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Travel Compositor launches tech solution for TMCs
Spain-based Travel Compositor, a provider of booking engine solutions for online leisure travel sellers, announced that it is launching a technology solution for Travel Management Companies (TMCs) called "TC 4 Business Travel”. Responding to the demand and needs of several of their clients who work in both the leisure and business segments, Travel Compositor – which bases a large part of its innovation on its clients own suggestions – has worked for more than a year in collaboration with B2B TMC clients who requested this to create a business travel platform unique for its features and solutions which the company describes as ‘holistic’. Travel Compositor is present in 60 countries around the world and is part of the travel technology group Travelsoft, whose technology is used to sell trips worth around €35 billion a year and incorporates well-known B2B travel technology brands such as Orchestra , Traffics, TravelgateX, TCT and ATCORE. Taking advantage of the best of its leisure travel solution called Travel C, the platform has added specific modules and features that TMCs can use for when their clients plan business trips. Among others, the new tool will have features such as: Choose from more than 16 booking engines that will allow the pricing and sale of all types of trips, from the classic flight plus hotel but with any type of transportation and any land service in cross-selling, to multi-hotel reservations, commercial routes visiting several destinations by car, unlimited multi-destination trips that will allow to book a national, continental or intercontinental trips to several destinations in a single session, etc. A very powerful back-office with more than 20 modules including CMS, Business Intelligence, Mail and Whats app marketing, quotes repricing, rebooking, finances, data, inventories for contract loading, extranet, campaigns, promo codes, operations, market-place, rewards and affiliations, users and companies management, etc. White label websites, highly customizable, so that each Operator can offer a specific system and site to each company that fits their needs, including custom booking flow, documentation and rules. Plus, various specific modules for business travel including: Approval processes Expense administration Ability to implement travel policies and rules Expense management tools and analysi Budgets per user Already more than 200 XML providers are ready to be connected at no cost by TMCs that acquire a TC 4 business travel license, including access to specific corporate rates with airlines, railway companies and hotel chains, negotiated by them. Additionally, Travel Compositor is pleased to confirm that it has reached an agreement to integrate Emburse Captio, the global leader in travel expense management, into the TC 4 Business Travel to allow travelers to update their expenses during the trip by simply scanning them with his mobile phone and that it is integrated directly into each trip file. The founder and CEO of Travel Compositor, Manuel Aragonés, comments: “We believe that there is a gap in the TMC market for a holistic solution that covers all aspects about travel and all about control rules and expenses during the trip, that is currently not served by existing solutions, which is why we hope to implement quickly TC 4 Business simultaneously in the 60 countries where we are already present, through our current clients who work in both segments (leisure and business). I would like to thank the entire team for creating this excellent product and also Emburse Captio for trusting us to become our first external tool integrated within our solutions.” Today's news follows the ever-innovating Travel Compositor's recent launch of a new booking engine called TC Trip Planner, a patent that allows travelers to create and book trips that combine multiple destinations with road routes, packages and cruises in a single session
Is Convening the New C in TMC?
What were once empty spaces are now congested. As the skies begin to empty and fall silent in April 2020, desert storage facilities for aircraft are quickly carpeted with long streaks of metal and carbon, decorated in the liveries of the world’s airlines. Facility managers boast they can ‘walk you around the world in less than an hour.’ No region is untouched, no airline immune to the pandemic. By June 2020 two thirds of the world’s passenger fleet has been taken out of operational service and grounded. In a rare moment, airlines are no longer focused on keeping their planes up in the air but busy trying to find space for them down on the ground. Hunting for space is a nightmare. Normal facilities, desert storage or ‘boneyards’ are the first to fill, forcing lesser used regional airports to make available their aprons and taxiways for aircraft parking. Yet, still more planes need to be accommodated. With little alternative the world’s once busiest airports convert their prime real estate into open air storage plots. Runaways, taxiways, and aprons are soon flooded with aircraft. “Schiphol is packed” KLM Community Manager Annemiek Cornielje told Time magazine. She continued “Not with passengers, unfortunately, but with the many aircraft parked on the ramp and even on a runway. Choreographing this is sad, and a parking-puzzle.” Schiphol wasn’t alone. In Europe Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Paris, and Vienna were nose to tail in idle aircraft; in the US it was Pittsburgh and Tulsa and Atlanta and Phoenix and Houston and San Antonio. In Asia, Seoul, Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Delhi housed hundreds of motionless aircraft between them. 2020 was a watershed moment for travel. It was a rare occasion when all stakeholders were simultaneously forced to re-assess and re-define the industry, and how it would function going forward. Rules were re-written, priorities re-ordered, and its evolutionary trajectory permanently altered. The impact of the pandemic was so dramatic on travel you sensed the response would be equally significant. Travel Management Companies (TMC) have been vocal about their response. Compelled to react to their clients new working practices, along with changes in traveller behaviours, TMCs are re-thinking their service offerings and re-engineering their operations. I am curious about how these initiatives might tell a bigger story of change, so I recently spoke with four TMC heavyweights. They shared their insights and priorities, and where they are placing their big bets. While they are unanimous, the future looks promising, they differ on the best way of getting there. They are presented in alphabetical order, so let’s dig in. Rachel Tonge is Vice President SME Client Management EMEA at American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT). She has been part of the Amex GBT line up for six years, and prior roles include General Manager UK and Director of Global Strategic Transformation. Before joining Amex GBT, Rachel cut her change management teeth at Accenture, with clients such as Shell and Walt Disney. Rachel is well versed in the mechanics of big transformation, and she brings these highly valuable skills and experiences to Amex GBT at a critical time. It's a Wednesday afternoon and we speak via Zoom. Rachel begins by framing our conversation: “Business travel is playing a very central role in the post COVID modern workforce.” Rachel’s focus on workforce, rather than traveller, is illuminating and speaks to Amex GBT’s ambitions to broaden its services, widen its appeal, and play a bigger role in supporting its clients. Rachel elaborates, outlining what Amex GBT see as the key areas of change. Firstly, there is a change in traveller behaviour. There are fewer day trips but an increase in “meaningful travel” where trips are more thought-out, more deliberate, and less last minute. Itineraries are also more considerate of traveller wellbeing, with all aspects of the trip catered for to remove as much trip related stress as possible. Historically, it has been the secondary elements of the trip, transfers or on airport parking for example, that were overlooked and underserved. That is fast changing. Secondly, there is material uptick in smaller meetings and internal events as companies navigate hybrid and remote working practices. With the physical office now less of a node in the network of inter and intra organisational relationships, companies are proactively orchestrating rapport building and team bonding experiences. As a result, “there is growing demand for Amex GBT’s Meetings and Events (M&E) function.” Thirdly, sustainability is no longer an optional extra but a core element of the trip. Amex GBT has “weaved green insights into the booking process” to ensure clients and travellers are making informed choices. These insights include reporting on the “end-to-end life cycle of emissions and providing for both off-setting and in-setting initiatives.” Amex GBT has also super charged its consulting team, who can work with clients to reduce travel related emissions. Amex GBT places its commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence at the highest level of the organisation through a Transformation function intrinsically linked to the company’s strategy and business priorities. Led by a Chief Transformation Officer, the function is dedicated to creating incremental value at scale by “driving operational efficiencies, leading strategic initiatives, and enhancing organisational agility through change management.” Among current transformation priorities is Amex GBT’s service optimisation program, which is focused on delivering ongoing customer experience enhancements through technology, data insights, and end-to-end process reengineering. The function also operates as an incubator for talent by attracting and developing high potential individuals of diverse backgrounds, who can deliver material impact while learning the business as they progress through the company. Rachel speaks frequently of the need for a “seamless end-to-end service,” and of the complexities in providing that service. Corporate travel is a complicated ecosystem, comprising a wide range of data touchpoints across a range of technology platforms. Just consider the number of bespoke travel policies, negotiated fares and special rates, traveller profiles, disruption management reports, and Duty-of-Care reporting, and you have a sense of what’s involved. What ‘end-to-end’ means is the million-dollar question. Amex GBT recognise they have moved beyond pure people logistics and expense management. They now provide services and expertise that more directly contribute to a client’s overall employee experience as well as their productivity. I ask Rachel whether the term travel management company is big enough for Amex GBT’s ambitions. “It’s a really good question. Our focus is becoming a one stop shop, offering as big and diverse a marketplace as possible. Travel is now much more than a simple city-to-city pairing. It’s about the logistics of people, it's about the trip from the moment the traveller steps out of their door, and how the trip fits into the traveller’s overall employee experience. We support our clients through all of this with the largest and most valuable B2B marketplace in travel," Rachel concludes. I join Jorge Cruz, a twenty-five-year veteran of BCD, the day after a strategy workshop involving the company’s top leadership. Present for part of the meeting is Stephan Baars, BCD’s incoming CEO. Baars will formally take up his role on July 1st but is already known to the company having worked at BCD previously. Jorge, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing, welcomes a “smooth leadership transition” recognising they are all too rare in today’s operating environment. He is equally upbeat about where the industry is heading, and what that means for BCD. BCD is a distinctive entity that remains understated and reserved despite its undisputable growth and success. It is a brand humbled by its accomplishments. Here is a company that nurtures home grown talent, outgoing CEO John Snyder spent thirty years at the company. It has been voted ‘most admired’ travel management company a record ten times by readers of travel publication The Beat, most recently in 2022. It signed the first-ever sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) agreement for a TMC. In 2023 it won its sixth gold Stevie® Award for its TripSource app, and was recognised as a standout company for taking the lead in achieving gender equity in the tech space by Women Impact Tech 100. Jorge graciously acknowledges the wins but steers the conversation back to BCD’s founding principle: customer satisfaction. It may sound quaint, but Jorge’s sincerity is both striking and refreshing in a hurried, digitally submerged world. Plus, it has served BCD well over the years, creating a travel powerhouse. Jorge says BCD is maintaining its “customer centric focus” to ensure it isinnovating in the right product areas. I ask Jorge what those areas are post COVID. He responds “duty of care, including traveller wellbeing” tops the list. Sustainability has firmly established itself as another key customer requirement, and the need to manage and deliver effective virtual meetings is now a permanent feature of the corporate landscape. Being close to its customers has allowed BCD to read the market. Pre COVID it had already sensed changing requirements in the M&E space, and it pursued an acquisitive strategy culminating in its 2019 purchase of L37 Creative to bolster BCD’s engagement offerings. With this “wide range of scope and services” BCD’s M&E unit is currently recording faster growth than its traditional travel business, which is still dependent on overall market volumes returning to 2019 levels. Like its peers, BCD is deploying new technology at scale within the more traditional parts of its business. Jorge shares the process is channelled through the product development team, is more evolutionary than revolutionary, due to the complex nature of corporate travel, and is focused on simplification. Innovations include wider use of AI in both new and existing products, and enhancing the shopping experience, while increased investment is being made to access multi source data and provide enriched analytics. To process all this activity BCD went on a hiring drive in 2022 adding 3,000 new associates. BCD are supporting clients with a more diverse set of products and services, and I am again challenged by the growing awkwardness of the term TMC. I feel compelled to raise it with Jorge. “I see your point” he says. “In addition to describing ourselves as a TMC, which is more of an industry term, we are a digital travel services company.” There is an emphasis on the word services, and its elasticity across client needs. The fundamental management of travel is still needed, he continues, but a more diverse set of services are also being offered and used. BCD invests heavily in tech solutions and builds, buys, and partners across its portfolio to meet the changing needs of the market. They offer a dynamic marketplace of technology partners and provide open access to data and systems for their clients. BCD’s declared mission is ‘to help people and companies travel smart and achieve more,’ and it appears BCD is attempting to define what ‘more’ is. The organisation scores highly in employee engagement and culture, in the top five percent of similar sized companies according to Comparably, so one assumes it won’t take them long to work it out. Minneapolis to Cairo is a trip across three continents, one ocean and one sea. Luckily for me John Pelant’s trip includes a short stopover in Paris on a bright Tuesday morning. Despite travelling through the night John, CWT’s Chief Experience & Technology Officer, is wide awake. His remit stretches across large swathes of the organisation and the globe. John starts our conversation by listing CWT’s current priorities based on shifting market needs: ESG, with an emphasis on the Environmental component, capturing, displaying, analysing, and reporting emissions data; digitalisation across all touch points to create a truly omni-channel experience; enhancing connectedness with the end-user; seeking operating efficiencies through technology; traveller wellbeing that extends beyond safety and risk management; being Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) compliant by re-working user interfaces. It’s an intoxicating to-do list, and one assumes the lights are burning late into the night at CWT’s Minneapolis offices. John has been at CWT for fifteen years and ridden the waves of previous industry changes. He started in IT, moved to IT Operations, then Product Development, held the role of CIO and is now CTO and head of Customer Experience. He is in the eye of the storm, although you wouldn’t sense it from his calm and measured manner. I ask John about technology. “When we talk about tech, we don’t talk just about tech, it’s really the people plus technology” John says. “At the end of the day, we want to create a best-in-class experience for the end user – whether they’re managing travel arrangements independently or reaching out to a travel counsellor for assistance.” In the past 12 months, CWT has added a host of new capabilities to the web and mobile channels of its myCWT platform. At the same time, the TMC has been arming its travel counsellors with “advanced tools and tech to operate more efficiently and provide better service.” For home grown innovation John shares “we do it very intentionally, but not specifically through a transformation office. We have a product innovation team within our Experience and Technology organization, but innovation is embedded in our culture and happens across all parts of the business.” It is amongst the functions that CWT is shaking things up the most. In March it announced it was combining its Traveller Experience, Product and Technology groups under John’s leadership. This is a bold move and departs from industry norms. John suggests it is an “evolutionary” path, the natural coming together of three inter-related functions, and will create a single-line-of-sight to the end-user, be it counsellor or traveller. Like its peers CWT is also scaling its M&E arm, and John confirms “demand is strong.” Jump onto their web site and you are offered help in arranging your ‘hybrid and virtual events.’ Scroll down and you can ‘book your next meeting room in a few clicks.’ John underscores the changing nature of the M&E space, sharing that CWT are actively examining how to foster better collaboration within the meetings it is arranging on behalf of its client companies. Across an increasing number of client touch points CWT is showing up as a business partner, providing a growing range of services from booking travel to consulting, from sustainability to setting up internal meetings. On the 7th of February 2023, TripActions, a leading corporate booking platform, changed its name to Navan (a combination of navigate and avant (as in avant-garde)). The name change marked the next stage in the company’s evolution which ‘would unify its travel, corporate card and expense platforms into a single application.’ On April 1st 2023, Navan issued a press release apologising to customers for any confusion, and announced it was re-branding back to TripActions. Ariel Cohen, co-founder and CEO elaborated: “First, I’d like to apologize to our customers, users, and investors for the confusion this has caused. This was a rash decision made without any market research.” He continued “My habit of drinking champagne prior to 9am wasn't helpful.” The second announcement was an April Fools prank, but effectively communicates how Navan sees itself, and its maverick status in the TMC space. Navan has always punched above its weight; it has a disproportionate share-of-voice, which on occasion elicits envy disguised as dismissiveness from its more established peers. But Navan is very serious about its ambitions to up-end the corporate travel market with a digital first offering. No surprise then that its EVP and GM, Nina Herold, is ex-Uber. Nina joined Navan a little over five years ago and oversaw operations and product before assuming her current role, where she added leadership of both business and personal travel units, as well as design and user research to her portfolio of responsibilities. The latter two clearly signal the digital nature of Navan. I start by asking Nina to explain the rebrand. The re-brand is about expanding the stage Navan play on. “We are more than just travel. We are an end-to-end, all in one experience [that] keeps the end user front and centre of what we do.” Dropping the TripActions name wasn’t an easy decision Nina shares. It had a lot of recognition but “our company, and our thinking, and our approach have really evolved over the last eight years to more than just solving the specific needs of the business traveller.” Nina lists how Navan helps clients today: Core to what we do is allowing users to easily book, view, and manage their business travel and expenses, but we also support the administration of travel programmes, provide personal travel, offer M&E services, and support group and guest travel. It becomes clear Navan has morphed beyond solving a single use case, a great user experience for the corporate traveller, and is “now solving multiple pain points.” Nina’s vocabulary serves as a reminder of the company’s Palo Alto roots. She wraps up the branding conversation by highlighting how an acute focus on the end-user creates a flywheel effect, which I assume helped Navan achieve its $9.2 billion market valuation in October 2022. Navan has a strong track record in raising working capital and leverages its financial prowess effectively. In April of 2021 it acquired UK based Reed & Mackay, in 2022 it acquired European firms Comtravo, Resia, and Atlanta Events & Corporate Travel Consultants, and in April 2023 it acquired India’s Tripeur. It feels like the buying spree may not be over just yet. If the end-user is the first priority in Navan’s operating model, technology must be a close second. Navan has weaved together an effective combination of cloud infrastructure and mobile point-of-delivery, with content categorised and sorted by AI, and rendered through user-friendly interfaces. I wonder if accessing talent is an issue for Navan, especially considering their heavy reliance on progressive technologies. I raise the question with Nina. Attracting tech talent is made easier by being a digital first shop. For Navan, technology isn’t a “bolt on” and its internal processes and operating design feel very familiar to new hires from other digital entities. Navan is also very deliberate about its working arrangements, expressing a preference for in-person offices that foster collaboration and provide a palpable vibe of belonging. It’s a culture thing, it’s a style thing and “being big on in-person is how we operate our company” says Nina. “We lean heavily into those in person interactions whenever possible.” After my discussion with Nina, I visit Navan’s website. Clicking on ‘About Us’ I am presented with its principles for software development: Enable human connections; Help businesses run operations efficiently and make better decisions based on data and insights; Meet the needs of users based on modern standards and expectations. I am left wondering whether these principles extend beyond software. “The future has arrived — it’s just not evenly distributed yet.” William Gibson is an American-Canadian author of speculative fiction whose work explores the future implications of technology. His 1984 novel, Neuromancer, helped popularise the term cyberspace, but Gibson is best remembered for his 1992 comment “The future has arrived — it’s just not evenly distributed yet.” The quote serves as an effective frame for the current TMC landscape. The basic plumbing of search, shop, and book remains critical, as does reporting and policy compliance and duty of care. Tactical, incremental, and continuous innovations are needed to ensure the plumbing is fit for purpose and the system functions. But to create future value TMCs are going to need to migrate from doing only what is probable to helping clients enact what is possible. Early signs of this entrepreneurial value creation are evident across all four of the TMCs I spoke with. Each is experimenting and discovering and trialling, and when they hit a vein, they are scaling. On my desk is an infographic of the employee experience technology stack. TMCs are included towards the bottom, in the ‘Self-Service Productivity Tools’ section. The category above is called ‘Collaboration and Communication’ and already feels outdated. I wonder if a third C is missing: Convening. Convening is the word that has lingered – unsaid – in my conversations. It is the essence of what today’s TMCs are performing, and ironically, they are doing even more of it despite putting fewer people on planes. What the TMCs are building are marketplaces comprising of basic infra-structure and utility like transactional functions, layered with knowledge rich services, all aimed at enabling the productive and effective convening of work teams and communities. Look hard enough and you can see the future has already arrived, it’s just not evenly distributed. But I sense the big four TMCs are busying themselves, puzzling their way to a new definition of who they are.
Three TMC’s join the Uniglobe Travel Global Network
Uniglobe Travel welcomes Karavan Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey, SatGuru Travel & Tourism, Wembley, UK and House of Travel (2 locations), Montreal, Quebec, to the Uniglobe global network. “In today’s changing environment, TMCs are looking to be part of a dependable global travel network and brand that gives them a competitive advantage”, says Martin Charlwood, president & COO, Uniglobe Travel International, Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. It’s about ensuring that our members offer the best local service, knowledge, and expertise in the countries they serve. The market intelligence and trusted relationships they bring to Uniglobe Travel will be of great benefit to our members when coordinating business and/or leisure travel.” The Uniglobe Travel network is designed for top performing Travel Management Companies, (TMC’s). The program allows TMC’s to enjoy the benefits of combining their own locally established and recognized brand with the global brand of Uniglobe Travel” says Amanda Close, VP Global Operations, Uniglobe Travel International. “Some of the benefits include: Access to leading edge technology, including Uniglobe Travel proprietary solutions – Website, Traveller App, Client Portal Collaboration of multi-location corporate accounts Access to technology that provides easy, fast, integrated and efficient access to, and comparison of, global published and private fare content and availability which provides significant fare savings for customers Uniglobe Preferred Hotel programs that can access rates and benefits for hotels around the world Collaboration with Uniglobe specialists in MICE, Marine and Sports Preferred Suppliers and Vendors that provide products and services that enables members to grow their business Access to the Uniglobe Intranet which provides agencies with the ability to communicate and network with other Uniglobe members and access to a library of resources to manage and grow their business
New partnership expands TMC servicing abilities
A newly formed partnership between Traxo, provider of real-time corporate travel data capture, and Agentivity, the travel industry’s booking data management provider, will significantly expand a TMC’s ability to offer servicing of booking data even if made outside the TMC channel. The partnership will offer agents views on supplier direct data and integrated services such as itineraries, data automation, complete sharing of all data with relevant duty of care companies and single, merged reporting on all the corporate’s travel data. “Instead of looking at this as a leakage problem, we are seeing an immense opportunity for our TMC clients to add even more value to the service they provide for their corporate clients. Having access to the client’s supplier.com bookings made outside the TMC channel provides additional servicing opportunities. It also addresses the upsell challenge in that we can now provide the TMC with visibility on content for the next trip the client would usually book themselves,” says Edd McArdle, head of product and partnerships at Agentivity. Corporate clients will have to give their permission for the direct supplier booking data to be shared with the TMC. Matt Griffin, chief product officer at Traxo, adds: “Trying to change traveler behaviour to always and only book with their agent is unrealistic—travelers will inevitably book some part of their trip directly with a supplier for a variety of reasons. Traxo is excited to partner with Agentivity to bring new value to TMCs worldwide, not to mention the added advantage to corporate travel buyers who can now see all their booking data in one place, further enabling them to make the best decisions about each travel purchase and optimize policies and supplier relationships.”
Where will smaller TMCs fit in 2021?
In this guest column, Gavin Smith, director of Element talks about how travel management companies (TMCs) need to look at technology and changes to business processes that will give them sustainability and the edge they need when businesses start shopping around. It may seem like an age ago now, but you don’t have to go too far back to the days when there were extraordinary levels of investment in the corporate travel industry. Travel management companies (TMCs) were on a high, in terms of business and valuation, and both travellers and buyers had great choice. Especially among the smaller TMCs. Then along came COVID and everything changed. None of us know when or if it will ever get back to how it used to be. It’s easy to lose confidence in the industry and, as businesses share their concerns, there is overwhelming desire for change and innovation everywhere. Not least in business travel. Innovation is driven by necessity and sustainability and this is easier to see when you have time to look at your business and your suppliers and consider how you can make it all work better. COVID 19 has led to a dramatic change to our way of life and created new requirements that are driven by technology. Think virtual meetings, remote learning in schools, health consultations online and so on. In travel, companies soon identified gaps in their reporting and duty of care procedures and many TMCs were quick to adopt new technology that helped solve these issues. In both cases these were rapid responses to an urgent situation. Businesses are now looking beyond COVID. Evaluating their needs in 2021, expectations and costs and dare I say it, reviewing their existing providers. Account management, technology, duty of care, reporting, support services and cost will all factor in their decision process and their ranking for an RFP (request for proposal). Larger TMCs have huge IT budgets to develop solutions that serve customers, but what about the smaller TMCs? Where do they fit in a post COVID world? If you look at a TMC’s operational costs, their biggest expense, besides the cost of tickets, is staff. Account managers for example have many roles to fulfil – project management, data analysis, problem resolution and client reporting are just some of their responsibilities, and TMCs should be tracking that time and weighing it up against the profitability of each client. As business travel picks up this year, TMCs will need to shift their operations in line with changing business requirements. Consider automation, fee structures (fixed vs variable), duty of care and travel approval processes. New automation technology such as TINA, which optimises business processes while reducing spend, is helping smaller TMCs streamline their operations to fit with new business demands. There is no doubt that corporates are looking for change and I’m not just referring to the pandemic here. Technology will play a big part in the new way of doing things and TMCs will need to re-establish operational models for the long run. Financial and operational risk management will lead to more robust forecasting regarding TMC services and their continuity plans. Looking ahead, when people start travelling for work again, the immediate issue is likely to be the availability of airline seats and accommodation, driving prices up and prompting advanced bookings. Travellers will rely on TMCs to search for inventory and fast. Ivan de Lantivy, director of 360° travel consultancy, said that this year more and more companies will be looking towards air and hotel re-shopping and price assurance solutions. This will support them in obtaining lower air fares and room rates post COVID, as well as helping companies make more advanced decisions around advance purchasing. This can either be done using their existing TMC solutions or working directly with third party technology solutions. In a recent business travel survey, 34% of travel managers confirmed that they will make use of new emerging technology as well as travel tracking technology to support their travel programs. In addition, 64% of travel managers are currently unable to see the total cost of a business trip and have little or no visibility. By adopting new emerging technology, buyers will have far greater visibility around what they are spending in the future. From necessity comes innovation. The model you choose should be a balance of mitigating the risk for the TMC, but also be workable for corporates. Consider what is out there now - online booking tools, duty of care systems, AI for post booking processes. TMCs need to look at technology and changes to business processes that will give them sustainability and the edge they need when businesses start shopping around.
GBT launches new tool for TMCs
American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has today introduced its Rest Assured Solutions, an enhanced suite of end-to-end accommodations products and services. Rest Assured Solutions gives travel managers confidence that they are getting the most out of their hotel programme while offering travellers access to the properties they want at the best rates, all in one place. Introduced at this year’s Business Travel Show in London, Rest Assured Solutions helps travel managers and decision-makers reduce out-of-policy bookings that stem from well-intended traveller behaviour and booking decisions. The importance of choice, cost, location and amenities were just some of the concerns highlighted in GBT’s new Hotel Traveller 360°[1] research, which explores what drives business travellers’ hotel booking behaviours. "Driving compliance is key to better data visibility, security, savings" Wes Bergstrom, GBT’s vice president of hotel strategy, said: “Travellers want to do the right thing for their companies, and the research shows there is an opportunity to redirect the good intentions of out-of-policy bookers by proactively addressing common misconceptions about getting a better price, choice or experience elsewhere. Education and communication is needed to understand what is included in negotiated rates, such as Wi-Fi, parking, breakfast or resort fees, when compared to booking outside the preferred channel. Driving compliance is key to better data visibility, security, savings – in short, a more effective and centralised travel programme, which is what we are delivering to clients with Rest Assured Solutions.” [1] Ipsos Public Affairs conducted the 2019 Hotel Choice Survey (“Hotel Traveller 360) on behalf of American Express Global Business Travel from October 30–November 20, 2019. Qualified respondents were adult business travelers who in the last 12 months had (1) spent at least five days traveling on business trips, and (2) stayed overnight on at least one of those trips. The online survey was conducted among business travelers in seven countries: Australia, France, Germany, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. The findings in this study are based on interviews with 2,059 business travelers.
Most TMCs place high value on ABTA membership
New research, from Censuswide, released ahead of the Business Travel Show this month, finds over four in five (83%) managers say that membership of ABTA is very important or important when they select a travel management company (TMC) for their business travel needs. According to the research, managers at companies with an annual turnover of GBP 50-99.99 million especially value ABTA membership, with over nine in ten (92%) stating that membership was very important or important when selecting a TMC. Managers at even larger companies also particularly value ABTA membership with 86% of managers at a turnover of GBP 100-499 and over GBP 500 million saying it is very important or important to them. Using a TMC that is a Member of ABTA is also particularly important for senior decision-makers such as directors (92%) as well as business owners (83%). Victoria Bacon, director of brand and business development at ABTA – The Travel Association said: “This latest research shows that the vast majority of managers regard ABTA membership as important or very important when choosing a TMC. ABTA membership is particularly valued by larger companies and senior decision-makers such as business owners and directors. As well as the strong association with ABTA’s brand, TMCs and their clients benefit from a wide range of ABTA services and expertise, all available at no extra cost.” Victoria Bacon Booking business travel through an ABTA Member allows corporate managers to book with confidence, knowing that their travel provider has passed ABTA’s financial fitness tests, including minimum capital requirements, balance sheet net asset strength and the provision of financial security and that it follows ABTA’s Code of Conduct. ABTA members also have access to its operational crisis support and operational bulletins which provide out of hours crisis support and keeps them informed of the latest worldwide incidents that may impact their businesses.
“Innovative and socially minded”: GTMC teams up with Women in Travel
Professional body representing travel management organisations in the UK GTMC, has announced a new collaborative partnership with pressure group Women in Travel today. The agreement will see the organisations work together to aid the work of Women in Travel by encouraging GTMC’s travel management company members to access the services offered by the social enterprise. “Innovative and socially minded” Adrian Parkes (below left), chief executive of GTMC said: “Our members are amongst the fastest growing employers in the UK and internationally, representing over 12,500 employees. Talent is hard to come by and businesses are acutely aware of their need to become both, more creative and inclusive about the way they recruit in order to meet current and future needs. Women in Travel‘s services tap into talent currently below the radar and provide an innovative and socially minded way to meet our members’ requirements.” “An opportunity to regain stability and personal dignity” Alessandra Alonso (below right), founder and director of Women in Travel, added: "We are grateful to the GTMC and delighted by the opportunity to work with some of the best companies in the business travel sector. We know that there are many women out there looking for an opportunity to regain stability and personal dignity through employment. The travel sector is both attractive to women and fast growing and we see no better opportunity for them than being introduced to some of these best-in-class employers." The collaboration's key areas of interest are: Women Returners: Employability and recruitment services aimed at selecting, training and matching with suitable employers marginalised women who are physically and mentally ready to re-engage with the economy Training and development around employability; female leadership; coaching and mentoring Other events; conferences or workshops focused on empowering women to engage with the sector The next Women Returners programme starts in London on Monday 24 June.
TDM C-Suite Travel Trade Global Summit 2025
Join us for a unique opportunity to connect with 200+ industry leaders from Hoteliers and other industry high flyers as we explore the future of travel and hospitality in Thailand beyond - “"The Future of Hospitality: Crafting Seamless Experiences in an AI Digital-Driven World"