Why Spotnana is more than an OBT

When evaluating travel technology solutions to power their corporate travel programs, many companies focus primarily on the online booking tool (OBT), which is the visible interface where travelers book trips.

It’s the infrastructure powering your OBT, however, that determines everything from the content you can access to how efficiently travel agents can resolve issues. Infrastructure dictates whether travelers can make self-service changes or must call for help. It shapes how fast your TMC can innovate, how quickly you can deploy, and how easy it is to integrate with your other systems.

Spotnana has taken a fundamentally different approach to travel technology. We’ve built entirely new travel infrastructure from the ground up, and we deliver this as a comprehensive Travel-as-a-Service platform where the OBT is just one component of a much deeper, modern technology stack.

Here’s why Spotnana is much more than just an OBT.

Traditional OBTs: A digital layer on legacy infrastructure

The first online booking tools emerged in the mid-1990s to make Global Distribution System (GDS) content accessible via the internet. While groundbreaking at the time, this approach has created limitations that persist today.

GDS dependency. Traditional OBTs rely heavily on GDS infrastructure for content, bookings, profiles, analytics, and data storage. In addition, TMCs have relied on GDSs for servicing technology. This means both corporations and TMCs are limited to the content sources and capabilities available through the GDS.

PNR-based data management. Most booking data is stored in text-based Passenger Name Records (PNRs), a format that requires scripting tools capable of reading and writing unstructured text to automate workflows. PNRs are due to be phased out as airlines transition to new Offer / Order Systems over the next few years, which will force TMCs and OBTs to make significant investments in their technology and operations.

Fragmented systems. Traditional travel management companies (TMCs) operate separate tech stacks for online and offline channels. This creates silos where travelers and agents see different content and work with different tools. Servicing becomes more complex and is slower as a result. Changes to administrative features such as policies, preferred suppliers, and custom fields also require submitting a ticket to a TMC, so agent-facing systems can be updated.

Slow innovation. Innovation is costly and time-consuming because every change requires working around legacy constraints. Adding new content sources requires building new scripts to automate workflows built around text-based PNRs. Each enhancement demands extensive testing across more than a dozen fragile, interconnected systems.

Spotnana’s Travel-as-a-Service platform: Modern infrastructure built from the ground up

Spotnana built an entirely new technology stack using cloud-native architecture, microservices, and open APIs. Our Travel-as-a-Service platform includes seven core components that work together seamlessly:

Online Booking Tool. A consumer-grade user experience on desktop and mobile that provides travelers with personalized shopping, advanced self-service capabilities, and access to comprehensive global content.

TMC Automation. Travel agents work on the same platform as travelers, with access to the same information, including content, profiles, policies, and negotiated rates. This enables rapid issue resolution and personalized service. TMCs also benefit from a suite of tools for configuring content sources, itineraries, and invoices, loading rate codes, managing agents and agent workflows, communicating with travelers, and more.

Booking Engine. Microservices automate complex workflows like self-service exchanges, split payments, and unused credit redemption. These are tasks that often require manual agent intervention on traditional platforms. Spotnana’s advanced workflows are easy to configure and modify, and they provide an essential foundation for AI-driven automation.

System of Record. An extensible database manages travel profiles, policies, orders, negotiated rates, and analytics. Our data model does not rely on PNRs, is purpose-built for modern travel workflows, and supports real-time global reporting. Data is structured, normalized, and accessible. Spotnana is also already able to support Offers and Orders, enabling our customers and partners to avoid a painful transition down the road.

Content Engine. This component aggregates, normalizes, and deduplicates content from any source, including GDS, NDC, low-cost carriers, online travel agencies, direct connections, and more. Travelers see a consistent presentation of travel options through a unified shopping experience regardless of where content originates.

Integrations. Spotnana offers a growing number of pre-built integrations with expense platforms, HR systems, payment providers, duty of care tools, and other applications. Our customers and partners can also build custom integrations to their preferred systems.

APIs. Our open, API-first architecture makes it easy to build deep integrations, develop custom experiences, and white-label Spotnana’s travel platform.

The advantages of modern infrastructure

Our comprehensive, integrated approach delivers benefits that traditional OBTs can’t match.

Rapid innovation

Spotnana uses databases and microservices that can be developed in parallel and easily adapted for different suppliers. This enables us to integrate more content sources, automate more workflows, and innovate significantly faster.

Superior self-service

Our microservices-based Booking Engine automates complex scenarios that force travelers on legacy platforms to call agents. We support self-service changes to dates, cities, seats, rooms, cars, loyalty numbers, and more. Spotnana handles the vast majority of exchange scenarios on a self-service basis, freeing travelers from phone queues while allowing agents to focus on solving complex travel issues.

Unified traveler and agent experience

Unlike traditional OBTs where online and offline bookings sit in separate silos, Spotnana provides a single platform for both. Agents can service any traveler from any location and have instant access to all relevant data. Changes to policies or configurations take effect immediately for everyone. There is no synchronization delay, no data discrepancy, and no waiting for manual work from your TMC.

Comprehensive content access

Our Content Engine integrates any source of travel content. We offer the deepest direct NDC integrations in the industry and support the entire traveler journey including booking, ancillary purchases, loyalty entitlements, custom bundles, self-service changes, unused ticket management, real-time reporting, and agent servicing. Travelers see more travel options, experience a richer shopping experience, and receive seamless global support, all of which helps our customers increase compliance, reduce leakage, and maximize savings.

Cost savings

Spotnana reduces agent touches that result in higher servicing fees, offers extensive access to discounts through our direct integrations, increases redemption of unused ticket credits and MCOs, and enables our customers to benefit from savings associated with NDC bookings including continuous pricing and avoidance of EDIFACT surcharges.

Elimination of mid-office complexity

Traditional platforms require separate mid-office tools that use scripting to store data in PNR comments. This creates additional points of failure and requires specialized expertise to maintain. Spotnana’s Booking Engine and System of Record eliminate the need for a separate mid-office system entirely.

Global deployment

Spotnana runs as a single global instance. Companies can manage travelers worldwide through one platform with centralized policy controls, real-time analytics, and consistent experiences. There is no need to deploy or maintain multiple systems across different regions.

Future-proof architecture

Our platform supports IATA’s vision for modern airline retailing through the Offer, Order, Settle, and Deliver (OOSD) framework. We are built to support NDC, One Order (which will replace PNRs with unified orders), and the ongoing evolution of travel technology. A growing number of travel providers see Spotnana as an important innovation partner. As the industry modernizes, Spotnana customers will be among the first to experience a wide range of benefits.

Why modern infrastructure matters

When you choose a travel technology partner, you are selecting more than the interface you and your travelers can see. You’re choosing the infrastructure that will determine your travel program’s capabilities for years to come.

OBTs built on legacy infrastructure will always be constrained by the limitations of the decades-old technology that lies below the surface. Spotnana’s Travel-as-a-Service platform is built on new, modern infrastructure. We are fundamentally reimagining how travel technology should work in a world built around AI, cloud computing, and open APIs.

Building a comprehensive, new tech stack for travel enables us to deliver superior experiences, access more content, automate more workflows, and innovate faster than platforms constrained by legacy technology. These benefits compound over time as we continue to enhance our travel platform without fighting against architectural limitations and decades of technical debt.

The infrastructure powering your OBT matters far more than the interface itself. Interfaces can evolve quickly when the underlying architecture is flexible, open, and designed for rapid innovation.

Want to see how Spotnana’s modern infrastructure can transform your corporate travel program? Request a demo today.