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It's not just about the remote work potential for businesses — it's also about spending more on "company culture" by investing in in-person staff meetings and events, and focusing on establishing relationships. That's why the future of the hybrid hospitality model appears to be bright.

American Express GBT's top boss Paul Abbott knows that having a distributed workforce can boost business travel spending. The travel management giant itself went 90 percent remote in the U.S. several years ago, and it saw its business travel expenses rise.

We're bringing together the brightest minds in corporate travel — one of the sectors hit hardest during the pandemic — for frank conversations on how corporate travel will return, how technology is reshaping this sector, and the evolving role of buyers as we see an increasingly remote workforce globally.

Profit, revenue and trends became less relevant during the pandemic so many travel businesses with deeper pockets used the standstill to rethink their strategies. Plenty of the new efforts will fail, but on the other side of the crisis, some of these businesses will look significantly different.

Expedia has no plans to spin off whole-home site Vrbo following Airbnb's blockbuster IPO. Instead, the company is doubling down on expanding the site through its various channels amid a strong pandemic vacation rental market.

Traveloka is strengthening its local offerings with a potential public listing in its future, either through a traditional IPO or a red hot SPAC. The approach may be paying off as the company works to bolster its operations for a post-pandemic world, but how much more localization can the app offer?

Even before the pandemic, Tripadvisor faced many challenges monetizing its user base. The travel platform is now turning to more user-friendly subscription models to change that. But will it be able to meet the evolving demands of travelers in a post-Covid world?

Founder and senior managing director Greg O'Hara also painted a positive picture for the outdoor and adventure sector in a frank interview.

The ever-lively Kayak CEO Steve Hafner said he expects a marketing blitz from Airbnb's rivals. Hafner also said Kayak is developing a property management system for independent and boutique hotels. This month, the metasearch company will push its business travel tools to 60 markets.