As we well and truly head into winter, I’m reflecting on all of the insights from ITM Autumn. From compliance changes to rising sustainability data demands, there’s plenty to sink our teeth into moving forward.
The ITM conference in London was full of sector thought leaders bringing all their recent analytics, and here are my standout takeaways from the industry trailblazers who led sessions at the event...
“By forecasting demand early and integrating accommodation strategy into operational planning, suppliers become true partners to the business."
- Phillip Charm, CO-Founder & CBO - Clarasight
Session: From Buzzword To Business Value
Speaker: Phillip Charm, CO-Founder & CBO - Clarasight
Phillip notes that predictive travel patterns in sectors such as pharmaceuticals and technology offer the kind of insight corporate accommodation programmes need to consider to take a more strategic approach. At SilverDoor, we already see these cycles play out: project teams landing in a city for six weeks, companies clustering travel around key trial or launch moments, or tech firms expanding their presence during major product sprints or events.
We also capture rate Average Daily Rate data against every enquired and booked night - that's typically 2 million rates a year.
Understanding these patterns allows you to make the most of them. Our ADR charts will track rate trends and when you understand these rhythms, you can forecast accommodation demand well in advance and guide the business toward smarter choices, ensuring travellers are placed in the right location, at the right time, at the right price.
Longer stays, repeat visits and predictable cycles are precisely where serviced apartments outperform hotels: they reduce cost volatility, provide stability for project teams, and create a more productive environment during critical business periods. When travel budgets tighten at the end of Q4, it’s the organisations with forward visibility - and a trusted accommodation partner- that avoid the scramble. Philip concluded that data, insights and global supply chain help travel and finance teams plan, manage spend more confidently and embed sustainability without needing to call it out at every turn.
“Sustainability matters, but success comes when it’s embedded, not isolated. It’s no longer a standalone report; it’s part of how every trip, supplier choice, and travel policy decision is made."
- Phillip Charm, CO-Founder & CBO - Clarasight
As Phillip also explains in his session, the same actions that improve business productivity and efficiency also tend to support sustainability, even if sustainability itself isn’t what CFOs or sales leaders are most interested in discussing. However, what they do care about is creating more working time, improving ROI on travel, and ensuring teams use their time effectively.
Fortunately, most of the levers that drive those outcomes, fewer short trips, smarter travel choices, and better demand management, also reduce emissions.
Crucially, he emphasises that organisations don’t need perfect data or flawless systems to begin. Travel and sustainability improvement is a journey: start with the biggest, clearest pieces, accept imperfection, and evolve from there. When companies start to unify their cost, carbon and productivity data, patterns emerge that point clearly toward where travel decisions can deliver the most value.
“80% of the best emission levers are also cost efficiency levers”
- Phillip Charm, CO-Founder & CBO - Clarasight
Phillip explains that the same actions that improve business productivity and efficiency also tend to support sustainability, even if sustainability is not the main thing people want to talk about - especially for CFOs or sales leaders.
Productivity & sustainability often align
He says companies think about:
And most of the actions that help improve these things also happen to be good for sustainability (e.g., fewer shorter trips, smarter travel choices). So even if sustainability is not the main talking point, it’s still being supported in the background.
Leaders don’t have much appetite to talk about sustainability,
but they do have lots of appetite to talk about:
And since these things often lead to more sustainable travel anyway, organisations can reach sustainability goals by focusing on productivity-driven travel changes. He reassures organisations that they don’t need perfect data or perfect systems to start working on sustainability or improving their travel programme. It’s a gradual journey, and starting small is fine.
“70% of Gen Z say they would consider booking out of policy.”
- Jason Dunderdale, Global Sales Director - Blacklane
Session: Comply with Me
Speakers: Jason Dunderdale, Global Sales Director - Blacklane, Alison Rogan, Head of Travel and Events – HSBC, Nikki Regan, Director of Commercial Strategy – ATPI
With the number of Gen Z travellers in the workforce growing year on year, the above statistic indicates a massive risk to future travel programmes. Alison explained that internal company tools and technology are not what Gen Z are used to on their own devices, and they’re more comfortable booking personal holidays due to this familiarity. Evolution of company technology is moving faster than ever, with Gen Z needing structures and parameters to operate within, but freedom beyond it, and to not feel like they’re being manipulated.
Nikki agreed and continued to explain that the biggest challenge facing Gen Z and compliance is their experience reflected in their personal lives, and their need to feel safe within the devices they’ve grown up using.
For further context, Jason reported that “51% of respondents said that their first port of call, rather than their OBT, is a familiar travel app”, and the solution is to match the content that travellers are seeking out by taking away laborious approval processes and enabling them with trust.
“Legal, IT, telecoms and accountancy sectors are the most compliant.”
- Jason Dunderdale, Global Sales Director - Blacklane
The revenue-generating part of an organisation is more likely to conform to compliance, as staff need to make their itinerary flexible to meet their needs. Alison explained that people who are typically more client-driven will comply to avoid frustration and better understand the cost of failure.
To help sections of businesses that struggle with this, Alison recommended sitting down with specific areas to understand how teams can calculate return on investment and turn travel from a cost centre to a profit one.
For many organisations, booking travel, building policy and mobility programmes have been moved online. Alison explained the issue rooted in how the company’s online booking tools are trying to drive traveller behaviour. Still, at the same time, they’re adding a level of complexity that’s not visible to the employee and can drive them off the programme, onto easier, more familiar sites such as Skyscanner.
“The biggest blockers to change are emotional, not technical”
- Karen Hutchings, Partner -Kintela Group
Session: Cutting Through the Noise: The Future Role of the Travel Manager
Speakers: Sallyanne Heywood, Partner - Kintela Group, Karen Hutchings, Partner -Kintela Group, Stewart Harvey, Partner - Kintela Group
The discussion highlights how leaders often underestimate the emotional and behavioural aspects of change and overestimate the power of plans and frameworks. The panel argues that leadership is becoming increasingly relational, human-centred, and anchored in consistent “micro-behaviours” that shape culture. They emphasise that credibility comes less from positional authority and more from empathy, follow-through, and modelling the behaviour you expect from others.
They outline four foundational leadership behaviours that drive transformation:
- Lead Yourself First
- Build Trust Every Day
- Empower Others by Letting Go
- Be a Champion for Positive Culture
As the expectations of modern employees shift, particularly among Gen Z, there’s a growing recognition that a 25-page document buried in an intranet won’t influence behaviour or deliver the control organisations assume it does.
With dynamic pricing redefining how decisions are made at the point of booking, and with travellers seeking autonomy, speed, and clarity, the traditional policy framework is struggling to keep pace. This creates a pivotal moment for travel managers, who are increasingly balancing the demands of finance with the realities of user experience.
Conversations like this act as a catalyst for change, pushing the industry to rethink what effective governance looks like in a world where flexibility and trust matter as much as compliance. The discussion covered several critical points:
“Loyalty Programmes are a double-edged sword for me”
- Roger Peters – Independent Global Travel Programme Contractor
From Roger’s perspective as an independent contractor, he sees the benefits of loyalty programmes encouraging travellers to stick to certain accommodation chains, which can allow suppliers to share market spend strategically and negotiate better rates or perks which benefit the traveller in the long run.
However, this can lead to travellers breaking their corporate mobility policy to use their loyalty program and creating “leakage” within the business. This can be controlled through consistent policy guidance, which allows travellers flexibility in their choice of stays to minimise breaches.
From shifting immigration expectations to rising strategic policies, ITM Autumn proved business travel is getting more complex, compliant and cost-defined.
As global mobility evolves, SilverDoor are at the forefront of leading travel technology through strategic partnerships, wide network connections, and a deep understanding of what modern business travellers really need. To talk to our team today about your upcoming travel plans, contact us today.
