BTN Voices

Recently I went on my first international business trip in two years. A transatlantic trip for five nights came with significant financial investment,... KEEP READING

Can companies factor physical and neuro diversity into the business travel equation? BTN recently asked this question and it’s safe to say the answer is... KEEP READING

The ride keeps going round and round and up and down and never moves forward. I am talking about the corporate hotel RFP process and program. The time... KEEP READING

The days of grabbing your passport and a carry-on bag, breezing through airport security and meeting up with colleagues in the boarding area are over,... KEEP READING

With corporate travel on hold for many organizations for well over a year now, as a travel manager responsible for managing spend, what should you do?... KEEP READING

When it comes to the travel industry rebounding, it is important that we realize the damage that is being done when the pandemic is still being measured... KEEP READING

It cannot be overstated: The IPCC report is the most important published in climate science. The 2013 report was the precursor to the Paris Climate... KEEP READING

Goals shape most every corporate decision, so we must be clear about our goals for traveling. The most obvious travel goal is to earn a positive payback... KEEP READING

Festive Road managing partner Paul Tilstone considers the momentum driving sustainable practices and projects it could be the wave that finally... KEEP READING

Our industry's CEOs, who are paid to manage their stakeholders' expectations, have stopped forecasting the recovery of business travel post-Covid-19. It... KEEP READING

Business travel is changing before our eyes as employees flock to remote work. However, as travel re-opens, the push toward a global workforce is... KEEP READING

Over the past year, the average workday has gotten 48 minutes longer and we are in 13 percent more meetings, according to the National Bureau of... KEEP READING

Last year, extended-stay brands, particularly the economy and midscale segments, saw less dramatic declines in revenue per available room and occupancy... KEEP READING

This year, Orlando, Fla., will be hosting the Global Business Travel Association's annual convention. As business travel slowly rebounds, expect... KEEP READING

There have been predictions of widespread airline consolidation since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, but don't expect 2021 to be the year that... KEEP READING

Increased hygiene and safety concerns amid the Covid-19 pandemic have sparked a surge in demand for contactless payments, according to numerous recent... KEEP READING

More companies will implement pre-trip approvals for business travel in 2021, as part of broader efforts to safeguard employees and reshape travel and... KEEP READING

The economic pain and threatened futures of many small cities is a reality that existed prior to the pandemic. These areas suffered population declines... KEEP READING

When I think back to traveling for business at this time last year, hand sanitizer, personal space and the option of video calls versus a plane ride... KEEP READING

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, BTN held a number of buyer-only forums that provided participants with a platform for dialogue unperturbed by... KEEP READING

Human resources directors the world over face quite the challenge in preparing their workforces for a return to their offices, whatever that may look... KEEP READING

There is no joy in recognizing that business travel has peaked and that our industry will never return to its pre-Covid level. Like it or not, there are... KEEP READING

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to relocate our professional and personal lives into online meeting rooms and other virtual... KEEP READING

Despite the industry's efforts to increase cleanliness and consumer confidence, travelers cannot truly escape the virus until society achieves the CDC's... KEEP READING

About eight months ago, AI-based data intelligence firm PROS assembled a Covid Taskforce to help airline customers cope with the pandemic. By combining... KEEP READING

In a column for BTN in May 2020, I shared this line: "They say you don't truly know the value of something until it's no longer there. Well, the ability... KEEP READING

It's become pretty clear to me that humans don't evolve and transform unless confronted with a crisis so extreme that we have no choice but to break... KEEP READING

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on corporate travel has been seismic, to say the least. The landscape has shifted suddenly and the ecosystem—more... KEEP READING

Every crisis presents an opportunity to fix what was broken. Now that business travel has come to a virtual stop, why haven't we seen the network... KEEP READING

With business travel at a crawl during Covid-19, it’s the perfect time to evaluate your travel program and think about a reset if it’s not generating... KEEP READING

I went on a business trip last week. In normal times, that wouldn’t be worth mentioning. But these are hardly normal times. I’m in the travel... KEEP READING

The business travel industry now faces a much larger post-Covid threat. It is the ROI test: Will this trip be worth the cost and risk?  ... KEEP READING

With the traditional kickoff to the hotel request-for-proposals season just a few months away, the clock is ticking for travel buyers to decide how to... KEEP READING

Since the onset of Covid-19 and its devastating effects on the lives of millions around the world, I’ve had many conversations with travel and meeting... KEEP READING

Bill-back is a convenient system for the corporate client and the traveler, but in payment innovation terms it's the equivalent of a traditional airline... KEEP READING

Successful travel management has never been effective without trust. Without it, one can try, but efforts will sputter, veer off and ultimately take a... KEEP READING

If you work in procurement, it is your duty to your organization to ensure you're procuring for cost-efficiency and quality, regardless of which... KEEP READING

When faced with the highly complex impacts that the Covid-19 situation brings, travel managers should think of their approach in terms of a... KEEP READING

There's a lot of talk about bailing out the airlines, which have been quite profitable since 2008. But let's talk about what's getting overlooked... KEEP READING

As we are in the midst of the pandemic, what I've heard from numerous—not all—travel industry colleagues is that the road to recovery in the travel... KEEP READING

During the past week, GoldSpring facilitated a series of buyer discussions. More than 100 buyers shared their current challenges, along with solutions... KEEP READING

By now most companies are settling in for this unprecedented new reality in the corporate travel world, having made arrangements to get traveling... KEEP READING

Despite the current coronavirus crisis, which has all but isolated China from business travelers around the globe, it is inevitable that organizations... KEEP READING

The Covid-19 pandemic has created a global panic and reaction which should be a wake-up call and reminder that crisis management advance planning and... KEEP READING

The global spread of the coronavirus has underscored the responsibility of travel managers to ensure the health and well-being of traveling employees.... KEEP READING

It's only 15 minutes, but in the world of commercial aviation, on-time performance is a crucial measure for every airline. Interestingly, few airlines... KEEP READING

At most, travel managers in the West will have a negligible impact on climate change. Annual carbon emissions from the U.S., UK, France and... KEEP READING

In 2020, many companies will open direct booking channels, which will benefit all corporate stakeholders. While the commonly held belief is that direct... KEEP READING

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in December backed off the idea of requiring facial scans of U.S. citizens entering and leaving the United... KEEP READING

I think we’re at an inflection point in 2020; decommodification of air travel is finally becoming a reality. This naturally starts with the way in which... KEEP READING

During 2020 hotel negotiations, HRS repeatedly came across a new trend. Corporate hotel programs that are willing to be flexible can derive actual... KEEP READING

2020 will be the year of purpose beyond profit. TMCs will face decisions about how to grow their businesses while addressing sustainability in its... KEEP READING

The use of artificial intelligence to parse traveler data to provide more personalized booking choices has been on the upswing. Proponents tout better... KEEP READING

The TMC sector looks as if it might need a breather at the moment in terms of mergers and acquisitions. But I think the opposite is happening: Activity... KEEP READING

TMC industry consolidation leads to TMC market power, which creates the ability to be more selective about selling opportunities. Buyers will see this... KEEP READING

Leisure travel long been has considered better than work travel, but 2020 is the year that business travel will become the envy of leisure travel,... KEEP READING

Uber and Lyft each have vowed that 2020 will be their last year with four quarters in the red, but that path to profitability might give travel buyers... KEEP READING

You probably won’t get to the end of this article. Our attention spans are getting shorter, dropping in the last 20 years from 12 seconds to just eight... KEEP READING

With the immense scale and complexity of air travel, our industry still relies on many legacy frameworks that weren’t designed to meet the needs of... KEEP READING

There are signs the walls around corporate payment cards could be lowering, with a spate of travel and expense management providers rolling out payment... KEEP READING

Given the ubiquity, is my question nonsensical? Of course, it’s time—it’s long past time for sustainability to become a cornerstone of business travel.... KEEP READING

Ruthlessly competitive and exploding in popularity, the food-delivery app market is a fascinating landscape of high-stakes corporate combat. Their... KEEP READING

Jan. 11, 2020, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, an annual opportunity for the business travel industry to review its strategy and... KEEP READING

Air travel is absolutely central to doing business in a globalized economy. Even as global companies increasingly use technology to stay in touch, the... KEEP READING

Earlier this year Festive Road surveyed and interviewed over a hundred business travel buyers and conducted interviews across the online booking tool... KEEP READING

July lawsuits against two hotel chains renewed focus on "drip pricing." This occurs when guests search for hotel rooms and first see only room rates. A... KEEP READING

Travel buyers with small and medium-sized programs have more choices than ever in finding discounts and special pricing for hotels. Sadly, it has not... KEEP READING

Traditional medical insurance coverage extends to employees who travel abroad for work occasionally. But employees taking on humanitarian efforts in... KEEP READING

If flying domestically in the U.S., a traveler needs a driver's license or acceptable photo ID. Internationally, he or she needs a passport. Passengers... KEEP READING

A longstanding conundrum in corporate travel programs is how to balance business priorities like saving money while still catering to employees' needs... KEEP READING

"The rise of artificial intelligence is likely to extend ... job destruction deep into the middle classes, with only the most caring, creative or... KEEP READING

As the hotel technology provider to hundreds of large, medium and small corporations, we get a unique perspective into what makes for a good hotel... KEEP READING

The International Air Transport Association has passed a resolution calling for quicker implementation of the One ID concept, in which passengers... KEEP READING

I'm going to say this out loud. We, the business travel community, are letting the online travel agencies gain an even more dominant position in the... KEEP READING

While using biometric systems like Clear to board flights without queuing might seem like a win for convenience, the technology raises concerns among... KEEP READING

The biggest threat to personal safety on the world's roads often goes unreported. Every year, the lives of almost 1.3 million people are cut short as a... KEEP READING

The readiness standards for a travel program to implement a new travel management company have changed. What was once considered "go state" is simply... KEEP READING

There's an old saying that you don't get fired for buying IBM. But whoever said that obviously never worked at a small or midsize enterprise, where... KEEP READING

In recent months, much discussion has ensued about the value of the travel management company RFP and its future place, if any, in the TMC sourcing... KEEP READING

Corporate meeting and event teams face the opportunity of a lifetime. It may not feel that way, with last year's hotel commissions-cut announcements... KEEP READING

There's good disruption and bad, and plenty of corporate travel buyers will argue whether the disruption in ground transportation by transportation... KEEP READING

We've only dipped our toes into using data to create richer experiences and stronger connections at events, but that's all about to... KEEP READING

Global ties between major carriers are set to tighten this year as several joint business agreements near approval, and the global alliance structure... KEEP READING

The U.S. will tax tickets purchased with frequent-flier points at $50 for domestic, $100 for international coach and $500 for international business... KEEP READING

Buzzword or not, artificial intelligence will move beyond travel booking to all aspects of the travel experience from before booking to real-time... KEEP READING

If you are a corporate travel manager, then you probably start each day with a scan of the latest news on data privacy, or rather the lack of data... KEEP READING

Greater deployment of emerging technologies in 2019 will make the business trip cycle easier to navigate—and increasingly populated with personalized... KEEP READING

The scale and dynamism of Asia/Pacific economies make the region a vital component of many corporate travel programs. As China opens more connections... KEEP READING

When corporate travel booking and management provider TripActions earned "unicorn" status by reaching an investor valuation of $1 billion in November,... KEEP READING

Companies send employees abroad now more than ever, but the evolving demographics of the average business traveler bring with them new health and... KEEP READING

This time last year, Marriott International hit the corporate market with some big news: It would slash meetings commissions from the conventional 10... KEEP READING

Earlier this year, talk of the International Air Transport Association's New Distribution Capability standard and its deployment in the U.S. was getting... KEEP READING

Many travel managers now find themselves tasked with managing meetings. On its face, this makes complete sense. After all, they are both travel related,... KEEP READING

After the recent British Airways data breach, travel managers received a flurry of enquiries from anxious travelers wanting to know how their company... KEEP READING

For many years, travel program success has been measured in savings. In an effort to simplify hotel program management, companies define success by the... KEEP READING

The CEOs of flight disruption compensation reclamation firms AirHelp and Paxfour offer their views as to whether flight disruption compensation from an... KEEP READING

Too often, organizations are happy to tick the necessary boxes to cover themselves if something should go wrong for their travelers and overlook the... KEEP READING

Today's travel marketplace offers an array of choices. Airports are upgrading their facilities, access to lounges is expanding, ease of check-in is... KEEP READING

How do you know your travel management company has a secure data environment? A simple assurance that "We take data security seriously" is not... KEEP READING

Escalating geopolitical tensions have created a charged environment for business travelers, even in regions that traditionally have been considered... KEEP READING

Mental and physical health are important issues for road warriors and that high volumes of travel are correlated with a number of poor wellness... KEEP READING

Research by my colleagues and me over the past several years shows that physical, behavioral and mental health issues cluster among employees who travel... KEEP READING

T&E generally accounts for 10 to 15 percent of a company’s expense base, but the bottom line isn’t the only factor in travel policy. American Express... KEEP READING

The process by which companies obtain negotiated rates from hotels is broken and has been for years. Consultants are hired, RFPs are sent, discounts are... KEEP READING

Twenty years ago, an HR executive asked me how to evaluate the success of a managed travel program. As a result, I created a checklist of the components... KEEP READING

Meetings management programs are under a lot of pressure to prove their value. They could be mature programs that have been delivering savings and... KEEP READING

In 2016, I heard of an experienced sales director running his company’s South African operations while traveling back and forth from that country and... KEEP READING

Every corporation wants to believe its organization is well run and all its employees have good intentions. The majority of people do, but in every... KEEP READING

Among the things travel buyers care about, savings is arguably the most essential, the most visible, the most measured. Savings, defined here as the gap... KEEP READING

We all know that business travel promotes business relationships, helps companies establish new markets and brings key people closest to the... KEEP READING

Geopolitical uncertainties and natural disasters in destinations normally deemed safe will keep risk management top of mind for travel managers in 2018.... KEEP READING

Corporates funding their strategic meetings management programs entirely through commissions may want to create backup plans. This year could see one or... KEEP READING

As corporate travel rolls into 2018 with all engines powering full speed ahead, it’s worthwhile to take a step back and consider which travel... KEEP READING

The countdown to May 25, 2018, is set for compliance with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. Strategic meetings management program... KEEP READING

Nearly every industry undergoes major evolutions as technology evolves. Television shifted from scheduled viewing to time delays, then on-demand.... KEEP READING

African business travel management can no longer ignored. The World Bank has identified substantial sub-Saharan African growth in key life indicators... KEEP READING

It’s hard to miss the increasing footprint artificial intelligence has in our everyday lives. This point is best illustrated by the remarkable... KEEP READING

Chinese consumers love mobile tech. China now represents the largest business travel spend in the world, according to GBTA. By the transitive property,... KEEP READING

Of the 1.8 million meetings held annually in the U.S., small meetings—50 people or fewer—represent a large percentage. They are often simple, one-day... KEEP READING

This past holiday season, Amazon sold “tens of millions” of Alexa-enabled devices; the Echo Dot was the top-selling item across all Amazon.com... KEEP READING

Hertz will buy Avis: There are too many car rental companies. Enterprise/National is eating the cake of the other companies with amazing pricing... KEEP READING

2017 was a year of fire and fury for women. Revelations about sexual harassment in the workplace rocked the entertainment and media industries, as well... KEEP READING

This year, we’ll see incentives for all! Ok, let’s be honest, I used that to grab your attention, as that’s absolutely not a phrase you are going to... KEEP READING

Suspicious buyers, leery travel agencies and global distribution systems have long feared that the International Air Transport Association’s New... KEEP READING

If you look back at the last two years, [all this technology] was new. People were super excited talking about things, and then last year people saw... KEEP READING

Now that duty of care is high on the corporate agenda, trip-approval systems need to factor it in. Focusing purely on the budget aspects of corporate... KEEP READING

Major hotel chains’ recent expansions of their advance-cancellation penalties reflect a lack of understanding of the potential costs for corporate hotel... KEEP READING

Midsize companies play a crucial role in the strength of a country’s economy and face a different set of challenges from larger companies to grow their... KEEP READING

If the reception Airbnb received at this year's GBTA Convention is any indication, the simple answer to the question in the headline is yes. While CNN's... KEEP READING

Many organizations now view itinerary tracking as an absolute necessity for travel risk management, but to keep their personnel safe, are companies... KEEP READING

The relationship between Concur and the travel agency community thus far has been symbiotic. Concur receives high-margin revenue in the form of... KEEP READING

I read your op-ed, The Case Against Gamification & Price-to-Beat Tools, with interest on Friday. Given my role as CEO & founder of Rocketrip, I felt... KEEP READING

Travel disruptions and unexpected events are all too common: Weather delays, infrastructure failures and natural disasters are just a few examples of... KEEP READING

Incentivizing employees with gift cards and other benefits can help save money on trip itineraries. Companies like Rocketrip and TripActions are... KEEP READING

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration's ban of certain carry-on electronic devices on inbound flights from 10 Middle Eastern airports puts two... KEEP READING

Adding data from your expense management system to the travel agency data you already use to power your hotel sourcing power may enable you to negotiate... KEEP READING

More and more companies are realizing that today's consumers expect the brands they do business with not only to provide quality goods or services but... KEEP READING

Employers fret plenty about their liability in case of illness or injury to employees, but that liability is pretty limited, at least for business... KEEP READING

How would you define convenience for a traveler checking into a hotel for business travel? Is it knowing that there will be someone waiting at the front... KEEP READING

Justified or not, the handling of the U.S. government's surprise ban on laptops and other large electronic devices onboard certain flights from the... KEEP READING

The days of driving high year-over-year contract savings are gone for corporate travel buyers, especially for mature global programs. The hotel market... KEEP READING

2017 will be the year that adoption of shared economy services like Uber, Lyft and Airbnb becomes a permanent fixture in the corporate travel program... KEEP READING

Frequent business travelers have for many years been labeled road warriors. It comes from a time when business travel was an arduous, often lonely and... KEEP READING

Airlines will ratchet up segmentation strategies this year, leaving buyers with more options and, in some cases, more policy headaches. United Airlines'... KEEP READING

We all know that business travel promotes business relationships, helps companies establish new markets and brings key people closest to the... KEEP READING

Change is constant. Digital is magnifying stale practices that are in need of reinvention. This environment signals a glaring misalignment between hotel... KEEP READING

From the moment he descended the Trump Tower escalator to announce his candidacy for U.S. president, Donald Trump has defied predictions. Nailing down... KEEP READING

Few expense management firms employed machine learning before 2016, but booking tools like KDS using that type of artificial intelligence for predictive... KEEP READING

The complexity and frequency of world events significantly threaten and impact travelers more so every day. The world is interconnected and events can... KEEP READING

To say that there were dramatic changes in 2016 would be an understatement, but a few major travel "events" will have a longer-term impact on travel... KEEP READING

Consolidation is giving hotel chains more justification to raise rates worldwide, and most foreign cities offer a broad range of business-grade hotels,... KEEP READING

Corporate travel management is a data-intensive practice that has at times resembled an arms race between suppliers and buyers. Many travel managers... KEEP READING

In 2016, major hotel companies revamped their loyalty programs and introduced direct booking discounts linked to loyalty membership. The factors that... KEEP READING

Has anyone else noticed the words "retailing" and "merchandising" being used more than ever before: travel suppliers talking about themselves as... KEEP READING

Personalization seems to be everywhere these days, from item suggestions when you log on to Amazon to the promoted photos and ads in your social media... KEEP READING

I know I am not the only one looking to the next few months with a keen eye. People are wondering how our country will change or if it will change at... KEEP READING

2017 will see data strategy emerge as a foundational priority for both corporate travel managers and the travel management companies they work with: How... KEEP READING

When I was a child, my career aspiration was to be a teacher or a preacher. I knew from a young age that I simply wanted to help people. From my days as... KEEP READING

It has been interesting to watch the major hotel companies’ recent attempt to shift bookings to their direct on-line channels by incentivizing members... KEEP READING

An executive at your company is traveling in Europe when a terrorist attack occurs near her location. You know where she is, based on a GPS-enabled... KEEP READING

Long security checkpoint lines are not only tedious; they also may be dangerous for business travelers. While authorities have strengthened security to... KEEP READING

Hoteliers have some worries. U.S. occupancy, while high, is stalling in growth. First-quarter earnings were lackluster thanks to slow U.S. business... KEEP READING

Today's travel manager faces a more variable role than travel managers of days past. They can navigate and institute a list of preferred hotels and... KEEP READING

It's a bit awkward, isn't it? To be back where we were five months ago. Marriott International is buying Starwood Hotels & Resorts. It's as true now as... KEEP READING

In my predictions for 2016, I forecasted the continuation of large hotel corporation mergers and acquisitions. According to industry buzz, it looks like... KEEP READING

Travel & expense is the dark horse of the corporate travel management industry. Wait, what’s that? You’ve been paying attention to... KEEP READING

Desktop applications are no longer good enough. 2016 will see mobile business travel bookings and new mobile applications to manage... KEEP READING

If the domino theory applies to airlines, 2016 could be a year of great tumbling. Merger activity has been the dominant topic on the U.S. domestic... KEEP READING

Meet Terry, the most important persona in the corporate travel industry. Terry is not the travel manager. Instead, Terry represents... KEEP READING

Since the card networks announced their plans to transition to the EMV standard in 2012, players including issuers, merchants, acquirers and processors... KEEP READING

Picture two companies: Company A and Company B. Both companies are submitting a request for proposal for a negotiated rate at Hotel... KEEP READING

The use of “virtual collaboration” technology, tools allowing people to work together digitally instead of in person, will... KEEP READING

Should the federal government make airlines provide ancillary fee data in every channel they list fares? The answer to that question has been subject to... KEEP READING

In 2016 travel managers will begin looking inward at their programs rather than outward toward the supply chain. The irony is that... KEEP READING

A patent application filed June 22 and posted online Christmas Eve quietly revealed how broadly Uber may extend its reach into the... KEEP READING

In 2016, the total cost of travel is a focus for most travel managers as the industry climbs out from under the procurement... KEEP READING

A travel policy can be a lot like a junk drawer. Stuff gets thrown into it. You know you need to clean it out but never seem to get around to it. There... KEEP READING

The recent terrorist attacks in Paris only reinforce America's need for us to remain vigilant about homeland security and for our Congress to... KEEP READING

As the airline industry continues to consolidate, it has become apparent that today’s model for contracting up-front corporate discounts will change.... KEEP READING