Message from the Office of the GBTA President – Convention Recap and Look Ahead

Message from the Office of the GBTA President – Convention Recap and Look Ahead

*The following blog post was originally sent as an email to GBTA Members.* It was such a pleasure seeing so many of you last month in Denver at GBTA Convention 2016. With more than 6,500 attendees and our first time in history to sell out 100 percent of the exhibition floor, it was our biggest…

Accor Hotels COO Talks M&A with GBTA
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Accor Hotels COO Talks M&A with GBTA

Days before the start of GBTA Convention 2016 AccorHotels completed their acquisition of FRHI Hotels & Resorts, making newly apointed AccorHotels COO Kevin Frid a great person to talk to about one of the industry’s hottest topics – mergers and acquisitions. During a time of unprecedented consolidation in the travel industry, GBTA Executive Director and…

Week in Review
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Week in Review

Airlines aren’t the only ones facing complications recently, with HEI Hotels & Resorts announcing a malware attack lasting more than a year on 20 of its properties. According to Skift, customer payment card data from tens of thousands of transactions may have been exposed, though it is difficult to estimate the total number of customers…

Week in Review
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Week in Review

Just two weeks after a technical glitch caused thousands of delays and cancellations for Southwest Airlines, Delta faced a system outage that impacted flights earlier this week. The airline had nearly 2,000 cancelled flights and more than 2,400 delayed flights on just Monday and Tuesday, according to CBS News. USA TODAY reports an additional 250 flights were…

Sabre’s SVP of Strategy and Traveler Experience Discusses Mobile Technology
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Sabre’s SVP of Strategy and Traveler Experience Discusses Mobile Technology

During GBTA Convention this year, business travel industry experts shared tips, tricks, insights and innovations with our online audience from the GBTA Studio. One such conversation was with Sabre’s Clinton Anderson, senior vice president of strategy and traveler experience, on the rise of mobile technology for the business traveler. The GBTA Foundation recently teamed up…

United States Business Travel Sees New Normal of Slow But Steady Growth

United States Business Travel Sees New Normal of Slow But Steady Growth

Despite being overtaken by China as the world’s leading business travel market, the United States is still a vital nation when it comes to both the growth of the global economy as well as for the growth of global business travel. According to the recently released GBTA Global BTI Outlook – Annual Global Report and…

Germany Continues to be Europe’s Economic Powerhouse

Germany Continues to be Europe’s Economic Powerhouse

Germany is the largest economy in Europe, currently the third largest business travel market in the world, is led by one of the most powerful women in the world and has a strong and influential voice on both European and global affairs. Given Germany’s power, wealth and influence, it will continue to be the EU’s…

The Olympics and Infrastructure Development: Does it Last?
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The Olympics and Infrastructure Development: Does it Last?

All eyes will be on Rio in the coming weeks as the 2016 Summer Olympic Games get underway with the Opening Ceremonies taking place tonight. While there have been numerous reports of facilities that are either incomplete or in disrepair, the games will go on, and Brazil is hoping that the Games will help give…

Week in Review
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Week in Review

Following the cancellation of 2,300 flights and thousands of delays nearly two weeks ago, two of Southwest’s biggest unions are calling on CEO Gary Kelly to step down. USA Today reports the unions are unsatisfied with the airline’s large focus on Wall Street performance and outdated reservations technology. The aviation industry has seen major complications…

GBTA: A Resource in Times of Uncertainty

GBTA: A Resource in Times of Uncertainty

During Convention last month, GBTA EMEA Regional Vice President Catherine McGavock joined us at the GBTA Studio to talk about GBTA’s role, especially in times of uncertainty. She highlighted the extensive partner network GBTA has with key national associations throughout the region, providing a unique level of access to the local business travel markets and…

Consolidation in Business Travel: What’s Next?
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Consolidation in Business Travel: What’s Next?

For the past several years, there has been a significant number of consolidations throughout every segment of the travel industry. With mergers and acquisitions of some of the best-known brands in the air travel, lodging and ground transport sectors continuing at a rapid pace, GBTA Convention 2016 featured a Center Stage panel discussion on the…

Breaking News from GBTA Convention 2016
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Breaking News from GBTA Convention 2016

Every year leading travel companies from around the globe gather at GBTA Convention, and many use the event as a platform to announce their latest news, products and services. GBTA’s Media Day brings the latest breaking news into one place. Nearly 20 companies participated in the second annual Media Day to deliver their breaking news,…