Businesses today are in a tight spot, navigating new regulations from Scope 3 emissions to Supply Chain Acts, alongside the added pressure of duty of care in uncertain times. These regulatory requirements intersect with the core problem of leakage across transient bookings, meetings, and project business, further complicating compliance and risk management. It’s like trying to plug leaks in a ship while navigating through a storm.

The bar is higher than ever. Today’s travelers want digital self-service for seamless, sustainable, and enjoyable journeys. They crave diversity, from boutique hotels to eco-friendly stays, demanding standout lodging experiences. It’s crucial for booking platforms to match this demand with varied, above-standard choices. Traditional systems struggle to provide this level of service, leaving travelers frustrated and seeking alternatives.

The corporate travel ecosystem has grown more complex with the addition of new categories like meetings, ground transport, food & beverage, and co-working spaces. And while AI offers significant opportunities to streamline operations, its effectiveness is limited by the fragmented nature of traditional systems and the lack of comprehensive data. This impedes AI’s ability to refine the travel experience and manage costs efficiently. To overcome this, we need interconnected systems that share data seamlessly, enhancing the travel experience.

Good decisions depend on good data. When our data is incomplete, duplicated, erroneous, or dubious, our decision-making suffers. This impacts not just compliance but also strategic choices, from budgeting to risk management. Improving data quality is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

Relying on Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and their suppliers restricts optimization potential. Manual and offline processes are a drag, hindering the ability to capitalize on new opportunities and efficiency gains. While the traditional GDS method has been useful in the past, it now prevents us from managing an open, end-to-end ecosystem. Its limitations lead to persistent leakage issues and obstruct the improvement of the entire travel experience through quality data. It’s a clear signal to move away from rigid corporate travel management methods that are ill-equipped to help travel managers meet today’s demands and seize emerging opportunities.