Gen Z is reshaping business travel, but not in the way many brands expect. According to a recent report by Skift, these young professionals are taking multiple business trips a year, and their annual trip volume is on track to double by 2030, when the entire generation reaches working age.

Yet the experience of booking and managing those trips often falls short. The infrastructure they encounter was built for a different cohort, and Gen Z struggles with opaque policy guidelines, imperfect automation, and disconnected paths to purchase.

Once in the air or at the destination, business trips are usually a positive experience. The anxiety creeps in earlier, during planning and booking, when systems and policies feel unclear or unhelpful.

Surprisingly, AI is not the silver bullet it might appear to be. Gen Z is more skeptical of AI than millennials and, despite feeling anxious about planning, they do not want decisions to be automated on their behalf.

What they want instead is assistance in the form of guidance, control, and clarity in the decision-making process. They are not asking for more technology; they are asking for better support.

For travel brands, this is a clear signal. The future of business travel will be shaped by a generation that values transparency and human-like reassurance over flashy automation.

As Gen Z continues to enter the workforce and travel more frequently, companies that adapt their booking systems and policies to offer clarity and guidance will stand out. Those that rely solely on automation may find themselves losing the trust of their youngest travelers.

The message is simple: Gen Z business travelers are anxious, and brands aren’t helping. But they can, by focusing on what really matters — clarity, guidance, and a little reassurance along the way.