A survey of US, Canadian and European corporate travel managers shows shifts in sourcing approaches with a focus on cost control, carbon reduction and traveler experience.

As the business travel landscape continues to evolve, corporate travel managers are rethinking how they source hotels and meeting venues via their request for proposal (RFP) processes – shifting from ad hoc negotiations to more strategic, value-driven approaches for their companies and travelers. While a focus on reducing costs remains, many now also want to maximize satisfaction, manage risk and reduce carbon emissions.

This is according to new research from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel association, in partnership with meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider, Cvent, from a survey of corporate travel managers and hotel professionals across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

The resulting report, Hotel and Meeting Sourcing: The Current Landscape and the Future, finds that structured RFPs remain the preferred sourcing method for managed hotel and meetings programs. 

RFPs Boost Stability for Corporates While Smaller Businesses Keep Deals Informal  

Of the travel managers negotiating directly with hotels, two-thirds (63%) conduct formal RFPs, including almost half (47%) that only negotiate through RFPs and an additional 16% who also negotiate informally. Some (36%) negotiate with hotels entirely outside of a formal RFP process. The survey also found:  

• Informal negotiations are largely conducted by smaller programs with 5,000 or fewer employees. Seven in ten (69%) of these firms negotiate with hotels entirely outside of an RFP process, compared to only about one in five at larger companies.  
• Informal negotiations are also less common in Europe, where more than half of buyers (55%) say their company exclusively negotiates with hotels through RFPs.  
• Travel buyers see drawbacks from negotiating with hotels outside of an RFP process, including manual processes/less standardization (53%), hotels might not fully understand contract terms (47%), and fewer properties to be compared (37%).   

Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA, said: “Our research shows that strategic sourcing is essential for travel managers to build resilient, future-ready travel programs. The role of RFPs has advanced beyond just securing better rates—they’re now helping ensure organizations can maximize employee satisfaction, better manage risk, and meet carbon emissions goals in an increasingly complex global landscape.” 

“As today’s travel programs evolve to reflect their broader company goals, including things like profitability, employee satisfaction, and sustainability, formal RFPs continue to be a main-stay of the program,” said Julie Haddix, Senior Director of Marketing at Cvent.

“This year’s report findings highlight the continued value of leveraging formal, strategic sourcing moments to drive consistency, visibility, and cost savings across both hotel and meeting spend. At Cvent, we’re proud to support travel buyers and suppliers with the tools they need to streamline the RFP process, for both travel and meetings RFPs, in order to unlock data-driven insights, and build smarter, more resilient travel programs.” 

Fixed Rates Remain a Cornerstone of Managed Hotel Programs 

While the industry has recently seen growing interest in dynamic rates that provide percentage-based discounts, fixed rates remain a cornerstone of managed hotel programs.

Four in five buyers (79%) say they ‘always’ or ‘often’ negotiate fixed rates with hotels, with half (47%) saying the same about dynamic discounts at the individual property level. The study also found:  

• Hotels include amenities to extend the value of the partnership. Half of hotel professionals say their company at least sometimes includes free breakfast (53%) and free cancellation or waived cancellation fees (50%) with fixed rates given to corporate buyers.  
• A large majority of travel programs (84%) at least sometimes ‘benchmark’ their negotiated discounts against public rates to ensure the discounts remain competitive.  

Work To Be Done in Developing Managed Meetings Program 

The research also finds a variety of processes in play when it comes to securing meeting space. Of the buyers who say their company negotiates directly with venues, three in five (61%) say their company conducts RFPs. Other findings include:  

• Corporate meetings programs have room to improve, with only one-third of buyers (32%) saying their company has a well-developed managed meetings program.  
• Corporate travel buyers see drawbacks with planning meetings outside of a managed program – including higher costs/lost savings (79%), less data that they can leverage in future negotiations (74%) and risk management/safety concerns (63%). 
• One-third (34%) of companies do not have a defined sourcing process for securing meeting/venue space at all – despite potential savings.  
• Buyers report average savings of 22% from a defined sourcing process for meetings, through comparing options, negotiating and improved communications.  
• Drawbacks of informal negotiations include manual processes/less standardization (69%), fewer venues are compared/considered (60%), and worse rates/discounts (52%). 

Methodology 

An online survey of 278 of corporate travel managers and hotel professionals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe was conducted in March 2025. GBTA members can download the full report and accompanying infographic in the GBTA Member Hub.