Success in Business and Travel Requires Leadership, Vision and Cohesion

Success in Business and Travel Requires Leadership, Vision and Cohesion

During GBTA Conference 2016 Frankfurt in Partnership with VDR, GBTA Europe President Gehan Colliander delivered a speech about the importance of partnerships for GBTA in Europe. Read the full speech below. Success in business and in travel requires leadership, vision and cohesion. The travel industry exemplifies this cohesion and togetherness, with buyers and sellers working…

Kimpton Makes Its International Debut
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Kimpton Makes Its International Debut

Earlier this week, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced the grand opening of its first property outside of the U.S., a beachfront resort on Grand Cayman. Though we’d like to say we’re surprised by this development, Kimpton’s SVP of Sales Christine Lawson shared the news with us at GBTA Convention a couple months ago (skip to…

The Future of Hotel Technology
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The Future of Hotel Technology

With the recent introduction of voice-activated hotel rooms, robot butlers and biometric access control systems, it’s no secret hotel chains are investing heavily in technology to improve the guest experience. The question remains, which hotel technologies do business travelers currently use and which do they wish to see offered in the future? Earlier this year,…

Risk, Mobility and Consumerization Were the Hot Topics of GBTA Conference 2016 Frankfurt in Partnership with VDR
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Risk, Mobility and Consumerization Were the Hot Topics of GBTA Conference 2016 Frankfurt in Partnership with VDR

GBTA, VDR Wrap Successful Event With Record Attendance The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry – and German business travel buyer association VDR – wrapped up their third successful joint conference in Europe this week with record attendance. The event brought together over 950 attendees from 20+…

Week in Review
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Week in Review

The Verge reports Airbnb is transforming from a short-term rental company into a full-scale travel agency. The company launched a new initiative called Airbnb Trips that enables travelers to experience new cities from a local’s perspective. According to The New York Times, the platform allows travelers to partake in activities ranging from stargazing outings to historical tours….

Dramatic Political Risk: An Unavoidable Reality
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Dramatic Political Risk: An Unavoidable Reality

On Monday, international counter-terrorism and security expert Hagai M. Segal delivered the opening keynote at Centre Stage during GBTA Conference 2016 Frankfurt in Partnership with VDR. He called dramatic political risk an unavoidable reality in today’s world. Hagai talked risk and security to the packed audience of travel professionals from across the globe covering everything…

Assessing and Building Your Managed Travel and Sustainable Travel Programs

Assessing and Building Your Managed Travel and Sustainable Travel Programs

At this week’s GBTA Conference in Frankfurt, the GBTA Foundation in partnership with BCD Travel is launching two newly updated and completely revamped global resources: the Sustainability in Travel Self-Assessment Tool and the Managed Travel Index® (MTI®). “We are very proud to have been part of such important and wide-ranging projects,” said Kathy Jackson, BCD…

Week in Review
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Week in Review

GBTA recently released a business travel outlook forecasting sluggish business travel growth due to U.S. election uncertainty. Although the election outcome is now certain, many believe the future of the travel industry remains unclear. With Donald Trump elected as the 45th president of the United States, industry insiders hope for policies encouraging the free flow…

Protecting Employees in the Face of Emerging Travel Risks
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Protecting Employees in the Face of Emerging Travel Risks

When you think of emerging travel risks, pandemic health issues like Zika, terrorist attacks and geopolitical turmoil are certainly at the forefront, but more frequent risks impacting traveler safety must also be considered. What if an employee inadvertently accesses sensitive data on a public network or loses their device on a trip? Does your company…

The New Leaders of the Technology Revolution
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The New Leaders of the Technology Revolution

The second day of GBTA Conference 2016 | Frankfurt in Partnership with VDR kicked off on Tuesday, and Roadmap CEO and co-founder Jeroen van Velzen joined industry leaders on Centre Stage to share his perspectives on innovation in travel technology. Jeroen also attended GBTA Convention this past summer, where he chatted about the motivating factors behind Roadmap and…