Last week Avis Car Rental announced its updated mobile app, Avis Now, has gained more than 250,000 users since it rolled out in July. During GBTA Convention’s Media Day this summer, Avis Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Scott Deaver announced the major overhaul to the company’s app with the addition of the new Avis…
A new GBTA Foundation study revealed the most valued and most desired features when it comes to site sourcing technology. Conducted in partnership with Lanyon, the study is being released today during a Lanyon Live breakout session. Meeting and event planning starts long before anyone sets foot onsite, of course, and many factors can greatly…
*The following blog post was also distributed as a member email.* Dear GBTA Members, The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced that it is issuing an emergency order to ban all Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone devices from air transportation in the United States. Individuals who own or possess a Samsung Galaxy Note7 device may…
The GBTA Foundation today unveiled the new GBTA Request for Proposal (RFP) for Car Rental, in partnership with Enterprise. The updated RFP is global, includes a sustainability module and is more efficient and easier to use. A task force made up of representatives from across the industry including car rental agencies, Travel Management Companies and…
Today, the GBTA Foundation released its latest quarterly U.S. business travel forecast, slightly downgrading our expectations from the previous quarter. Uncertainty around the upcoming presidential election is among the factors influencing our more pessimistic outlook for U.S. business travel spending through 2017. Along with the uncertainty surrounding the election, sluggish global expansion, low inflation, weak…
Samsung Galaxy Note 7s, airplanes and spontaneous combustion. Oh my! The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued an emergency order banning all Samsung Galaxy Note7s from air transportation, carry-on baggage and checked baggage on flights to, from or within the United States effective Saturday, October 15. BBC reports carriers in Australia, Asia and Europe followed…
Yesterday, Skift’s Andrew Sheivachman published an article saying traditional car services won’t disappear from the corporate travel world anytime soon. “If all you did was read news reports and listen to the raves of fellow travelers, you would probably think that ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft are rapidly putting traditional car services out of…
GBTA is hosting its 4th annual Supplier Summit in Boston on November 2-3. This special supplier-only event will feature education, insight into what buyers want and a tour of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center where GBTA’s 2017 Convention will take place this July. The event will kick off Wednesday evening with a networking reception…
In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the U.S. Department of State has issued travel warnings for the Bahamas, Haiti and a travel alert for Cuba. Even Walt Disney World has closed its doors for the fourth time ever since its gates first opened in 1971, CNBC reports. According to USA TODAY, there are an estimated…
As the leading voice of the business travel industry in Canada, GBTA is excited to host its third annual Energy, Resources & Marine Symposium | Calgary on October 18, 2016 at the Calgary Downtown Marriott Hotel. GBTA Canada has long supported our country’s oil, gas, energy & resources sector with our ERM Symposiums. This year it is…
*This post is co-authored by Christle Johnson, GBTA President and Daphne Bryant, GBTA Foundation Executive Director* The GBTA Academy is pleased to announce a new partnership today for our Global Leadership Professional® (GLP) program with the University of Virginia’s renowned Darden School of Business. The only masters-level course for travel professionals, the GLP has a strategic…
Remember the computer glitches and delays from this past summer? They’re back! Reuters reports thousands of passengers faced delays worldwide after a United Airlines computer glitch late Thursday night. According to The Independent, the problem was resolved as of 3 a.m. ET, but led to the delay of at least 60 flights. Bloomberg states airlines…
With the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, currency fluctuations, emerging markets, and various geopolitical events at play, planning and developing a travel budget can be challenging. As companies around the globe prepare for the new fiscal year, travel professionals are working diligently to determine how these factors will impact their travel spend. In order to assist with…
GBTA has long supported and advocated for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) in the United States, which allows citizens of participating countries to travel to the United States without obtaining a visa for stays of up to 90 days for business or leisure, but not for employment, study or residency. By making it easier for…
During our Convention this summer, GBTA’s Nancy Tudorache caught up with Jennifer Swenson of U.S. Bank at the GBTA Broadcast Studio after she took part in an education session on virtual payments. Jennifer shared highlights from a GBTA Foundation research project conducted in partnership with U.S. Bank focusing on the benefits and barriers of virtual…
In the movie Tommy Boy, David Spade and Chris Farley travel across the country on a sales trip to try and save the family auto parts business. Spoiler alert: they are successful – despite all of the hilarious missteps and hijinks that they experience on the road. According to the most recent GBTA BTI Outlook…
One-half (49 percent) of event planners report the marketing departments at their respective companies are always or often involved in the planning and execution of events, and an overwhelming majority find value in this type of partnership. Today, the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), in partnership…
Whether you’re jumping in the car or hopping on a plane, anything can happen from the moment you leave your door to the moment you reach your destination. As global crises increasingly unfold, preparing for the unexpected is paramount, and employers must ensure their travelers are safe and protected. GBTA recently held a webinar called…
During Convention, I had a chance to talk with Tom Tulloch, Managing Director of North America for Pi, at the GBTA Broadcast Studio. Tom shared the technology company’s plans for the upcoming year focusing on growth and innovation around Pi Travel. He also shared some general challenges the industry faces in today’s world. Tom believes…
During Convention this summer, Jay Richmond, Head of Business Travel for Amadeus North America, sat down with GBTA’s Ed Barrett at the Broadcast Studio to talk travel technology. Jay flagged complexity, data and integration as the key areas to address in the coming years. Jay also shared a challenge coming quickly down the pipeline that…
Whether you’re jumping in the car or hopping on a plane, anything can happen from the moment you leave your door to the moment you reach your destination. As global crises increasingly unfold, preparing for the unexpected is paramount, and employers must ensure their travelers are safe and protected. GBTA recently held a webinar called…
Congress approved a short-term spending bill earlier this week avoiding a shutdown and keeping the government running through December 9. GBTA was pleased to see language included that will allow TSA to continue to fund increased personnel, however, a long-term solution is necessary. Travelers crave price transparency, according to Christopher Elliott in a USA Today…
Shortly after the company announced its plans for national expansion, iCars President Ed Silver joined GBTA’s Caitlin Gomez at the Broadcast Studio at Convention this summer. The business travel industry is constantly evolving, and it is not news that in recent years, the sharing economy and technology have led to massive disruption in the ground…
GBTA recently hosted its flagship Business Travel Symposium in India. Nearly 300 attended the successful event for a day filled with education, research and networking. The Symposium also featured a tradeshow floor for attendees to see the latest business travel products and solutions exhibitors had to offer. GBTA India Regional Director Gaurav Sundaram kicked the…
Marriott International and Starwood have completed a $13 billion merger as of today, Buying Business Travel reports, making the new hotel company the owner of 30 hotel brands. Skift notes Marriott International is now the world’s largest hotel operator and plans to prioritize combining the Marriott and Starwood loyalty programs. According to Skift, Google has announced…
The Senate filed a Continuing Resolution (CR) today that would keep the government running through December 9 of this year avoiding a government shutdown on October 1. The CR includes the following language on funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA): GBTA is pleased to see this language included, which will allow TSA to continue…
Recently the GBTA Foundation, in partnership with Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) and the Carlson Family Foundation, released new research showing almost 7 in 10 (69 percent) travel professionals indicate their travel program does not have a mobile strategy in place. Given today’s increasingly mobile world, this isn’t likely to last. Travel professionals agreed, as almost…
GBTA Conference 2016 Buenos Aires gets underway this evening, and tomorrow conference attendees will hear from featured speaker Isela Costantini, president of the Aerolineas Argentinas Group. Having previously worked for General Motors, Isela took the reins of Aerolineas Argentinas, Argentina’s largest airline, in January of this year. During GBTA Convention this summer, we were able…
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