- Corporate travel tools at a glance
- Eleven corporate travel management tools to compare
- What travel management software handles
- Duty of care starts with good information
- Questions to ask a travel management provider
- Signs your business travel needs managing
- My plain advice on choosing travel management software
- Frequently asked questions
The best corporate travel management software lets staff book flights, hotels and trains within your travel policy, keeps every trip in one place and helps you look after travellers when plans change: small firms can start with a free booking platform, while larger companies want travel joined up with expenses and round-the-clock support. Eleven tools follow in no particular order.
Business travel tends to start informally. People book their own trains and hotels, forward receipts and hope for the best. That works until someone's stranded at midnight, finance can't see where the money went, or nobody knows which employees are in a city where something's just happened.
Corporate travel management software brings order to it. The eleven tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from a free platform to enterprise suites, and every description comes from the vendor's own site, read this week. If expenses are the bigger headache, my list of the best expense management software covers that side.
Corporate travel tools at a glance
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free version or an open source edition. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it or book a demo.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| AmTrav | Corporate travel management | US programmes needing specialist help | Not stated |
| Booking.com for Business | Free business travel management platform | Small firms wanting a free option | Yes |
| Click Travel | Business travel platform | UK companies already on Click | Not stated |
| Deem | Corporate travel management tools | Travel managers tracking compliance | Not stated |
| Engine | All-in-one travel management software | Hotel-heavy business travel | Not stated |
| ITILITE | Corporate travel and expense platform | Travel plus events and group trips | Not stated |
| Navan | Business travel and expense platform | Fast-growing companies wanting one app | Not stated |
| SAP Concur | Travel, expense and invoice management | Large organisations with complex policies | Not stated |
| Spotnana | Travel-as-a-service platform | Travel sellers and large programmes | Not stated |
| TravelBank | Expense, travel and card platform | Small teams joining travel and expenses | Not stated |
| Trip.Biz | Global business travel solution | Large travel inventory with service support | Not stated |
Eleven corporate travel management tools to compare
AmTrav
Best for: US-based companies with specialised travel programmes that want local expertise and 24x7 care, now powered by Perk.
Booking.com for Business
Best for: Small businesses that want a free, easy business travel platform with round-the-clock support from travel specialists.
Click Travel
Best for: UK organisations that want an award-winning business travel platform with 24/7 care, now powered by Perk.
Deem
Best for: Travel managers who want to drive adoption, track policy compliance and report on carbon emissions.
Engine
Best for: Businesses that book a lot of hotel stays and want all-in-one travel management built on strong hotel inventory.
ITILITE
Best for: Companies that want business travel, expenses, events and group travel managed together on one platform.
Navan
Best for: Fast-growing companies that want all corporate travel, expenses and payments managed in one place.
SAP Concur
Best for: Large organisations that want travel, expense and invoice management connected, with hundreds of ready-made integrations.
Spotnana
Best for: Travel management companies and large programmes that want next-generation travel technology they can build on.
TravelBank
Best for: Smaller teams that want expenses, travel and card reconciliation in one all-in-one product with unified reporting.
Trip.Biz
Best for: Companies that want a large travel inventory and dedicated service support for business trips worldwide.
What travel management software handles
At its core: a booking tool loaded with your travel policy, so people can choose flights, hotels and rail within the rules you set. Around that sit approvals, central billing, reporting, support when trips go wrong and, often, links to expense software.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Some providers are pure technology. Others pair a platform with a travel management company, with specialists on hand around the clock. Several have merged recently, so check who you're dealing with and how long your existing set-up will be supported.
Duty of care starts with good information
GOV.UK's foreign travel advice covers 226 countries or territories, with advice and warnings about entry requirements, safety and security, health risks and legal differences, and you can sign up for email updates on each country page.
That's a free resource every business should use. Whatever tool you choose, make sure the traveller and the person responsible for them both see current advice for the destination, and that you can quickly find who's travelling where if something happens.
Travel spend often sits on a business card, and my Ramp and Brex comparison looks at two of them.
Questions to ask a travel management provider
- How is our travel policy built into the booking flow?
- Can we see where every traveller is, right now?
- What support do travellers get when a trip goes wrong, and when?
- Which airlines, hotels and rail operators can we book?
- Does it connect to our expense and accounting software?
- How do approvals work for trips outside policy?
Staying home some days? See desk booking software for hybrid offices.
Signs your business travel needs managing
- Everyone books their own way. There's no single record.
- Receipts arrive weeks later. Finance chases every trip.
- Nobody knows who's travelling. Until something goes wrong.
- Policy lives in a PDF. Few people have read it.
Do you make corporate travel management software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing travel management software
Count your trips before you shop. A business with a few trips a month can do well on a free booking platform with a simple policy, while a company with travellers on the road every week will value expert support and tight expense links far more.
Then test the bad day, not the good one. Ask each provider what happens when a flight's cancelled late at night, and who your traveller speaks to. For a practical checklist on keeping people safe, see my notes on corporate travel safety.
Frequently asked questions
What is corporate travel management software?
It's software that lets employees book business travel within company policy, centralises trip data and supports travellers before and during trips.
Is there free business travel management software?
Yes. At least one booking platform for businesses is free to use, which suits companies with lighter travel needs.
What's the difference between a travel management company and travel software?
A travel management company provides expert agents and support. Travel software is the booking and reporting platform, and many providers offer both.
How do I keep track of employees who are travelling?
Most platforms show upcoming and current trips, so you can see who's where and contact them quickly.
Can travel software enforce a travel policy?
Yes. Most let you build your rules into the booking tool and send out-of-policy trips for approval.
Where can I check travel advice for a country?
In the UK, GOV.UK's foreign travel advice covers 226 countries or territories and offers email updates.
