Self booking: what it is and how it works in corporate travel

Request a ticket by email, wait for a quote, wait for approval in another email and hope the fare has not changed. In many companies, booking a business trip still works like this. Self booking ends this back-and-forth: employees book flights, hotels and cars themselves on an online platform, always within the company rules.

In this article, we explain what self booking is, how it works, what the benefits are and what to evaluate before implementing it.

What self booking is

Self booking is an online tool in which the traveler, or the person in charge of travel arrangements, makes bookings on their own. In the market it is also called an OBT, short for Online Booking Tool.

The difference from a regular travel website is that the corporate platform comes already configured with the company travel policy, approval workflows, negotiated rates and billing details. Employees gain autonomy, and the company keeps control.

How it works in practice

1. Search: the employee enters origin, destination and dates and sees flight, hotel, car and bus options on a single screen.
2. Choice within the policy: the system highlights the allowed options and flags those outside the rules, such as a fare above the limit or a hotel above the approved rate.
3. Justification, when needed: if the traveler chooses an option outside the policy, they state the reason.
4. Approval: the request goes automatically to the manager, who approves or rejects it on a computer or phone.
5. Ticketing: once approved, the booking is issued and the traveler receives vouchers and tickets.
6. Reports: every booking feeds the spending reports by cost center, requester and supplier.

Benefits of self booking

For the company

• Policy applied to every booking: the rules live in the system, not in a forgotten document.
• Approval before spending: the manager decides while seeing the real cost and the cheaper alternatives.
• Full visibility: all spending in one place, with ready-made reports.
• Savings: earlier purchases, negotiated rates and fewer off-policy bookings.
• Integration: data that can be integrated with the company’s ERP and finance systems.

For the traveler

• Speed: bookings in minutes, without email exchanges.
• Autonomy: choice of times and hotels among the allowed options.
• Everything on the phone: bookings, approvals and travel documents available anywhere.

Does self booking replace the travel agency?

No. The tool handles simple, recurring trips well, but complex trips, changes, flight cancellations, groups, events and emergencies still require experienced people. The best model combines both: technology for day-to-day travel and consultants who know your company for everything outside the routine.

In addition, it is the agency that negotiates rates, configures the policy on the platform, tracks credits from cancelled tickets and delivers management reports. Learn more about what a corporate travel agency does.

What to evaluate before implementing

• Ease of use: if the tool is complicated, employees go back to booking elsewhere.
• Content: available airlines, hotels, car rental companies and buses, domestic and international.
• Policy configuration: limits by position, destination and type of service.
• Approval workflows: by cost center, with more than one level when needed.
• Mobile app: bookings and approvals on the phone.
• Reports: which reports are available and whether they can be customized.
• Support: who helps when something goes wrong, at what times and through which channels.

How to implement self booking in 5 steps

1. Review the travel policy. It will be the basis of the configuration. If you do not have one yet, see how to create a corporate travel policy.
2. Register travelers, approvers and cost centers.
3. Configure rules and approval workflows together with the agency.
4. Train users and start with a pilot department.
5. Monitor the reports in the first months and adjust as needed.

Self booking with ArrowTur

With Arrow Corporate technology, your employees book flights, hotels, cars and buses on a single platform, on a computer or phone, always within the policy. Approvals follow your company workflow, reports show spending by cost center, requester, supplier and savings achieved, and our consultants follow every trip, with service Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and emergency support at night, on weekends and on holidays.

Want to try it? Registration is free and with no commitment: learn about our corporate travel management and register your company, or call our sales team at +55 11 5189-4120.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between self booking and an OBT?

None. OBT (Online Booking Tool) is the technical name for the online booking tool; self booking is the term most used in Brazil for the same kind of platform.

Can small companies use self booking?

Yes. Even with few trips per month, the tool organizes approvals, enforces the policy and concentrates spending in one place.

Can the traveler choose any flight or hotel?

They can choose among the available options, but the system flags what is outside the policy and, depending on the configuration, requires a justification or special approval.