ATPI Group Sets Bold New AI Roadmap to Energize Business Travel

• The four-phase roadmap for AI investment implementation begins with planning in November 2023, through to development, testing and launch in 2024.
• The global Travel Management Company (TMC) calls on the travel industry to make 2024 the year it starts to « lean into » AI.

Following ATPI Group’s strongest year of new sales to date, the global leader in business travel management, today announces its four-phase strategy to invest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 2024. As the company begins implementing Microsoft Teams integration, the TMC is looking at the next game-changing technology to further enhance the traveler experience and take business travel into a new era.

ATPI Group has committed to significant AI investment in 2024, starting with a planning phase from November 2023 to Spring 2024, during which the TMC will strategize how to integrate AI into its products and internal systems to improve efficiency and further strengthen the agile, innovative and high-service standards for which the global TMC is known. The planning phase will be followed throughout 2024 by phase two: development, phase three: testing, and phase four: product launch.

This investment will help the TMC become the « Perfect Travel Partner » by eliminating time-consuming manual tasks, streamlining operations and improving business processes, allowing employees to focus their efforts on delivering exceptional service to clients and travelers. Additionally, ATPI Group sees AI investment as the answer to the ongoing staffing shortage in the travel industry.

Adam Knights, Regional Managing Director of ATPI Group for Europe and Middle East, says « ATPI Group will always seek out the latest and best performing technology to stay at the forefront of TMCs. Developing AI integrations in 2024 that support talented travel managers is a solid investment that will elevate our service, future-proof the business and move the business travel industry forward. »

The TMC also aims to use AI to add greater personalization throughout the booking and travel journey. By using AI in travel profile functionality, along with booking data and recent behavior, they plan to offer personalized recommendations and enhance the traveler experience. The TMC wants to provide its clients with a more intuitive, personalized and seamless experience, similar to what we’re used to in our daily lives through the apps we use.

Unveiling its plans at this year’s GBTA + VDR Europe 2023 – Hamburg conference, ATPI Group aims to use AI to evolve business travel into a new era, more in line with their leisure counterparts. The TMC calls on its peers in the wider travel industry to embrace AI within their businesses to improve productivity and efficiency, and join them in meeting the growing expectations of business travelers across the industry.

Katie Skitterall, Chief Commercial Officer of ATPI Group, says: « AI is the future and at ATPI Group, we are determined to advance the industry and support the next generation of business travelers.

« AI is already an integral part of our daily lives, whether it’s predictive messaging, Chat GPT, or the Alexa we have in our homes. It enhances every aspect of our personal lives, so why not use it to improve our professional lives? We believe AI is the catalyst that will advance our industry, and we call on our industry friends to embrace AI rather than fear the future – this isn’t alien intelligence, but an important tool that can strengthen our skill set, our businesses and our wonderful industry.

« AI can enable traveler personalization and preferences, just like in leisure travel, while keeping travelers in the travel program, trips within policy and people in one application. This is where technology and TMCs come together. And with our Microsoft Teams integration, NDC capabilities and AI investment, we want to be at the forefront of this exciting evolution in our industry. »

With a 35% increase in technology investments, ATPI Group has expanded its multi-channel communication offering by updating and integrating its « Travel Hub » (profile, invoice, approval and itinerary platform) within Microsoft Teams. The group has also updated its « On the Go » mobile app and invested in a new analytics platform for clients to further enhance its data and reporting. This technological advancement demonstrates ATPI’s commitment to continuous innovation and customer-centric solutions, and further demonstrates the company’s focus on supporting growth in this new era of business travel.

The GBTA + VDR Europe 2023 – Hamburg conference will take place from November 14-16, 2023.