As the world of business travel transforms at a rapid pace, it becomes crucial for organizations to partner with the best in the industry. The right B2B travel company ensures smooth operations and can be the difference between an ordinary and an extraordinary travel experience for employees.
Drawing upon a rigorous evaluation of factors such as market reputation, cutting-edge technological advancements, comprehensive service offerings, and genuine feedback from service providers and clients alike, we present the best-of-the-best in B2B travel for 2023.
TL;DR:
A B2B (business-to-business) travel company offers travel solutions to other businesses, which can encompass a range of services like an online booking engine, expense management, travel technology solutions, and access to travel agents. These companies are more than online travel agencies and serve as payment gateways with multiple travel sector services built on top. They play a vital role in empowering businesses to leverage travel as a means to growth, and to do so safely, sustainably, and smartly.
Navigating the realm of business travel is no walk in the park. The world of B2B travel is a complex web of demands, risks, and expectations.
Let’s delve into the key challenges business travel managers grapple with and how premier B2B travel agencies and international service providers are stepping up to provide solutions:
Modern B2B travel portals come equipped with analytics tools. These track spending patterns and offer insights into achieving corporate travel savings without compromising quality.
Advanced online booking engine platforms provide instant confirmation and process payments for hotel bookings, car rentals, and other services, reducing the lag and uncertainty of securing reservations.
B2B travel companies offer sophisticated multi-level booking engine systems. These automate intricate travel business processes, streamline bookings, and even provide options for real-time adjustments.
These help businesses gain insights into emerging travel preferences, popular destinations, and evolving travel behavior, allowing them to fine-tune their corporate travel policies and strategies.
These challenges, while substantial, are being continually addressed by innovative solutions provided by leading B2B travel companies. The future promises even more sophisticated tools and strategies to further simplify and automate travel business process processes and enhance the world of business travel management.
In a constantly evolving B2B travel portal industry, staying updated with the leading players can be your ticket to a smoother, more efficient travel experience.
With numerous business travel solutions vying for attention, we’ve distilled the top contenders that have consistently outperformed in 2023. Here’s a closer look at the five best B2B travel portal companies setting service, innovation, and customer satisfaction benchmarks.
AltoVita is a B2B travel trailblazer that specialises in providing corporate housing solutions. With their cutting-edge technology platform, they’ve simplified the whole corporate travel and housing process, making it as stress-free as possible.
AltoVita targets corporate travelers and travel managers and helps them connect with property management companies, property managers, and homeowners. The company aims to bridge the gap in technology infrastructure that is historically lacking in these types of direct connections.
AltoVita’s award-winning technology creates a cloud-based bridge between the highly fragmented property distribution system and Global 2000 companies, SMEs, and business travelers, reducing the legacy 48- to 72-hour corporate housing bidding process to a few minutes.
The fully customizable platform provides instant access to a diverse network of one million-plus housing options worldwide, with the ability to sort by desired amenities, pet friendliness, sustainability scores, and more.
From its launch in 2018 with a few hundred properties in four cities, the company has expanded to 7 million units around the globe.
"AltoVita is the best portal for searching, selecting, and booking online for corporate and serviced apartments worldwide. Not only do our employees find the best prices, but the admin booking panel provides previously-inaccessible insights into our team’s spend and location. Easy access to trusted corporate housing has empowered our team to startup, build, and strengthen new business relationships driving our growth today."
Navan, formerly TripActions, is a B2B tech startup specialising in corporate travel and expense management and booking engine platform. The company targets the corporate travel market, specifically enhancing travel and expense management through AI technology.
Navan’s critical areas of expertise include travel management, booking software service, and AI technology, which it leverages to provide an efficient and automated travel management solution for businesses. Navan’s expansive investment funds and aggressive expansion strategy distinguish it from competitors. In October 2022, the company raised $300 million, boosting its valuation to $9.2 billion. Navan has used these funds to expand its footprint through acquisitions, including Atlanta Events, Corporate Travel Consultants in Spain, and corporate travel startup Tripeur in India.
"Easy to use, best prices and cash back" - Tony S.
“I find the app great. I use it regularly for business travel, but also some personal travel. There is real-time access to flights, hotels, and cars. It is easy to find flights and locate the hotels you want near your location with review ratings and prices. I like the cashback for saving the company I work for money by staying and less expensive locations.”
Spotnana is a business-to-business (B2B) travel-as-a-service platform aiming to create a new architecture for the business travel industry.
Spotnana has raised more than $100 million to build its service. It aims to unravel the complexities of corporate travel by providing an unbiased open platform for booking flights and hotels.
Spotnana targets four types of customers: corporate clients, their travel suppliers and agencies, technology and travel partners, and supplier partners. Its expertise lies in creating a platform that doesn’t prioritise content based on financial incentives, thus avoiding bias in its recommendations.
"Best Travel Experience With Amazing Support" - Jimmy S.
“I have used multiple travel sites and booked directly with hotels/airlines/car rental agencies but have never been sold on using one or the other. I would typically look for the best deal and book what I thought would save me the most. Spotnana is the best of both worlds because they save money and make the experience seamless. I have had to change dates while booking hotels a few times, and I either wrote in to support or changed directly in the app without any issues.”
TravelPerk is a business-to-business online travel agency providing a corporate travel booking platform. Since its foundation in 2015 in Barcelona, TravelPerk has been on a steady growth trajectory, continually expanding its team and opening new offices in Europe. The company targets small- and medium-sized businesses within the corporate travel industry, a sector known for its high economic value.
Regarding expertise, TravelPerk has built a solid European base, navigating through a highly fragmented market. The company’s platform allows business travelers to book entire business trips, focusing on enhancing the user experience and broadening its booking inventory. The ultimate goal is to have nearly 100% of a company’s bookings happen through the TravelPerk site.
The company has raised substantial funding to fuel its growth, with recent rounds nearly doubling its previous financing.
"Travel Perk made everything extremely easy for my business trip" - Nicole P.
"Booking flights for my trip and my stay with them was extremely easy. I could compare different options and select the one that best suits my time frame."
SAP Concur is a B2B travel company that provides integrated travel and expense management solutions. Its target market includes enterprises across all of SAP’s 25 industries and all sizes, with a customer base of over 23,000.
The company also has a significant presence in the government sector, having been awarded a 15-year contract in June 2012 to supply T&E software to multiple federal agencies. With government customers numbering in the tens of thousands, SAP intends to expand this relationship globally with other governments and agencies.
The company’s strengths and unique selling points lie in its comprehensive, network-based, and context-aware mobile application solutions that offer flexibility to users, allowing them to make choices that best suit their needs.
The company is also known by numerous travel service providers for its ability to simplify complex travel and expense management processes through its globally scaled platform. Moreover, with one of the richest T&E datasets in the industry, Concur provided unique insight and analytics into business expenses.
"Outstanding Concur Representative: Prompt, Professional, and Resourceful!" - Norma B.
"Our Concur Client Success Manager, Caroline, is an absolute rockstar! Working with her has been a game-changer for our company, and we love how Concur simplifies our expense management processes."
Choosing the right B2B travel company can be crucial for your business growth.
When selecting your partner, consider factors like technology offerings, service breadth, competitive prices, real availability, and market reputation.
Here's a quick review of the five best B2B travel solutions:
AltoVita: Recognized for its top-notch corporate housing solutions, AltoVita’s global network and real-time booking platform set the gold standard in business travel.
Navan: Navan’s integration of AI technology, notably with its AI chatbot, Ava, and aggressive global expansion strategies, places it at the forefront of B2B travel tech innovations.
Spotnana: With a commitment to unbiased content and an open platform approach, Spotnana is redefining corporate travel with transparency and personalization at its core.
TravelPerk: From its European stronghold, TravelPerk is making waves globally with its user-centric booking platform, customer support services, and innovative risk-free cancellation policies.
SAP Concur: With its integrated travel and expense management solutions and a vast presence in the travel insurance and governmental sector, SAP Concur’s platform simplifies the most complex travel processes, making it an industry titan.
What is a B2B travel agency?
A B2B travel agency offers specialized travel services and solutions to other businesses rather than individual consumers.
What is the difference between B2B and B2C in a travel agency?
B2B focuses on business services, like travel portal solutions, while B2C targets individual customers with holiday packages and travel bookings.
What are the benefits of using a B2B travel agency?
B2B travel agencies offer advanced features, competitive pricing, and tools to automate and streamline the travel business booking process.