BTN Europe’s essential guide to online booking tools


Published: 7 March 2022


It is more than 25 years since the first online booking tool designed with the corporate in mind came to the market. Internet Travel Network was launched in 1995 and, these days, lives on in its new guise as GetThere.


Much has changed since then. Online bookings tools have become far more sophisticated in what they can do and the travel products that can be bought from them – it is no longer just air tickets from the major carriers. Now you can book Ubers, independent B&Bs, long-stay apartments and much more.


OBTs have also become incredibly more powerful in being able to act as a gatekeeper for company travel policy – something that has become far more important in a post-9/11 and post-Covid world.


BTN Europe’s essential guide to online booking tools is designed to help buyers navigate this highly complex world and to guide them in selecting and implementing an online booking tool, whether this is the first time of doing so or the tenth. Read on to discover market analysis, practical advice, user feedback and profiles of some of the leading OBT providers globally.

On the button

Market analysis: The range and functionality of online booking tools has accelerated in recent years but users still want more. BTN Europe explores the current market

The right choice

Selecting an OBT: There are multiple considerations when selecting an online booking tool, but a good starting point is to address the three Cs

Getting going

Implementing OBTs: You’ve identified and contracted the online booking tool you’re going to implement, but now the hard work really begins to get it live and running smoothly

Bringing it together

Case study: Discover how UBS leveraged its position to get exactly what it wanted from its OBT and travel tech partners

Mixing it up

The evolving market: New players are making their mark on the OBT market while established providers have detailed a range of upgrades


Online booking tools – the essential guide


Explore profiles of 16 leading online booking tools featuring information on content, pricing models, global presence and user feedback from BTN Europe’s survey of more than 150 corporate travel managers