TourMaG – How is business travel faring today in the current geopolitical context?
Maxime Pialat : Business travel is doing quite well. It is probably the most resilient segment of the travel industry. We are seeing a slight dip in demand, but it remains very limited.
On the other hand, in this climate of uncertainty, some companies are tending to tighten their budgets a bit. Despite that, the market remains broadly solid and we all hope for a return to greater stability in the coming months.
TourMaG – Supertripper nevertheless continues to show strong growth?
Maxime Pialat : Yes, we are fortunate to operate in a very positive dynamic. For several years now, we have been growing at about 40% per year and we maintain this pace.
At a constant scope, we may observe a slight slowdown on the order of 5 to 6%, but acquiring new clients allows us to keep a growth rate between 30 and 40%. Our objective remains to reach 40% this year.
Maxime Pialat : Business travel is doing quite well. It is probably the most resilient segment of the travel industry. We are seeing a slight dip in demand, but it remains very limited.
On the other hand, in this climate of uncertainty, some companies are tending to tighten their budgets a bit. Despite that, the market remains broadly solid and we all hope for a return to greater stability in the coming months.
TourMaG – Supertripper nevertheless continues to show strong growth?
Maxime Pialat : Yes, we are fortunate to operate in a very positive dynamic. For several years now, we have been growing at about 40% per year and we maintain this pace.
At a constant scope, we may observe a slight slowdown on the order of 5 to 6%, but acquiring new clients allows us to keep a growth rate between 30 and 40%. Our objective remains to reach 40% this year.
“Our ambition is to combine technology and service”
TourMaG – You are a French company with French technology; in this context, does technological sovereignty become a business argument?
Maxime Pialat : Sovereignty is a fundamental topic. Today it has become rare to respond to a tender without being asked about sovereignty questions. At Supertripper, we have a real advantage since we are the only French business travel agency that controls the entire value chain, from technological design to distribution.
We develop our platform in-house at our Paris offices and we also operate all associated services. Developers, travel agents, and support teams work together within the same organization.
TourMaG – Your image remains very technology-oriented. What role does technological development play within the company?
Maxime Pialat : We are indeed a highly digital company, even though our ambition is to combine technology and service. We position ourselves as an actor that will offer both to businesses, with an efficient technology featuring numerous direct connections, homegrown tools for both our travel agents and our clients on the SBT side, and at the same time a service side with travel agents who are all experts in their field and who typically have 15 to 20 years of experience.
Concretely, about one third of our staff works on product and development. Another third is devoted to customer service and to assisting the companies. The final third covers support and administrative functions.
Maxime Pialat : Sovereignty is a fundamental topic. Today it has become rare to respond to a tender without being asked about sovereignty questions. At Supertripper, we have a real advantage since we are the only French business travel agency that controls the entire value chain, from technological design to distribution.
We develop our platform in-house at our Paris offices and we also operate all associated services. Developers, travel agents, and support teams work together within the same organization.
TourMaG – Your image remains very technology-oriented. What role does technological development play within the company?
Maxime Pialat : We are indeed a highly digital company, even though our ambition is to combine technology and service. We position ourselves as an actor that will offer both to businesses, with an efficient technology featuring numerous direct connections, homegrown tools for both our travel agents and our clients on the SBT side, and at the same time a service side with travel agents who are all experts in their field and who typically have 15 to 20 years of experience.
Concretely, about one third of our staff works on product and development. Another third is devoted to customer service and to assisting the companies. The final third covers support and administrative functions.
AI: “Our objective is to bring added value to genuinely enhance the user experience”
TourMaG – Artificial intelligence is omnipresent. What is your approach?
Maxime Pialat : We take the issue of AI very seriously. But we also see a lot of “AI washing”. There are many announcements around AI in travel, but some refer to capabilities that aren’t truly AI and don’t necessarily add value to the user experience.
At Supertripper, we have an AI roadmap. Our goal is to deliver added value to genuinely improve the user experience. This can be done directly in the product through new features, or by strengthening the efficiency of our teams: travel agents and support.
We already use AI to help our travel agents analyze client requests and process files more quickly. The idea is to transform our experts into “super experts”.
TourMaG – Since your integration into the Marietton group, what has changed?
Maxime Pialat : Marietton is a group that represents more than 2 billion euros in activity and more than 1,600 employees. In addition, the strength of the GIE ASHA, which negotiates suppliers for 6 billion euros per year, adds to that.
For us, this brings buying power on the financial side and on the negotiation side, which will ultimately allow our clients to benefit from the best prices on all services.
However, in the day-to-day management of Supertripper, product strategy or management, nothing changes. The objective is precisely to preserve our agility while benefiting from the group’s power.
Maxime Pialat : We take the issue of AI very seriously. But we also see a lot of “AI washing”. There are many announcements around AI in travel, but some refer to capabilities that aren’t truly AI and don’t necessarily add value to the user experience.
At Supertripper, we have an AI roadmap. Our goal is to deliver added value to genuinely improve the user experience. This can be done directly in the product through new features, or by strengthening the efficiency of our teams: travel agents and support.
We already use AI to help our travel agents analyze client requests and process files more quickly. The idea is to transform our experts into “super experts”.
TourMaG – Since your integration into the Marietton group, what has changed?
Maxime Pialat : Marietton is a group that represents more than 2 billion euros in activity and more than 1,600 employees. In addition, the strength of the GIE ASHA, which negotiates suppliers for 6 billion euros per year, adds to that.
For us, this brings buying power on the financial side and on the negotiation side, which will ultimately allow our clients to benefit from the best prices on all services.
However, in the day-to-day management of Supertripper, product strategy or management, nothing changes. The objective is precisely to preserve our agility while benefiting from the group’s power.
“We are exploring several acquisition opportunities to become a European player”
TourMaG – So you can truly stay agile within a large group?
Maxime Pialat : Yes, it all depends on the management’s vision. We are fortunate to have joined a group that wants to let the companies it acquires continue their trajectory. Our road map remains the same. Supertripper’s growth trajectory continues unabated.
Marietton Développement will come in to provide more support as an accelerator. The vision does not change; it accelerates.
TourMaG – Exactly, how will you accelerate? Do you seek growth in other markets?
Maxime Pialat : The priority remains to continue our growth in France to become the largest French agency specialized in business travel. In parallel, we are studying several acquisition opportunities that could accelerate our development and make us a European player in the coming years. This is a true objective.
We are actively looking at possibilities that could enable us to establish ourselves in other markets.
Maxime Pialat : Yes, it all depends on the management’s vision. We are fortunate to have joined a group that wants to let the companies it acquires continue their trajectory. Our road map remains the same. Supertripper’s growth trajectory continues unabated.
Marietton Développement will come in to provide more support as an accelerator. The vision does not change; it accelerates.
TourMaG – Exactly, how will you accelerate? Do you seek growth in other markets?
Maxime Pialat : The priority remains to continue our growth in France to become the largest French agency specialized in business travel. In parallel, we are studying several acquisition opportunities that could accelerate our development and make us a European player in the coming years. This is a true objective.
We are actively looking at possibilities that could enable us to establish ourselves in other markets.
Supertripper: clients ranging from SMEs to large accounts including ETIs
TourMaG – So Supertripper would be ready to conduct acquisitions?
Maxime Pialat : We are looking to leverage our technology and to develop the brand so that we can have the same impact as we do in France on other markets in Europe.
TourMaG – Is it easier to enter a market by acquiring an existing player rather than starting from scratch?
Maxime Pialat : There are all sorts of viewpoints. To establish in a new country, I think it is easier to succeed with the support of local expertise, with collaborators who know the market, and with an existing client base. That greatly facilitates entry and reduces the time needed to understand the market.
TourMaG – What is your client profile today?
Maxime Pialat : We work with a very diverse clientele, ranging from SMEs to large accounts, including ETIs. We are currently seeing strong growth in the ETI and large-account segments. We complete numerous client acquisitions in this area. Today, we consider that we are capable of supporting and serving any type of company, regardless of its size.
Maxime Pialat : We are looking to leverage our technology and to develop the brand so that we can have the same impact as we do in France on other markets in Europe.
TourMaG – Is it easier to enter a market by acquiring an existing player rather than starting from scratch?
Maxime Pialat : There are all sorts of viewpoints. To establish in a new country, I think it is easier to succeed with the support of local expertise, with collaborators who know the market, and with an existing client base. That greatly facilitates entry and reduces the time needed to understand the market.
TourMaG – What is your client profile today?
Maxime Pialat : We work with a very diverse clientele, ranging from SMEs to large accounts, including ETIs. We are currently seeing strong growth in the ETI and large-account segments. We complete numerous client acquisitions in this area. Today, we consider that we are capable of supporting and serving any type of company, regardless of its size.
