The travel sector, like all other global industries, struggles with staying up to date with local regulations, especially when it comes to e-invoicing compliance. As hotels usually work with other travel sellers all over the world and vice versa, staying up to date on legislative changes still represents a big challenge.
As more countries start to adopt e-invoicing obligations with different systems, formats and reporting requirements, hotels and travel sellers recognize the importance of partnering with specialized providers to benefit from their global compliance expertise. These partners are able to facilitate compliance to business-to-government (B2G), business-to-business (B2B) and even business-to-consumer (B2C) electronic invoicing.
At the Bavel Travel Summit 2025, Roberto Martín, Process Lead Accounts Receivables at Minor Hotels Europe and Americas; Alejandro Baraza, Legal & Compliance Manager at Voxel, an Amadeus Company, and Héctor Martín, VP of Global Sales at Voxel, an Amadeus company; debated what are the biggest challenges in terms of electronic invoicing global compliance and how to overcome them to nurture better relationships with travel partners.
Local fragmentation, uncertainty and maintenance
While leading the receivables for over 300 hotels in several countries, Roberto Martín identified that local fragmentation and uncertainty are the main challenges he faces in terms of e-invoicing compliance. Being compliant means not only being aware of the different legislations but also having to update your processes by the deadlines set by each government. The uncertainty comes from constant changes in obligations and kickoff dates, which can set back months of preparation work.
¨80% of the obligations are common, general and transversal to every country. It’s the 20% of them that are particular in a country level that make things more difficult¨, said Héctor. Alejandro Baraza then mentioned maintenance as the ultimate challenge of compliance, since it’s basically a job that never ends. He gave examples of Mexico and Costa Rica that have extended their e-invoicing requirements several times in the past few years. These changes make it difficult for companies to keep track and update their processes every time.
E-invoicing compliance guidelines: check out regulations for 100+ countries
The power of specialized partners for e-invoicing compliance
When choosing an electronic invoicing partner, it’s critical to look for companies that go beyond just being certified to issue invoices. For hotels and travel sellers, for example, these partners can offer other benefits such as industry expertise, integration to other partners and personalized solutions.
¨A lot of clients go to big law firms to get advice but tend to receive generic information, while we offer tailor-made solutions, consultancy services and reports to help our clients grow in other countries¨, said Alejandro. He mentioned how Voxel stands out to clients in the travel industry due to its niche expertise. This is also crucial for hotels with franchises, who need a partner with a global B2B network.
In the case of Minor Hotels, Roberto Marín highlighted Voxel’s ability to speak their language, understand their needs and have a 360-degree view of the changes in e-invoicing compliance.
Ultimately, hotels and travel companies want to grow their global presence and to be able to adapt easily to the regulations of each region. To be able to do this, e-invoicing compliance is a necessary process to follow and maintain in global operations. ¨Ideal partners offer automatization of processes and have an invisible presence to deliver the best experience to guests¨, said Roberto.
