Latest news with #travelManagement
WIRED
3 days ago
- Business
- WIRED
The Future of Business Travel
With the right technology, investing in business travel can create revenue. Photo credit: Getty Images More than 1 million people travel for business in the United States every day. Hundreds of hotel reservations are booked each minute for corporate travel accommodations. And every month, tens of millions in reimbursements are processed. The energy of business and travel is frenetic and constant. If you're on the organizational end of confirming that each employee books in-policy travel, arrives at each destination without any disruptions, and that excess spending is at a minimum, managing business travel can also be overwhelming. Shopping for flights, hotel rooms, and ground travel options across a dynamic pricing environment with different channel options and rate packages being offered is an overload of information—and asking, 'Can I change my ticket?' or, 'Is the room cancelable?' for every booking isn't the best use of anyone's time. Booking travel shouldn't have to be hard, but it is. According to recent polls, 45 percent of travel managers say that negotiating with hotels has become more challenging in the last five years, and that they're spending more time negotiating prices, comparing proposals, and researching travel options. But without that information, a company can leave (a lot of) money on the table. The key is using technology to ease the workload. A multinational company with 52,000 employees traveling globally each year reached a tipping point with its travel management plan recently. Despite working with a travel management company (TMC) for years, the bottom line proved employees were still struggling with cost visibility, accessing flexible fares, and booking accommodations with in-policy hotels. To make a change—and to create an easier booking process for their employees—integrated, automated mass booking solutions within their systems were needed. After partnering with American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) to integrate new features and services like waitlisting, bulk cancellations, and hotel booking into their employee travel process, they achieved millions in annual savings. Aside from massive savings, travel has been simplified for the company's employees, too. When a sudden change of aircraft was needed, employees booked and ticketed the change within an hour, saving time and money. The attention within the team that would have gone to a disruption like that is now given to improving other travel processes, like consolidating contractor travel and extending discounted airline rates to contractors. It's anecdotes like these that offer a glimpse into how, in the world of business travel, a little bit of innovation can go a long way. Innovations in Business Travel Despite online meetings, communication technologies, tariffs, and national entry restrictions—all of which can factor into a decrease in bookings—business travel isn't going anywhere. In February, 80 percent of Amex GBT's top 100 customers said their travel spending will either remain steady or increase this year. These stats are coming in after years of post-pandemic increases in business travel, and the new 'remain steady' numbers are still clocking in larger than pre-pandemic figures. That's why leading companies are leveraging technology—not to replace business travel, but to elevate it.. 'Better' often looks like simplifying the process for employees who book their own travel and those who book travel for others. A whopping 94 percent of travel and expense management decision-makers at companies want an all-in-one solution for travel, reimbursement, and expense management, while only 58 percent of those same decision-makers currently understand all the travel-related fees they are currently dealing with. That's why Amex GBT has spent more than 100 years building relationships within the industry to create the most valuable marketplace in travel, which brings global travel buyers and sellers together in one place. Access to the marketplace is enabled by Amex GBT's range of technology solutions, which are fit to meet the specific preferences of a company's travel program. Here, users can experience a customized and self-service environment—from travel booking and expensing to automatic rebooking and reimbursement. As a global business travel leader, Amex GBT manages travel for 20,000 companies and operates in 120 countries. All of that familiarity has led to a unique approach to simplifying every user experience. 'What innovation looks like to our customers is what matters,' says John Sturino, senior vice president of product and engineering. 'Our customers are saying, 'I see this feature here and I want to see it here.'' To him, innovation means taking something from one context and applying it to a different context—like automatically contacting travelers who are experiencing a travel delay or disruption by notifying them of the effects it has on their travel and then asking if they need support, instead of waiting for travelers to initiate customer support contact. This improves the customer experience in ways that they didn't know were even possible. That inspiration and approach is how certain solutions and products offered by Amex GBT came to be. Amex GBT Select allows companies to incorporate Amex GBT tools into existing technology to fill any gaps that exist within their current program without a total rehaul. Similarly, companies that prefer using a third-party booking tool can integrate that software as well. For the spending and reimbursement aspect of business travel, Amex GBT Neo allows managers to easily track their company travel spend while helping employees stay within policy and get reimbursed quickly. A New Era of Efficiency No matter where you look these days, every company, industry, and platform is touting its latest AI-driven tool, promising ease, efficiency, and problem-solving capabilities. But one industry where AI hasn't hit its stride yet is travel. The travel industry is highly fragmented, with numerous players and constant changes, making it challenging to integrate AI across ecosystems. Additionally, travel is one area where customers report preferring traditional, human-to-human interactions over AI-driven services. According to recent research, 64 percent of US-based travelers prefer live agents to support them when facing disruption. So even though the latest AI technology is easy to get excited about, Amex GBT approaches its platform from the lens of a 100-plus-year history, putting every idea through its paces before applying it to the business travel experience. The first opportunity to create efficiency in travel is often through relationships. Then comes the technology. Currently, Amex GBT is working with and has access to 600+ airlines, 60+ rail providers, 40 rental car agencies in 3,300 locations globally, more than 2 million properties across 180 countries, and 18K+ employees globally. Business travel booked by Amex GBT, on average, represents 188,000 air segments flown daily and 146,000 hotel beds filled nightly. Customers benefit from the brand's generations-old relationships through the tech used in Amex GBT's products. This hybrid approach to travel solutions results in 24/7 support, access to flexible fares, up to 50 percent savings on the best available rate at certain properties, and built-in carbon impact data to empower customers to source the most sustainable travel option available through Amex GBT Egencia. A Dollar Saved and a Dollar Earned Business travel fosters innovation, collaboration, and positive organizational change in a way that nothing else does. In-person meetings, unstructured time, and shared travel experiences connect teams and create genuine rapport through the subtle, hard-to-measure effects of something as small as eye contact, a smile, or a nod. With the opportunity to come together comes the chance to create great ideas that may not come to life in any other environment, which is why roughly 50 percent of employees prefer in-person meetings. When you look at it that way, where you go matters. How you get there matters, too, whether you're looking through the lens of sustainability, user experience, or revenue. Nearly a third of C-suite leaders credit a third of their company's sales growth in 2023 to traveling for in-person meetings, and more than 90 percent believe they would lose customers without business travel. For small- and medium-size companies, every dollar spent on business travel generates an average of $12 in revenue, largely driven by new customer acquisition. An investment in business travel is just that—an investment. But using technology to better position how that investment looks—and the experience your team receives—creates a value that, arguably, can't be quantified.
Travel Daily News
29-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
JTB Business Travel launches Teal to transform business travel management
Teal, powered by Spotnana, combines global reach and cutting-edge cloud technology to deliver a smarter business travel experience to companies of all sizes. TORRANCE, CA – JTB Business Travel, a service brand of JTB USA Inc., announced the launch of Teal, a modern, cloud-based travel management platform designed to simplify, personalize, and transform the way companies manage their global travel programs. Powered by Spotnana's industry-leading technology, Teal unifies Travel Managers, Travelers, and JTB Business Travel Advisors on a single platform to create a simplified, intuitive, and scalable experience for organizations of all sizes. JTB Business Travel is also the first Travel Management Company (TMC) to offer Spotnana's platform across owned points of sale in over 15 countries, expanding to 25 by the end of 2025 – enabling fast, truly global program rollouts. Built to address the evolving demands of modern business travel, Teal empowers Travel Managers with real-time visibility, policy control, sustainability tracking, and integrations with HR and expense systems. For Travelers, Teal delivers an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly booking experience that offers full inventory access across air, hotel, rail, and car rental, along with real-time alerts, global support, and personalized, policy-aligned options. Travelers also gain the autonomy to book, modify, or cancel their trips independently – with seamless support on the road whenever they need it. The results speak for themselves. According to data from Spotnana, the cloud-based platform that powers Teal, existing users have achieved a 94% average self-service online booking rate. This type of efficiency leads to meaningful cost savings through streamlined booking, increased traveler autonomy, and stronger supplier management. 'At JTB Business Travel, we're always challenging ourselves to find new ways to deliver exceptional service through smarter technology,' said Geert de Boo, General Manager and Vice President of Global Business Travel at JTB USA, Inc. 'Teal supports our pursuit of that goal and represents a major step forward for our clients – bringing together JTB's global expertise and Spotnana's cloud technology to deliver the best possible travel experiences.' Unlike legacy systems that require complex and lengthy rollouts, Teal makes it easy to deploy global travel programs – often as simple as configuring a list of countries to be launched. Teal also bridges the gap between managed and unmanaged travel by offering a turnkey, cost effective alternative that gives companies full support from JTB Travel Advisors with minimal lift to get started. 'Spotnana and JTB Business Travel are working together to offer businesses around the world a powerful combination of advanced technology and exceptional service,' said Steve Singh, Executive Chairman and CEO of Spotnana. 'By connecting JTB Business Travel's clients and expert Travel Advisors through Spotnana Cloud for TMCs, everyone can benefit from improved travel experiences, greater efficiency, and faster innovation.' With Teal, companies can roll out consistent travel programs across markets in minutes, manage costs with greater accuracy, and support traveler wellbeing with always-on access to human-centered support. Key Teal Features Include: Simultaneous global rollout across languages, currencies, and regions Real-time spend monitoring, safety tracking, and sustainability reporting Comprehensive booking inventory for air, hotel, rail, and car rentals Pre-built integrations with HR, finance, and expense management platforms 24/7 support powered by unified traveler profiles and policy information
Hospitality Net
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Achieving the Perfect Business Trip: New Study Reveals Top Challenges and Technology Solutions for Success
While business travel drives critical business outcomes, it can also come with challenges for organizations and employee travelers alike. These challenges can sometimes make the pursuit of the 'perfect business trip' seem like a distant fantasy. Yet, it is an aspiration the industry can work to achieve — with travel managers identifying various technological innovations that can reduce friction and drive trip success. This is according to new research released today by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world's largest business travel association, in partnership with Direct Travel, Spotnana, and Troop. Findings from 'The Perfect Business Trip,' a report stemming from a survey of U.S.- and Canada-based corporate travel managers outlines the challenges they face in their travel programs including the use of online booking tools (OBTs) and addressing travel disruptions, as well as managing travel management companies (TMCs), meetings programs, and expense reporting and insights. Achieving a more 'perfect' business trip is within our reach through industry innovation and collaboration. Our latest research pinpoints the key challenges and offers technological solutions to ultimately transform business travel into a more seamless experience for both travelers and travel managers. Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA Corporate travel managers cite their top sources of friction When asked to rate the level of friction experienced with key aspects of their travel program, 57% of travel managers responded that the online booking experience for unprofiled guest travel brought at least some friction along with it, closely followed by the management of travel disruptions (55%) and expense reports (50%), as well as the travel management company (TMC) servicing process (50%) and the online booking experience for meeting and event travel (50%). The survey also found that rising travel costs continue to be viewed as a challenge despite stabilizing travel prices, with more than half of travel buyers (53%) calling it the single greatest challenge they face in managing costs. Meanwhile, travel programs continue to struggle with 'leakage' for bookings made outside of 'managed' channels like TMCs or OBTs. Most travel managers (67%) said their company's air travel leakage increased (19%) or stayed the same (48%) over the past year. Hotel leakage is an even bigger challenge, with a total of 81% reporting that it grew (24%) or stayed the same (57%). This is more than a wake-up call—it's a signal that the future of managed travel is already taking shape. Travel managers want intelligent, connected solutions that meet today's needs and anticipate tomorrow's challenges. That's exactly what we're building with Avenir—a platform powered by leading partners like Spotnana and TROOP, designed to integrate global content, automation, and high-touch service into one seamless experience. By combining smart technology with trusted support, we're delivering the perfect trip from start to finish. Christal Bemont, CEO of Direct Travel Despite slow adoption, NDC shows promise as buyers experience OBT challenges New Distribution Capability (NDC) has the potential to drive savings and a better shopping experience. Yet, NDC continues to face a slow road to adoption, with more than one-third of buyers (37%) saying their program is not making any NDC bookings. An additional one-fifth (22%) say NDC bookings account for less than 10% of their program's overall air bookings. The single most cited reason why? Over half of travel managers (54%) surveyed say their TMC cannot adequately support NDC (28%), and there isn't enough NDC content available through their OBT (26%). Even when OBTs do have NDC content, they often do not have key features to support these bookings. Just 13% of buyers said their OBT supports self-services changes and cancellations for NDC bookings, while only 17% said their OBT allows employees to access free or discounted seats based on their loyalty status. This comes as travel programs experience a number of pain points with their OBT. These include the ability to manage exchanges and cancellations (identified by 64% of buyers), the ability to manage unused tickets (54%), limited access to NDC fares (46%), access to comprehensive global content (44%), and bookings for unprofiled guest travelers (43%). TMC innovation is a priority A majority (58%) of travel buyers are open to switching TMCs within the next year, suggesting that improvements are clearly needed in this sector. Buyers were asked to indicate the pain points travelers experience when using their TMC, with inconsistent service quality (41%), poor technology and user experience (36%) and slow or ineffective issue resolution (32%) standing as the most common pain points. Travel buyers say various innovations are important when it comes to TMC servicing, with 54% listing proactive disruption management among their top three desired innovations, just ahead of risk management/duty of care capabilities (46%) and the ability to easily service NDC bookings (35%). Buyers would also like to see better integration between TMCs and OBTs, with 63% noting it as a service improvement that would enhance their travelers' experience. Small meetings are often 'unmanaged' More than half of respondents (53%) said small meetings, those with under 25 attendees hosted by their company, are typically planned outside of a managed program. This means that companies do not have formal policies and processes for small meetings; rather, they are organized by part-time planners such as executive assistants. Companies with 'unmanaged' small meetings also do not have KPIs or dedicated technology for small meetings, and they do not collect data about small meetings in a central location. This poses a number of challenges ─ ranging from cost management to process inefficiencies and poor understanding of the ROI of small meetings. Additional key data points from the report include: Only 14% of travel buyers said their company's travel and meetings programs are mostly integrated, with 46% saying they're mostly siloed. 45% of buyers identified budget uncertainty and management as a challenge in planning and managing travel for meetings at their company, while 42% noted both last-minute challenges and coordinating attendees. A manual and time-consuming expense submission process stood out as the most- commonly mentioned pain point in expense reporting (63%), with innovations that streamline payment and expense processes being viewed as the most important, such as automated receipt capture and matching (55%). Methodology A total of 166 responses were received from travel managers across the U.S. and Canada between March 4-15, 2025. 'The Perfect Business Trip' full report can be downloaded on Direct Travel's website here and also via the GBTA Hub here for GBTA members. About GBTA The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world's premiere business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area and serving stakeholders across six continents. GBTA and its 8,000+ members represent and advocate for the $1.48 trillion global travel business and meetings industry. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. For more information visit About the GBTA Foundation The mission of the GBTA Foundation, the US 501c3 charitable arm of the Global Business Travel Association, is to help the global business travel industry create a positive impact and better future for people and the planet. The GBTA Foundation focuses on the strategy and execution of GBTA's global sustainability programs, supporting initiatives related to climate action; diversity, equity and inclusion; and other talent-related topics via education, research and advocacy. For more information visit GBTA Enquiries GBTA View source
Zawya
20-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Seed Group signs joint venture with Tumodo to advance business travel management in the UAE
Dubai, UAE — Seed Group, a company of The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, has announced a strategic partnership with Tumodo, a leading company for corporate travel management. The collaboration aims to optimise business travel operations and improve cost control for companies across the UAE and the wider MENA region. Tumodo is a UAE-based travel technology company with operations in Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia. Its platform supports corporate clients in managing business travel through tools for booking, budgeting, reporting, and compliance. Among its key features are real-time data analytics, integration with accounting systems, and continuous customer support. The company currently serves over 300 organisations and processes more than 3,000 travel bookings per day, with a reported 90% user adoption rate since launching in 2021. With Seed Group's strong ties with government and corporate organisations, along with its deeprooted market knowledge, Tumodo is well-positioned to scale its operations and expand its presence across the MENA region. 'Welcoming Tumodo into our roster of partners is consistent with our drive to support technologydriven businesses that enhance operational efficiency in the UAE and broader region,' said Hisham Al Gurg, CEO of Seed Group and The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum. He continued, 'With the business travel sector in MENA at an upward rise, Tumodo's AI automation and integration-ready solutions will bring immense value to enterprises seeking smarter, leaner, and more secure travel management.' Sergey Karmalito, General Manager at Tumodo UAE, remarked, 'We are grateful to Seed Group for their trust and the opportunity to expand our product in the UAE. With their expertise and strong regional presence combined with our technology, the business travel landscape in the region is set to become even more seamless and advanced. Companies will be able to significantly enhance their operational efficiency and financial performance by managing corporate travel through Tumodo.' In the coming months, this alliance will empower regional and UAE-based businesses with nextgeneration corporate travel solutions. About Tumodo Tumodo, founded in the UAE, is an online business travel platform (B2B travel platform) that combines data science, modern, user-friendly design, and world-class service to offer businesses and their employees the best business travel experience. The company's intuitive platform makes booking a business trip a matter of minutes, saving businesses an average of 35% on their travel-related expenses. For more information, visit About Seed Group Over the past 20 years, Seed Group has formed strategic alliances with leading global companies representing diverse regions and industries. These companies have propelled their business interests and goals in the Middle East and North Africa region through the support and strong base of regional connections of the Seed Group. The Group's goal is to create mutually beneficial partnerships with multinational organisations and to accelerate their sustainable market entry and presence within the MENA region. Seed Group has been a key point in the success of all its partners in the region helping them reach their target customers and accelerate their businesses. The Private Office was established by Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum to directly invest in or assist potential business opportunities in the region, which meet the Private Office's criteria. For more information, visit Tumodo Media Contact Andrei Baturin baturin@ Seed Group Media Contact Nomarie Jean Lacsamana jean@
