Small businesses tips

Corporate travel could get complicated: Expedia Group has a big stake in Amex Global Business Travel. Booking.com is partners with CWT. What happens to those relationships if the merger between Amex GBT and CWT goes through? Amex GBT CEO Paul Abbott specifically noted CWT’s ties to Booking.com for Business as an upside to the deal as it tries to reach more small businesses customers.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts said Tuesday it’s taking steps to improve how companies book and manage group bookings, meetings, events, and business travel at its North American hotels.

American Express Global Business Travel says its push to make it easier for small businesses to manage their travel needs has paid off. The company reported double-digit transaction growth in the small- and medium-sized business segment in the third quarter. 

Hilton said Monday it’s taking steps to streamline how small- and medium-sized businesses book and manage billings for business travel and small-group meetings and events.

In the Middle East and Africa region, travel and entertainment spending by small businesses was up 49 percent in March 2023 versus a year ago, according to the Travel Industry Trends 2023 report by Mastercard Economics Institute. From March 2019, it is up 78 percent. Large businesses observed growth as well, but at smaller rates.

This week Executive Editor Dennis Schaal followed up on a comment made by Tripadvisor’s CEO about his company’s position in the tours and activities space. After looking at the growth of Tripadvisor’s Viator brand against its rival GetYourGuide, Schaal concluded that it wasn’t really a competition as much as it was a tale of these two big online companies competing against much larger offline competition. Read on for the full story, as well as other headlines from this week.