Distribution and Personalization Take Center Stage at Biz Travel Confab

I have returned in one piece from the GBTA Convention in San Diego, and come bearing updates on the future of corporate travel. After talking with more than a dozen executives, signs of progress are there. Travel management companies want to play nice with global distribution systems. Hotels are ramping up their variety of experiences for travelers. Services that used to be outlawed like Uber and Airbnb have gone legit. Still, I am hesitant to say that a wildly innovative future is ahead. Most likely, as usual, things that were announced this week will appear slowly over time or not at all. Things seem to be getting more complex when technology should be solving more problems than it causes. You can find my analysis below. I also took a look at new research from GBTA itself, which d