ASTA Recovers Nearly $15K in Unpaid Hotel Commissions with New Initiative

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) has recovered nearly $15,000 in unpaid hotel commissions since launching its Report a Hotel Commission Issue tool in late 2025. 

With the tool, ASTA members can submit inquiries about late or unpaid hotel commissions through a streamlined process. This allows ASTA to track trends and engage with hotels to work toward a resolution on unresolved cases.  

If a hotel does not resolve a case, it is at risk of being added to a Hotel Watch List, which currently lists 10 hotels. ASTA expects both that list and recovered commissions to grow as more advisors start to participate. Building on the early success of the initiative, ASTA has now set a goal to recover $100,000 in unpaid hotel commissions by the end of the year. 

“Commissions earned are commissions owed, period,” said ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby. “ASTA will not stand by while our members are ignored or forced to chase money they are rightfully due.” 

“The reporting tool and Hotel Watch List exist to apply real pressure and get advisors paid,” he added. “If a hotel doesn’t want to be called out to our members as a bad actor or deal with ASTA’s dispute resolution process, the answer is simple: Pay commissions on time.”  

The Report a Hotel Commission Issue tool is available to travel advisors who are ASTA members and has received support from industry leaders, who encourage more widespread participation to make the initiative more effective. 

“Timely commission payments are essential to strong advisor-supplier relationships,” said Alex Sharpe, CEO of Signature Travel Network and chair of ASTA’s Consortium Council. “When commissions are delayed or go unpaid altogether, it creates real problems for advisors and strains partnerships at every level of the industry. ASTA’s reporting and resolution tools help shine a light on these issues and encourage better behavior, which is good for advisors and suppliers alike.”