Mapping the World of Corporate Travel: The Amex GBT Experience
95% customer retention
$1.5B+ investment in product
~20K clients globally
Developing a distinctive corporate website for Amex GBT. Balancing 60 professionals across five time zones. Elegant yet accessible web animations. Demanding security protocols. Dozens of wireframe iterations. Aesthetic excellence. Evolving needs and shifting guidelines. In-depth discovery process. Localizations of regional sub-websites. A modular, user-driven site with one billion design combinations.
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Thank you for the hard work, creativity, passion, and collaboration everyone brought to the table. We've faced delays, roadblocks, and countless revisions. But through it all, your flexibility, determination, and professionalism have been inspiring.
— - Elizabeth Attal - Capdevill
— Senior Web Marketing Manager
Involving more than 60 team members and Amex GBT professionals across multiple continents, the partnership spanned two years and endured through continually evolving brand and go-to-market strategies. This project tested our ability to execute a vision for a global corporation with high expectations, demanding security requirements, and a precise approach to branding.
Amex GBT, the world’s leading B2B travel platform, provides travel management services for companies worldwide, from arranging trips and meetings to supporting logistical details with 24/7 assistance. This comprehensive service model meant the new website required aesthetic excellence and immense functionality. The redesign needed to clearly and effectively communicate Amex GBT’s brand and commitment to business travel solutions while maintaining high standards for security, accessibility, and flexibility.
We had to navigate rigorous security protocols and underwent multiple rounds of corporate training on topics like insider trading compliance and secure development practices. eDesign’s development team operated on Amex GBT-issued laptops, complying with strict security policies that mandated specific tools, login protocols, and remote controls. This elevated security standard reflected Amex GBT’s commitment to data protection, prompting us to adapt our workflows and resources to align with their expectations.
One of the most complex phases of the project was the extensive discovery process, which involved conducting in-depth interviews and creating dozens of wireframes and design iterations. As Amex GBT’s needs evolved, we remained flexible, pivoting quickly to adapt to their new brand identity mid-project.
This transformation required redesigning the site from scratch to reflect their updated vision. Despite the challenges of shifting guidelines, our team remained motivated and inspired, sustaining creative momentum to deliver an even fresher design with each iteration.
The final product offers flexible templates that empower content creators to build custom pages tailored to the unique story each page needs to tell. We achieved this by designing a content - first system, brought to life in WordPress through a skillful integration of the Gutenberg editor and Advanced Custom Fields. The result is an engaging front-end experience that meets Amex GBT’s needs. This flexibility supports countless configurations and page layouts. At the same time, it allowed us to streamline the development process, making complex design options manageable while maintaining consistency and cohesion across the site.
We approached accessibility with meticulous care, ensuring the website not only met WCAG AA standards but also incorporated several AAA-level features. Every element, from screen reader–friendly button labels to thoughtfully optimized animations, was designed to deliver a smooth experience for all users, including those relying on assistive technologies. What truly set this project apart was our collaboration with a visually impaired accessibility tester. Rather than relying solely on automated audits, we engaged in honest conversations about the lived experience of navigating a site with a screen reader. His insights were invaluable, helping us move beyond compliance checklists to create a journey that genuinely works for real people.
The result is one of the most accessible websites we’ve ever built, striking that rare balance between beauty and functionality. We went above and beyond, putting real heart into making the site truly inclusive.
Animations played a key role in the user experience, adding fluidity and engagement without compromising the clarity and simplicity that Amex GBT desired. Each animation was story boarded and tailored to align with the brand’s corporate tone, resulting in an elegant experience that elevates the site’s overall impact.
But beyond visual polish, what we’re most proud of is how the site feels — tactile, responsive, and subtly interactive. It invites users to explore, creating the sensation that their input is shaping the experience in real time. This conversational quality makes the site feel alive, encouraging users to scroll, engage, and stay longer. Combined with clean, intuitive navigation, these thoughtful touches create a surprisingly enjoyable site for Amex GBT’s business-focused audience.
With several concurrent projects — such as investor decks, social media assets, print materials, and website development — managing resources effectively was crucial. We assigned four specialized designers to various project parts to meet tight deadlines, while the lead designer ensured all outputs adhered to a cohesive brand vision. This division allowed us to deliver on time without sacrificing quality. Despite the complexity of the design, the site was completed in just a couple of months, meeting Cornerstone’s urgent needs for investor presentations.
Working across multiple time zones, from Spain and the United Kingdom to the United States and India, we maintained strong communication, navigating challenges in a way that reflected the commitment and respect shared by both teams. The site underwent numerous rounds of testing to ensure code quality, maintain compliance, and optimize performance, resulting in a website that loads quickly, meets high standards for Google performance evaluation, and integrates seamlessly with third-party tools — all while remaining accessible to a diverse global audience.
Ultimately, our partnership with American Express Global Business Travel exceeded expectations. Not only was Amex thrilled with the final result, but they recognized the exceptional flexibility and attention to detail we brought to the project. The website’s success has led to ongoing collaboration, including maintenance contracts, SEO initiatives, regional sub-website localizations, and other projects.
We are honored to have been entrusted by Amex GBT with such a significant initiative and proud to have delivered a website that is both functional and visually compelling, positioning Amex GBT to connect effectively with its clients worldwide.
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