GBTA Convention 2025 Recap – Building the Future of Business Travel

Partner with providers who meet clear-eyed sustainability metrics now, and lock in binding KPIs for the next 12 months. At GBTA Convention 2025, the focus shifted from talk to action, with procurement leaders driving faster onboarding, standardized data sharing, and a sharper lens on cost-to-value. This approach prioritizes measurable results over promises.

Across the corner sessions, deals announced exceeded a billion dollars in value, with executives signaling a longer horizon for travel programs. In several cases, the potential sits in a trillion dollars of spend, higher than earlier forecasts, when cross-border programs align with policy and automation across providers.

The gathering highlighted a trade-forward approach that pairs carriers, hotels, and tech platforms through interoperable data streams, enabling other players to participate while keeping cost, risk, and business experience aligned as demand evolves.

We introduced the leadersit framework to connect procurement, sustainability, and performance reviews, ensuring accountability and enabling cross-functional collaboration across finance, operations, and risk.

Recommendation: Build a longer-term plan that anchors travel policy in measurable outcomes, with quarterly dashboards that monitor provider performance, sustainability metrics, and spend efficiency. Keeping this cadence helps stay ahead of fluctuations and maintain negotiation leverage.

To stay competitive, teams explored new models, consolidated top-tier suppliers, and pursued other channels such as alternate accommodations and rail, while investing in data interoperability so insights turn into concrete actions rather than reports.

In practice, organizations should publish results to a cross-functional leadership group, maintain a clear-eyed risk posture, and set transparent targets for ESG and cost controls. A disciplined approach will translate into faster decisions and longer-term value for business travel programs, helping teams stay ahead of market shifts.

Powering the Future of Extended Stay: Budgeting, Vendor Relationships, and Program Design

Implement a three-layer budgeting framework for extended stay programs now: fixed costs, variable costs, and contingency, linked to forecasted occupancy and traveler demand. Create processes that review actuals monthly, explore longer scenarios, and leverage technology and tools to manage cost across every corner of the stay ecosystem. Never accept static plans; acknowledge insights from pilots and a sapphire ecosystem of partners to inform decisions before scaling.

Scale note: In a global context, extended-stay programs can command multi-billion-dollar budgets within a trillion-dollar travel industry, with travelers and people driving demand across regions. This scale requires a forecast-driven approach and proactive exploration of technology-enabled solutions.

• Baseline and inflation: Establish a baseline cost per night by market and traveler segment, with a forecast of 3–5% annual inflation. For core markets, target a total stay cost per traveler of roughly $180–$260 per night, with non-room costs representing 25–35% of total spend.
• Contingency: Reserve 8–12% of the program budget for disruption scenarios (supply shocks, rate volatility); link contingencies to triggers such as occupancy variance or rate caps.
• Metrics: Track cost per traveler and cost per stay; publish monthly dashboards using technology and tools; align to projected savings and longer-term efficiency; keep they informed and engaged.

The growing ecosystem for extended stays relies on a data-driven cadence that touches every corner of the operations, from traveler preferences to property performance. Acknowledged benchmarks, a robust forecast, and continuous exploration of technology enable proactive decisions before a spike in demand, ensuring the traveler experience remains seamless within the stay program.

1. Consolidate vendors to unlock volume discounts; sign long-term contracts; centralize onboarding and invoicing in winit to drive visibility and reduce cycle times.
2. Build a sapphire ecosystem of preferred properties, service providers, and tech platforms; enforce SLAs and quarterly business reviews; use vendor scorecards to benchmark claimed savings and actual performance, acknowledged by both sides.
3. Institute a data-driven governance model: share forecasted demand with partners, monitor projected occupancy, and ensure privacy; give leadersit teams access to dashboards to adjust sourcing before spikes.

1. Traveler-centric design: segment travelers by stay length and purpose; map the typical path and create flexible stay options that fit a range of use cases inside longer stays, from 3 to 14 nights, to maximize value and satisfaction.
2. Stay packaging: design bundles that cover lodging, amenities, and experiences; within the program, offer options that travelers can tailor within budget envelopes to encourage longer, repeat stays.
3. Sustainability and carbon: implement field-driven carbon accounting for each stay; set measurable targets to reduce emissions per stay and report progress within the ecosystem.
4. Data governance and privacy: standardize data sharing across the ecosystem while safeguarding traveler privacy; align with corporate policies and local regulations.
5. Change management: equip people across procurement, operations, and support with training and quick-reference tools; establish feedback loops to refine program design and illustrate a clear ROI for leadersit teams and travelers.

Sustainability at the Forefront: Tracking Metrics, Reducing Footprint, and Transparency

Adopt a unified, real-time dashboard that tracks standardized sustainability metrics across the ecosystem, bringing buyers, providers, and sourcing partners into one intelligence-powered view. In this setting, every trade decision links to a measurable footprint, not only price.

Metrics cover emissions (Scope 1-3), sourcing footprints, and housing energy use. The sapphire standards ensure data is comparable where it comes from, with consistent definitions, unit scales, and auditable provenance.

To shift decision-making away from dominated price, embed lifecycle intelligence into every conversation. Build a sustainability center of gravity that aligns strategies with supplier capabilities, meet providers through joint planning sessions, and use tools that enable gathering insights across sourcing, trade, and housing partners. Highlighted here is the synergy that moves the ecosystem toward measurable outcomes for the future.

Track progress with transparent reporting dashboards that show performance by region, supplier, and product category. Where data is imperfect, use third-party verification and sample audits to close gaps, so buyers stay informed with a trusted picture that supports responsible sourcing decisions.

Define quarterly deliverables and a public-facing scorecard that demonstrates progress toward 2030 targets. Use structured conversations with stakeholders to refine metrics, update the set of standards, and extend the approach into other categories such as travel and housing operations. This ongoing program keeps the trade community engaged and accountable.

Operational steps include forming a cross-functional governance group, adopting a common data schema, and piloting the winit toolkit for supplier intelligence. Align housing and trade-related metrics with sourcing criteria, and require suppliers to report at least quarterly against the standards. Regularly publish public highlights to build trust and drive speed to value.

Duty of Care Safety and Security in Practice: Traveler Risk Protocols and Real-Time Alerts

Adopt a centralized traveler risk protocol with automated real-time alerts to inform travelers and their managers within minutes of a disruption. This approach reduces cost, speeds decision-making, and keeps compliance aligned with standards.

1. Define traveler risk profiles by destination, function (sourcing, buyers, trade), and traveler level; maintain within a single policy to ensure consistent decisions across their units.
2. Incorporate forecast data from intelligence sources to anticipate disruptions and route travelers to safer options before conditions worsen.
3. Build a real-time alert engine that pushes personalized notifications to the traveler and their manager via preferred channels (SMS, app, email) and escalates to a center when needed.
4. Use a tools suite that combines location intelligence, event feeds, and traveler tracking within consent to support faster decisions and post-event reporting.
5. Establish a governance workflow with clear ownership in a gbtas session, where leadersit and buyers meet on thresholds, standards, and follow-up actions.
6. Design risk responses that optimize cost and time, offering sustainable options, replacements, or remote work where possible, and tie to carbonsmart sourcing goals.
7. Ensure compliance across suppliers and partners by mapping your risk protocol to internal and external standards and documenting the decision trail for auditability.
8. Measure impact with metrics such as incident response time, alert relevance, and traveler adherence, linking results to business outcomes and cost containment.

Global business travel represents a multi-trillion-dollar ecosystem, so a robust risk protocol helps maintain compliance and protect people and assets within budgets. Align your program with their expectations while diversifying risk across regions and providers.

• Training and drills: run quarterly tests using a corner winit dashboard to validate alert delivery, channel effectiveness, and escalation routes.
• Data sources: combine internal travel systems with intelligence feeds and partner risk data to keep forecasts accurate.
• Communication: enable multilingual, device-agnostic alerts that work offline when needed.
• Governance: document decisions in gbtas session notes and share insights with buyers and suppliers for continuous improvement.

A Record-Breaking Forecast: Turning Market Projections into Capacity and Scheduling Plans

Map demand to capacity in 90-day cycles and translate market projections into concrete scheduling moves across fleets, accommodations, and human resources. Use a clear-eyed framework that ties setting, forecasts, and delivery to measurable cost and service targets, so you never drift. Create a gathering of leadersit from operations, finance, and sales to validate assumptions weekly, and ensure they stay aligned with sustainability goals and compliance requirements.

Growing markets will drive travelers and their expectations higher, with a billion travelers segment explored across regions. Build systems that deliver reliable serviced options at scale, prioritizing on-time performance and traveler comfort. They will demand trade-offs between cost and reliability, so embed carbonsmart choices in every route and schedule to protect margins while meeting duty-of-care commitments. Trade opportunities across regions help balance capacity. Trade remains a core lever.

Synergy between planning, execution, and reporting powers your forecast into reality. Your settings for capacity, staffing, and inventory must be synchronized across teams, with dashboards that translate projections into actionable steps. Establish a conversation cadence with other stakeholders to refine assumptions and close gaps, ensuring your plans remain resilient in a volatile environment. Sustainability and human considerations stay at the center of every decision, guiding sustainable outcomes.

Practical steps: set your strategies and lock in a rolling 12-month capacity plan, build reserve slots for peak periods, and integrate trade compliance data so that all moves comply with regulatory requirements. Use sustainability metrics to monitor emissions alongside cost and service metrics, and report progress in a simple, human-friendly way. By delivering continuous improvement, you help travelers stay satisfied, executives stay informed, and operations stay efficient, all while keeping costs under control and advancing sustainability.

Artificial Intelligence Driving the Conversation: From Policy Updates to Personal Traveler Support

Adopt a clear-eyed AI policy playbook now to deliver personal traveler support and align policy updates with real traveler needs. This approach uses intelligence to meet buyers where they gather, turning policy updates into practical actions that boost service levels and sustainability outcomes.

The gbtas gathering highlighted how AI can accelerate decisions, improve accuracy, and deliver serviced guidance at the point of need. By folding intelligence into the setting, teams meet travelers with proactive alerts, dynamic itineraries, and cost controls that stay within budgetary guardrails, acknowledged by stakeholders in session discussions.

In session-led discussions, the forecast projects a multi-trillion impact on efficiency, risk management, and carbonsmart choices across corporate travel. The emphasis is on longer support windows and faster delivery of policy updates that buyers can trust, with clear-eyed metrics to track progress.

To operationalize this, implement four pillars: governance for AI use, serviced traveler support, robust data stewardship, and sustainability KPIs. The corner of the program includes a centralized policy playbook, cross-functional teams, and short feedback loops that meet cost sensitivity and accountability. The gathering continues, with a quarterly session to adjust the forecast based on actual results.

Take two practical steps now: run a two-quarter pilot focusing on the setting and traveler experience, measure cost and sustainability outcomes, and share learnings in the next session. The conversation around AI remains constructive when data is transparent, and gbtas buyers see tangible benefits.

The Power of Human Connection and Leadership: Building Trust, Adoption, and Cross-Functional Collaboration

Launch a 90-day cross-functional trust sprint that pairs buyers, providers, and gbtas teams in weekly sessions to define a carbonsmart roadmap that guides adoption, risk, and funding, to create alignment across stakeholders, ensuring progress never stalls and addressing growing complexity, while keeping the program from becoming longer.

Governance and cadence

Build a clear-eyed governance council that includes leadersit from procurement, product, IT, and gbtas, plus a rotating panel of buyers and providers. They meet in recurring sessions to set the program, setting clear milestones, and deliver a shared roadmap. Use tools that pull data from vendors’ systems and housing programs to keep every stakeholder in the loop. The ecosystem benefits when carbon data, supplier feedback, and traveler needs feed a forecast that includes projected gains and measurable KPIs. This structure reassures their leadership and makes collaboration better across teams, from the corner where policy meets practice to the day-to-day moments that meet traveler needs.

Measurement, tools, and impact

Embed the program in daily work with growth-oriented rituals: biweekly check-ins, quarterly pilots, and a sapphire milestone to recognize teams that sustain adoption and drive cross-functional delivery. Before launching, map critical touchpoints in housing and mobility programs to minimize friction. The forecast points to a potential billion-dollar impact when adoption reaches target milestones, and sapphire milestones can help teams see progress clearly. By reporting carbon, cost, and user experience in a single dashboard, gbtas teams deliver transparency that builds trust and drives adoption across the ecosystem.