Limited AI adoption, fragmented data and inconsistent traveller experience is holding back the industry’s vision of the ‘perfect’ business trip’ according to new research.
Based on a March 2026 survey of 269 corporate travel buyers across the US, Canada and Europe by the Global Business Travel Association, in partnership with Spotnana, Marriott and Direct Travel, the research showed that key gaps remain to shape the next era for business travel.
The survey found 58% of travel managers say AI has had little or no impact on their program to date, while 61% report challenges managing global travel programs and 72% cite hotel booking pricing disparities as a major pain point.
“Business travel is entering a period of meaningful transformation,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA. “What’s clear from this research is that innovation – particularly in AI, data and retailing – will be essential to closing the gap between what is possible and what travel programs experience today.”
AI: Strong interest but slower uptake
While 58% of travel buyers said AI has had little or no impact on their programs to date, interest in AI-driven capabilities is widespread.
Travel managers are particularly focused on applications that streamline operations and improve decision-making, including predictive analytics for travel spend forecasting (92%), automated disruption management and rebooking (89%), AI-powered traveller support (85%) and conversational booking experiences (83%).
The vast majority of buyers said they are comfortable recommending negotiated rates-based flights and hotel (95%) and generating custom reports (92%).
But fewer buyers report being comfortable with accessing employee calendars to recommend based flights and hotels (64%) and changing or cancelling a booking (57%).
“The industry is moving toward more dynamic and personalised travel experiences, which creates tremendous opportunity for travellers and suppliers,” said Christal Bemont, CEO of Direct Travel.
“But it also increases the importance of connected infrastructure that can bring together content, policy, servicing, and data in a way that remains manageable for global enterprises.”
Fragmentation and service balance drive challenges
The research highlights persistent challenges for travel buyers in managing global travel programs, driven largely by fragmented technology and data ecosystems.
Of the global buyers, 61% said managing travel across regions is a challenge. Only 12% have a consolidated view of their program from a single data source, underscoring widespread data fragmentation.
Top challenges reported by global travel managers include lack of consolidated reporting (63%), inconsistent traveller support (60%) and managing multiple travel management company (TMC) relationships (52%).
Buyers emphasised the need to balance technology and service. When evaluating TMC partners, they allocate nearly equal importance to technology (54%) and servicing (46%), with 26% saying servicing is the more important factor.
Hotel distribution
The research found that while traditional global distribution systems (GDSs) continue to play a foundational role in hotel distribution, buyers are increasingly interested in more flexible, transparent and personalised booking experiences.
A key challenge remains: 72% of buyers say their travellers’ ability to find cheaper hotel options outside managed channels is their top pain point, highlighting ongoing issues with content, pricing and perceived value.
Just over half (51%) of buyers say attribute-based shopping would improve the hotel booking experience. Employees might be able to select a particular room through the booking flow. For instance, they might choose a room on a higher floor for safety reasons – or a room with a view. Today, these requests are often made manually after booking.
There was also strong interest in purchasing add-ons, such as breakfast, early check-in, late check-out and parking, through the OBT/TMC during the booking process.
For organisations, this shift also enables better visibility into traveler behaviour and spend, supporting improved policy alignment, cost control and supplier strategy, said the report.
