An online survey of almost 200 corporate travel managers across the United States and Canada highlighted key issues with travel management companies (TMCs), including inconsistent service (41%) and poor tech functionality (36%).
Research was conducted in March by corporate travel management specialist Direct Travel, travel-as-a-service platform Spotnana, meeting planning specialist Troop and the Global Business Travel Association.
The report, titled “The Perfect Business Trip,” found that 28% of travel managers are actually considering switching TMCs in light of rising costs (89%) and booking friction (57%).
Subscribe to our newsletter below
“This is more than a wake-up call—it’s a signal that the future of managed travel is already taking shape,” said Christal Bemont, CEO of Direct Travel. “Travel managers want intelligent, connected solutions that meet today’s needs and anticipate tomorrow’s challenges.”
Meetings and expenses presented pain points, with 66% of meetings happening outside of managed programs and 80% of travel managers saying that meetings and travel programs are only partially or not at all integrated. When asked about expenses, 55% of travel managers said they want automated receipt capture, while 48% said they struggle with missing data.
Approximately 64% of travel managers cited issues managing exchanges and cancellations, while just 13% said their current TMCs support self-service New Distribution Capability (NDC) changes. Additional wish list items included centralized platforms for meeting logistics and attendee travel (62%), artificial-intelligence-powered search results (45%) and better integration between TMCs and online booking tools (63%).
The survey is part of Direct Travel's Avenir Travel Edition, built on Spotnana Cloud.
“[Avenir is] designed to integrate global content, automation, and high-touch service into one seamless experience. By combining smart technology with trusted support, we’re delivering the perfect trip from start to finish,” Bemont said.
According to the company, the platform streamlines NDC, global distribution system and direct content, gives travelers real-time self-service options and 24/7 expert support and offers tools to increase compliance and reduce manual tasks, among other capabilities.
In April 2024, venture capitalist and concur founder Steve Singh acquired Direct Travel. He is also the current CEO of Spotnana and an investor in and executive chairman of Troop.
Singh has been vocal about his vision for the perfect trip, noting at The Phocuswright Conference last year that he is "energized" by what emerging technology can do for corporate travel. Last month, Singh led the seed round of funding for Juno, a booking and expense tool for corporate guest travel.