About Us

Our Story

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Decades of Expertise, a Future of Innovation

We are Direct Travel: A leading travel management company focused on delivering exceptional, groundbreaking solutions to every client and traveler. With a long history of proven market expertise, we blend advanced technology, superior service, and expert insights to drive tangible value and significant cost savings for our clients. Experience the Direct Difference, where consultative care meets consistent delivery.

largest in North America
# 20
clients worldwide
2000 +
team members
500 +
client retention
10 %

Our Team's Promise

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Client-Centered Vision

Every company has unique needs. Getting to know each client enables us to pinpoint gaps and provide actionable solutions.

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Unwavering Integrity

Clients can expect transparent, honest interactions. Ethical business practices are at the heart of our operations.

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Innovative Spirit

Talent thrives in a creative environment. Our team is encouraged to push boundaries and find novel solutions to challenges.

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Collaborative Excellence

True partnership is a team effort. We work together to implement optimal solutions, giving clients our full support.

Leadership

Dive deeper into the minds driving Direct Travel. Explore our Leadership page to discover the visionary individuals championing client success, fostering innovation, and upholding our promise of delivering 'Whatever It Takes'.

Christal Bemont

Christal Bemont, CEO

Christal is a travel and technology business executive and serves as Chief Executive Officer at Direct Travel. With over 25 years of experience, she has a demonstrated track record in digital transformation, new market expansion, and developing an authentic corporate culture.
Steve Singh

Steve Singh, Executive Chairman

Steve is a prominent venture capitalist and founder of the world's largest travel and expense management company, Concur. Over the past several years, Steve and his investment partners have sought out companies that are transforming key technology platforms in the multi-trillion-dollar travel industry, aiming to improve the corporate travel experience for the traveler, the companies they work for, and the suppliers that serve them.
John Coffman

John Coffman, Chief Financial Officer

John is the Chief Financial Officer of Direct Travel. He possesses over 30 years of experience, including 13 years of public accounting and 17 years of industry experience in various finance positions.
Darryl Hoover

Darryl Hoover, Chief Data Officer

Darryl is focused on ensuring real-time availability of high-quality data and creating insights for repeatable success at scale. This data in turn informs and enhance every aspect of Direct Travel's client and supplier strategies.

Scott Schwisow, Chief Information Officer

Scott leads the expansion of technology initiatives and the implementation of Direct Travel's technology stack, Avenir. He collaborates with Operations, IT, Finance, and other departments to drive technological advancements and improve internal systems and processes.
Todd Pelletier

Todd Pelletier, Chief Sales Officer

Todd is a seasoned sales executive with extensive experience spanning more than 50 countries. With over 30 years of experience in enterprise and cloud-based sales and management, Todd understands how to align large sales organizations to achieve success at scale.
Michelle Sitzman

Michelle Sitzman, Chief People Officer

Michelle brings more than 30 years of experience to the team, having worked at such transformative global companies as LinkedIn, VMware, Dolby, and Equinix. Most recently, she served as Chief People Officer at Talend, working alongside CEO Christal Bemont.

Sarah Kuberry Martino, Chief Product Officer

Sarah serves as Chief Product Officer at Direct Travel, bringing over a decade of industry experience and a proven track record of driving innovation, transformation, and growth.
Lisa Buckner

Lisa Buckner, President, US Central & West Regions

Lisa is responsible for customer retention, sales growth, and overall employee relations. She is instrumental in strategic planning and specializes in building a culture that consistently gives extremely high customer and employee survey results, some of the best in the industry.
Sam DeFranco

Sam DeFranco, President, US East Region

Sam possesses a unique skillset that has allowed him to flourish in both travel management as well as in supplier sales and automation. An accomplished travel management executive, he specializes in negotiations, balancing client and corporate needs, employee empowerment and increasing profitability.

Brian Robertson, President, Canada

Brian is responsible for leading sales and operations for more than 500 team members across multiple locations within Canada. Under his leadership, Direct Travel has carved a niche in these Canadian markets as an industry leader in corporate and luxury travel through the marriage of good old-fashioned high-touch customer service, and innovative high-tech solutions.
Gerard Bellino

Gerard Bellino, President, Leisure Travel

Gerard has been an active travel industry professional for more than 40 years, holding high-level positions such as Executive Vice President U.S. Leisure Travel, Vice President Supplier Management and Regional Vice President with travel companies such as Navigant International, First Travel Corp., Worldview Travel, and Carlson Wagonlit Travel.
Janet Traphagen

Janet Traphagen, President of Creative Group

Janet is a 30+ year veteran of the meetings and events industry. She joined the company in 1996 as an account manager and transitioned into sales in 1999. She held positions of increasing responsibility leading up to her promotion to president in 2014.

Our Travel Ecosystem

Direct Travel's blend of top-tier service and innovative technology is not limited to the individual business traveler. Our team at Creative Group specializes in impactful event management and group incentives. Meanwhile, our Personalized Experiences team elevates leisure travel, transforming vacations into unforgettable experiences. Together, these entities form a comprehensive travel ecosystem, dedicated to delivering exceptional value at every turn.

  • Streamlined Corporate Travel: Simplify the journey with tech-powered and people-driven solutions from Direct Travel.
  • Incentivized Events: Drive engagement with Creative Group’s rewards programs and elevated event planning.
  • Elevated Personal Travel: Access exclusive perks and richer experiences with our leisure connections.
Decades of expertise
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Direct Impact

Discover our commitment to responsible practices, from fostering inclusive work environments to championing sustainability throughout every journey.

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Careers

Join a dynamic team that champions innovation, personal growth, and delivering exceptional travel management solutions to businesses worldwide.

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Locations

Explore our expansive global presence, offering consistent and tailored travel solutions from North America to the world.

Letʼs Get Started

Letʼs Get Started

Direct Travel—your passport to effortless corporate journeys. Connect with us today to start building unmatched travel solutions!

Direct Travel—your passport to effortless corporate journeys. Connect with us today to start building unmatched travel solutions!