Key gaps remain around limited AI adoption, fragmented data and inconsistent traveler experience, according to new research from GBTA, in partnership with Spotnana, Marriott International and Direct Travel, based on a March 2026 survey of corporate travel buyers across the US, Canada and Europe. The report examines how innovation is shaping business travel across three key areas: the adoption and potential of AI, evolving hotel distribution models and the ongoing challenges of managing global travel programs.

More than half of travel buyers (58%) say AI has had little or no impact on their program to date, while 61% report challenges managing global travel programs and 72% cite hotel booking pricing disparities as a major pain point.

Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA, said, “What’s clear from this research is that innovation — particularly in AI, data and retailing — will be essential to closing the gap between what is possible and what travel programs experience today.”

While 58% of travel buyers say AI has had little or no impact on their programs to date, interest in AI-driven capabilities is widespread. Travel managers are particularly focused on applications that streamline operations and improve decision-making, including:

• 95%: AI-driven policy recommendations
• 89%: Automated disruption management and rebooking
• 85%: AI-powered traveler support
• 83%: Conversational booking experiences

In addition, buyers are comfortable with various AI use cases within managed corporate travel. More travel buyers say they are “comfortable” than “uncomfortable” with every use case tasted, reflecting confidence in AI as the technology continues to mature. 

• Most buyers say they are comfortable recommending negotiated rates-based flights and hotels (95%) and generating custom reports (92%).
• Fewer buyers report being comfortable with accessing employee calendars to recommend based flights and hotels (64%) and changing or canceling a booking (57%).

Christal Bemont, CEO of Direct Travel, said, “The industry is moving toward more dynamic and personalized travel experiences, which creates tremendous opportunity for travelers and suppliers.” But, she added, “it also increases the importance of connected infrastructure that can bring together content, policy, servicing and data in a way that remains manageable for global enterprises.”

The research highlights persistent challenges for travel buyers in managing global travel programs, driven largely by fragmented technology and data ecosystems. Of the global buyers, 61% say managing travel across regions is a challenge. Only 12% have a consolidated view of their program from a single data source, underscoring widespread data fragmentation. 

Top challenges reported by global travel managers include:

• Lack of consolidated reporting (63%)
• Inconsistent traveler support (60%)
• Managing multiple TMC relationships (52%) 

At the same time, buyers emphasize the need to balance technology and service. When evaluating TMC partners, they allocate nearly equal importance to technology (54%) and servicing (46%).

Hotel distribution is also undergoing a shift, as new retailing models continue to reshape how content is presented and how travelers make booking decisions. While traditional GDSs continue to play a foundational role, buyers are increasingly interested in more flexible, transparent and personalized booking experiences. 

A key challenge remains: 72% of buyers say their travelers’ ability to find cheaper hotel options outside managed channels is their top pain point, highlighting ongoing issues with content, pricing and perceived value.

New retailing models are creating opportunities to improve the booking experience.

• 51% of buyers say attribute-based shopping would improve the hotel booking experience. Employees might be able to select a particular room through the booking flow. For instance, they might choose a room on a higher floor for safety reasons — or a room with a view. Today, these requests are often made manually after booking.
• There is strong interest in purchasing add-ons — such as breakfast, early check-in, late check-out and parking — through the online booking tool/TMC during the booking process.

The results suggest that how hotel content is presented — not just availability — will play a critical role in shaping the next phase of managed travel.