New technological developments are radically changing our ways of doing things and creating new demands and preferences. The business travel sector is no exception. Egencia, the business subsidiary of Expedia, expects emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to play an even bigger role in 2018.
Here's the trend of business travel in 2018
Expectations in terms of technology and the rise of AI
"Messenger, bots and voice search, powered by AI, will lead to new search and booking habits," says Jean-Noël Lau Keng Lun, senior director of product marketing at Egencia. "We already see that this trend is becoming more widespread in the leisure travel sector and is growing in the field of business travel.
This is the case of the chat-optimized customer service, which we believe will soon be integrated with travel planning. By merging traditional and AI-based solutions, travel agencies and departments are now able to provide travelers with an unprecedented combination of comfort and contextual relevance. "
Personalization, a central element of traveler satisfaction
French business travelers are also interested in emerging technologies, and 44% believe the advancement of AI will improve their booking experiences. (1) "Personalization plays an important role here," says Jean-Noël Lau Keng Lun. "This is where AI brings real added value: it allows you to analyze very large volumes of data and determine diagrams to further personalize the search results and enhance the booking experience.
In 2018, the need for such technologies will evolve further. The IA is already optimizing apps, bots and customization software for the traveler, which greatly simplifies the travel process with greater satisfaction. But, we are only to the beginnings of what the AI can do. "
Increasing openness to the collaborative economy
Another trend that Egencia sees is that borders are blurring between leisure and business travel, with more and more business travelers extending their stay in their own homes. "The merging of the world of work and leisure will lead to multi-purpose trips that will influence the choice of hotels and flights," said Jean-Noël Lau Keng Lun. business opts for alternative housing services when they decide to extend their business trip in private stay. This is an opportunity for local and authentic experiences.
According to the 4th edition of the Business Travel and Technology Survey conducted by Egencia, over the past year, 29% of French business travelers have used a shared economy hosting service. % consider it. "The hosting services of the sharing economy is a trend that may have taken some time to start in the business travel sector, but will continue," concludes Jean-Noël Lau Keng Lun.