Hilton and Navan plan direct corporate hotel booking connection

Hilton and business travel platform Navan are developing a direct connection for corporate hotel bookings, according to an announcement issued from Palo Alto, California, on 7 July. Navan said it would become the first travel management company (TMC) to integrate directly with Hilton’s Central Reservation System (CRS) and content services.

The planned integration will give Navan real-time access to room availability, rates and bookings, alongside property information supplied directly by Hilton. The companies also intend to improve virtual payment acceptance across Hilton’s global portfolio, making distribution, booking content and payment handling central elements of the partnership.

Direct access to reservations and hotel content

The connection will use application programming interfaces developed by Hilton and implemented with Navan’s travel marketplace platform. It combines the hotel group’s distribution technology with Navan’s marketplace and booking tools for managed business travel.

Hilton’s Booking API will provide the direct link to its CRS, allowing Navan to retrieve live availability and prices and make reservations. A separate Content API will supply hotel and room information from Hilton for display within Navan’s booking service.

According to the announcement, Navan will also be the first TMC to put that content capability into use within its booking experience. The companies said sourcing information directly from Hilton was intended to reduce discrepancies and give corporate travellers greater confidence when choosing accommodation.

Virtual payments form part of the programme

For hotel operators and corporate travel managers, the initiative extends beyond how rooms are found and reserved. Hilton and Navan said they were jointly working towards more consistent acceptance of virtual payments throughout Hilton’s global portfolio, with the aim of reducing difficulties for travellers and those managing their trips.

Navan said the partnership would give customers improved access to Hilton’s portfolio and deliver greater choice, value and savings. The announcement did not quantify those savings or specify a launch date for the connection.

The companies described the project as a change to hotel distribution for corporate customers rather than simply a new source of room inventory. Its stated scope covers hotel searches, reservations and the experience through checkout.

Further automation planned

Frank Passanante, Hilton’s SVP and global head of sales & HRCC, said the collaboration reflected the group’s response to customer needs and its investment in technology. He said the direct connection was intended to improve how corporate customers book and manage travel.

Dane Molter, Navan’s SVP, Group Travel Marketplace, said the work with Hilton would support improvements from the initial search through checkout. Beyond the initial integration, the companies identified deeper automation and post-booking integrations as areas for future development, without setting out a timetable.