flights to Asia.
- SOLO Independent Contractor Program is a program developed by Morris Murdock to provide an avenue of support for independent travel consultants that allows travel agents to create their own "company" under the umbrella of Morris Murdock Travel. Morris Murdock has operated the program since 1994 and currently works with over 30 independent contractors by providing access to the agency's booking systems, vendor relationships and industry training.
Leadership Staff
- Brian Hollien – President
- Brent Jenson – Regional Manager
- Gary Sorenson – Regional Manager
- Beverly Cutshaw – Director Group Travel Services
- Suzanne Kennard – Director Black Pearl Luxury Travel Services
- Karrie Stewart – Manger Information Systems
- David Peaden – Controller