Business Travel Executive, February 2019

EDITORS NOTES Our Mission Helping Travel Management Create Value for Corporations Since 1989 Dan Booth Managing Editor DBooth@ askBTE com Jerry Allison Publisher JAllison@ askBTE com Jerry Allison Studios Lloyd Aarons 2010 Publisher Jerry Allison JAllison@ askBTE com 973 839 6200 Associate Publisher Lauren Wysocki lwysocki@ askbte com 973 839 4390 Managing Editor Dan Booth DBooth@ askBTE com 336 766 1961 Editorial Assistant Ralf Walters Editorial Coordinator Jamie OSullivan Contributing Editors Harvey Chipkin Kathryn B Creedy Keith Loria Mark Rowh Jennifer Steinke Art Production Manager Michele Cameron ML Cameron@ Comcast net 908 310 4208 Business Manager Marylee de Ferrari Mdeferrari@ askBTE com 973 839 0620 Subscriber Services Subscriptions@ askBTE com 973 839 0620 Advertising Mike Shevlin mshevlin@ theshevlingroup com 847 749 0168 Jim McGinley Jim@ mcginleydoyle com 818 712 0672 2019 Win Place or Show We race headlong into a future that is inescapably impenetrable Horseracing has been part of human history ever since people figured out the creatures could be ridden and maybe even before that The faster and stronger the animal the more likely it is to prevail But the race is not to the swift alone consider that in the Triple Crowns entire 100 plus year history only 13 horses have won all three races Indeed its the excitement of uncertainty that makes a horserace a horserace But in the world of business uncertainty just makes for stressful days and sleepless nights After all what we cannot anticipate we cant plan for and if we cant plan we cant build Then our fate is left entirely in the wind So we prognosticate predict project and prophesy reading the tea leaves and gazing into our crystal ball trying to know what the future might hold Unfortunately the future is ultimately unknowable so even in the best of times the forecasters crystal ball is notoriously cloudy And 2019 is shaping up to be considerably murkier than usual One consistent barometer of the health of the worlds economy is business travel It may seem counterintuitive but historically when things are turning sour companies tend to hunker down and stay home just when travel could help them regain momentum conversely when business is good travelers hit the road because thats when theres even more business to be found So it is encouraging to consider the following stories weve covered recently in Business Travel Executive Data from the third quarter of 2018 shows the cost of business trips are rising indicating demand for business travel continues to be high according to an analysis from Travel Leaders Corporate US hotel occupancy is anticipated to drop slightly about a half point in 2019 hotel industry consultants HVS tell us However despite the drop demand is expected to stay firm pushing ADR higher by 2 to 25 percent IATA forecasts a 10th year of profitability for the global airline industry in 2019 While passenger demand is expected to slow its still projected to grow at a healthy 6 percent clip next year While this news sounds encouraging weve all been here before Nothing especially in business is forever everything can turn on a dime Thats why to stay on top of our industry you need more than news you need context a deep dive into the technology trends and tools that are revolutionizing our industry every day Beyond the headlines BTEs thought provoking features give you the perspectives and insights to discover what all this means for your company your program and your travelers We may have mountains of data and sophisticated analytics to better predict the future But for now the events of 2019 remain a mystery hidden from view On the one hand there is a world of global tensions and national traumas political instability and economic worries trade wars and real ones fractious debate and disquieting news On the other hand we see signs of continued strength and growth but are they enough to stave off the barbarians at the gates Stay tuned This is one horserace that may come down to the wire BTE