The difficulties of choosing a TMC
Businesses are expected to spend in excess of $1.6 trillion on travel in 2026, growing at >2x the rate of CPI, yet the industry remains burdened by a fragmented vendor landscape and antiquated network of systems. Disjointed travel processes make it nearly impossible to get a clear view of total spend or to manage a traveler’s experience.
Travel Management Companies (TMCs) help firms manage travel more efficiently. TMCs issue and service bookings supported by global air, hotel, and car rental inventory. They also manage disruptions, provide 24/7 global agent support, and deliver duty-of-care notifications, traveler tracking, and essential policy compliance tools.
Many TMCs offer a similar set of core services, which makes it a challenge to distinguish between them and determine the best fit.
Concertiv recently completed our annual review of the Travel Management Company (TMC) vendor landscape. Using our proprietary scoring framework, we identify vendors that excel in technology, reporting, service quality, and client satisfaction. This helps our clients select the best TMC partner for their travel needs.
What we’re seeing in the market
A broad mix of providers: from big-box global conglomerates to boutique, service-focused agencies, the market offers a broad spectrum of options.
- Technology-led disruption: New entrants are defining user experience with digital-first tools, but many are still developing the scale and service level needed for complex travel programs. Established players are modernizing through automation and analytics, yet their pace of change is limited by legacy systems and service models built around high-touch, agent-led workflows. As both groups evolve, travelers and coordinators must adapt.
- Consolidation and scale: Acquisitions are reshaping the market. For buyers, consolidation can expand global coverage and create a more consistent service footprint. At the same time, as brands merge under larger umbrella organizations, service models may change or become less differentiated, and integration periods can introduce temporary disruptions—from new booking tools to shifts in agent teams and service processes.
- Traveler experience front and center: Cost is no longer the only factor. Companies are increasingly prioritizing duty of care, compliance, and employee satisfaction when choosing a TMC—especially in light of recent travel disruptions across the US that have tested travelers’ expectations for support and responsiveness.
Why this matters
Selecting a TMC is no longer just about securing competitive pricing. The right partner can improve visibility on spend, ensure traveler safety and compliance, and deliver a seamless employee experience. The wrong fit adds friction, inefficiency, and avoidable expenses.
With the landscape shifting so quickly, the challenge for many firms is not “Should we invest in corporate travel?” but rather “How do we choose the right partner in a complex market?”
How Concertiv helps
This is where Concertiv steps in. Our role is to bring clarity and confidence to this decision and to save your team significant time in the evaluation process. We:
- Audit your current travel program, including TMC performance, costs, and rate-loading accuracy.
- Benchmark vendors using proprietary data and peer insights.
- Highlight real differences in service, technology, and cost.
- Manage end-to-end TMC migration, including system configuration, integrations, policy setup, and traveler communications.
- Offer easy onboarding and low-cost options for firms implementing a managed travel program for the first time through our self-managed tool.
- Work with your TMC to give you access to exclusive, discounted rates across hotel (20%+ savings) and air (5%+ savings).
Put simply: we help firms make informed, evidence-based choices that align with their strategy and culture—and drive meaningful savings.
Corporate travel is changing, and the landscape can be complex. But with the right guidance, travel can move beyond being just a cost center and become a source of efficiency and better experiences. Concertiv is here to help you navigate that shift.
Where to go from here
If you’re looking to bring more clarity, control, and confidence to your travel program, we can help. Our travel experts can speak to the trends we’re seeing in the market and draw on the analytical rigor behind our vendor landscape and buyer’s guide, along with the insights surfaced through that process.
Reach out to our team HERE. We can walk through your goals and outline what’s possible in terms of savings, simplicity, and a better overall experience for your travelers.
