Gant Travel Management announced it has added an AI assistant to its self-serv ice platform, which is called Gant360. With the launch of the Gant360 AI Assistant, according to the announcement, travelers will be able to search, book and manage business travel through natural conversation.
Patrick Linnihan, CEO of Gant Travel, said, “Travelers shouldn’t have to choose between an easy experience and a managed one.” He continued: “Gant360 is designed to bring the entire travel experience together around the traveler and still give companies the control they need. The AI Assistant takes that a step further by allowing travelers to simply ask for what they need and take action, with our Gant agents always within reach.”
Unlike a traditional chatbot that primarily answers questions or points users toward another tool, according to the announcement, the Gant360 AI Assistant uses agentic chat to take action on a traveler’s behalf.
Travelers can search and book eligible flights, hotels and rental cars; access invoices; manage eligible reservations; and navigate other self-service capabilities through conversation. Throughout the experience, the Gant360 AI Assistant applies the traveler’s profile, company travel policy and established booking rules. In validated testing, an eligible roundtrip air booking can go from search to completion in less than five minutes.
For travel managers, said the announcement, that means providing travelers with a simpler way to handle routine travel needs while keeping those interactions within the managed travel program.
The Gant360 AI Assistant, according to the announcement, is an expansion of Gant360 — not a replacement for the self-service tools or human support travelers already have.
Travelers can choose how they want to manage their trip: navigate Gant360’s self-service capabilities directly, use agentic chat through the Gant360 AI Assistant or connect with an experienced Gant agent when they need additional help.
When a traveler moves from the Gant360 AI Assistant to a live Gant agent, the conversation details are automatically included in the handoff. The agent can pick up where the AI Assistant left off without requiring the traveler to restart the request or repeat information.
The result, said the announcement, is one experience that uses automation for routine travel needs and keeps human expertise within reach when travelers need it.
Through Gant’s membership in the GBTNetwork, according to the announcement, Gant360 connects travelers to content from more than 90 airlines and negotiated hotel rates in nearly 110 countries. Travelers also have access to an expanded selection of discounts off BAR (best available rate) and select hotel amenities through the Gant360 experience.
