Getting all the relevant, bookable inventory in front of business travelers is a never-ending challenge. Airlines, hotels and other suppliers constantly tinker with their products and pricing, and usually favor direct distribution over more costly third-party channels. That creates complexity in business travel technology.
It’s hard to keep track of all the startups now addressing small or unmanaged business travel. They’re applying a number of concepts including rewards, texting, personalization and artificial intelligence. They promise a better user experience than existing corporate booking systems offer. Investors during the past two years have put millions into them. One already was acquired…
Everyone talks about the SME, but they really mean the M. That’s the midsize in small and medium-sized enterprise. Executives at business travel booking tech firm Serko are going after the S. They say this collectively huge segment of the business world is due for recognition with quality travel management services. Serko is releasing a business…
[UPDATE, Dec. 16, 2016: Sabre announced that Sean Menke will become president and CEO on Dec. 31. He’s been at Sabre since October 2015 as an EVP and as president of Sabre Travel Network, responsible for the the company’s global distribution system. He previously was CEO of Frontier Airlines and served in senior positions at…
Users of Concur’s TripLink service have various reasons for participating. At IT consulting firm Sopra Steria, it’s about equipping employees. The company partnered last year with InterContinental Hotels Group on an unusual program in which Sopra Steria employees earn bonus IHG loyalty points for enrolling in and booking on IHG’s websites with TripLink. “As a…
[UPDATE: Aug. 18, 2017: Direct Travel acquired S.R. Travel Service of San Francisco. Terms were not announced. A statement from Direct Travel West region president Helen Leon noted plans to expand “VIP and elite” services. Direct claims $4 billion in sales and offices in 60 locations.] The creators of TripActions think they have a slick…
Wyndham Worldwide has made fewer headlines on book-direct programs than some competitors, but it has one too. Asked in an interview how companies should respond when these campaigns impact support for managed travel programs, an exec last week offered what some may see as an insensitive or unrealistic answer: non-reimbursement. Reading it there makes it seem…
Uber and Lyft mastered the technology to make the on-demand car experience simple and nearly immediate. Traditional black car operators are trying to do the same. But their world is a complicated patchwork of platforms, patents and partnerships. No initiative has unified the industry, and more pop up all the time. Sorting out on-demand capabilities…
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