7 best business travel management companies in Toronto

04 Apr 2024 · 11
If you’re a travel manager seeking a travel management solution for your company’s business trips, a corporate travel agency might be the ideal solution for you. A Canadian travel management company (TMC) can assist you with travel bookings and airfares, expense tracking, and report monitoring, saving you and your company valuable time and money, while keeping employee safety front of mind.
While you might be considering a brick-and-mortar TMC or a traditional corporate travel agent for your business travel needs in Toronto, today we’re going to explore why that might not be the most suitable or necessary option to manage your company’s travel arrangements.
We’ll look at the seven best TMCs for businesses based in Toronto, and highlight the features you should look for when deciding to work with a corporate travel management company.

The 7 best corporate travel management companies for businesses based in Toronto

Travel management companies (TMCs) can help you easily book, manage, and save money on business travel. If you frequently send employees on business trips, be sure to look into travel management companies—you may end up saving a lot of money, time, and hassle by automating your booking procedures, travel policy compliance, expense reporting, and more.
Below, we’ve listed the four best corporate travel management companies for businesses based in Toronto. These TMCs offer a variety of travel management services through digital or physical channels.

1. TravelPerk

TravelPerk is the all-in-one platform for all your business travel management needs, offering in-demand features like employee travel safety alerts and real-time expense reporting.
Here are some more detailed benefits of choosing TravelPerk:
  • With a world-class inventory of flights, hotels, car rentals, and more, you’ll never be strapped for selection when booking.
  • TravelPerk’s 24/7 customer support is always within reach when your employees need it most. Our team operates at a target 15-second response time.
  • Take advantage of flexible booking options with FlexiPerk. Cancel up to two hours before your flight, and receive a minimum of 80% back in TravelPerk credits towards future travel.
  • Keep your employees safe on the road with safety alerts, while making informed booking decisions with TravelCare.
  • Achieve policy compliance with TravelPerk’s integrated travel policies and approval flows.
  • Easily track and manage financial decisions with centralized invoicing.
  • Real-time expense reporting and advanced travel dashboards that grant you a bird’s eye view of employee travel spend and cancellations.
  • Calculate your carbon footprint and help offset your carbon emissions with GreenPerk.
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2. YYZ Travel Group

YYZ Travel Group homepage
YYZ Travel Group has been offering its clients access to customized travel experiences for over 35 years. Its partnership with Virtuoso, an organization of travel agencies, travel providers, and destinations around the globe, means it has increased offerings of amenities, upgrades, and experiences before, during, and after client trips.
Below are a few more company perks of YYZ Travel Group:
  • Access to the best luxury products and amenities
  • A wide array of leisure, cruising, ultra luxury, and corporate travel services
  • Up-to-date information on travel trends, travel advisories, and policy changes
  • Peace of mind in the event of last-minute cancellations and trip interruptions
  • A personal touch when planning trips and VIP guest experiences
While YYZ Travel Group is a well-established travel management company, their limited travel inventory means clients miss out on diverse transport and accommodation options. The company also only supports a limited selection of hotel rewards programs, meaning clients lose out on valuable savings.
Additionally, the company uses SAP Concur. Users have reportedly encountered difficulties when interacting with this software’s interface. YYZ Travel Group also lacks a wide selection of  third-party integrations and management tools to help its clients do more with their business travel management.
TravelPerk offers travel managers a massive travel inventory, with a wide selection of flights, hotels, car rentals, and trip add-ons to choose from. The company also offers support for over 20 hotel rewards programs, with clear instructions for travel managers looking to add their preferred program to their TravelPerk interface.

3. TTI Travel

TTI Travel homepage
Offering robust technology tools like comprehensive booking, report tracking, and expense management modules, TTI Travel has been servicing its clientele for over 40 years. Among its many corporate, leisure, and group offerings, the company provides cost-effective travel solutions while keeping duty of care in mind.
Some key benefits of TTI Travel are:
  • Policy-compliant processes, including quality control systems and spend tracking
  • Dedicated portfolio advisors notifying clients of travel advisories and flight updates
  • Group travel offerings like leadership retreats and incentive trips
  • An efficient traveler profile set-up
Although TTI Travel provides its clientele with a range of travel management solutions, the company primarily retrieves its inventory from BCD Travel. Widely considered a traditional travel management company, BCD Travel’s limited online booking tools are spread across a suite of different platforms, creating a disjointed and decentralized booking experience rather than an all-in-one offering.
TravelPerk bridges this gap by offering its customers a centralized end-to-end business travel platform. Travel managers receive access to the most comprehensive travel inventory, all in one convenient location.

4. Direct Travel

Direct Travel homepage
Direct Travel prides itself on offering flexible solutions to clients in North America and around the world.
In addition to corporate travel, meeting and event bookings, and leisure services, Direct Travel offers its clientele:
  • Program management and account management services, encouraging travel policy compliance.
  • A cost savings analysis of unused tickets, contract optimizations, and hotel consulting.
  • An integrated itinerary management program, including 24/7 customer support
  • Senior travel advisors with the specialized skills to manage even the most diverse needs of your VIPs.
  • Traveler intelligence hub: Helping customers plan and pack for their next business trip with packing lists, safety tips, and requirements using Sherpa Intelligence.
  • Risk management services: Travel alerts and trip briefings at your fingertips, alongside medical and evacuation services.
  • Eventmanagement: Support for strategic meetings, employee engagement and recognition events, and sales incentives.
While Direct Travel provides its clientele with a wide array of global travel, personal travel, and specialty travel offerings, it lacks a flexible travel program with the possibility of claiming a refund.
With TravelPerk’s FlexiPerk, travel managers can amend or reschedule business travel plans as needed. TravelPerk’s larger inventory of flights, hotels, and transportation options is also suitable to the travel needs of employees on the road.

5. Amex GBT (American Express Global Business Travel)

AMEX GBT homepage
Amex GBT is a business travel company with solutions for expense reporting, business consulting, travel management policies, meetings, and events. Using their mobile app, travelers can easily book and manage corporate travel and expenses through a centralized platform.
On the app, travelers will find program alerts, AI chatbot assistance, and travel experts who are available 24/7.
Here are some features of Amex GBT:
  • A streamlined mobile app to manage travel bookings
  • More than 2 million overnight stay options
  • Pre-negotiated travel discounts
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Dedicated solutions for meetings and events
  • Solutions for corporate travel and expense management
While Amex GBT is a suitable choice for business travelers, TravelPerk stands out for its 7-star customer service with a 15-second response time, modern and simple user experience, transparent pricing, and industry-leading inventory. The TravelPerk software platform comes with no hidden costs, additional implementation costs, or extra fees. 

Reasons why AMEX GBT customers have switched to TravelPerk in the past year:

  • A substantial travel inventory including air, hotels, rail, and more.
  • Efficient customer care operating at a target 15-second response time. 
  • TravelCare: Delivering you verified, up-to-date traveler safety information.
  • FlexiPerk: Allowing cancellations at any time with 80% of your money back.
Amex GBT is an enterprise business travel agency with millions of global clients, making for a more corporate experience. On the other hand, TravelPerk provides tailored solutions to suit the specific needs of SMBs.
Click below for a more detailed comparison between both platforms:
Why choose TravelPerk over Amex GBT?

6. CTM Travel

CTM Travel homepage
CTM Travel offers sustainability tools, reporting capabilities, and online booking tools. They have nearly 30 years of industry experience, and their curated suite of travel tools is configured to their clients’ global and regional business needs.
Here’s what you can expect from CTM Travel:
  • Travel risk management in real time
  • A global team of business travel agents
  • Airfare forecasting
  • Corporate events management
  • Sustainable travel reporting
  • Uniquely designed corporate travel programs
Users prefer TravelPerk’s easy to use, intuitive booking platform when comparing TravelPerk to CTM Travel. They also love TravelPerk’s 7-star customer service team, which has been described as “incredibly attentive.” And they can easily find options for rail tickets, hotels, flights, and more in TravelPerk’s industry-leading inventory. 
They’ll even have the chance to book Airbnbs and low-cost carriers, and can enjoy free VIP perks and serviced accommodations. 

Reasons why CTM customers have switched to TravelPerk in the past year:

  • An intuitive, easy-to-use app, where users can access trip itineraries and more.
  • A substantial industry-leading travel inventory. 
  • Fast support with a target 15-second response time.
Click below for a more detailed comparison between both platforms:
Why choose TravelPerk over CTM Travel?

7. FCM Travel

FCM Travel homepage
FCM Travel is a globally-recognized TMC. Its Canadian headquarters is located in Vancouver and is now one of Canada’s largest travel-industry employers, having forged a strong reputation working with public and private companies in the region.
FCM Travel’s small team of travel consultants allows them to maintain a local focus, and their after-hours consultants can assist travelers with weather-related issues, cancellations, delays, or missed flights.
FCM Travel offers:
  • Meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) support
  • A VIP executive service
  • Traveler safety and security services
  • 24/7 customer support 
  • FCM Reporting offering AI-assisted data analysis
  • Global travel buying power
Keep in mind that FCM Travel does not offer free implementation or account management, meaning there are some hidden costs involved. You’ll pay per transaction, meaning your monthly fee will change based on cancellations, booking dates, the number of reservations made, and more. 
TravelPerk, on the other hand, prioritizes transparency: Our clear pricing model means you only pay when you travel.

Reasons why FCM Travel customers have switched to TravelPerk in the past year:

  • An intuitive platform with dozens of third-party integration options.
  • Flexible corporate travel booking services with FlexiPerk.
  • Guest account option for members booking outside your organization.
Click below for a more detailed comparison between both platforms:
Why choose TravelPerk over FCM Travel?

Features to look for when choosing a travel management company

Many travel professionals for business in Toronto offer travel technology to assist with booking processes. While many of these platforms can appear modern and intuitive, they don’t always offer the features you need to manage an optimized travel program.
Choosing a travel management company that doesn’t offer all of the features you need leaves you back at square one with all of the same limitations you faced in the past.
Below, we detail the key features you need to look out for when comparing travel management companies in Canada that will help you save money, protect your business travelers, and streamline your entire travel management program.
  • Extensive travel inventories: It’s essential that the travel management company you choose gives you access to comprehensive inventories of transportation and accommodation providers, as well as enabling you to compare prices, dates, and offers that best suit your travel needs.
  • Built-in approval workflows: Embedding your travel approval workflows and travel policy into your travel management company’s platform helps you increase policy compliance rates and eliminates the need to manage travel and expenses via long email threads.
  • Centralized invoice collection: Some travel management companies don’t act as a single vendor meaning that you’ll still need to collect and collate invoices from various companies. Travel management companies that offer a system that consolidates all of your monthly invoices into one single vendor invoice can save you a lot of time and hassle.
  • Flexible booking options: Flexible booking options enable businesses to accommodate any last-minute changes to trip dates or cancellations after booking for free or at a reasonable cost.
  • 24/7/365 Customer support: Unexpected events are inevitable in business travel, and you need to know that your travel management company will be there to help you should things go wrong. A prompt, easy-to-access customer support function is essential to help your travelers manage any issues that arise.
  • Reporting capabilities: The ability to access travel data that is broken down by individual business travelers, mode of transportation, booking type, and cancellations helps you carry out significant spend optimization activities.
Discover how TravelPerk can help make your business travel program work for you—request a live, personalized demo today!
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