If you’re a travel manager or admin, you’ll know how complicated booking business travel can get. From finding the best deals and enforcing company policy to getting VAT refunds and filing expense reports, the process can be extremely time-consuming—so it’s no surprise many travel managers choose to call in outside help.
In the past, many companies booked their business travel through traditional travel agencies. While these agencies offered a personal touch, they also came with some serious drawbacks, like limited inventories and support hours. Today, when nearly everything is done online, companies are increasingly turning to corporate travel booking websites instead.
By using a website, app, or software platform, you can modernize your business travel program and get results faster. Websites and apps are available 24/7, offer larger inventories than a traditional travel agency, and allow you to book instantly. But not all corporate travel sites are alike.
What should you look for in a great travel booking website?
Unlike consumer travel booking websites, corporate travel platforms are designed specifically with organizations in mind. Ideally, you should look for these features to get a top-notch booking experience:
- An interface that’s user-friendly and easy to understand
- Integration of your company’s travel policies
- Solutions for expense management
- A centralized view and reporting dashboard
- A large inventory of transport and accommodation options
- Flexible booking solutions
- VAT reclaim and carbon offsetting/sustainability solutions
5 industry-leading corporate travel sites to check out now
1. TravelPerk
While there are plenty of options out there for corporate travel booking, we think TravelPerk goes above and beyond the rest. Here’s what makes TravelPerk different:
One of the largest inventories out there
The size of the inventory can make or break your corporate travel booking tool. If the inventory is too small, your travelers won’t want to use the company system, and they’re more likely to simply book for themselves using a consumer website. When this happens, you lose control over the booking process and won’t be able to enforce company policy.
With TravelPerk, you’ll have access to one of the world’s most extensive travel inventories. Travelers will be able to book options similar to what they would find on a consumer website like Booking.com, Skyscanner, or Airbnb.
Features and perks to help you save money
TravelPerk can help you find and book discounted group rates, get corporate rates on hotels, and add loyalty programs for hotels, airlines, and trains—so you won’t miss any opportunities to earn and spend reward points.
Keep your bookings flexible
TravelPerk offers several cost-effective ways to make your bookings more flexible. With FlexiPerk, you can make any trip refundable by paying a modest 10% fee, allowing your travelers to cancel at any time up until two hours before travel, and get a minimum 80% refund.
This way, you’ll save an average of 40% compared to traditional flexible fares. Your travelers can also add open return fares to their train bookings, meaning they won’t have to decide the exact date of their return.
Stay organized and improve team communication
TravelPerk will help you reduce workload by allowing everyone on your team to search and book their own trips using the platform.
You can set roles and permissions for five different levels of users, all the way from “guests” (who can only search and book trips for themselves) to “admins” (who have control over a wide variety of functions, including bookings, invoices, and account settings). This way, everyone can have access to exactly the features they need, with no surprises or miscommunications.
You can also use our TravelPerk Events feature to easily manage group bookings. And our TravelCare service will keep you up-to-date with notifications of trip requirements, risks, and emergencies—so you’ll have no trouble ensuring traveler safety, and making sure everyone has a great travel experience on their business trip.
Make sure bookings stay within policy, and control travel spend
Even if travelers mean well, they may end up accidentally booking over budget or out of policy if things are unclear. With TravelPerk, you won’t have to worry about this. You can add your company travel policies directly to the platform, so travelers will only be able to book within policy. They can also search hotels by office location, making it easy for them to find appropriate accommodation options.
Setting a budget for your policy is easy. Even if you know prices may vary based on the type of service, season, or provider, you can still encourage travelers to book cost-effective options using dynamic budgets. For example, you could allow travelers to book any option up to 20% more than the cheapest price.
See how TravelPerk makes business travel stress free
2. BCD Travel
BCD Travel is a travel management company headquartered in the Netherlands, and founded in 2006. They originally started off as a traditional travel agency, and now also provide online booking tools and digital travel services.
BCD Travel’s offer includes:
- A suite of digital platforms for travel management
- Programs designed for a wide range of user personas, including travelers, travel managers, third-party developers, finance professionals, travel agents, and travel arrangers
- Industry-specific services geared towards life sciences, media & entertainment, and energy, resources, and marine companies
- A mobile app to help travel and security managers with their risk management program
- Solutions tailored for small and medium-sized businesses
- APIs and developer tools to build custom corporate travel software
When comparing TravelPerk to BCD Travel, our customers say they enjoy TravelPerk’s:
- Easy and quick sign-up process
- Seven-star customer support, which is fully human-operated and available 24/7
- Flexible fare solution, FlexiPerk
- Centralized online booking tool with a clean, easy-to-understand user interface and a top-notch user experience
- Open API platform and integrations
3. SAP Concur
SAP Concur is another legacy travel management option. The company was originally founded in 1993 as Concur Technologies, and was later acquired by SAP SE in 2014. SAP Concur works with many large brands and offers their services across the Americas, as well as the EMEA and APAC regions.
SAP Concur’s offer includes:
- Solutions geared towards medium-sized and large businesses
- Integration with the SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
- Automated invoicing and expense reporting
- Machine learning and AI tools to support auditing and detect noncompliance in expense reports
- A travel booking tool that helps business travelers when booking flights, rental cars, hotels, and rail transport
- A consolidated dashboard to help users track their travel bookings and allow them to share changes and updates with the team
When comparing TravelPerk to SAP Concur, our customers say they enjoy TravelPerk’s:
- Modern, user-friendly interface
- VAT recovery solution, which can help you save 20% on total business travel costs
- Quick and easy onboarding time (free accounts can be created instantly, while premium and pro implementation takes as little as two weeks)
- World-leading travel inventory
4. Corporate Traveller
Corporate Traveller was established in the UK in 1999, and now operates in seven countries. They focus on small and mid-sized businesses, and provide a centralized digital booking platform, along with concierge services and corporate rates.
Corporate Traveller’s offer includes:
- An online booking tool for easy self-booking
- Discounted travel rates on airfares, hotels, car rentals, and more
- A dedicated travel agent and advisor offering 24/7 support
- Solutions tailored to industries such as entertainment, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, and more
- Sustainable business travel tools for carbon offsetting, carbon footprint calculation, and reporting
- The ability to set business travel policies and track spending within the platform
When comparing TravelPerk to Corporate Traveller, our customers say they enjoy TravelPerk’s:
- Third-party integration options
- Industry-leading inventory of airfares, trains, hotels, car rentals, and more
- Ability to create different travel profiles, including “guest” accounts for people outside the organization
- Helpful, human-operated customer support, available 24/7
5. CTM
CTM (Corporate Travel Management) is a global business travel management company established in 1994. Its international network is made up of both company-owned offices and independent partner agencies. CTM offers corporate travel and event booking services, along with a suite of digital tools.
CTM’s offer includes:
- Tools for online booking, risk management (duty of care), and reporting
- Global booking solutions for a wide variety of business sizes and industries
- Events management services, including group travel booking, delegate management, incentive travel, and strategic meeting management
- A dedicated global team and Travel Program Manager
- Sustainability reporting tools and carbon offsetting
- A tool to compare affordable airfares and find the cheapest time to fly
When comparing TravelPerk to CTM, our customers say they enjoy TravelPerk’s:
- Flexible booking solutions via FlexiPerk
- Fully-integrated travel policies for automatic booking policy compliance
- “Pay when you travel” competitive pricing model
- Helpful, 24/7 customer support
Get a better travel management experience with TravelPerk
TravelPerk offers a clear and cost-effective pricing structure, a user interface that’s appealing and simple to use, a host of features to take care of all your travel booking needs, and quality customer support for peace of mind. It’s the perfect way to save money and reduce stress when booking business travel.
To learn more about TravelPerk and discover what makes us the top corporate travel site and mobile app, see our platform in action today.
