Hogg Robinson urges common travel technology platform

Hogg Robinson Group could open up its technology platform as a means of introducing common technology standards across the business travel sector. The company has been developing its own technology platform over the past couple of years and has integrated about five external suppliers including the Trainline. The travel management company believes its experience in the…

Hogg Robinson Group could open up its technology platform as a means of introducing common technology standards across the business travel sector.

The company has been developing its own technology platform over the past couple of years and has integrated about five external suppliers including the Trainline.

The travel management company believes its experience in the area could help the industry establish some common standards.

HRG director of product development Paul Saggar said: “We’re all trying to service the corporate client and the difference with the leisure sector is that we’re talking about FTSE 100 companies. We all stand to benefit from this.”

He also said that work on common standards carried out up to now did not have the detail required for the business travel community.

“What you have is a group rather than a high level body with some level of interest. People look at it, take something from it and then modify it which defeats the purpose of a standard.”

Saggar said the initiative was about looking at interfaces, simple connectivity and security isssues in terms of the exchange of information.

“A lot of booking engines focus on making a booking but in the corporate world you can’t make a booking without it being changed before they travel. A lof of standards don’t get into detail on how you manage that process.”

Saggar added that open source technology was a reality because the search engines were prepared to make their code free.

“We would like to be the driver of open source standards within the travel sphere.”

HRG’s global distribution partner Galileo declined to comment but is thought to be watching the project with interest.