{"id":25335,"date":"2025-08-12T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/?p=25335"},"modified":"2025-08-11T18:35:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T22:35:09","slug":"hotel-and-meetings-sourcing-enters-a-new-era-with-rfps-driving-value-beyond-cost-savings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/hotel-and-meetings-sourcing-enters-a-new-era-with-rfps-driving-value-beyond-cost-savings\/","title":{"rendered":"Hotel and Meetings Sourcing Enters a New Era with \u00a0RFPs Driving Value Beyond Cost Savings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>GBTA and Cvent survey of U.S., Canadian and European corporate travel managers shows shifts in sourcing approaches with a focus on cost control, carbon reduction and traveler experience<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the business travel landscape continues to evolve, corporate travel managers are rethinking how they source hotels and meeting venues via their request for proposal (RFP) processes \u2013 shifting from ad hoc negotiations to more strategic, value-driven approaches for their companies and travelers. While a focus on reducing costs remains, many now also want to maximize satisfaction, manage risk and reduce carbon emissions.<br><br>This is according to new research from the Global Business Travel Association (<a href=\"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GBTA<\/a>), the world\u2019s largest business travel association, in partnership with meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cvent.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cvent<\/a>, from a survey of corporate travel managers and hotel professionals across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The resulting report, <em>Hotel and Meeting Sourcing: The Current Landscape and the Future,<\/em> finds that structured RFPs remain the preferred sourcing method for managed hotel and meetings programs.&nbsp;<br><br><strong>RFPs Boost Stability for Corporates While Smaller Businesses Keep Deals Informal&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<br><br>Of the travel managers negotiating directly with hotels, two-thirds (63%) conduct formal RFPs, including almost half (47%) that only negotiate through RFPs and an additional 16% who also negotiate informally. Some (36%) negotiate with hotels entirely outside of a formal RFP process. The survey also found:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Informal negotiations are largely conducted by smaller programs with 5,000 or fewer employees. Seven in ten (69%) of these firms negotiate with hotels entirely outside of an RFP process, compared to only about one in five at larger companies.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Informal negotiations are also less common in Europe, where more than half of buyers (55%) say their company exclusively negotiates with hotels through RFPs.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Travel buyers see drawbacks from negotiating with hotels outside of an RFP process, including manual processes\/less standardization (53%), hotels might not fully understand contract terms (47%), and fewer properties to be compared (37%). &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA, said: \u201cOur research shows that strategic sourcing is essential for travel managers to build resilient, future-ready travel programs. The role of RFPs has advanced beyond just securing better rates\u2014they\u2019re now helping ensure organizations can maximize employee satisfaction, better manage risk, and meet carbon emissions goals in an increasingly complex global landscape.\u201d&nbsp;<br><br>\u201cAs today\u2019s travel programs evolve to reflect their broader company goals, including things like profitability, employee satisfaction, and sustainability, formal RFPs continue to be a main-stay of the program,\u201d said Julie Haddix, Senior Director of Marketing at Cvent. \u201cThis year&#8217;s report findings highlight the continued value of leveraging formal, strategic sourcing moments to drive consistency, visibility, and cost savings across both hotel and meeting spend. At Cvent, we\u2019re proud to support travel buyers and suppliers with the tools they need to streamline the RFP process, for both travel and meetings RFPs, in order to unlock data-driven insights, and build smarter, more resilient travel programs.\u201d&nbsp;<br><br><strong>Fixed Rates Remain a Cornerstone of Managed Hotel Programs<\/strong>&nbsp;<br><br>While the industry has recently seen growing interest in dynamic rates that provide percentage-based discounts, fixed rates remain a cornerstone of managed hotel programs. Four in five buyers (79%) say they \u2018always\u2019 or \u2018often\u2019 negotiate fixed rates with hotels, with half (47%) saying the same about dynamic discounts at the individual property level. The study also found:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hotels include amenities to extend the value of the partnership. Half of hotel professionals say their company at least sometimes includes free breakfast (53%) and free cancellation or waived cancellation fees (50%) with fixed rates given to corporate buyers.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A large majority of travel programs (84%) at least sometimes \u2018benchmark\u2019 their negotiated discounts against public rates to ensure the discounts remain competitive.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Work To Be Done in Developing Managed Meetings Program<\/strong>&nbsp;<br><br>The research also finds a variety of processes in play when it comes to securing meeting space. Of the buyers who say their company negotiates directly with venues, three in five (61%) say their company conducts RFPs. Other findings include:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Corporate meetings programs have room to improve, with only one-third of buyers (32%) saying their company has a well-developed managed meetings program.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Corporate travel buyers see drawbacks with planning meetings outside of a managed program &#8211; including higher costs\/lost savings (79%), less data that they can leverage in future negotiations (74%) and risk management\/safety concerns (63%).&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One-third (34%) of companies do not have a defined sourcing process for securing meeting\/venue space at all \u2013 despite potential savings.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buyers report average savings of 22% from a defined sourcing process for meetings, through comparing options, negotiating and improved communications.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drawbacks of informal negotiations include manual processes\/less standardization (69%), fewer venues are compared\/considered (60%), and worse rates\/discounts (52%).&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Metodologia<\/strong>\u00a0<br><br>An online survey of 278 of corporate travel managers and hotel professionals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe was conducted in March 2025.\u00a0\u00a0<br><br><em>GBTA members can download the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/hub.gbta.org\/files\/4725\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>full report<\/em><\/a><em> and accompanying <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/hub.gbta.org\/files\/4726\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>infogr\u00e1fico<\/em><\/a><em> in the GBTA Member Hub.<\/em>\u00a0<br><br><strong>Sobre GBTA\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<br>A Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Global de Viagens de Neg\u00f3cios (<a href=\"https:\/\/u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net\/ls\/click?upn=u001.b00YhNV2Nr0-2BaZn7eVNAdS8wKjF2EeEpC-2FJJFHyKnXidiyHPJ3VBlg3Z8sThQw8ORyGCg-2B7EL8olJ482S60z2AjDVjm3QsDBi8p2WRrGPhFkJgTWsgNewscjU1cxSHBHmwondSCOi8TsEDytfZ1lwmcZoWZO5YnoGOtfrEXELaI-3Dlw8x_Meawx7RIB-2FUzliLJE4KABpvyzke-2BFyhbKJcpTiMw7K6hxMlUItiRTFKflq4WsEGR2AT91VVQ5wNPGmFOHW3ri62vFq-2BwWG-2FcAK438JOtahNJeKok7YwvAO7OTv0MrxU-2B-2Bg5dHuheBBPsnubwiiQykb-2Fi6R-2BChw5pRZmTQ6NqWTEK8t6PuCx3LcW5Y3pPV24-2FYHThcRjszSvW7AmN05LUz4dNX9eSD-2Bp0LntuHY8lkcr4Pd9KsDyR0UZpguLrPJa4WqaRpyyYfpzFq5a363aINpt6kYgGV9pjq-2BuP7OjlQmVyflfnMyuKGNj7cMpdOjD4nfKzQYSC3YOxUBXNHHJaQQ-3D-3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GBTA<\/a>) is the world\u2019s premier business travel and meetings trade organization serving stakeholders across six continents. GBTA and its 9,000+ members\u202frepresent and advocate for the $1.57 trillion\u202fglobal business travel and meetings industry. GBTA and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gbtafoundation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Funda\u00e7\u00e3o GBTA<\/a> deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy, and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Cvent\u202f&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Cvent is a leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider with 5,000+ employees and 24,000+ customers worldwide as of December 31, 2024. Founded in 1999, the company delivers a comprehensive event marketing and management platform and offers a global marketplace where event professionals collaborate with venues to create engaging, impactful experiences. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>Cvent is headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C., and has additional offices around the world to support its growing global customer base. The comprehensive Cvent event marketing and management platform offers software solutions to event organizers and marketers for online event registration, venue selection, event marketing and management, virtual and onsite solutions, and attendee engagement. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>Cvent\u2019s suite of products automate and simplify the event management lifecycle and maximize the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. Hotels and venues use Cvent\u2019s supplier and venue solutions to win more group and corporate travel business through Cvent\u2019s sourcing platforms. Cvent solutions optimize the event management value chain and have enabled clients around the world to manage millions of meetings and events. For more information, please visit cvent.com.&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GBTA and Cvent survey of U.S., Canadian and European corporate travel managers shows shifts in sourcing approaches with a focus on cost control, carbon reduction and traveler experience As the business travel landscape continues to evolve, corporate travel managers are rethinking how they source hotels and meeting venues via their request for proposal (RFP) processes&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"2469,1615,2023,814,884,902","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[247,1152,45,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-accommodations","category-meetings-and-events","category-news-and-press-releases","category-research-and-travel-trends"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Debbie Iannaci","author_link":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/author\/diannacigbta-org\/"},"comment_info":"","category_info":[{"term_id":247,"name":"Accommodations","slug":"accommodations","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":247,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":214,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":247,"category_count":214,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Accommodations","category_nicename":"accommodations","category_parent":0},{"term_id":1152,"name":"Meetings and Events","slug":"meetings-and-events","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1152,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":56,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1152,"category_count":56,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Meetings and Events","category_nicename":"meetings-and-events","category_parent":0},{"term_id":45,"name":"News and Press Releases","slug":"news-and-press-releases","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":45,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":538,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":45,"category_count":538,"category_description":"","cat_name":"News and Press Releases","category_nicename":"news-and-press-releases","category_parent":0},{"term_id":37,"name":"Research and Travel Trends","slug":"research-and-travel-trends","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":37,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":965,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":37,"category_count":965,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Research and Travel Trends","category_nicename":"research-and-travel-trends","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":247,"label":"Accommodations"},{"value":1152,"label":"Meetings and Events"},{"value":45,"label":"News and Press Releases"},{"value":37,"label":"Research and Travel Trends"}]},"mfb_rest_fields":["featured_image_src_large","author_info","comment_info","category_info","tag_info","taxonomy_info"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25335"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25341,"href":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25335\/revisions\/25341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbta.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}