Taking Our Hotel Marketplace to the Next Level: A Conversation With Simon Fishman

When it comes to your hotel program, having access to a vast array of accommodations and competitive rates is only the starting point.

To maximize cost efficiency and travel satisfaction, you need a travel partner with the right strategy, vision, and technology to optimize every aspect of the program. A partner who has carefully considered both the traveler’s and travel manager’s experiences, solving their pain points along the way. Because the difference between a hotel program that simply performs and one that truly delivers value lies in how it’s built, managed, and continuously refined.

To understand how we’ve transformed our hotel marketplace, we spoke with the person leading its evolution: Simon Fishman, head of our global hotel business.

Simon joined Amex GBT two years ago to elevate our hotel strategy and solutions, delivering winning outcomes for our suppliers and clients. He shared how his background at Expedia is shaping the transformation of our hotel program and what sets our marketplace apart from our competitors.

Since joining Amex GBT as the head of the hotel team, what has been a key area of focus for you?

One area I’m especially focused on is making it effortless for travelers to book the right room at the right hotel for the right price.

Traditionally, hotel programs were built with a one-size-fits-all approach, assuming business travelers all want the same thing. The reality is, they don’t. Business travelers are a diverse group, with needs shaped by their company and their personal preferences. No two travelers are exactly alike – each has different priorities, expectations, and preferences.

Take my own experience. When I was a business traveler, what I looked for in a hotel was completely different than what my colleagues were seeking. I remember some of them telling me about these fantastic boutique hotels. For me, it was a nightmare. I’d walk into the lobby, and there’s a DJ playing a set. For me, it was loud and overwhelming.

So, when I joined Amex GBT, my mission was clear: How do we empower travelers to make choices that align with their personal preferences while staying within travel policy and supporting the company’s broader goals?

How is Amex GBT helping to achieve this goal?

It starts with the choices we offer travelers.

By allowing clients to integrate their own negotiated rates into our marketplace – alongside tens of thousands of pre-negotiated rates from our preferred rate programs – we provide travelers with an expansive range of options.

We also work with the largest online travel agencies in the world, Expedia and Booking.com, to bring in all the great content they have to offer.

The second element is the technology that brings all these options together in a seamless ecosystem and displays the right property to the right customer.

This matters because the hotel ecosystem is incredibly complex. Every hotel uses different systems to distribute their rates. This means the same room at the same hotel for the same dates can be listed with several different prices. Some rates come with slight variations in conditions or amenities.

Our job is to cut through that complexity and present great offers – so travelers get the right room at the right price every time.

What happens behind the scenes to make this possible? How does technology play a role?

We’ve made a multi-million dollar investment into our core technology to create a smooth, seamless, best-in-class shopping experience. We’ve moved beyond the old paradigm of relying solely on the “green screen” GDS, bringing the entire marketplace to the traveler in a user-friendly way.

That isn’t easy. It takes a lot of investment in technology. The fact that we’re a software and services company really differentiates us from our competitors. We’re developing proprietary technology; we’re not using a third party. We’re doing it ourselves so we can customize the solution to drive corporate-specific views and use cases in a way that makes sense for our travelers.

We have an algorithm to prioritize the most relevant hotels so travelers can find the best options quickly and efficiently. We also enhance the experience with high-quality images and clear details on amenities.

We want travelers to have this benefit, no matter how they choose to interact with us. That’s why this experience is available across all channels. Whether they book through our proprietary tools, connect with our traveler counselors, or use the new Concur T2 platform, they can book with confidence – knowing they’re getting a great deal and the amenities they want, with no need to shop around.

What aspect of Amex GBT’s hotel marketplace will travel managers find most valuable?

We offer a full suite of services to fuel their program, and it’s a system that perfectly syncs with their existing processes and software. But the biggest value comes from the considerable savings we can deliver.

Each year, we bring in roughly 40,000 different hotels across our preferred rate programs, offering up to 20% off the best available rates.¹ We back this up with our lowest rate guarantee.²

In our negotiations, we also secure favorable terms and extra perks for our clients. Things like 24-hour cancellation, last room availability, complimentary breakfast, and room upgrades.

So, whether your priority is securing the lowest rate or providing an exceptional traveler experience, you’re always getting a great offer.

Could you share how your experience at Expedia is shaping the strategy you’re taking with Amex GBT’s hotel program?

I spent almost a decade at Expedia Group, most recently as vice president of strategy, analytics, and supply for Expedia Partner Solutions. One of the major projects I worked on involved optimized distribution.

Our goal was to massively simplify distribution. To create a solution that works for a thousand partners, you need to do it with technology that works.

This isn’t about a custom implementation for one partner. This is about building a flexible infrastructure capable of supporting billions of dollars in demand. We were able to deliver that. Through technology, we brought the strategy to life in a way that delivered value for the suppliers, consumers, and Expedia Group – what we like to call a true win-win-win scenario.

That’s the mindset I’m taking in my role at Amex GBT. So, I’m looking at how do we make sure the supplier is getting the right guest at the right price? How do we make sure we’re delivering the right experience for the customer in accordance with their travel policies? And how do use our marketplace to deliver the right outcomes?

When you have a marketplace where only one party’s winning, it’s rarely sustainable. People might start to feel they’re losing out, which leads to frustration and disengagement. For long-term success, it has to be a marketplace where everyone feels they’re gaining value and winning together.

How do you think Amex GBT’s hotel marketplace stands out from that of competitors?

What sets us apart is our ability to operate globally – for all clients, in all circumstances.

There are companies with cool technology. Some features make me think, “Oh, that’s interesting,” or “They’ve really thought that through.” But then I ask myself, “OK, that competitor is handling just 2% of our volume. Does it work across different countries, in different scenarios, and through various payment mechanisms?”

Our clients trust us because they know that we’ve done this at scale. We have over two million properties across 180 countries and 35,000 cities.³ Each night, we fill more than 140,000 beds.⁴

Our hotel marketplace just works. Whether a hurricane disrupts travel plans, demand surges, or a traveler needs a stay in a remote location, you can always count on it.

What’s on the horizon for the hotel marketplace in 2025?

There are many new exciting developments on the horizon. The one I can speak about publicly is the rollout of our Supply MarketPlace on Concur’s updated T2 platform.

Many clients were unable to access the full value of our marketplace in the previous version of Concur but can through the new platform. Although it only launched in February, we’ve already heard from many clients about the advantages they’re getting. The anecdotal feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

And that’s the intention behind every enhancement we’re making to our hotel marketplace – to deliver exceptional experiences that create real value for our clients.

Curious about the value our hotel marketplace can bring? Take a peek.

¹ Based on Amex GBT contractual agreements and availability for 2025. Program content is subject to change without notice. Individual results may vary. Additional terms may apply. Some rates inclusive of Wi-Fi and breakfast, with many offering additional value-adds.
² Terms and conditions apply. Available to Amex GBT Select clients only.
³ Amex GBT internal reporting, as of January 2025. Includes properties with rates from third-party partners (e.g., Expedia and Booking.com) that are available to book in our marketplace. Subject to availability. Some property exclusions by customer solution and preference.
⁴ Amex GBT internal reporting of total room nights for FY 2024, divided by 365.