Leisure travel long been has considered better than work
travel, but 2020 is the year that business travel will become the envy of
leisure travel, thanks to technology advances—particularly machine
learning—that will deliver a superior business travel experience. The tech has
advanced in tandem with businesses’ desire to build processes that drive a
better employee experience. Likewise, employees’ personal tech has advanced
such that an outdated travel management solution reflects poorly on the
company.
I’ve built my career by using the power of machine learning
to transform and simplify complex systems for end users. Machine learning, a
subset of AI, analyzes big data, looks for patterns and then makes decisions
based on those patterns—with minimal human intervention. The very traits that
make business travel ripe for disruption—frequent travelers, repetition of
travel, detailed traveler profiles, and known office locations—make it an ideal
use case for tech.
In 2020, machine learning will transform business travel to
beat leisure travel on convenience, personalization and experience:
Convenience & Choice. One of the top reasons business
travel sites frustrated users in the past was a lack of inventory—specifically,
not having the right inventory at the right price, especially compared to consumer
sites. In 2020, corporate travel platforms will offer a broader selection of
inventory that ensures business travelers have access to everything, including
negotiated and direct rates, within a single platform. Through Next Generation
Storefront, business travel inventory (e.g. seat pitch, on-time stats, photos
of the room, etc.) will be presented in a way that is more complete,
transparent and easier for bookers to compare in detail. Add New Distribution
Capability, and that content will be provided with bundled ancillaries, further
simplifying and improving the booking experience.
Personalization. In the same way that Netflix uses data to
present what you might like to watch next, machine learning leverages data from
an individual’s profile combined with data from past bookings to present the
most relevant search results. As the platform learns with more data, that
content becomes ever more relevant.
This is where business travel platforms have the advantage
over leisure. Business travelers travel more frequently, which means more data
for algorithms to ingest. In addition, their travel behavior tends to be more
consistent. That large amount of consistent data makes it easier and faster for
algorithms to learn and predict behavior.
A Better End-to-End Experience. Today, consumers might
receive notifications on a delay, gate change, or room availability, but must
fend for themselves when something goes wrong. If they aren’t a frequent
traveler, they may find themselves standing in a long line waiting to get
rebooked or on hold over the phone. Machine learning has completely changed
this for business travelers. As soon as the data shows that a business traveler
will miss a connection, the platform can automatically book them on the next
available flight, sending an alert notification.
The most advanced business travel apps have also enabled
users with options to chat, email or call—whichever is most convenient. And
machine learning steps in again for the win, equipping the travel agent with
all the details of who the traveler is, their preferences, their current trip
and their booking behavior so they are immediately able to solve the business
travelers’ needs.
We’ve reached an inflection point in business travel
empowered by machine learning tech that’s been developed, tested and proven in
the market. In 2020, leisure travel may take some notes from the business
travel experience lest we start hearing about the “businessization of consumer
travel” just as we’ve long heard of the “consumerization” of just about
everything, including business travel.