Industry’s Voice: Feedback-Driven Change in Federal/DoW Travel

Moderator: Mr. Roger Hale, President & CEO, ADTRAV Travel Management

Panelists:

• Mr. Christopher McLaughlin, Senior Director, Global Sales, Choice Hotels International
• Mr. Michael DeRosa, Senior Director, Government Sales, Hertz
• Ms. Marlene Gray, Director, Government Services, Omega World Travel
• Mr. Justin Schiffner, Senior Manager, Military and Federal Government, Southwest Airlines

Summary

The GovTravels 2026 panel, Industry’s Voice: Feedback-Driven Change in Federal DoD Travel, explores how industry partners are using traveler feedback to shape service delivery, technology investments, and policy evolution across government travel programs. Moderated by Roger Hale, President and CEO of ADTRAV Travel Management, the discussion features representatives from airlines, lodging, rental car, and travel management sectors.

A central theme is the increasing importance of structured and unstructured feedback in driving operational improvements. Industry leaders emphasize the use of tools such as Net Promoter Score (NPS), advanced survey platforms, and AI-powered sentiment analysis to better understand traveler experiences. Beyond traditional surveys, organizations are leveraging social media monitoring, real-time engagement tools, and customer advisory groups to capture a more complete view of traveler needs.

Panelists highlight that collecting feedback is only valuable if it leads to actionable change. Examples include airline seating policy adjustments, rental car operational improvements to reduce wait times, and proactive customer service interventions using AI. These changes demonstrate how data-driven insights are directly influencing business decisions and enhancing traveler experience.

However, a significant gap remains in capturing feedback from federal travelers compared to the commercial sector. Limitations in data sharing, such as restricted access to passenger information, reduce opportunities for engagement and service optimization. Panelists call for increased collaboration between government agencies, travel management companies, and suppliers to improve data flow and feedback mechanisms.

The discussion also underscores the importance of traveler participation. Complete profiles, survey responses, and engagement with travel programs are critical to improving outcomes. Additionally, travel administrators are identified as an underutilized source of insight, offering a broader view of systemic issues affecting travelers.

Ultimately, the panel reinforces that the future of government travel will be shaped by stronger feedback loops, better data integration, and continued collaboration between industry and government stakeholders.