Booking tools

As expectations rise, travel booking technology must prioritise both style and substance. Catherine Chetwynd looks at the latest market developments

The travelling public takes for granted the ease with which they can book a flight or hotel online, call a cab from their phone and, these days, keep order of the rest of their lives.

Corporate booking tools, however, often get a bad press. They have been clunky on a desktop and worse on a mobile, giving travellers an excuse – if they needed one – to flout policy and waste time and money looking elsewhere for flights or a hotel, undermining travel policy in the process.

But there are big changes afoot and in addition to big players such as Concur and American Express Global Business Travel’s Neo, there is a constellation of disrupters that runs the gamut of corporate needs.

And although many were launched to target SMES, they are also being brought into the wider world, offered by TMCS alongside more complex tools. GBT’S relationship with Lola. com fits into this profile, giving SME customers access to simplified travel management processes.

ATPI provides financial and marketing support to technology start-ups through its Endeavour Programme, including a recent partnership with Taptrip, which sits alongside Serko’s Zeno, Concur and Cytric, all accessible via one interface.

“Some clients may have more complex travel requirements that need to be met in multiple markets, while others may have a need for more point to point, less managed travel,” says ATPI'S Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, Ali Hussain.

Taptrip is aimed at SMES. It launched by selling direct to businesses but: “We are looking to focus on travel management companies because 73 per cent of bookings are made by email or over the phone; our vision is to fill that void,” says Taptrip founder Neil Ruth. “We will be a preferred partner of ATPI and when they go to RFP and bid for corporate business, we will be presented as an online booking tool option.”

In addition, Taptrip has hired the head of user experience from Playstation, who has “given the entire front end an overhaul” and integrated the tool with Ticketmaster, restaurant booking site zomato and

Eventbrite, to allow travellers to make the most of their free time when travelling.

To compete with this versatility, Amex GBT has launched GBT Ready for mid-market organisations, providing the TMC’S products, technology services and travel inventory, including its travel and expense platform

Neo, as a bundle.

“Initially, it offers assisted onboarding from a dedicated implementation expert to help buyers drive adoption, implementation and give ongoing guidance for travel managers,” says Head of Global Presales at Neo, Alistair Leaman. Once set up, customers can tap into online assistance. Since October 2019, the GBT Supplier Management Platform (SMP) has provided connectivity with GDS for online NDC content; and Neo powers the GBT mobile app, which has a live chat function.

Expanded horizons

Concur’s app centre allows it to tap into the disruptor domain and includes Rocketrip and Uber for Business. “The app centre is an evolving beast and something that we are constantly looking to expand – we cannot afford to rest on our laurels,” says director of TMC partnerships, Darryl Mcgarvey.

SAP Concur has added Delta Airlines to Triplink, allowing mutual customers of Concur and Delta to capture business travel bookings made directly on the airline’s website and app, giving full visibility to travel managers; from April, all Triplink customers in EMEA will have access to Tripit Pro.

Members of Focus Travel Partnership have SME clients, who benefit from Focus Dashboard, where they can book content from Amadeus, Galileo and Sabre, as well

Booking tools have often been clunky on a desktop and worse on a mobile, giving business travellers an excuse to flout policy, but there are big changes afoot ”