BCD holds firm amid shifting travel management landscape

BCD Travel global CEO, Stephan Baars, joined by several senior colleagues, hosted a small media briefing this week, ostensibly to provide an update on the company’s performance and strategy, including its five-year plan and goal of doubling its UK business.

The timing also offered Baars a chance to weigh in on recent industry shake-ups, most notably the “strategic alliance” between Concur and American Express Global Business Travel.

The following interview blends Baars’ remarks from that roundtable discussion with those of a one-to-one conversation with BTN Europe.

Speaking just four days after Concur and Amex GBT unveiled details of their partnership – which includes an integrated travel and expense platform and sees the former anoint the latter its preferred partner – Baars conceded there is still much to unpack, not least how the union will affect other TMCs and their customers.

Like many in the industry, he had heard the rumours of a looming deal and had sought clarification from Concur, without success. “As a long-standing customer we tried to find out in advance what was going on,” said Baars.

For that reason, Baars is hopeful that Concur will keep its word and continue to innovate and invest in the new iteration of Concur Travel (also known as T2).

Around 70 per cent of BCD's customer bookings made via online tools come through Concur, Baars stated.

The remainder are made through a combination of its travel commerce platform – which supports its proprietary tools, TripSource and SME offering GetGoing – as well as API connections and other online booking tools that the TMC supports, including Cytric.

In communications sent to its TMC partners in the wake of its announcement, Concur said its Elite and Select status levels would be discontinued at the end of the year.

Baars is clearly irked by Concur’s claim that working with multiple TMCs has hindered its ability to innovate and delayed the rollout of T2.

The vast majority of BCD’s Concur Travel users – “99.5 per cent” – have now migrated to the new platform, with the remainder holding off amid “uncertainty” about its readiness.