Spotlight on Bhumika Rawat: How a former cabin crew member is improving traveler experiences at scale

Bhumika Rawat began her travel industry career as a cabin crew member. Since her start, she has diligently pursued her passion for delivering exceptional traveler experiences, whether she was assisting a passenger in Business Class or calling a stranded traveler hours away. 

When she arrived at Spotnana as our Assistant Manager of Testing she quickly realized that technology and personalization could ultimately transform her impact on travelers and their journeys.

We spoke with Bhumika about her career in travel, the progress she is driving in the travel industry, her transition from Travel Operations to Quality Assurance (QA) at Spotnana, and why she loves being a Spotter.

Can you share your career journey before joining Spotnana?

“With a strong foundation in the travel and hospitality industry, I bring nearly a decade of diverse experience to the table. I began my career as a cabin crew member, spending five years with leading Indian carriers. In this role, I interacted with travelers face-to-face and handled real-time situations in the air, developing my customer service skills and a deep understanding of traveler needs.

“Following my time in aviation, I joined WTMC and spent four enriching years there. I started as a hotel desk agent, handling booking pre-payments. I then advanced to a senior agent role within one of the operations teams, remotely supporting travelers through phone calls, emails, and behind-the-scenes operations. This role taught me how to be just as empathetic and effective from a distance as I was in person. 

My journey eventually led me to Spotnana, where I followed my passion for delivering exceptional travel experiences.”

Why did you choose to come work at Spotnana?

“What drew me to Spotnana was the vision. The idea of reshaping travel with technology, while keeping the traveler at the center, really resonated with me.

“I saw Spotnana as a place where I could grow, contribute meaningfully, and still stay connected to what I love most—making travel better for people. The opportunity to work alongside teams that are innovative, empathetic, and collaborative made the decision an easy one.

“Spotnana is a continuation of my career in improving traveler experiences, but with more tools, greater scale, and a deeper understanding of the industry. The core of what I do hasn’t changed—but the way I do it, and the impact I can make, undoubtedly has.”

Can you please tell me about your role and how it has evolved since you started at Spotnana?

“Since joining Spotnana, my role has evolved significantly—especially with the recent transition of our team into Engineering under the QA department. Previously, as part of the Travel Operations team, our primary focus was on testing features on the Spotnana UI prior to deployment. We also collaborated closely with the Learning & Development team to ensure our front-line agents were well equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to support travelers effectively.

“Since moving under QA, the scope of our work has expanded into more technical territory. We’re now learning core QA skills, including debugging issues, analyzing feature behavior, and collaborating more directly with engineers to identify root causes and propose solutions. This shift has been a great opportunity for growth, pushing us to think more analytically and technically about how product features work.

“Blending our foundational knowledge of the user experience with a deeper technical understanding has been rewarding. This dual perspective allows us to advocate for both the traveler and the product, making our contributions even more impactful across the organization.”

What is it like to work in Engineering’s QA department?

“Our team focuses on ensuring a seamless traveler experience by testing features, validating integrations, and supporting backend reliability. Since moving under QA, we’ve taken on more technical responsibilities (such as debugging issues and collaborating with engineers) while staying rooted in operations.

“It’s a dynamic, collaborative environment where we’re always learning and improving. Our goal is to identify issues early,  ensure smooth deployments, and contribute to building a reliable, user-friendly travel platform.”

What are some of the technical problems you’re solving?

“We’re working on managing multiple complex integrations with airlines, hotels, ground transportation providers, and third-party vendors. While many of these connections have existed in the travel industry for years, they were often underutilized due to the reliance on traditional systems and fragmented platforms.

“At Spotnana, we’re helping to transform travel distribution by integrating NDC content, hotel inventories, and ground transportation services into a single, modern platform. The goal is to offer travelers greater accessibility, choice, and reliability, while also ensuring corporate travel administrators have complete visibility, control, and policy enforcement from booking through to reporting.

“The real technical challenge lies in ensuring that all these systems communicate seamlessly with each other. Our aim is to create a smooth experience for the traveler from login to check-in, while generating accurate, real-time reporting and compliance tracking for the enterprise. We’re constantly working to bridge that gap between traveler experience and admin efficiency in a scalable, intuitive way.”

What are some of the innovative projects that you’re working on?

“While I’m still expanding my technical skills in QA, I’m proud to contribute to projects that are helping reshape how travel is managed and experienced. A big part of this innovation lies in the various airline, hotel, or third-party tool integrations we’re developing, allowing Spotnana to offer a more seamless and personalized travel experience.

“From a QA perspective, we help ensure these integrations function smoothly within the platform. We test end-to-end workflows and validate that features behave as expected across different environments. Whether it’s a new airline API or a revamped exchange/edit flow, our work directly impacts how reliable and user-friendly these solutions are for travelers and agents alike. It’s exciting to be part of a team that’s helping push the boundaries of what travel tech can do.”

Why is travel important to you?

“Travel is more than just movement from one city to another. Like we say at Spotnana, travel is a human emotion. Even in the corporate world, travel carries personal meaning. As a working professional who’s passionate about what I do, I believe every work trip should be seamless and stress-free.

“A smooth, well-planned journey allows us to focus on what truly matters: our goals, our work, and the experiences along the way. Helping create that perfect travel experience is what makes this industry so meaningful to me.”

Bhumika Rawat (front row, middle) with Spotters at Converge 2024 in Dubai

What is your favorite thing about working at Spotnana?

“Every day at Spotnana brings something new, whether it’s a challenge to overcome or a chance to learn. Right now, the most exciting part of my journey is diving into QA and gaining hands-on technical skills.

“Our new team has been incredibly supportive, and it’s been eye-opening to see how critical QA is to the overall success of the product. It’s a steep learning curve, but I’m truly grateful for the opportunity and the growth it brings.”

Fun Facts!

• What’s the best trip you ever took and why? We took a family trip to South Africa for our daughter’s 2nd birthday. We were incredibly lucky to witness the Big Five during our safaris in Kruger National Park. We also visited penguin colonies at Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town. It was awe-inspiring to see animals roaming freely in their natural habitat. We felt incredibly grateful for the opportunity to experience such a naturally vibrant and stunning country as a family.
• What’s your favorite thing to do at the airport?  I love finding a quiet corner at the airport where I can simply sit and observe. Watching people from all walks of life, whether they’re arriving, departing, reuniting, or saying goodbye, is a reminder of how travel connects us all.
• What’s your favorite airplane snack? When I was a crew member, we used to always get goody bags from each airport station. My then-favorite snack was assorted candies we used to get for the crew. Nothing has topped them.
• Aisle, middle, or window seat? I’ve always loved the window seat just behind the engines, which allows for a perfect view of the wing.
• What’s your go-to movie or show to watch on a trip? My favorite shows are Big Bang Theory and Modern Family. My favorite movies are from the superhero genre. The last one I watched was Black Adam on our Air India flight from Delhi to Bagdogra.
• What’s the top destination on your bucket list? We want to experience Japan and South Korea.