One of the challenges from a travel manager’s perspective comes from the fact that in most scenarios the GDS contract is owned by the travel management company. Since that relationship has always been between the GDS and the TMC, the travel manager or corporation has had very little direct interaction with the GDS unless they hold a direct agreement with the GDS. Nevertheless, there are so many opportunities the GDS can offer corporations that the relationships are beginning to evolve.
In a recent interview, Sabre’s principal product manager Brett Dowling talks about the opportunities the company sees in “how Sabre can best leverage our capabilities and provide the most meaningful return to our customers. And this means opportunities for a closer alignment with corporations and travel buyers.”
While Sabre acknowledges that data products have always been a focus for them, now the desire is to develop offerings that can integrate and align better in the marketplace. There is no denying the GDSs have tons of raw data, and historically Sabre has taken the position that it should ship out raw data for customers to use as they best saw fit. Now Sabre is moving from descriptive analytics – looking back on what happened – toward the brave new world of what will happen, and inevitably what a buyer should do with that information.
This is huge progress in the advancement of Phat Data into the managed travel space – data sets specifically designed for the corporate buyer. The ability for travel buyers to utilize GDS data to develop more forecasting and modeling for their travel program adds another level of depth to their data strategy.
Walk on the Data Side
As an industry we are focusing on the doors richer data can unlock, such as gaining a better understanding of the impact of initiatives like policy changes, or drilling down to get more advanced insights into a traveler’s purchasing behaviors, or even learning how to better leverage your supplier agreements. Sabre is investing to bring all these areas – and others – to life.
In today’s environment it’s pretty easy to take a walk in a world where I as a travel buyer know how my program has performed historically. I can look back and see the purchasing behaviors of my travelers, how I have performed with my suppliers and where my policy is effective.
Where insightful analytics offer the most opportunities for travel programs is in the ability to look into the future. This is a place where buyers can begin to ask “What If” and see the real time outcomes for their programs. It could be something as simple as a policy change, or a new conversation with suppliers. Such forward thinking is bound to be extremely impactful to all parties in the value chain.
Travel buyers and suppliers all agree that there are multiple sources from which to obtain and aggregate data, each one bringing just a little more intensity to the conversation. Sabre firmly believes in the power of the partnership – ‘thought partners’ is how they refer to them.
That means where the company can work with these thought partners to build out better data sets and gain more impactful insights to help all of their customers, this is the route they are 100 percent committed to. This is huge development for the managed travel program. Now a travel buyer can work with their data partners and even the GDS to build out a more intelligent, flexible and innovative Phat Data story.
A Seat at the GDS Table
Another intense effort in the GDS community is the ability to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to truly change the booking experience. “One of our largest focus areas is enabling our customers to create and merchandise personalized offerings to their travelers,” states Blair Austin, Sabre’s VP strategic business operations and planning. “Incorporating NDC content, married with AI and machine learning on top of the wealth of data within our systems enables the creation of the right offer to the right person, at the right time.”
Having this ability at the source of the booking opens up significant opportunities for buyers as well. Now a buyer can truly understand the purchasing behaviors of their travelers, and build a dynamic policy that presents the most logical supplier offerings ever. This type of offering begins to create a true ‘policy of one’ – bringing the best value proposition to the travel booking process.
Travel buyers need to begin having conversations with their TMCs and start getting a seat at the table with the GDSs so their voices can be heard, and they can influence the data conversation. The managed travel program is unique to each organization, and so the value proposition from the GDS side will look different depending on what the corporation’s aims and program objectives are. Travel buyers must be more engaged with the GDS.
Certainly, none of this is going to happen overnight. But each baby step that someone in the supply chain takes to improve the quality of the data or the use cases for the data is a step in the right direction. “Within the next five years the ability for the GDS to offer customized and personal offerings will drive significant change in the buying experience for business travelers,” Dowling asserts.
With such an immense amount of data at its fingertips, the GDS is a great place to start. However it probably isn’t your only source, so when you’re building out your Phat Data strategies, remember you need to determine not only what data you need, but the best source for that data.
Phat data for the managed travel program is like a smorgasbord of all kinds of tasty opportunities; we just need to ensure that we invite all the right people to the dinner table. As a GDS, Sabre is keenly focused on bringing together the best Phat Data dinner party ever.
Next Month: Phat Data Year in Review
Jennifer Steinke is Global Head of Travel for PPD, Inc., and an industry thought leader with over 30 years experience managing corporate travel. She holds an MBA plus Certified Corporate Travel Executive (CCTE) and Global Travel Professional (GTP) certifications from GBTA. Jennifer strives to deliver innovative and thought provoking ideas to the corporate travel industry.
