Corporate Hotel Programs Evolve Amid AI and Market Pressures
New research from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) in partnership with Radisson Hotel Group finds corporate hotel programs are adjusting to greater market complexity, rising costs, and growing AI use. The study, based on a survey of 258 travel managers across North America and EMEA conducted in April 2026, reports that corporate lodging remains the largest corporate travel category at $461 billion annually, according to GBTA. The research highlights shifting RFP priorities-cost savings remains central while traveler experience and safety/risk management have risen-and notes that 54% of organizations outsource RFP activities at least partially to travel management companies or consultants, per GBTA-Radisson findings. GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang is quoted describing travel managers as "striving to balance increasing costs against managing risk and enhancing the traveler experience, while also actively leveraging AI to simplify and drive smarter, more efficient programs."
