A few weeks before it’s scheduled to take off, Travel Labs has 20 companies and 300 individuals booked to participate in a pilot project that will give the Minneapolis startup valuable insight into its app, Tempore, CEO and co-founder Parker Schlank said.
In all, about 1,000 business travelers, so far, will test the app that uses artificial intelligence to make travel arrangements based on user preferences and travel history. The program isn’t full, yet, Schlank said. The beta phase is expected to run during the first half of 2019, and Travel Labs is still accepting more testers.
The company closed on $500,000 in funding in November that it will put toward further product and business development. Shortly after, Minne Inno named it one of 11 travel and hospitality startups to watch in 11 cities.
Tempore is designed to alleviate “business travel friction” Schlank took note of while working with Travel Leaders, a travel agency. He heard lots of feedback from travelers who think the tools out there for booking corporate travel lack user-friendliness. Business travelers who don’t have the luxury of an executive assistant to take care of travel arrangements want a one-click solution.
They also rely heavily on their calendars to track meetings and other appointments. Instead of leaving their calendar to book travel, Tempore integrates with their system.
“We detect where you need to go, how you want to get there,” Schlank said. The arrangements show up as a tentative plan awaiting the traveler’s approval. “If you like it, you book it. If you don’t, you can edit it on the fly.”
How the traveler travels is based on the user profile. Everyone’s preferences are different, but when it comes to frequent corporate travel, many people want to stick to a routine that ensures they make their meeting, stay well-rested, and avoid as many surprises as possible. Tempore takes those habits and tastes into account as it selects flights, books hotel rooms and reserves a rental car.
It also can account for corporate travel policies, helping companies stay on top of their expenses by setting restrictions where they choose.
For now, using Tempore is free. Travel Labs makes money like any other travel agency: Commissions paid by the airlines, hotels, and other companies travelers use along the way. Later, the company plans to introduce extra features that will cost a fee.
“We feel like we’re onto something really special,” Schlank said. What’s left is a patient, in-depth testing phase. “User feedback is very important. … Ultimately the goal is to build a product that users love. We’re open to hearing what people feel about how we’re positioning the product and what we’re doing to reimagine the traditional constructs of business travel.”
