The product reshaping the way work moves: booking, on-trip, expense, duty of care
Booking, policy enforcement, on-trip support, expense, duty of care, sustainability reporting and an expanding AI layer all sit inside the app the traveller carries, and the difference between the leading products and the rest has become the difference between a corporate travel programme that runs smoothly and one that consumes management time daily.
The Best Travel App award, part of the Travelling for Business Awards 2026, recognises the product reshaping the way work moves in 2026. The category is open to TMC apps, online booking tool platforms, expense and reconciliation apps, duty-of-care platforms, airline and hotel super-apps, and the new generation of AI-led travel agents now entering the corporate market.
Judging examines booking flow and policy enforcement, on-trip support including disruption handling, expense and reconciliation integration, duty-of-care provision including locate and alerts, sustainability reporting features, and the AI capabilities deployed in 2026, assessed for what they actually deliver to the traveller, not what the marketing claims.
Industry data from the GBTA Business Travel Index and the Business Travel News Innovate report inform the panel’s view alongside submitted evidence and editorial coverage in Travelling for Business magazine.
The category is closely associated with Best Frequent-Flier Programme, Best Hotel Loyalty Programme and the Best Ground Transportation Company in the UK category, all of which now interface with the traveller through some form of app layer.
The 2026 judging panel includes corporate buyers and TMC technology leads. Sponsorship is available on a single-sponsor basis — see the sponsorship page.
The travel app category is judged on what the product does for the corporate traveller and the programme behind them. Booking flow, policy enforcement and the way the app handles non-compliant choices head the criteria. On-trip support and disruption handling, what happens when the flight cancels at midnight, is weighed hard, because the disruption moment is where the app earns its place. Expense and reconciliation integration, duty-of-care, locate and alerts, and the sustainability reporting layer all sit in the assessment. In 2026, AI features are judged for what they actually deliver to the traveller, not what the marketing claims.
TMCs, OBTs, expense, duty of care, airline / hotel super-apps
Entries open: 1 June 2026
Shortlist announced: 15 August 2026
Winners announced: 22 October 2026
Free to enter. Editorially judged. Five minutes to submit.
Need to send large files? Email awards@cbmeg.co.uk with the category name in the subject.
One sponsor. No competing brands. Once secured, the category closes. Investment from £7,500.
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