What is a corporate travel agent, and does your company need one?

Zawya

30-07-2025

Business travel remains an essential part of many organisations, whether for building relationships, overseeing operations, or attending key events. But managing corporate travel effectively requires far more than just booking tickets and hotel rooms. It involves balancing cost, compliance, convenience, and care for employees who are on the road.
What Is a corporate travel agent?
A corporate travel agent, also called a business travel consultant, is a specialist who plans, books, and oversees business trips on behalf of companies. Unlike leisure travel agents, corporate agents understand the operational and policy requirements specific to business travel, including cost control, employee safety, and consistent reporting.
A corporate travel agent acts as both an advisor and a coordinator, ensuring that each trip aligns with your organisation's travel policy while still meeting the traveller's needs and preferences where possible.
What does a corporate travel agent do?
Corporate travel agents offer a broad range of services that go beyond simply booking flights and hotels. Here are some of the key ways they add value:
Achieving cost savings
Through their industry connections and access to negotiated rates, corporate travel agents can save businesses substantial amounts. For example, they may secure discounted fares on premium airlines or obtain favourable corporate rates at hotels. Over time, these savings add up and help businesses manage their travel budgets more effectively.
Agents also know when and how to book to avoid unnecessary costs, such as avoiding peak travel days or identifying flexible fare options, and they can advise on smarter choices that still meet company standards.
Ensuring policy compliance
Many organisations have a travel policy in place to control costs and minimise risk, but ensuring employees adhere to it can be challenging if bookings are handled individually.
A corporate travel agent enforces compliance by guiding employees to approved options and advising on what falls within policy. They also educate staff on how to use booking tools correctly, reducing the risk of expensive mistakes or out-of-policy bookings.
Reducing administrative burden
Booking, managing, and reconciling travel can consume valuable time that could be spent on core business activities. Corporate travel agents take care of these tasks efficiently, providing clear itineraries, handling last-minute changes, and managing the documentation required for complex trips.
For example, if an employee needs to visit multiple cities or requires a travel visa, the agent can handle all the details in one seamless process.
Providing expert guidance
Corporate travel agents draw on their experience to recommend trusted hotels, reliable airlines, and efficient routes. They know which service providers deliver consistent quality and which ones to avoid, based on first-hand feedback from other business travellers.
For international travel, agents can also advise on local customs, health requirements, or entry restrictions, essential knowledge that helps avoid costly disruptions.
Offering support when plans change
Travel disruptions are inevitable, whether due to weather, strikes, or technical issues. A good corporate travel agent provides immediate support to rebook flights, find alternative accommodation, or adjust itineraries quickly, minimising stress and downtime for the traveller.
Does your company need a corporate travel agent?
Not every business will require a corporate travel agent, but there are clear signs that you might benefit from one. Consider the following questions:
- Do employees spend more time booking and managing travel than doing their core work?
- Are you struggling to monitor or control travel costs?
- Do you have difficulty ensuring that all bookings comply with your company policy?
- Are business travellers experiencing frustration or unnecessary stress during trips?
- Do you require assistance managing complex travel needs, such as multi-leg journeys, group bookings, or international travel with specific documentation?
If you answered yes to any of these, partnering with a corporate travel agent such as Sure Mithas Travel could help streamline your processes, reduce costs, and improve the experience for your employees.
Why choose Sure Mithas Travel?
Choosing the right partner is important. Sure Mithas Travel brings both expertise and a personal touch to managing corporate travel. They take the time to understand your business, your people, and your policies, ensuring that your travel programme is efficient, cost-effective, and aligned with your organisational goals.
Whether you need help with a single complex trip or want to centralise your entire corporate travel function, Sure Mithas Travel has the knowledge, resources, and dedication to make business travel work better for you.