BOOKING TOOLS
All in the
EXPERIENCE The consumerisation of business travel continues as booking tool specialists fine-tune their focus on the user experience. Linda Fox reports on the latest developments
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alking the floor of the Business Travel Show in London in February revealed two discernible booking technology trends. At first glance, the first doesn't seem very exciting. After all, we've been talking for some time now about the content that business travellers want and the need to make it available in an easy and efficient way. But the signs are positive. Long-stay accommodation provider BridgeStreet launched an online travel agency to bring together corporate accommodation and the offerings of peerto-peer marketplaces in one place, but with all the checks and measures in place. Meanwhile, travel and expense management specialist Traveldoo released a mobile app that aims to provide travellers on the move with all the information of the online booking tool and integration with Uber. The business travel industry might still be some way off the Holy Grail of seamless integration, from researching and booking a trip to on-trip services and through to expense fulfillment, but it's certainly heading in the right direction. Dan Fitzgerald, Chief Product Officer for Traveldoo, describes what's happening as the pieces “in the middle filling”, but adds “no one has created a seamless experience where it feels like the platform takes you through by the hand.” 30
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