Spread the love

Once upon a time, before we started hosting meetings in our pyjamas and judging a colleague’s lighting setup over Zoom, there existed the concept of the “perfect business trip.” Jet off, get the job done, wine, dine, handshake, sign—simple, stylish, effective. But in the brave new world of corporate travel, achieving that seamless symphony of efficiency is now akin to finding a flat white in an outback servo—possible but highly unlikely.

That’s the headline from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), which, in a thoroughly caffeinated collaboration with Direct Travel, Spotnana, and Troop, has just released its latest research: The Perfect Business Trip—a deep dive into the sometimes soul-destroying friction points afflicting today’s business travel, and the tech tools travel managers are pinning their hopes on to fix the chaos.

The Big Reveal: Corporate Travel Managers Spill the Beans

This isn’t armchair philosophising. The report draws on 166 travel managers across the U.S. and Canada, who have been wrangling itineraries, placating irate road warriors, and trying not to hurl their laptops across the room after another failed booking attempt.

Top of the hit list? The mighty Online Booking Tool (OBT). According to 57% of those surveyed, organising travel for unprofiled guests via these platforms is about as smooth as a budget airline landing in a thunderstorm.

Then come the travel disruptions—those merry little curveballs like cancelled flights, lost bags, and typhoons that only seem to strike the night before a keynote. 55% of travel managers say managing such interruptions remains a major migraine.

Expense reports? 50% of respondents labelled them as another thorny issue. It turns out that asking high-flying execs to hoard crumpled receipts and remember which cab took them to the convention centre in Dallas is still wildly unpopular.

Even the TMCs—travel management companies—aren’t getting off lightly. Service inconsistency, patchy tech, and underwhelming customer support led another 50% to express significant dissatisfaction.

Penny-Pinching Pains: Cost Control Still Reigns Supreme

Despite post-pandemic pricing somewhat levelling out, more than half the respondents (53%) flagged soaring costs as the biggest hurdle they face. Rising airfares, volatile hotel rates, and the general tendency for business travel to hemorrhage cash faster than a Sydney poker machine on a Friday night pose significant headaches for travel managers.

And then there’s the dreaded leakage. Not the plumbing variety, but the act of employees bypassing corporate booking channels entirely. A full 67% said air travel leakage had either increased or stayed stubbornly high over the past year, while 81% said the same about hotel bookings. That’s not a crack—it’s a gaping chasm in policy compliance.

Enter the White Knights: Smart Tech to the Rescue

According to Christal Bemont, CEO of Direct Travel, the answer lies in more innovative tech. “This is more than a wake-up call—it’s a signal that the future of managed travel is already taking shape,” she proclaims, likely while standing heroically in front of a very expensive digital dashboard.

Their offering? Avenir, a platform crafted with partners Spotnana and TROOP, promises to stitch together global content, automation, and—here’s the kicker—actual human support into one seamless experience. Less bureaucracy, more bliss.

Suzanne Neufang, GBTA’s CEO, echoed the sentiment with her own optimism: “Achieving a more ‘perfect’ business trip is within our reach through industry innovation and collaboration.” Translation: Stop blaming the travellers and fix the plumbing.

NDC: Great Expectations, Dismal Delivery

Another beacon of hope—or perhaps a mirage in the desert—is New Distribution Capability (NDC). Touted as a way to make bookings smarter, cheaper, and more tailored, NDC seems to be stuck in corporate travel’s version of development hell.

A sobering 37% of buyers reported not making any NDC bookings. Another 22% said NDC accounted for under 10% of their air bookings. Why? Their TMCs can’t handle it (28%), or their OBTs can’t pull in enough content (26%).

Even if you manage to book through NDC, don’t expect roses. Only 13% of buyers said their booking tool could handle self-service cancellations. A slightly higher 17% said their OBT could grant users access to perks like free seats via airline loyalty programs. Not exactly a triumph.

TMCs on the Brink: Innovate or Evaporate

There’s a storm brewing in the TMC world. A majority—58%—of buyers are considering switching providers within the next year. That’s not gentle feedback; it’s a diplomatic way of saying, “Lift your game, or we’re out.”

Common complaints include inconsistent service (41%), clunky technology (36%), and slow issue resolution (32%). What do buyers want instead? Proactive disruption management (54%), seamless NDC servicing (35%), and integrated risk and duty-of-care features (46%).

Oh, and if your TMC can’t play nice with your OBT? Forget about it. 63% of respondents said better integration between the two would go a long way to restoring their sanity.

Meetings? Yes. Managed? Not So Much

Another revelation: Small meetings (fewer than 25 attendees) fly mostly under the radar. 53% of companies admit they’re unstructured, untracked, and typically organised by part-time planners or executive assistants juggling five other tasks.

That means no dedicated software, performance metrics, or centralised data. In short, it’s the Wild West of corporate gatherings.

Without oversight, it’s anyone’s guess what these meetings cost or whether they deliver value. Meanwhile, 45% of travel buyers said budgeting for meetings was challenging, and 42% cited last-minute changes and logistics as ongoing headaches.

Expense Reports: The Bane of Business Travel

Of all the indignities modern business travellers suffer, none is more universally loathed than expense reporting. 63% of survey respondents said the current submission process was a manual, soul-sucking chore.

The good news? There’s a growing appetite for innovation. Automating receipt capture and matching (55%) is at the top of most wish lists, alongside frictionless payment integration and clearer reimbursement workflows.

So, Is the Perfect Business Trip Still a Fantasy?

Not quite. If travel managers, tech vendors, and corporate bean counters can put their heads together, the perfect business trip may no longer be the stuff of PowerPoint legend.

But until then, remember this: if your OBT fails, your TMC ghosts you, and your hotel room disappears mid-itinerary—grab a drink, take a deep breath, and think of Peter Needham, who would’ve had a field day writing the expense report.

Download the report via GBTA Hub or check out Direct Travel’s platform.