Direct Travel aims to lead TMC “Evolution, Revolution”

Direct Travel’s Bemont Discussion:

• TMC’s “broad and comprehensive” content journey
• What center acquisitions mean for direct travel technology products
• Enable travel managers to stay strategic with AI

Direct Travel CEO Christal Bemont approaches her first anniversary at the helm of direct travel, taking leadership positions when a group of investors led by corporate travel entrepreneur Steve Singh Obtained a travel management company. Bemont, a long-time consent colleague of Singh, is now responsible for creating Singh’s long-standing “perfect travel” vision for business travelers, building the technology he invests in, Spotnana, Spotnana, Troop and Center, which is the latter. Accepting an acquisition from American Express. Her recent transcript with BTN executive editor Michael B. Michael B. edited by her transcript is as follows.

BTN: In your first year of direct travel, why are you going to list the main achievements?

Christal Bemont: We have an incredible team and we have brought more people from the start of the direct trip. We add people to data and AI, we add people to production. We did end this team in such a way that we clearly see all the focus. The team is a very huge achievement and we did it very quickly.

We have been spending a lot of time with our clients to bring Spotnana to start launching Avenir [combined offering of Spotnana, Center and Troop] experience. We have been focusing on key points not only on our travelers and traveler managers, but on our supplier partners.

BTN: We have heard a lot about the growing role of TMC. What did you hear from customers as far as they need from TMC?

Bemont: If TMCs don’t consider evolution, maybe revolution, then they may not focus on the right thing. What we hear from clients (especially travel managers) is the need to meet the travelers they are in. That’s not just technology. It is satisfying, it is experience, it is personalized and ensures that travelers’ needs are met from the perspective of fulfilling their obligations.

There is something people should be able to use that really expand and expand, and it’s a great opportunity. Changes abound, and they really want to accept that and find out which technology partners and service partners are ready for it. What does this mean for the travel manager itself? Opportunities bring responsibility. How do we work with them to make sure we help them as they develop through these changes and develop to make these things available? [It’s] Take care of their travel plans and make sure everything you expect will continue to exist, but expand for what you can achieve in the future.

BTN: What opportunities do you see from your new distribution capabilities?

Bemont: Content is King, and we are on this extensive and comprehensive content journey, and obviously Spotnana is very important. From a service perspective, what are the travelers that can now be available in a unique and personalized way? We’re not talking about different types of pricing and packaging, but things that don’t exist in front of travelers that can really change their experience. When we view this content and view content, we don’t just treat it as, whether we enable it. We embrace it somehow, how can we bring it to life in a very thoughtful, prescribed and expected way? Data and how we understand customers are crucial to how we develop into TMC. The content of NDC itself is great because it’s more of a choice, but it gets the place to remodel where you can carefully curate it to create amazing and perfect travelers.

BTN: Is this mainly due to automation of changes during interruption?

Bemont: There are many examples of what is not only possible, but should be possible to consider these use cases, not just in times of destruction. I have a lot of thought about the reasons why business travel is so difficult. Beyond flight interruptions and these things, you are a person and it won’t change whether you are traveling individually or in business. You just want people to know what they like, what they want, what they need, and whether the company’s travel plan will support it. You should still have the ability to add or supplement this option in a way that chooses individuals to enhance travel.

I certainly think that NDC has opportunities in its maneuver, to predict and predict everything that will need to be a cascade effect. But I also consider that everything goes well all the time, and you can continue to enhance this experience and travel. I think the opportunity is limitless at this time.

BTN: Spotnana is a core technology that can achieve these opportunities?

Bemont: There are many people who are interested in Spotnana. When I first got on the boat, I asked myself, are they running or what are they running? I think it’s both. Things in the industry are so stagnant that yesterday and how to serve customers and create this experiential perfect trip is limited. This is the first time you have seen someone enter the market and think about it [founder] Saros [Waghmar] That team has it in Spotnana, and when you combine it with incredible service, you can make the core you provide the core you provide.

You now have three versions of the situation. Your people are trapped in outdated technologies that are diluted. You have a technology-only solution, i.e. no service option or light service. I purposely separate us from one of these groups, which is one of our unique value propositions. I think it’s a “and” strategy, not a/or. When you consider people’s fear of data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, and you replace people, Tarvel is a different thing. We still believe that the people are very important. We just want people to serve their customers.

BTN: Anything that will change with Avenir American Express’ recently announced plans to acquire the center?

Bemont: Nothing changed. Avenir is a product of three different technologies, a combined technology stack, and Spotnana is the technology we really focus on being the first turn. The center is an incredible companion. We are not excited about them, it just strengthens our partnership. That’s an incredible group of people [CEO and co-founder] Naven [Singh]I’m happy for them and working with American Express Card, which will make them super, which will only enhance our partnership and what we can put on the market. The troops are also moving forward, and great things are happening on the product front. I just see the power that continues every day in our tech stack.

BTN: Will be Otto Eventually become part of this technology stack?

Bemont: From the first principle perspective, everything [founder and CEO] What Michael Gulman does at Otto is perfectly suited to our idea: How do we personalize our products? How do we understand travelers in the way we expect? What appears through NDC is part of it. However, I believe that service is important to this, it is about the technology that achieves this, but when you really understand behavioral data, intent data, different types of information people want, when you really talk to them and serve them. This is at the heart of Otto, but it does exactly fit how we view the traveler experience.

BTN: Which companies do you think will have the greatest impact on AI?

Bemont: It would be easier to talk about areas that I don’t think have an impact. This would be a shorter list and faster conversation, but let me hit [ones] What we think of the most.

We can do something very reasonable within this company. How can I put it in the job of an agent so that the people we have can serve customers in meaningful ways, and in a very personal and normative way? They are not doing heavy lifting; they are taking care of. Wherever we can find opportunities to get answers to our clients faster, making anyone on our agent or team focused on our clients, and we will do that to enhance this experience.

BTN: Direct Travel’s name is an emerging competitor to large travel programs in an ongoing survey of the American Express global business travel/CWT merger. How do you see a competitive landscape that may be merged?

Bemont: Competition is very healthy. If you don’t challenge yourself to say what the unique value you bring, and how we continue to develop or even disrupt, that’s always a measure of competition. This industry constitutes mergers and acquisitions and consolidation, but it is very healthy for us to study the competitive environment and figure out our focus.

BTN: Where are you targeting customer growth now?

Bemont: At this point, the number of people crashing into the door and asking about the Spotnana technology stack we chose varies. There is no industry or market segment. All sizes and types of customers are looking for: “What choices are there in front of us and how do we enable them?” We have built around our sales team. Our listing team is very focused on a very segmented lens. This is very spectacular for the size and type of customers, so we can go quickly when we need it or need it and spend more time with more enterprise-centric big customers.

BTN: Are there any plans to expand your sales team?

Bemont: We have a very good position as Chief Sales Officer at Todd Pelletier. We have some incredible sales support. We have made an incredible plan and a very solid team. We will continue to expand and grow our team as needed, so it is growing, but I think we are in a very, very stable position at this point.