Business travel 2025: Insights from Booking.com for Business

How sustainability, AI, and personalization are shaping the future of corporate travel

As we move into 2025, the business travel landscape is undergoing a major transformation. Driven by technological innovation, environmental concerns, and shifting employee expectations, companies are rethinking how, why, and where their teams travel. Booking.com for Business forecasts a year marked by the rise of sustainable transportation, AI-powered planning, immersive experiences, and a stronger emphasis on inclusivity and safety. These trends reflect a broader push towards smarter, more personalized, and purpose-driven corporate travel.

Key takeaways

• Growth in sustainable ground transportation: Ground travel is becoming the preferred choice as companies aim to lower carbon footprints. Trains, 12 times more efficient than flights, are replacing short-haul air travel in many corporate itineraries.
• AI-assisted travel planning: Tools like Mindtrip and virtual assistants from Booking.com and TripAdvisor are streamlining itinerary creation and updates, while apps like DeepL enhance communication with real-time translations.
• Inclusive travel policies: Companies are expected to adopt more inclusive travel practices, ensuring that employees of all backgrounds and abilities feel safe and supported during work-related travel.
• Virtual reality hotel and venue previews: Immersive hotel and venue walk-throughs via VR are gaining traction, helping travelers make informed decisions and manage expectations before arrival.
• New distribution capability (NDC): Airlines are leveraging IATA’s NDC for dynamic pricing and personalized offers, giving travelers better options and faster rebooking in case of delays or disruptions.
• Business travel safety apps: In response to global instability, companies are adopting apps to track traveler locations and respond quickly to emergencies, strengthening duty of care.
• Immersive event experiences: In-person conferences are making a strong comeback, enhanced by tech-driven, sensory-rich formats that blend networking with engaging, festival-like atmospheres.
• Personalized travel options: AI and big data are enabling hyper-personalized experiences, from preferred flight times to tailored booking suggestions based on individual travel history.
• Streamlined corporate booking tools: Automation and centralized platforms are replacing manual processes, offering a seamless experience for planners and travelers alike.

Get the full story at Booking.com for Business