# Most corporate travel solutions only solve half the problem Many T&E providers that began as travel tools are still trying to catch up on the expense side. **URL Source:** https://www.brex.com/journal/challenges-with-business-travel-solutions --- ![Group 48098315](https://brand.brex.com/transform/3a303352-82e3-4a60-96df-86ef264f16d8/Group-48098315) # Most corporate travel solutions only solve half the problem ### Header The challenge with traditional T&E approaches. ### Text Travel and spend aren’t just connected, but rather travel _is_ spend. That means when travel is inefficient, costly, or difficult to manage, travel and expenses (T&E) together become a combined problem — and this can be a big issue. From flights to rideshares and hotels to dinners, T&E can make up as much as 10% to 15% of an organization’s annual budget. So it’s extremely important to get it right. At Brex, we believe that companies will thrive more with a holistic and disciplined — but unmistakably consumer-grade — approach to travel and expenses that is unified across [corporate credit cards](https://www.brex.com/product/credit-card), expense management, accounting, as well as [corporate travel booking](https://www.brex.com/product/travel-expense-management), management, and duty of care. Other technology providers have tried for years to manage travel and expenses holistically, but many of those began as [travel solutions](https://www.brex.com/product/travel) and are desperately trying to catch up on the expense side. Sure, these providers might deliver the "T" in T&E, but nearly half of travel managers aren't happy with the [experience of their online travel booking tool](https://www.gbta.org/travel-managers-weigh-in-on-business-travels-outlook-for-2023/). And if they also fall short on the "E" due to limited expense management capabilities, you might say they aren't doing any part of T&E all that well. The business travel environment has evolved so much in the past few years. To begin, we’ll talk about the context of where things stand today, then how modern [travel and expense management software](https://www.brex.com/product/travel-expense-management) solutions are built to support the entire process. ### Header New workforce norms have increased the need for an effective T&E program. ### Text New working models and increasingly dispersed teams, as well as rising travel costs, shrinking travel budgets, and added emphasis on safety and risk management make an effective T&E program even more important. Additionally, users’ expectations have changed with the evolution of personalized and simplified apps, so providing a consumer-like experience is mandatory for widespread adoption. Unfortunately, most [travel and expense management solutions](https://www.brex.com/product/travel-expense-management) have not kept up with the changing needs of modern businesses. With some solutions, problems abound at every level and create ripple effects throughout the system. Travelers book on one platform, submit expenses on another, and use a corporate or personal card to pay for it, then wait weeks to get reimbursed. Travel managers might lack visibility into where employees are at any given time. Accounting teams waste hours each month reconciling expenses and chasing receipts. And finance leaders can't keep travel spend under control or in policy, so it's difficult to accurately plan budgets. With those pain points in mind, we [built Brex travel](https://www.brex.com/journal/redefining-travel-for-the-modern-company) by partnering with Spotnana to create a global, all-in-one solution that allows for total control and greater visibility over all your spend. ![Group 48097940](https://brand.brex.com/transform/cc113d15-9a4f-4e49-a09b-188c98e5b676/Group-48097940) ### Header Travel and expenses are better together. ### Text Brex travel was built as an integrated solution from the ground up, because with discrete systems — such as one for travel, one for expenses, and so on — it becomes difficult to share data between them. When this is the case, even basic things become difficult to do, like changing itineraries or getting support when something goes awry. When you want the best possible experience, API integration can help. Some of the best and most modern technology in the world leverages APIs. For example, Uber didn’t build their own mapping system — they employ the Google Maps API. The benefit of such integrations for consumers of these solutions is a robust set of capabilities from technologies that work together seamlessly. It’s exactly that type of integration that allowed Brex and Spotnana to revolutionize [travel and expense management](https://www.brex.com/product/travel-expense-management). Spotnana reimagined and rebuilt the travel tech stack for modern businesses and offers a completely unbiased global inventory of flights. Brex is the leading global [spend management software](https://www.brex.com/product/spend-management) for today's businesses and offers credit cards, expense management, budgets, reimbursements, [bill pay](https://www.brex.com/product/bill-pay), and now travel booking. Together, they are a complete and seamless solution for global T&E, which creates more value for customers. “Brex travel brings together and integrates not only travel, but global cards and global spend management, to create a modern all-in-one T&E solution,” says Doug Adamic, Chief Revenue Officer at Brex. “And what’s different about this is that Brex travel is an integrated full-stack solution that is provided from the ground up — it has been built with this end goal in mind.” “What’s different about this is that Brex travel is an integrated full-stack solution that is provided from the ground up — it has been built with this end goal in mind.” — Doug Adamic, Chief Revenue Officer at Brex ### Header An all-in-one solution for global T&E. ### Text Other travel solutions are very travel-forward while relegating their [spend management](https://www.brex.com/spend-trends/expense-management/spend-management) to a secondary or tack-on feature. With Brex travel, businesses can deploy one instance of Brex travel across all countries worldwide, allowing them to optimize all spend in a unified platform, automatically gather receipts and memos to streamline expense approvals, as well as create custom granular spend controls with support for more complex spend use cases. On top of that, it presents an employee-delighting experience that lets them book and manage the itinerary they want without the added frustration of disconnected systems. “That is the beauty of what Brex travel has created here,” says Sarosh Waghmar, founder and CEO of Spotnana. “It’s a single offering where the traveler doesn’t even realize there’s something else behind the scenes — it’s just seamless.” Spotnana and Brex recently hosted a virtual event that dives deeper into the integration of our technologies, the business value of a global T&E solution, and the tangible benefits for your employees. Watch the recording of [“Why business travel will never be the same”](https://www.brex.com/resources/why-business-travel-will-never-be-the-same) to learn more today! ![Group 48097941](https://brand.brex.com/transform/1108108f-bed8-4c5c-81f9-88504e92474d/Group-48097941) ### Image ![Closed-loop-dark](https://brand.brex.com/transform/d2f2341f-92ea-4983-a67d-417a52921900/Closed-loop-dark) ### Content See what Brex can do for you. Learn how our spend platform can increase the strategic impact of your finance team and future-proof your company. [Contact sales](https://www.brex.com/sales) | [Open an account](https://www.brex.com/signup) ## Related Articles ### [Finance AI trends: filtering the hype to find the value](https://www.brex.com/journal/finance-ai-trends-hype-vs-value) Here’s your primer on the AI applications delivering spend management results today — and what’s not. ### [Build more, bank less with Brex](https://www.brex.com/journal/how-brex-helps-founders-work-smarter-from-anywhere) Brex understands what founders need and has innovated on traditional financial systems to help you manage your finances more easily, from anywhere — so you can focus on building, not banking. ### [Winter 24 Release](https://www.brex.com/journal/winter-release-2024) Discover our new Brex bill pay integrated with the controls and scalability of the Brex platform, including new spend limits that help you provision spend with confidence. ### [Customers who switched from Ramp to Brex](https://www.brex.com/journal/customers-who-switched-from-ramp-to-brex) The Capital One deal makes Brex stronger than ever, and companies using Ramp are reassessing their finance stack. See examples of Ramp customers who moved to Brex. ### [Scale AI case study](https://www.brex.com/resources/customer/scale-ai) See how Scale AI uses Brex to save hundreds of hours a year on expense management, close the books in 5 fewer days, and scale globally. ### [Brex and VAT IT: Eliminating tax leakage across global spend](https://www.brex.com/journal/brex-and-vat-it-eliminating-tax-leakage-across-global-spend) Brex has partnered with VAT IT to create a touchless, automated bridge between expense management and global VAT recovery.