Introducing the latest myCWT product and service enhancements
Building on our digital, omnichannel myCWT platform, our new products and services will simplify travel management for you and your employees – anytime, anywhere, anyhow.
Note: Featured services may not be available in your country at this time. Please reach out to your CWT representative for more details.
Hear from Chief Product Officer, Erica Antony as she shares the key product highlights of 2024, along with the key areas driving innovation.
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2040: Baseline, Boom or Bust
As we enter an era of rapid transformation and unprecedented challenges, it is essential for travel managers, meeting & event planners, and corporate decision-makers to look ahead and frame our current strategic thinking with a clear vision of the future. Business travel and meetings and events (M&E) are poised for significant change over the next decade and a half, driven by a complex interplay of sustainability goals, technological advancements, evolving work models, and geopolitical dynamics.
In this paper to mark the 10th anniversary of our Global Business Travel Forecast, we explore, for the first time, a long-term vision of the future and potential trajectories through three distinct scenarios, each offering insights into how these forces should affect policy-making, budgeting and priorities. By examining these scenarios, we can better understand the diverse possibilities that lie ahead and the strategic imperatives required to thrive in each potential future.
Based on trajectory data analysis and interviews with industry leaders, behaviorists and climate tech founders, this forward-looking approach enables us to anticipate changes, strengthen our strategies, and make informed decisions that align long-term objectives. It is through this lens of foresight and adaptability that we can build resilience, seize opportunities, and navigate the complexities of the future.
We invite you to reflect on the insights presented, and consider how your organization can prepare for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Together we can ensure that travel and meetings remain catalysts for growth, scalability and sustainable practices.
- Scenario development is both an art and a science
- Megatrends Shaping the Future of Business Travel, Meetings and Events
- Sustainability goals the new crux of corporate policy
- Technology Revolutionizes Travel Management
- Modern work models spark new travel patterns
- Changing demographics open doors to new opportunities
- Three Scenarios: Base case, boom and bust
- Future-proofing strategies
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CWT GBTA Global business travel forecast 2025
When it comes to pricing, global business travel has finally reached an enduring, higher baseline. Prices will continue to rise in 2025, but only moderately, so expect a period of normalized growth.
However, this pricing environment, one of marginal gains and price regularity, is fragile. Global leisure travel has now realized a lot of its pent-up demand, while corporate travel has been resurgent, with 2024 edging at preCovid levels.
There are many factors at play, whether its volatile oil prices, labor costs and constraints, inflationary pressures, and geopolitical factors. As this elevated baseline edges upwards, albeit marginally, travel budgets will come under increased scrutiny, especially as travel patterns and attitudes change.
It’s why business travel can’t be viewed in a silo, and the true value to an organization must be fully realized. This forecast can help with those calculations.
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Capitalize on emerging technologies in corporate travel
Technological advancements are accelerating at an unprecedented pace. How will emerging innovations like Generative AI, blockchain, and self-sovereign identity (SSI) transform corporate travel?
BTN and CWT probed global CEOs, travel managers, industry consultants and tech experts on the promises, questions, and expectations these innovations raise and how they are set to reshape traveler experience, cost control and service delivery in corporate travel and events.
Download and discover
- The technologies that will have the greatest impact on corporate travel in the next 2-5 years
- How these emerging technologies are poised to control costs, enhance service and security, and boost efficiency
- The critical challenges, opportunities, risks and roadblocks each innovation raises
- What travel managers, buyers and experts anticipate from these innovations
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Golden practices – How to act towards a more responsible year
New year, new life. This sentence is top of mind for most of us after the holiday season.
The end of a calendar year is a natural moment to reflect on what went well and what didn’t, and the new year is an opportunity to make amendments and change the course.
It is New Year’s resolutions time, and not only at a personal level. Companies behave in the same fashion and build strategic plans to succeed. By now, I am sure you’ll have your business lines covered, but what about your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy?
In case you still need to define it, here are some tips that worked for us last year in this area that we call Responsible Business (RB):
- Think big. CSR covers a wide range of subjects, so make sure you have a holistic approach. At CWT, governance, ethics, human resources, human rights, environment, responsible products and services, and community involvement are the domains we focus on.
- Put yourself under the scrutiny of top experts. Make sure you validate your plan in front of a savvy organization. For us, it’s EcoVadis and, as a result of their annual assessment of our progress, we went from a Silver to a Gold rating for two years in a row now.
- Spread the word. Organize training sessions on hot Responsible Business topics for your employees to make sure they are well briefed about the most important CSR challenges of your company and know how to act. And do not limit yourself to internal audiences. Go out and participate in CSR sessions and events to share your experience and your vision.
- Don’t walk alone. Hold hands with other entities that are doing a good job in the areas you are focusing on and support their efforts towards a greater good. Your contribution will always be very welcome and, in return, you will learn a great deal and get valuable ideas of best practices you can implement to fine tune your Responsible Business policy.
- Care. Look after your people, the environment and the community. Involve your stakeholders – employees, clients, suppliers, etc. – and raise the bar by setting the example and have clear and written guidelines of what you expect. Foster corporate volunteering. The benefits are massive and range from improving collaboration between members of different teams to driving employee engagement, as well as increasing corporate visibility, skill development, and employee retention and attraction.
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CWT wins prize for Best Corporate Travel Agency at the Irish Travel Awards
CWT, the global travel management company, was awarded the prize for “Best ITAA Corporate Travel Agency” at the Irish Travel Awards last night, which took place in Dublin on 24 January.
“We are so pleased to have won this award and so proud of the CWT team in Ireland for all of their hard work,” said Denise Harman, VP Western Europe Program Management. “This award is a testament to the successful roll-out of new products, effective service, and focus on our customers. Coming up with the processes to provide exactly what our clients need is a talent of the CWT Ireland team, and they will continue to lead the field in this way.”
The Irish Travel Industry Awards,now in their ninth-year, are the premier award for suppliers, travel professionals, and providers in Ireland, and are an initiative of the Irish Travel Agents Association. The awards showcase excellence in the delivery of international travel services for both leisure and business customers travelling from Ireland.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Companies and governments rely on us to keep their people connected. We provide their travelers with a consumer-grade travel experience, combining innovative technology with our vast experience. Every day, we look after enough travelers to fill more than 260 Boeing 787s and 100,000 hotel rooms – and handle 105 events. We operate in around 150 countries, and in 2017 posted a total transaction volume of more than US$ 23 billion.
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Hints to lady travelers – From the Victorian era to the 21st century
Mad about cycling and born in Brooklyn in 1853 writer Lillias Campbell Davidson may have been the first hipster in history.
Jokes aside, she was a pioneer in addressing a perennial concern for women over the years. She was the first author to write a travel guide for women. ‘Hints to Lady Travellers: At Home and Abroad’ a book of tips to make the journeys of Victorian women safer.
If safety and security is a concern for all travelers, it’s particularly so in the Energy, Resources and Marine sector.
After impactful movements like #MeToo, we’re seeing an increase in companies adding specific travel recommendations for women.
A lot has changed since Victorian times. Piano legs are no longer considered sexy for one. But many of Lillias’ tips are still applicable. Here are a few:
- “Dress plainly in comfortable clothes and avoid jewelry”
This is still a good tip to follow since in many parts of the world dress codes for women are strict. When it comes to jewelry, leaving your most precious pieces at home will keep you from attracting interest from thieves. - “Have a strong pocket made in your upper petticoat, and in that carry your money, only reserving in your dress pocket a small sum for incidental expenses.”
This can be translated to always carrying your money in a money belt or handbag that you can keep under your clothes. Just keep a small amount of cash in your purse. This way if you are confronted, potential thieves will be none the wiser. - “If confronted with an impertinent or obtrusive stranger lower your veil and turn from him, either looking from the window or reading. A dignified, modest reserve is the surest way to repel impertinence.”
Outrageous Victorian sexism aside, if you’re feeling uncomfortable, ask for assistance. And if you see a woman being harassed, call out the harasser. - “The best travelers are those who can eat cats in China, oil in Greenland, frogs in France, and macaroni in Italy; who can smoke a meerschaum in Germany, ride an elephant in India, shoot partridges in England, and wear a turban in Turkey; in short, in every nation adopt their habits, costume, and taste.” In other words, respect the local culture, whatever your gender.
And moving on from the Victorian tips, a few recommendations for companies to bear in mind: - Assess the physical fitness of your travelers. Pregnant women may require special care, for example. Having a designated team of specialists from various departments, and an appointed executive officer, are paramount for an effective security policy.
- Know where your staff are at all times. Recent attacks in European capitals have shown that emergencies can happen in low-risk countries too, and reacting fast is hard if you do not know where your staff is. While most companies still track based on itinerary, there is an increased interest in real-time tracking.
- Book services like hotels and drivers for your female travelers with providers that you have confidence in.
- Book rooms for them on higher floors and ask them to carry a door stopper in their luggage for added security.
As Lillias Campbell Davidson said: “If, by my endeavors, I have in any ways assisted my sisters in their wanderings, or encouraged a single woman to join the path of travelers by land or sea, I shall feel I have achieved the object of my labors.”
- “Dress plainly in comfortable clothes and avoid jewelry”
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Key hotel program kpi’s
The best data for improving your hotel program
Travel buyers’ top hotel program goals for 2019 are to reduce program costs, increase policy compliance and improve traveler satisfaction. In order to achieve these goals travel buyers need to use the right metrics to measure performance, use that data to build a robust plan and measure results based on key performance indicators (KPIs).
This sounds nice, but many travel buyers run into a big hurdle right at step one: what is the right data? What KPIs matter most?
We went ahead and picked out the most important metrics for measuring hotel cost, compliance and traveler satisfaction, so you can work smarter and achieve more.
Improve traveler satisfaction, increase compliance and save using these metrics.
Traveler Satisfaction
Hotel reviews indicate traveler satisfaction with individual properties.
Partner with travel management companies to collect reviews directly from
your travelers within your corporate tools.If properties aren’t meeting traveler needs, you can block them from your
program or use the data to determine new lodging partnerships.Compliance
Instead of reconciling traveler data from multiple sources to learn about
bookings made outside your hotel program, use your hotel attach rate
instead. It uses the percentage of air or rail bookings accompanied by
hotel bookings. A low hotel attach rate means your program may not be
meeting travelers’ needs, or you may need to communicate more often.Track non-compliant rates reports to learn why travelers aren’t booking
in-policy. If travelers can’t book preferred rates because they’re unavailable,
you may need to review your contract and discuss the issue with your
lodging partners.Savings
Top destination reports show where travelers stayed most. This helps
decide where to negotiate preferred rates. If you have less than 150+ room
nights per year, the ROI on the rate may not be worth it.A rate mix report compares multiple rate sources–RoomIt Rates, third
party rates (i.e. Booking.com and Expedia Partner Solutions), public rates
and negotiated rates–to help identify savings opportunities. Relying too
much on one rate type may lead to overspending.Benefits
Hotel Reviews
• Shows hotel amenities and attributes that improve traveler satisfaction
• Indicates hotels to partner with that meet traveler needsHotel Attach Rate
• Provides an efficient measure of program compliance
Non-Compliant Reasons Report
• Demonstrates if you’re realizing the full value of your negotiated rate program
• Illustrates ways to address traveler needs and educational gapsTop Destination Report
• Helps you target top markets for negotiations
Rate Mix Report
• Teaches how diversifying rate sources creates savings
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One giant leap: How to bridge the gap between travelers and travel buyers
There’s a gap between what travel buyers believe travelers want from overnight stays and what travelers actually seek. RoomIt and GBTA recently launched a survey to identify what is making up this gap, and why it doesn’t seem to be going away. Unsurprisingly, many of the misunderstandings identified in the survey were about how to improve compliance and traveler satisfaction.
Seven in ten travel buyers say enforcing traveler compliance is the most challenging aspect of managing a travel program, which makes sense given only about 52% of travelers say they always book hotels that follow company policies. While many travel buyers wished travelers knew they had their needs in mind when designing travel policies, 65% of business travelers still feel their policy could be better suited to the reality of their needs.
So why does this gap exist? Here are four reasons.
1. Limited choice
Increasing accommodation choice within corporate tools is the best way to show travelers you are listening to their concerns. 35% of travelers said they hate having to book corporate rates that are higher than what they can find on their own. Increasing accommodation choice within your booking tools allows travelers to do the comparison shopping they are accustomed to right within the appropriate channels.
2. Lack of loyalty
Travelers identified loyalty points as a major reason behind their out of policy bookings, yet 9 out of 10 travel buyers surveyed said they never or only occasionally allowed the booking of more expensive rates if key amenities like loyalty are included. Furthermore, less than a third of travel buyers always or often use loyalty points or loyalty status match to drive compliance, and there are easy, free ways to do this.
3. Uninformed Travelers
A major contributor to this gap is the education, or lack-there-of, about travel policies. Many companies believe they are doing a sufficient job, but travelers continue to show low familiarity. For example, only 34% of travelers surveyed knew about required booking channels despite the fact that 80% of companies have booking channel requirements.
More than 1 in 5 travelers say they accidentally book out of policy, because they feel the policy is unclear. Non-compliance is often blamed on traveler behaviors, but when more than 20% of travelers try and fail to follow directions, it may be time to reassess.
Cancellation remains a contentious point among travelers and travel managers, yet one third of companies do not address cancellation in their travel policies at all. Other concerns worth detailing in your policy are whether preferred rates or the cheapest rates should be booked, and if all properties within pricing guidelines are considered in policy.
After clarifying your policies the next step is to effectively communicate them. If the only time you are communicating is during onboarding, or when bookings and expenses are not approved, it is time to think about communicating in your travel tools or with marketing campaigns via your travel department.
A simple way to improve communication is to use automated tools like Program Messenger and Missing Hotel Email, which allow you to send templated emails reminding employees of preferred hotels and congratulating them for compliant bookings.
4. Non-traveler focused programs
Stress inevitably accompanies travel, and there are many ways travelers seek to combat this stress. Among the most desired stress-relieving activities identified by business travelers were work-out classes, food delivery, and watching on-demand movies. Many companies do not allow these activities to be expensed, but expanding travel expense rules to incorporate some of these things may be the best way to improve traveler satisfaction.
Although the gap between travel buyers and their travelers is still very wide, a simple change of mind and behavior, along with a concerted effort to clarify policies, can help to bridge this gap leading to happier travelers who are booking more of the right rooms in the right way.
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Unique business travel accommodations around the world
Traveling for business isn’t all about staying in the big chain hotels
In many parts of the world business travelers routinely stay in very unique accommodations.
View our video to find out why business travelers may choose unique hotel options.
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Ranking of countries’ response to child sex trafficking released
The results of a ground-breaking research and benchmarking tool measuring countries’ response to child sexual exploitation was announced today by the World Childhood Foundation, a non-profit organization that invests in the development of solutions to prevent and address such abuses.
The Out of the Shadows Index, undertaken by the Economist Intelligence Unit and supported by the Oak Foundation and the Carlson Family Foundation (CFF) covers 40 countries and 70% of the world’s children.
“What makes the index different is that it examines the responsiveness of countries in addressing issues of child sexual abuse and exploitation as opposed to the prevalence of these issues in country,” said Lauren Aste, Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s general counsel and a board member of the World Childhood Foundation. “This is inspiring as a methodology, as it values action as a way to encourage countries to make positive change.”
The Carlson Family Foundation is one of the founders of the World Childhood Foundation, and this initiative is one of the latest that CFF has supported in its long-term fight against the trafficking of minors in the travel and tourism industry.
“Since my involvement with the World Childhood Foundation, one of the important things I’ve learned is the power of partnership when it comes to ensuring that that we find a solution for this global problem,” Aste said. “It is too big for one organization to solve alone. Stopping human trafficking requires effective partnership.”
The United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada, Australia and the United States ranked the highest out of a score of 100. The countries with the lowest overall scores, include Mongolia, Russia, Rwanda, China and Argentina.
The index looked across four categories, including environment, or the safety and stability of a country; legal framework, or the legal protections afforded to children from sexual abuse; government commitment and capacity, or whether governments are investing resources to respond to the problem; and the engagement of industry, civil society and media, or how much risks to children are being addressed at community levels.
The Out of the Shadows Index aims to raise global awareness of child sexual abuse and exploitation and to highlight areas for improvement if governments are to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 16.2—to end all forms of violence against children by 2030.
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CWT makes senior appointments to EMEA leadership team
CWT, the global travel management company, has made several senior appointments to its European customer organization leadership, as it moves to a functional model within EMEA. The new model, which has been successfully trialed in the Nordics, will optimize speed to market and service to clients.
“I am delighted to welcome the new appointments – this new organizational structure will make us more responsive to our clients’ needs across EMEA,” said Chris Bowen, CWT’s Managing Director, EMEA. “Business is increasingly done across borders – especially within Europe – and as our customers evolve, we’re evolving with them.”
As part of these changes, CWT has made six senior appointments.
Stéphane Birochau has been appointed VP North & South Europe Program Management; Denise Harman has been appointed VP Western Europe Program Management; Westyna Kulczycka has been appointed VP Poland and Deputy Head of Eastern Europe; Jan Latenstein van Voorst has been appointed VP EMEA Multinational Program Management & Sales; and Jari Oinonen has been appointed VP North & South Europe Sales; and Phil Wooster has been appointed VP Western Europe Sales.
Meanwhile, the role of Country Director has been removed for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Benelux, UK & Ireland, France, and Spain.
As a result, the following people have left the company: Peter Ashworth (Senior VP, Central & Eastern Europe), Antonio Calegari (VP & Country Director, Italy and Greece), Olivier Chateau (MD Benelux & Eastern Europe), Johan Wilson (VP and Country Director, UK & Ireland) and Brigitte Nisio (VP and Country Director, France).
“I thank Peter, Antonio, Olivier, Johan, and Brigitte for their hard work and dedication, and wish them all the best in their future endeavors,” said Chris Bowen.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Companies and governments rely on us to keep their people connected. We provide their travelers with a consumer-grade travel experience, combining innovative technology with our vast experience. Every day, we look after enough travelers to fill more than 260 Boeing 787s and 100,000 hotel rooms – and handle 105 events. We operate in around 150 countries, and in 2017 posted a total transaction volume of more than US$ 23 billion.
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Why airfares are forecast to increase despite a softening global economy
Average ticket price (ATP) for air is forecast to increase by 2% globally in February, despite what many economists predict will be a softer global economy heading into 2019. Between anxiety over trade wars, a chaotic Brexit negotiation, and jittery markets, the global economy is expected to decelerate, but, the key is, it will remain above trend, which is helping to shield prices.
The same is true for travel growth, according to IATA, which it expects will slow in 2019, while remaining above the 20-year trend. IATA predicts the global commercial airline industry will head into its 10th consecutive year of profitability in 2019.
In the second edition of CWT Solutions Group’s bi-monthly air trends report, we continue to feature global predictions for air in four categories, backed by data and predictive analytics, and lay out the conditions affecting prices and usage.
Average Ticket Price
Outside of what’s going on in the global economy, the main airline alliances’ commercial strategy of expanding their branded/bundled fare offerings to their entire network, coupled with the continued rise of ancillary fees, are helping to keep prices up.
Economy class usage
Economy cabin usage is expected to remain flat through February. CWT Solutions Group predicts 92.4% and 92.6% of total tickets will be used in the economy class the first two months of the year.
While there is no major policy change in the cabin rule on the horizon, CWT Solutions Group has observed a growing trend among organizations moving away from a trip duration policy to one that’s more traveler-centric. This takes into account the reason for the travel, travel frequency and a traveler’s well-being when selecting a cabin or considering a bump up to premium economy or business class. Whether this will impact economy class usage in 2019 remains to be seen.
Advance booking usage
Advance booking usage is expected to rise to 41% in January and 40% in February, up from 35.9% in December. The increase can be credited to the passing of the hectic holiday season that resulted in a higher percentage of late bookings.
Online booking tools usage
For the first time, online booking tools (OBTs) usage worldwide is projected to reach half of all tickets booked as soon as February 2019, up from 47.5% in December. Digitization efforts by the main OBT providers, including mobile apps, are bearing fruit. Companies and suppliers are chipping in by providing more content via corporate OBTs. As user experience improves, so does adoption.
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CWT Meetings & Events wins SITE Crystal Award for impactful incentive program
CWT Meetings & Events has won a SITE Crystal Award for “Most Impactful Effort Toward Corporate Social Responsibility as Part of an Incentive Program.”
Considered the highest honor in the Incentive Travel industry, the recognition was awarded by the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) during the SITE Crystal Awards Recognition Program at this year’s SITE Global Conference in Bangkok. The award stemmed from a CSR opportunity that CWT Meetings & Events organized for 3M in Maui in March 2018.
“We are honored to be recognized as a SITE Crystal Award recipient for our work with 3M, the Ku’ia Agricultural Education Center and the Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation,” said Beau Ballin, VP Business Development, CWT Meetings & Events. “Harnessing 3M’s values around integrity, sustainable growth and respecting social and physical environments, CWT M&E organized a team of 3M and local volunteers to work on a meaningful project that will provide long-term, sustainable return to the local community, make a positive impact on the environment, and leave a lasting legacy for our client.”
The community service project involved 350 3M team members who qualified for the incentive trip by accomplishing a key business goal. They planted more than 100 trees, including breadfruit and coconut trees, which are projected to yield over 200,000 pounds of fruits annually. These will then be distributed for free to the local community and school districts.
Breadfruit trees were a key staple in Hawaii in ancient times, but few now remain, making this agroforestry initiative on undeveloped land an exercise in natural farming practices that also respects Hawaiian culture and tradition.
“Our team came from all over the world for a very unique 3M event. We wanted to do something that would leave a positive impact on the community,” said Sara Merritt, strategic planner, 3M. “This trip, for us, was about recognizing and celebrating the power of a team, and the community event was a perfect way to work collectively to make an impact and help others for years to come.”
Every year, CWT M&E creates thousands of inspiring incentive programs around the world, working with clients to ensure their values and objectives are incorporated into any project. Through meaningful social investments and thoughtful engagement, organizations are able to leave behind a lasting impact on the communities and causes they seek to serve.
CWT M&E partners with local organizations, companies and suppliers to bolster the community feeling of an event and produce consequential programs that engage employees and drive both CSR and business results.
CWT Meetings & Events
CWT Meetings & Events delivers 38,500 innovative, high-quality projects for customers every year – across all industry sectors, globally. Our creative know-how helps us deliver awe-inspiring events, and our logistics expertise guarantees professional meeting services, group travel, and compliance. We manage your strategic meetings management programs with one aim in mind – to maximize your return on investment.
CWT Meetings & Events is Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s meeting & events division.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Companies and governments rely on us to keep their people connected. We provide their travelers with a consumer-grade travel experience, combining innovative technology with our vast experience. Every day, we look after enough travelers to fill more than 260 Boeing 787s and 100,000 hotel rooms – and handle 105 events. We operate in around 150 countries, and in 2017 posted a total transaction volume of more than US$ 23 billion.
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Travel Superheroes – Why a travel manager role is really 12 jobs in one
If you think being a travel manager is an easy task, think twice. The role requires a skill set that would make most professionals break into a cold sweat. It’s not really a single role, in fact. It’s more like twelve.
- Diplomat – Travelers, travel organizers, the leadership team, heads of divisions, suppliers, the finance team…The number of stakeholders a travel manager interacts with is vast. With that comes a daily cocktail of differing needs and personalities. In large companies, the role is normally global or at least regional. Throw into the mix cultural acumen to cater to an international audience.
- Linguist – The travel industry has so many acronyms and jargon, travel managers need to make sense of the gibberish. Plus, they’ll need to navigate languages and accents with the speed and accuracy of a UN translator.
- Firefighter – Not a single day passes without a glitch. Rail strikes, hurricanes, technical issues…or a traveler who missed a flight because they were a little overenthusiastic entertaining a client the night before. Travel managers need nerves of steel.
- Carer – Road warriors are a valuable asset to any company. Their wellbeing and duty of care is a travel managers’ responsibility.
- Purchaser – Air, hotel, ground transportation, technology, venues… Purchasing is a big part of life and requires quick thinking and being good with numbers.
- Negotiator – Knowing the technicalities of purchasing is crucial and being a top negotiator integral to getting the best deals and making the most of constrained travel budgets.
- Accountant – Handling a travel budget is no joke. Travel managers need to be financially savvy to make it work.
- Salesperson – Conveying the virtues of a travel policy to travelers and top management requires the most advanced sales techniques. Any travel manager knows their success depends on compliance. It is key to sell the benefits.
- Entertainer – For those more inclined to carrots than sticks, some managers increase policy compliance through gamification techniques that engage their employees and keep the travel program on track.
- Communicator – A great travel manager needs to communicate a company policy effectively and design a communication strategy so that employees understand what’s expected of them.
- Techy – Technology is a massive part of travel nowadays. Travel managers use several tools to help them with their job. Technical literacy is a must if you are thinking of becoming a travel manager.
- Data analyst – Last but not least, travel managers need to understand data to make amendments to the travel policy and program. Fortunately, Travel Management Companies like CWT have a set of reporting tools that simplify this task.
The next time you pass your company’s travel manager in the hall, give them a high-five.
- Diplomat – Travelers, travel organizers, the leadership team, heads of divisions, suppliers, the finance team…The number of stakeholders a travel manager interacts with is vast. With that comes a daily cocktail of differing needs and personalities. In large companies, the role is normally global or at least regional. Throw into the mix cultural acumen to cater to an international audience.
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RoomIt by CWT announces corporate travel partnership with SiteMinder
RoomIt by CWT, the global hotel distribution division of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, and SiteMinder, the global hotel guest acquisition platform, today announced a strategic partnership in the corporate travel distribution chain. The two industry-leading companies are teaming up to integrate their services and provide hotels with additional access to RoomIt travelers under Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s multi-billion-dollar corporate travel programs umbrella.
The new partnership will give eligible SiteMinder hotel customers access to RoomIt premium business travelers by offering more choice.
“RoomIt is committed to connecting hotels to business travelers and business travelers to the right rooms,” says Yon Abad, Vice President Suppliers at RoomIt by CWT. “We are pleased to fulfill this commitment together with SiteMinder, a globally premier guest acquisition platform. Hotels want more rooms booked and business travelers want more choice; it’s a win-win.”
As the business travel landscape changes, the lines continue to blur on what business travelers look for when booking business trips, making the demand for more choice a table stake for corporate hotel programs. In fact, according to new research by RoomIt and GBTA, 60% of business travelers report they most often stay at upscale or higher properties, opening up a highly-lucrative market for hotels.
SiteMinder’s managing director, Mike Ford, says, “The hotel industry is witnessing an unprecedented rise of direct connections, be that to guests or, now, a travel management company. This partnership is about rewriting the rules to provide hotels choice as they look to tap into the booming corporate travel market.”
The connection is being piloted to SiteMinder’s hotel enterprise customers in the UK and Italy, and expected to be offered to other SiteMinder hotel customers globally later this year. To be eligible, the properties of hotel groups and chains must currently be centrally located in a business travel destination, have more than 10 rooms, and provide amenities and services that cater for business travelers, including last room availability, in-room WiFi and same-day cancellations.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Companies and governments rely on us to keep their people connected. We provide their travelers with a consumer grade travel experience, combining innovative technology with our vast experience. Every day, we look after enough travelers to fill more than 260 Boeing 787s and 100,000 hotel rooms – and handle 105 events. We operate in around 150 countries, and in 2017 posted a total transaction volume of more than US$ 23 billion.
RoomIt by CWT
RoomIt by CWT is the hotel distribution division of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a long-standing leader in business travel. Every day we match travelers with the right room at the right rate, and every minute we book over 30 hotel rooms. We also provide travelers with the amenities and loyalty programs they want; while helping organizations control their budget and improve travel oversight. Follow us on LinkedIn.
SiteMinder
In an age of rising choice and accessibility for curious travelers, SiteMinder is the name synonymous with the belief that technology can empower any hotel to win in a consumer-led world and unleash their potential. SiteMinder is the global hotel industry’s leading guest acquisition platform, ranked among technology pioneers for its smart and simple solutions that put hotels everywhere their guests are, at every stage of their journey. It’s this central role that has earned SiteMinder the trust of more than 30,000 hotels, across 160 countries, to generate in excess of 80 million reservations worth over US$35 billion in revenue for hotels each year. For more information visit www.siteminder.com.