Association of Corporate Travel Executives

GBTA’s McCormick: Creating Conference Content Should Be ‘Like Church And State’

It was a remarkable rebuke. During the Global Business Travel Association convention in August, one of the association’s board members chastised a seminar speaker mid-session for turning his education into a sales pitch. The exchange reflected concerns in the travel buyer community about the commercialization of industry training offered by non-profits. One issue is whether…

Travel Management On The ‘Precipice’ Of Better Using Data For Improved Traveler Experience

A research paper released last week called for corporations to put more focus on measuring trip friction, success rates, and recruitment, retention and attrition. While survey results showed how far the profession has to go, there are examples of work underway. Not the first to make this case, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives and BCD…

Buyers, Hotels Walk The Walk On RFP Angst

Complaining about the hotel request for proposals process is an annual rite. During the past few years, more buyers, hoteliers and intermediaries did something about it. For travel managers, the effort may include both a strategic decision to hire outside experts and new program management tactics. According to a February-March 2018 survey sponsored by HRS,…

New Certification Programs Emerge For Hotel Safety And Security Vetting

Despite the priority of safety and security for business travelers, few employers comprehensively vet the hotels they use. It’s time-consuming and expensive. Two new organizations are helping with the task, joining the longer-established Safehotels Alliance. Ugosafe hopes in September to launch its evaluation program covering Africa. It’s an initiative of Paris-area hospitality security company S2H…

‘No Great Answer’ In Search For Corporate Agents

CCRA’s Dic Marxen sees corporate travel agent salaries rising by double-digit percentages because of the profession’s aging workforce and dearth of new labor. He wasn’t surprised to see Travel Leaders Group this month create a scholarship program for military veterans. Marxen had a similar idea three years ago that died at the feet of federal bureaucracy,…

Silver Bullet For Capturing Invisible Spend Eludes Corporate Travel Managers

Leakage is the bane of a travel manager’s existence. When travelers don’t book through designated channels, work is needed to corral the associated data for tracking, reporting, rate assurance and other functions. Data on ground transportation and meal purchases generally is only delivered weeks after the fact. A recent analysis by data firm PredictX showed the…

Google Uses Payment For Booking Compliance

New York — From the “you probably can’t do this because you’re not Google” department, Google has built a proprietary hotel booking application. It highlights both negotiated and market rates as part of Google’s unique travel spending program. It’s backed with centralized payment that means travelers don’t have to fiddle with card numbers when booking. And…

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