Shree Partners chief technology officer and former BCD Travel research, statistics and analytics manager Nicolas Dahbi opines on myths about data. I recently had a conversation with an old colleague who left the travel industry a few years ago. We talked about recent technology advances, such as how personalization is driving consumer behavior and how…
Business travel startups face tough choices as they mature. TripActions and TravelPerk remain independent as their investors raise stakes in what is not a get-rich-quick industry. Others could be acquired by existing travel management companies. Then there is a middle ground. Some new entrants are attempting to leverage TMC partnerships even though that means sharing…
TMC industry veteran John Harvey in January asked whether changing market forces and increased demand for greater value and transparency in the channel would bring about a next-generation travel management company model. Since then he’s been considering what the new model could be. Should a TMC’s core intention be to make money from the travel…
Corporate travel executives are thoroughly baffled by what a quartet of venture capitalists see in TripActions. Determining the literally unbelievable $4 billion valuation that TripActions claimed last month must have been way more “art” than “science.” A June 27 TripActions announcement included the also shocking statement that Andreessen Horowitz, Group 11, Lightspeed Venture Partners and…
The “end-to-end” experience has been part of travel management vernacular for many years. Understanding what it entails, much less actually achieving it, may not be as straightforward as it seems. Rajiv Rajian, Amadeus executive vice president, global business travel and travel channels, Americas, walks through how such a process should benefit travelers, travel managers, TMCs…
Startups are not the only travel management providers trying out new pricing models. Thirty-six-year-old family business ProfessionalTravelService.com, a Travel Leaders Group affiliate, is based in Minneapolis but lives online. Using Deem or SAP Concur, clients don’t pay online transaction fees as the TMC relies on supplier commissions and incentive payments. Services include traveler tracking through…
Corporate and government travel management company Duluth Travel this month emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after about 10 months, only to face the effects of the partial U.S. federal government shutdown. Reorganization allowed the Atlanta-area company to “realign its partnerships” and “grow its client base, while keeping its focus on customer service,” according to a…
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