The Smartest Travelers Know How to Navigate the Online and Offline World of Travel

In this series, professionals debate the state – and future – of their industry. Read more here, then write your own #MyIndustry post.

There have always been misperceptions about the travel industry. It’s been over 20 years since the U.S. airline industry capped and then eliminated commissions paid to travel agents, and at the time, many said the industry wouldn’t survive. In the aftermath of 9/11, it appeared for a terrifying few months that they might be right. More recently, following the Global Financial Crisis, people said travel was no longer an industry with opportunities.

The big one now is the perception that the internet and mobile technology have disintermediated the work of travel consultants. But the thing about talk is that it’s just that – talk. I founded my company, Ovation Travel Group, in 1984, and while technology has changed the industry quite a bit in the last 30+ years, that’s true of pretty much every industry. The fact is that we’ve grown every year we’ve been in business, and one reason why is because we’ve evolved in conjunction with these changes.

Ovation’s underlying mission of providing exceptional travel management services has never changed, it’s just that fulfilling that mission means something different in 2016 than it did in the mid-1980s. Booking business travel of any kind has become very complicated and there are multiple components to consider: booking, itinerary management, expense management, reporting, risk management and duty of care, just to name a few. There are multiple exigencies that can happen when a trip is in progress, and you have to be prepared if there is an emergency. Then there is the human element in facilitating travel. When you’re on the road, you sometimes need to text or chat with an actual person who understands your needs and can help you out whenever there is an issue.

The challenge is maintaining the optimum “handshake” between the online and offline worlds. There are so many wonderful technical advancements at our disposal, and in turn, this also means there is a tremendous opportunity to create best-in-class practices. It’s an exciting time to be in the industry and LinkedIn is a great example of the interest that is generating. On this platform I write blog posts and also share industry news and updates. I recently hit the milestone of 100,000 followers and every day I receive comments and messages from people that represent a variety of demographics including age, geography and career background. I’m very pleased with this because it’s evidence of what I see every day—that travel is a growing, exciting, multi-faceted industry. Here are a few areas that we are looking at as the next “hottest” advancements in the business of travel.

Consider a Career in Data Analytics and Travel Intelligence. As the world’s transition from traditional business models to a digital economy continues, the travel industry is transitioning with it. At Ovation, we are augmenting comprehensive, traditional reporting with state-of-the-art, interactive business intelligence dashboards and predictive analytics to benefit our clients. Real-time contract compliance, unused ticket tracking, policy compliance and “what if” projected budget analytics are just a few of the capabilities this technology offers. This is big because you are able to make strategic decisions like lowering the cost of travel and mitigating risk management. As the world gets more scary in terms of terrorism and disease, it’s all the more important that travel management companies become critical partners to help companies manage the flow of their assets around the world, their assets being their people.

Bring Your Mobile Technology/Operations Expertise to the Travel Industry. In the area of Operational Technologies, mobility is the industry “hotspot,” so to speak. A recent study found that 90% of global travelers reported bringing a Wi-Fi enabled device on their last flight, and it’s easy to see why. Beyond allowing travelers to work and play while on the road, mobile devices have become a traveler’s personal assistant, helping them not only to plan and book travel, but also to possibly change their booking, manage expenses and connect with colleagues and corporate security teams. For many Road Warriors, their office has become an airplane, a hotel room, a taxi and an airport—anywhere with a data connection/Wi-Fi. Having everything and anything pertaining to business travel requirements at one’s fingertips means all the difference in a successfully managed corporate travel program. Travel management companies need to stay one step ahead in catering to client needs, and that means thinking ahead of what will be asked for from a technology perspective. Because new developments happen all the time, investing in resources that can both vet and develop mobile technology products—really dig into the nitty-gritty and maximize the benefits—makes all the difference in the travel management company world and what we can offer in mobile tools both for travelers and corporate travel managers. 

 Be the Handshake. I’ve always said that Ovation’s greatest resource, our “special sauce,” is our people. Despite all the exciting technology advances at our disposal, in order to successfully facilitate travel, a human touch is required. You can get significant compliance on the corporate side, especially for simple bookings, with smart travel policies and tools that enforce those policies. But for that smaller percentage of travel that is more complex, and that may be 10% or even 30% of your organization’s spend, those bookings really need a helping hand to stay compliant. We want to help people who are high-touch business travelers, and that is impossible without tech-savvy travel consultants with excellent customer service skills. Our newest venture, Skylark, is a good example of that handshake between offline and online worlds in the luxury vacation space. Skylark combines the best elements of online travel booking - robust search functionality, instant pricing information, a library of images and other helpful content — with a team of experienced, luxury travel advisors who are available to offer real advice and be on call to support client needs.

Overall, I want people to know the travel industry is fun! It’s a chance to see and learn about the world. It’s a place where inspirational and creative people can really thrive. It’s an opportunity to build a career. Our clients are high touch travelers who require high touch services from tech-savvy travel professionals. The need is already there; it’s our job to see that it continues to be fulfilled.