Plus, for the first time, Amex identified five trending US destinations for business travel based on commercial customer spending. The five cities that saw the most growth year-over-year, include: Princeton, New Jersey; Durham, North Carolina; Southwest Michigan (Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids); Sacramento, California; and Honolulu, Hawaii.
Each city has a unique appeal to business travelers – from Princeton’s ambitions to become the next AI hub and Durham’s influx of tech workers, to Honolulu’s tourism recovery. And each illustrates how business travelers are expanding their destinations beyond traditional business hubs.
The Trendex revealed key insights into the ways business travel is evolving:
- Travelers Want More Automation: 52% of companies have implemented the use of automated expense management software for business travel, up from 39% in 2023. Business travelers have responded, with 44% saying that managing travel expenses has become easier in the past 12 months. Among those business travelers who find it easier, most cite their company’s implementation of travel and expense management software as the reason (49%), along with new travel policies (38%) and the use of receipt scanning apps (33%).
- Skeptical Interest Around AI: AI’s role in business travel is growing, with 82% of companies reporting that they currently use AI in their business travel processes, up 13% from 2023 (69%). This includes booking travel (61%), analyzing company spend (52%), managing/submitting employee travel and expenses (51%), and policy enforcement (47%). More than half (54%) of companies using AI tools for business travel have taken the step to train their employees on how to use them, which may help to mitigate concerns some companies have about proper use of AI.
- Self-Care is the New Travel Priority: Business travelers are prioritizing self-care on company time. 80% extend trips for leisure, 48% adjust daily routines before leaving to adjust to their new time zone, 54% bring personal items that remind them of home, 70% have dinner alone to recharge, and 52% make time to watch their favorite sporting event or shows while traveling for business.
- Travelers Want (and Are Willing to Pay for) Comfort: While many companies pay for business class seats on longer flights (85%) at least on a case-by-case basis, more than three-quarters (77%) of business travelers have paid for a hotel or airfare upgrade for a work trip out of their own pocket or with personal points. Millennials and Gen-Z are almost twice as likely as Gen X and Boomers to do this frequently (30% vs. 17).
