Many hotel companies this year launched aggressive marketing campaigns offering special rates and other perks to travelers who book directly from their branded websites. Yet when it comes to business travel, it is still the employer who, in principle, decides which hotels employees can book.

Most large corporations have established travel policies that require employees to select hotels from a preferred supplier program. Policies also generally dictate that reservations be made through corporate booking tools and designated travel management companies.

So how do corporate travel buyers decide which hotels end up in their programs? And what role does the travel management company play in supporting them?

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