The recent Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention addressed the need for industry-wide innovation. It's an essential objective, especially since 81% report that business travel is worthwhile in achieving their goals. Beyond helping to surpass company milestones, innovation is also vital to continue fostering positive business traveler experiences. 

Direct Travel recently kickstarted our own innovation journey and conducted a traveler survey with Business Travel News (BTN), “Personalization Takes Priority: How Business Travelers are Reshaping Travel Management Companies.” Below are key highlights from the survey, including ways for those who manage travel to apply these learnings in their organization.

Delight Your Travelers

The survey found that business travelers are very interested in having access to perks, automated add-ons, and recommendations for their trips. Here are the top perks travel managers might consider incorporating into their program:

• Pre-scheduling rideshares so travelers can leave the airport quickly without scrambling for ground transportation.
• Automatically rebooking team members when they experience a travel disruption.
• Recommending team outings, activities, or local restaurants, including making reservations on travelers’ behalf.
• Encouraging employees to extend a business trip for pleasure. In fact, 90% of business travelers say they have taken a bleisure trip in the past, and over half say they do so frequently. Nearly everyone surveyed (98%) agreed that bleisure travel positively impacts work performance.

Business travelers value being taken care of when they are on the road, and perks such as these can be an effective way of keeping travelers happy.

Cost Versus Experience

According to our survey, 93% of business travelers believe their travel management company (TMC) tends to focus more on helping their organization save money on travel instead of improving the traveler experience. In fact, the majority of those surveyed think TMCs are long overdue for disruption and must innovate with technology to maintain their role in the business travel ecosystem.

This shows there is great need for improvement when it comes to TMC-led customer service. To prioritize the traveler experience while still reducing travel costs, travel managers should work with their TMC to incorporate personalized, innovative technology going forward.

Personalization and Innovation

Nearly two thirds of business travelers say that having more inventory available for flights and hotels would make their travel experience better, especially if those offers were personalized. Personalization is even more important to Gen-Z travelers, who rank it as their top priority.

This younger generation also tends to see business travel as currently only “somewhat” innovative. The demand for industry-wide change is not going away, and while the solution must be technologically advanced, it should not come at the expense of human connection.

Technology Plus Human Connection

There is optimism about the role AI can play in the business travel experience. Travelers express interest in a digital assistant that could anticipate their needs and make recommendations based on personal preferences and travel routines – even handling everything from booking the trip to submitting expenses.

Still, around a third of business travelers prefer to use a human agent during disruptions, citing that they offer a line of sight into their entire trip and can manage all the impacted interdependencies in one call.

“Today’s business travelers have made it clear: the status quo is not enough. Travelers are demanding an overhaul of the way travel is managed, emphasizing the need for personalized, tech-driven solutions that offer delight in all aspects of the travel experience, from reservations to reimbursements. At Direct Travel, we’re not just listening to these travelers, we’re actively responding with new technology, tailored solutions, and exemplary service. Our goal is to set a new standard in corporate travel management, ensuring that every journey is as close to perfect as possible.” – Christal Bemont, CEO, Direct Travel

Going forward, the most successful travel programs will be those that embrace a balance of best-in-class service with cutting-edge technology.

The Modern Travel Technology Stack

At the recent GBTA convention, Direct Travel unveiled the much-anticipated Avenir, the first-and-only integrated technology stack for travel, expense, and group meeting management. Avenir is built on an open platform and harnesses the power of Spotnana, Troop, and Center, all backed by the superior service capabilities of our Direct Travel team.

Our survey results suggest that tech-driven solutions like Avenir are precisely the type of innovation business travelers have been waiting for. For access to the full survey findings, download our 2024 Business Travel Innovation Report.