What the Supply Side Really Thinks: Insights from The Hundred
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
The Hundred conducted more than 250 hours of interviews with leaders from airlines, hotels, technology providers, ground transportation and payments. Their responses, grouped into six thematic chapters, reveal both optimism and realism about the future of our sector.
Ian Jones of temoji moderated a session at the recent Travel Leaders Executive Forum in Chicago, and he was joined on stage by Kai-Gordon Weiland of Atriis. The conversation looked at the report in detail and really pulled back the curtain on what suppliers really think about the state of corporate travel. This article summarizes some of the key learnings from the report overlaid with insight from the live session.
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
Demand Drivers: Boom or Bubble?
Business travel is back, and suppliers are confident. In fact, 60% said corporate travel is a bigger priority in their business mix than before the pandemic. Yet only 52% believe that focus will hold steady over the next decade. Remote and distributed workforces are driving more off-site meetings and internal gatherings, and trips are becoming longer and more purposeful. But suppliers remain cautious about whether this rebound is sustainable. As one executive put it: “The question is not if demand is here, but whether it is boom or bubble.”
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
Digital Headspace: AI Takes Center Stage
Artificial intelligence dominated the conversation. On average, suppliers estimate that nearly a quarter of their leadership headspace is now consumed by AI. Opportunities range from copilots that manage disruptions in real time to automation that frees up teams for higher-value work. Yet excitement is tempered with realism. “AI needs amazing data, and we don’t have it yet,” noted one participant in the report. Travel still lags other industries in technology adoption, and suppliers are candid about the fragmentation and investment challenges that lie ahead.
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
The People Business: Trust Under Pressure
Relationships remain the lifeblood of corporate travel. Suppliers ranked trust and transparency as the top hallmarks of successful partnerships. But they also voiced concern that procurement-led negotiations and cost pressures are eroding long-term value. The average buyer scored just 6.3 out of 10 for “getting value” and 5.8 for being open to innovation. “Procurement still treats travel as a commodity,” one supplier complained. The message is clear: buyers and suppliers alike must refocus on partnership and purpose, not just price.
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
Content & Distribution: Pipes and Plumbing
Perhaps the most animated discussion came on the subject of distribution. With airlines pushing NDC and hotels exploring direct connections, the marketplace is shifting quickly and often confusingly. Only 38% of suppliers believe affirmatively that the industry is heading in the right direction. Kai-Gordon captured the frustration during the closing session of day one of the Executive Forum with a memorable metaphor: “Think of the industry like pipes and plumbing. You can argue about who owns the water, but unless the plumbing works, nothing flows.” His point: infrastructure and collaboration matter as much as content itself.
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
Net Zero: Progress or Pretense?
Sustainability remains the industry’s thorniest challenge. Just 21% of suppliers believe we are on track to hit net-zero goals by 2050. Cost pressures and a reliance on offsets undermine progress. “Everyone says sustainability matters, but price still wins,” admitted one of the hundred respondents. The consensus? Buyers, suppliers, and regulators must move beyond rhetoric and embed sustainability into policies, point-of-sale choices, and everyday decision-making.
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
Suppliers were quick to celebrate the resilience of the industry and its ability to deliver exceptional service under pressure. But they were equally frank about the challenges: slow adoption of new technology, fragmented data and a lack of transparency in pricing. The “ugly” side, they warned, includes the risk of forgetting hard-learned pandemic lessons, the failure to attract new talent and the industry’s tendency to talk about innovation without acting on it.
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
The key practical takeaways:
- Buyers should engage suppliers earlier in strategy conversations, not just at the RFP stage.
- Experiment with AI tools now while the “beta window” of adoption remains open and errors are still acceptable.
- Ask more challenging questions about distribution: who controls the pipes, and how does that impact your clients?
- Embed sustainability into client conversations, moving beyond offsets to real change.
- Champion purposeful travel: define ROI in financial, cultural and environmental terms.
The Hundred confirms what many in Chicago already suspected: our sector is resilient, confident and creative, but also under pressure to deliver meaningful progress on technology, relationships and sustainability.
To download your copy of The Hundred, Click Here
SELECT & REPLACE WITH ANOTHER TEMPLATE
Learn more about this featured business travel agency near you
For more details, connect with this friendly, knowledgeable travel agency today.