For years, legacy platforms like Lanyon and Sabre dominated the hotel RFP landscape. They were seen as the go-to solutions for corporate buyers, travel management companies, and global hotel chains. But in 2025, the cracks are impossible to ignore. Rising costs, outdated workflows, poor flexibility, and slow innovation have caused these tools to lose relevance. Procurement leaders are no longer willing to tolerate systems that drain resources while failing to meet modern requirements. Instead, they’re turning to new solutions like cloud-based hotel sourcing software with automation and benchmarking features to streamline sourcing, negotiations, and compliance.
This shift is not just about technology - it’s about survival. Legacy platforms have failed to adapt to GBTA’s new standards, neglected user experience, and ignored the need for integration with global distribution systems (GDS). Procurement leaders want agility, and they’re finding it in next-generation tools like ReadyBid, which deliver flexibility, cost savings, and scalability that legacy providers simply cannot match. The urgency to adopt a modern automated hotel RFP solution has never been greater.
Why Legacy Platforms Are Struggling1. Cost-Prohibitive Pricing
One of the top complaints from corporates and TMCs is the exorbitant cost of legacy tools. Lanyon and Sabre solutions often run into tens of thousands of dollars annually, with fees for every user, every RFP, and even every change request. Compare that to ReadyBid’s transparent pricing model, where unlimited RFPs and users are included in a single subscription.
2. Rigid, Outdated Workflows
Legacy platforms were built in an era when annual RFP cycles dominated. Their rigid workflows are not suited for GBTA’s new continuous sourcing model. Procurement teams now require the ability to re-bid mid-year, negotiate multiple rounds, and audit rates in real time - capabilities these tools struggle to support.
3. Limited Innovation
The pace of development in Lanyon and Sabre’s platforms has slowed dramatically. Features like dynamic benchmarking, competitive bidding, and ESG reporting are either absent or bolted on in ways that don’t work seamlessly. In contrast, modern platforms like ReadyBid are designed around hotel RFP process automation.
4. User Experience Problems
Travel managers consistently report that legacy platforms are clunky, unintuitive, and require heavy training. With procurement workloads already stretched thin, nobody has time to fight against bad UX.
The Rise of Modern Procurement Platforms
Travel procurement leaders are replacing legacy tools with modern solutions that offer:
Automation at Every Stage: From sending RFPs to auditing rates.
Scalability: Support for hundreds of destinations and thousands of hotels.
Benchmarking: Real-time comparisons of negotiated versus market rates.
Flexibility: Support for multiple RFP types (corporate, crew, meetings).
Sustainability Integration: ESG criteria embedded directly into RFP templates.
By adopting a corporate hotel RFP platform, procurement leaders can cut costs, improve efficiency, and comply with GBTA’s 2025 standards.
What Procurement Leaders Are Saying
Testimonials from procurement executives highlight why they’re abandoning legacy tools:
“Legacy tools drained our budget and slowed us down. ReadyBid let us run unlimited RFPs at a fraction of the cost.”
“We couldn’t adapt to continuous sourcing with old systems. Automation changed everything.”
“Compliance audits were painful on Lanyon. Now we run automated audits across multiple GDS platforms.”
The message is clear: procurement leaders are demanding better.
Why GBTA’s 2025 Standards Expose Legacy Tools
GBTA’s new requirements for standardized templates, dynamic benchmarking, and ESG reporting reveal just how far behind legacy platforms have fallen. Without automation and integration, they cannot:
Support multi-round negotiations efficiently.
Deliver sustainability data at scale.
Benchmark rates across multiple markets in real time.
This makes them a liability for corporates seeking compliance and efficiency. Modern tools like hotel RFP management platform are already aligned with GBTA’s framework.
Competitive Bidding: A Feature Legacy Tools Lack
Legacy tools were never built for competitive bidding. They lack the flexibility to allow hotels outside of initial solicitations to participate in RFPs. ReadyBid’s competitive bidding model gives corporates new savings opportunities while hotels gain access to buyers they may have otherwise missed. It’s a win-win scenario that makes legacy providers look obsolete.
Impact on Agencies and TMCs
Agencies and TMCs that rely on legacy tools face their own set of challenges:
High license costs that cut into profitability.
Limited ability to scale across multiple clients.
Inflexible workflows that frustrate clients expecting innovation.
With solutions like travel procurement management platforms, agencies can deliver high-value sourcing services without the overhead of legacy systems.
Corporate-Level Advantages of Moving Away
At the corporate level, transitioning away from Lanyon or Sabre provides:
Transparency: Clear reporting and dashboards.
Savings: Lower platform fees plus improved negotiated rates.
Compliance: Assurance that rates are loaded and audited globally.
Agility: Ability to adjust programs mid-year.
This is where a corporate travel procurement platform proves invaluable.
Predictions: What Happens to Legacy Tools Next?
Over the next five years, legacy hotel RFP platforms will either disappear or be acquired by more agile competitors. Their inability to adapt has left them vulnerable. Procurement leaders will increasingly demand:
AI-Driven Negotiations for predictive pricing.
Blockchain Contracts for compliance.
Continuous Sourcing instead of annual cycles.
Global Benchmarking integrated with GDS platforms.
Legacy platforms that fail to deliver will lose market share rapidly.
Additional Resources
For more insights on modern hotel sourcing versus legacy tools, explore these resources:
Modern Hotel RFP Tool vs. Legacy Platforms: A Side-by-Side Showdown
The Hidden Cost of Incorrect Hotel Rates: How ReadyBid’s Rate Auditing Saves You Money
100 Reasons Why ReadyBid Is the Smartest Choice for Hotel Sourcing RFP Management
Conclusion
Legacy platforms like Lanyon and Sabre once shaped the hotel RFP industry, but in 2025, their shortcomings are glaring. High costs, outdated workflows, and lack of innovation make them poor fits for today’s procurement needs. With GBTA raising the bar, the only way forward is through modern, automated, and flexible solutions.
ReadyBid provides exactly that - a cost-effective, intuitive, and future-ready platform that empowers procurement leaders to achieve compliance, savings, and agility.
Book a Demo today and experience why organizations worldwide are leaving legacy tools behind for a smarter future in hotel sourcing.