Direct Hotel-to-TMC Connections in 2026: Hilton & Navan

Why hotel chains are abandoning GDS in favor of direct channels

In January 2025, Hilton announced the launch of a direct API connection to the Navan platform, bypassing traditional global distribution systems (GDS). The deal covered more than 7,400 hotels across 123 countries and allowed Navan's corporate clients to access expanded room inventory without GDS commissions. According to Skift Research, the average cost of booking through GDS for hotels is 8-12% of the room rate, while direct connection to a TMC platform reduces this figure to 2-4%.

Hotel chains lose margin on every booking that passes through intermediaries. Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport charge transaction fees from both hotels (for listing and booking) and agencies (for system access). Direct connection of hotels to corporate booking platforms eliminates this double commission and returns control over pricing and room availability to hotels.

For travel managers, this means access to corporate rates that were previously available only by calling the chain's sales department. Navan reported that after integration with Hilton, the average booking price for corporate clients decreased by 7%, while availability of rooms in the "corporate rate" category increased by 23%.

How direct API connection between hotel and TMC works

Direct connection technology relies on RESTful APIs that exchange data in real time. The hotel publishes inventory, prices, and booking rules through its own API endpoint. The TMC platform (such as Navan, TripActions, or SAP Concur) integrates this endpoint into its offer aggregator.

The process looks like this:

A company employee enters dates and city in the TMC interface.
The platform sends a request simultaneously to GDS and to the APIs of hotels with direct connections.
The hotel API returns current prices, availability, and metadata (photos, amenities, cancellation policies).
The TMC displays all options in a unified interface, marking direct offers with a separate badge (for example, "Direct Rate" or "Best Price Guaranteed").
When booking, the platform sends confirmation directly to the hotel management system (PMS), bypassing GDS.

Important point: direct connection does not eliminate GDS completely. Most TMCs maintain access to GDS for hotels that have not yet implemented APIs and for backup scenarios (for example, if the hotel API is unavailable). However, priority is given to direct channels due to lower costs and better terms.

Economics of direct connection: who wins and by how much

According to Phocuswright estimates published in an October 2024 report, the global corporate hotel booking market through GDS is approximately 47 billion dollars per year. Of this amount, approximately 4.2 billion dollars goes to GDS commissions. If 30% of volume shifts to direct channels by 2027, hotel chains will save more than 1.2 billion dollars annually.

For corporate clients, the benefit manifests in three dimensions:

Price reduction. Hotels are willing to share part of the saved commission with the end buyer. Hilton, for example, offers an additional 5% discount on corporate rates when booking through direct connection to Navan.

Expanded inventory. GDS often receive a limited pool of rooms, especially during high-demand periods. Direct API provides access to the entire inventory, including room categories that the hotel reserves for its own website.

Flexible cancellation terms. Hotels can offer individual cancellation rules for large corporate clients, bypassing standardized GDS policies.

Example: a Russian IT company with offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg books about 120 hotel nights monthly. Switching to a corporate travel management platform with support for direct connections to hotel chains reduced the average check by 9% and cut booking approval time from 48 to 12 hours thanks to automatic application of corporate rates.

Which hotel chains have already connected directly to TMCs

In addition to Hilton, direct connections to TMC platforms have been implemented by:

Marriott International integrated with SAP Concur and TripActions in 2023. According to the company, by the end of 2024, 18% of corporate bookings went through direct channels.
IHG Hotels & Resorts launched an API for corporate platforms in February 2024, covering Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and InterContinental chains.
Accor announced a partnership with Amadeus Cytric and Egencia in March 2024, providing direct access to more than 5,300 hotels.

Independent hotels and regional chains are still lagging behind. API implementation requires investment in technological infrastructure: integration with PMS, staff training, support for data exchange standards (such as OpenTravel Alliance). For a 150-room hotel, implementation costs range from 15,000 to 40,000 dollars, which pays off only with a stable flow of corporate bookings.

In Russia, direct connection of hotels to corporate booking platforms has not yet become widespread due to market fragmentation and the low share of large international chains after 2022. However, local chains (such as Azimut Hotels) are beginning to experiment with API integrations for the largest Russian TMCs.

What changes for travel managers: practical steps

If your company books more than 50 hotel nights monthly, it's worth reconsidering your accommodation supplier strategy.

Step 1: Audit current booking channels. Request a report from your TMC on the distribution of bookings by channel (GDS, direct connections, aggregators). If more than 80% goes through GDS, you are overpaying.

Step 2: Compile a list of priority hotel chains. Analyze which chains your employees use most often. If Hilton, Marriott, or IHG are in the top 5, check with your TMC whether the platform supports direct connection to these chains.

Step 3: Revise corporate agreements. Many companies enter into contracts with hotel chains for fixed rates. Direct connection allows automatic application of these rates without manual code entry or calls to the sales department.

Step 4: Demand price transparency. Some TMCs receive commission from hotels even with direct connection. Make sure your contract with the TMC includes a clause on passing all discounts to the end client (your company) rather than retaining them as hidden margin.

Step 5: Test new platforms. If your current TMC does not support direct connections, consider migrating to more modern solutions. The switching process takes 4 to 8 weeks, including integration with accounting systems and employee training.

Risks and limitations of direct connections

Direct connection of hotels to TMCs solves the problem of high commissions but creates new challenges.

Data fragmentation. Each hotel or chain uses its own API format. TMCs have to support dozens of integrations, which increases technical debt and risk of failures. Standardization (for example, through OpenTravel Alliance or OTA_HotelResNotifRQ) has not yet become universal.

Limited content depth. GDS provide unified metadata: photos, amenity descriptions, reviews. Hotel APIs may return a minimal data set, which makes it difficult to compare offers. Travel managers complain about incomplete information when choosing a room.

Dependence on hotel technological stability. If the hotel API is unavailable (for example, due to server maintenance), the TMC switches to GDS. However, prices and availability in GDS may differ from the direct channel, creating confusion for employees.

Reporting complexity. Bookings through different channels end up in different accounting systems. If some bookings go through GDS and some through API, the travel manager has to consolidate data manually. Modern TMCs solve this problem through a unified reporting dashboard, but not all platforms provide this functionality.

What awaits the market by the end of 2026

Deloitte analysts in the study "Travel & Hospitality Industry Outlook 2025" predict that by the end of 2026, the share of direct connections in corporate hotel booking will reach 40% in North America and 25% in Europe. In the Asia-Pacific region, growth will be slower due to the dominance of local GDS and market fragmentation.

GDS will not disappear but will change their business model. Amadeus has already launched the Amadeus Hospitality Platform program, which allows hotels to publish expanded content and dynamic rates directly in the system, reducing commissions. Sabre is testing a subscription model for hotels instead of booking commission.

For travel managers, the main takeaway: a hybrid model (GDS + direct connections) will become standard. Platforms that can aggregate both channels and show the best offer in real time will gain a competitive advantage. Companies that continue to rely only on GDS will overpay 8-12% on every booking.

FAQ

What is direct connection of hotels to TMC platforms?

Direct connection is an API integration between a hotel management system (PMS) and a corporate booking platform (TMC), bypassing global distribution systems (GDS). The hotel transmits prices, room availability, and booking conditions directly to the TMC, which reduces commissions from 8-12% to 2-4% and provides access to expanded inventory.

Which hotel chains have already connected directly to TMCs?

Hilton integrated with Navan in January 2025, Marriott has been working with SAP Concur and TripActions since 2023, IHG launched an API in February 2024, Accor connected to Amadeus Cytric and Egencia in March 2024. Independent hotels and regional chains are implementing direct connections more slowly due to high costs of technological integration.

What savings does direct connection provide for corporate clients?

According to Navan, after integration with Hilton, the average booking price decreased by 7%, and availability of corporate rates increased by 23%. Hotels share part of the saved GDS commission with end clients, offering additional discounts of up to 5% and more flexible cancellation terms.

What risks are associated with direct connection of hotels?

Main risks: data fragmentation (each hotel uses its own API format), limited content depth (fewer photos and descriptions compared to GDS), dependence on hotel technological stability (if API is unavailable, TMC switches to GDS with different prices), and complexity of consolidating reports from different channels.

How can a travel manager start using direct hotel connections?

Request a report from your TMC on the distribution of bookings by channel, compile a list of priority hotel chains (Hilton, Marriott, IHG), verify support for direct connections, revise corporate agreements for automatic rate application, and demand price transparency in the contract with the TMC so that all discounts are passed to your company.