CTM advances proprietary Lightning OBT with AI-powered trip builder, rich airline content and hotel reviews.

Corporate Travel Management’s (CTM) award-winning online booking tool, Lightning, has unveiled a suite of new enhancements, including a door-to-door AI-powered itinerary builder, rich media content, and company-specific hotel reviews to support better travel programme adoption and improve the business travel experience.

AI Trip builder: Door-to-door itineraries

Lightning’s new door-to-door trip builder leverages AI to create an entire policy compliant trip, including flights, hotels, trains, car rental, airport parking and lounge passes using just the traveller’s preferred destination.

CTM’s Chief Technology Officer EMEA, Brian Sheerin explained, “Speed is a key differentiator for Lightning. We know from our customer feedback loops that travel programme managers want their teams to be able to book more of their travel within a single, seamless process – it’s quicker for the travel arranger, more convenient for the business traveller, and more effective for the travel programme manager who wants a more complete view of travel spend and programme compliance, with more booking data captured in a single platform and transaction. Lightning users have been able to book flights, hotels and car rental in less than 90 seconds. By incorporating more AI into Lightning that understands the traveller’s booking trends and preferences, users can now book their complete journey package, based off just their meeting destination, and all in a matter of seconds.”

More informed flight selection with integrated RouteHappy APIs

CTM’s partnership with RouteHappy now integrates rich media content inside Lightning’s flight results, incorporating product visuals and detailed information on seat comfort, Wi-Fi, in-flight meals and entertainment alongside practical ticket information such as checked baggage and carry-on allowances, boarding priority and seat selection.

“Enhancing the flight shopping experience is a win for everyone. Travellers know what to expect out of their travel experience and airlines are encouraged to deliver better in-flight experiences when they know product choice is more actively influenced by comparing product experiences side by side at the point of sale,” said Sheerin.

Peer-rated hotel reviews

Lightning’s new hotel ratings and reviews feature prompts travellers to score their hotel experience upon check out, based on the metrics most important to the business traveller and their travel programme.

Lightning aggregates and displays hotel reviews and ratings submitted by the company’s employees only, ensuring feedback is relevant to their business and its travelling workforce. Reviews are then presented in Lightning’s hotel search results, enabling travel bookers to view, compare and select properties based on relevant feedback from their team.

“Lightning’s Hotel Reviews gives travellers and travel bookers the confidence to book the best products quickly without needing to check consumer review websites, and provides a direct feedback loop to travel managers based on the traveller experience at properties within their travel programme”, said Sheerin.

Lightning’s reputation for speed, simplicity, and award-winning sustainability capabilities alongside these new innovations demonstrate how a truly modern online booking experience adds value for both travel managers and their travellers to help build successful corporate travel programmes.