The Business Travel Awards Europe 2026 celebrated excellence in corporate travel at a gala dinner in London on 30 September, honouring companies, teams and individuals across 25 closely contested categories.
Organised by the BTN Group and hosted by impressionist, comedian and broadcaster Jon Culshaw, the event brought nearly 800 attendees to the JW Marriott Grosvenor House to celebrate the winners.
This year’s programme introduced several categories focused on innovation as buyers and suppliers respond to rapid shifts in technology and geopolitics, as well as a volatile trade and regulatory environment.
The strength and volume of entries this year also prompted an evolution of the awards format, according to BTN Group executive director of conference content and strategy Jen Bankard, who manages the awards process. Categories now recognise outstanding achievements with gold, silver and bronze distinctions, replacing the previous format of a single winner and occasional highly commended entries, she said.
Artificial Intelligence Innovation was one of three new award categories this year. PredictX impressed judges with its use of agentic AI to help travel teams interrogate complex data, model scenarios and identify opportunities through natural-language interaction. The company, which won last year’s Technology Innovation – Data & Reporting award, took gold in a highly competitive field of nine finalists. Acai Travel and Oversee received silver and bronze, respectively.
Elsewhere, VisaDoc won gold in the new Partnership in Cross-Border Services category for combining AI-powered, activity-based visa assessments with human expertise. Fragomen Nomadic and CIBT received silver and bronze, respectively.
The Partnership in Payment or Expense award was also introduced this year, with Rydoo taking gold for its AI-powered ‘Smart Audit’ capabilities. Hubli and Perk received silver and bronze, respectively.
Sustainability-focused recognition returned to the awards in a new form with the Business Travel Achievement in Sustainability Innovation category. Squake impressed judges by moving sustainability beyond retrospective reporting and embedding emissions intelligence into day-to-day travel programme decisions. DGI received silver.
In two of the most coveted categories, Jacquie Peebles, head of travel services at SSE, was named Travel Buyer of the Year for a data-led approach that delivered £13 million in savings. Wood & Direct Travel was named European Travel Team of the Year after an emergency 48-hour mobilisation in the Middle East developed into a global transition spanning 32 countries in just 66 days.
Inntel, Gray Dawes Travel and FCM Travel each took gold in the large, medium and small TMC Partner of the Year categories, respectively. The wins marked a third consecutive victory for both Inntel and Gray Dawes.
International SOS won gold in the Duty of Care Provider category, while judges praised AirLegit in the Technology Innovation – Traveller Experience category for providing step-by-step, real-time guidance during travel disruption.
Organisations of all sizes from across Europe submitted entries, each of which was rigorously assessed by an independent panel of 32 experienced travel managers and consultants.
For the full list of winners, categories and judges’ remarks, visit the Business Travel Awards Europe 2026 Winners page.