Ryan Mann

As business travel regains momentum, opportunities could arise for companies that can offer tech solutions for evolving challenges. This is an edited version of a presentation given at the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s Commercial Futures Forum on October 28, 2024. Four notable themes are taking shape across today’s business travel landscape: Business travel—following an uncertain few years—appears at last to be on solid footing.

Travelers increasingly plan trips around activities. How can the travel industry make it easier to discover and book the magical experiences that travelers crave? Since the dawn of leisure travel, people have journeyed in search of new experiences. They long to meet friendly locals, eat new foods, stroll through unfamiliar landscapes, and witness (or maybe even join) cultural traditions that remind them that they’ve left home.

Short-staffed hotels are struggling to serve an influx of guests—these three innovative staffing practices could be the key to restoring service. During the COVID-19 closures, hotel staff around the world were faced with the precarious prospect of staying home. For instance, in the United States, 70 percent of hotel staff were furloughed or laid off.