A Positive Outlook for Travel & Accommodations at BTS Europe 2025

3,000 travel professionals, including corporate travel buyers and managers, travel management company representatives, technology champions, and innovative travel service suppliers attended 40+ educational sessions and met for 2+ days of meetings and discussions focused on fast-evolving strategic travel needs.

Dwellworks Living was represented by Andria LaMantia, VP, Global Sales and Client Services and Dawn Brandenburg, Director, Global Sales. We’re sharing their impressions here. 

Attendees at BTS were enthusiastic about business growth and the related requirements for business travel. Though not immune to world events, travel experts shared that their companies’ strategies are increasingly to come in off the sidelines and invest in growth after a period of caution and consideration associated with the pandemic, inflationary impacts, and political uncertainty. A clearer global picture supports business expansion overall, as our team learned in over 20 one-on-one meetings with corporate travel buyers and managers from a diverse group of industries including pharma, law, human resources consulting, global transportation, specialized food services, and technology development.

Especially clear from our conversations was a rapidly expanding interest in and need for accommodations to support projects on a global scale and in emerging/remote/underserved markets. Locations of interest include perennial destinations like London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, as well as India, the Middle East, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Corporate employers are interested in furnished accommodations solutions beyond standard hotel options for longer stays and want to build accommodations programs that offer their employees choice and comfort, within policy, budget, and compliance frameworks. Solutions providers who can integrate their offerings into corporate intranets for travel and deliver cost-competitive options will be well positioned to support this trend. (See Dwellworks Living blog post HERE on Groups and Projects for additional insights). 

By working closely with their local providers, corporate housing companies can enhance service consistency, gain deeper market insights, and ensure that all partners are aligned for long-term success. 

Audience survey feedback, culled from several sessions, indicated the following priorities for business travel buyers.

On AI: How comfortable are you with suppliers using AI solutions to serve your program? 

• 40% - Comfortable 
• 32% - Semi Comfortable 
• 14% - So comfortable, dying to have more 
• 12% - Not so much 
• 2% - Keep that away from me 

Importantly, buyers said beta software and demonstrations are not impressive to them. They are interested in seeing fully integrated, end-to-end platforms that provide them with a single source for all program data.

On Business Priorities: What is the top strategic priority for your corporate travel program in the next 12 months?

• 50% - Cost containment and budget optimization
• 30% - Enhancing the travelers’ experience and satisfaction
• 10% - Traveler safety and risk management
• 10% - Sustainability and responsible travel 

On Innovation in Travel Management: Which of the following best reflects your program? 

• 29% - Creating more personalized, travel centric experiences
• 29% - Leveraging new technology to streamline the processes
• 25% - We’re focused on building the basics before innovating
• 17% - To advance sustainability and responsible travel practices 

The Insights session included global travel program management guidance from two leading employers:

Boston Consulting Group:

• A centralized travel program supporting their presence in 90 countries 
• Finance team buy-in to travel processes is essential
• Solutions must always improve the value proposition for the employee/traveler
• Communication about platform tools and ease of use are key
• Provide an advisory service for travelers, not just a portal
• Services should include simplified solutions like virtual payments, no expense reporting

 GE Vernova: 

• 75% of this energy business’ 80,000 employees are business travelers
• Follows a lean manufacturer’s SQDC approach: service, quality, delivery, and cost
• Focused on safety, duty of care, and cost efficiency – outsourcing to high performance suppliers is core to their program
• Suppliers who align with the vision and challenge inefficient solutions are appreciated
• Travelers are also consumers and want ‘Amazon like’ ease of use and recognition of their personal preferences
• Suppliers should focus on creating appealing Employee Value Propositions (EVP)
• Data is the baseline – innovate on top of that and provide a world-class EVP 

‘Setting up a corporate lodging program’ was a more ‘workshop oriented’ session approach led by BTN Academy. This session spoke directly to expanding interest from travelers in accessing serviced apartment alternatives within their employer’s corporate lodging program stays of longer than 5 nights. The interest is based on an increasingly consumerized expectation from the traveler for comfort and choice. The session leaders recommended that travel buyers/managers as well as service partners take the following into account in designing a lodging program that expands beyond hotels:

• Cost savings are key – the alternative options must be cost competitive vs hotels
• Suppliers are typically not on travel platforms and need to be included/promoted 
• Simple payment solutions must be built, since most furnished accommodations providers are not in Concur or other expense tracking systems
• Employees need access to education, communication, and ‘how to use’ in order to make informed choices 

BTN Academy hosts numerous industry training courses, available on its platform HERE.

Dwellworks Living Solutions for Corporate Lodging Programs and Business Travel 

Well managed corporate accommodations programs contribute to positive employee value propositions (EVP) for travel. The first commitment Dwellworks Living makes to our clients is to manage their furnished living program as a business-to-business partner, with total transparency and compliance. Our portfolio options are 100% objective (we do not own inventory) and also do not include any leisure-focused short-term rentals, or service partners unfamiliar with the requirements of corporate travel. Nor is our solution a self-managed marketplace where travelers or travel managers select options but receive minimal support for the on-site guest experience or the commercial expectations of the business. 

Without a focus on risk management and quality service experience, costs can quickly spiral out of control. Properties can fall out of alignment with policy or operate outside of local regulations and laws. Employee expectations formed in advance may not be met upon arrival. Billings and costs may be excessively contested. 

That’s why Dwellworks Living emphasizes business controls with choice as well as transparency and compliance. We provide clients with business services for accommodations that include: 

• 100% objective portfolio choices with Match Score options validation
• Properties vetted for performance, professionalism, and the ability to meet corporate travel standards 
• Policy-matched housing recommendations 
• Market rate benchmarks 
• Comparative cost analyses 
• Consolidated billing 
• Documentation and reporting for audit-readiness 
• Our approach to the business of business travel allows you to manage your furnished accommodations program not as an exception, but with the same rigor as your travel strategy overall

About Dwellworks Living