Agents Detail Wish List for More Profitable Hotel Relationships

While many travel agents try to book leisure hotel stays through third parties, travel agents still make every effort to create relationships with select hotels to ensure their clients have the best experiences possible (see article). With their clients in mind, agents also spend valuable time completing hotel specialist programs, reading up on the latest hotel developments, and generally learning as much as they can about the accommodation options available to their clients.

Picking Preferred Hotels

“There are so many hotels out there, it’s impossible for an agent to know everything,” said Deana Crouch, CTC, MCC, assistant vice president, leisure sales at Great Southern Travel. However, if agents select a small number to get to know really well, the agent is better able to match the right property to the right client, she said.

“What does the hotel have to offer; is it the type of property where they’ll [clients] will enjoy their vacation? Is it a large property? A small property? What are all the amenities? Is it a kid-friendly property? All of that matches up with each individual client and what their specific needs are,” she said.

But beyond these smaller number of preferred hotels, agents still make an effort to learn about other hotels and hotel brands.

Stephanie Turner, CTC, president and CEO of Brentwood Travel, agreed. “We do look at hotels. I don’t want my client to call me and say ‘this hotel is a dump.’”

There are numerous ways for agents to education themselves, agents told Travel Market Report.

Travel Agent Nights and Visits

Carolina Murillo, leisure district manager for Garber Travel, listed just a few: “There are travel agent nights where hotel chains, hotel consortia and destination tourism boards invite travel agents to come meet with different hotels… at the conferences for your own consortia there will be hotel people to meet with you… then there are the ones that make appointments to come into your office… then we get all the travel magazines with what’s coming up, what’s new, what’s being renovated… then there are the e-mails and the familiarization trips.”

Other agents agreed that hotels are always welcome to visit their offices to give short presentations.

“When they come around town they are always welcome in our office to bring us up-to-date on their products, so we feel at least a little enlightened because it changes so rapidly,” added Turner.

At Great Southern Travel weekly sales meetings often feature hotel or resort presentations. “They show us pictures, they discuss specific properties, what they offer, what types of clients they cater to…” Crouch said.

Brand Specialization Courses

Additionally most agents have completed at least two or three hotel brand specialization courses.

“I took the Marriott Hotel Excellence program, and the Fairmont Famous Agent program,” said Colleen Gillette, owner of New Paltz Travel, while Sherry Laskin, ACC, owner of Vacation Shoppe, told TMR she’s completed the Marriott and Fairmont courses, along with the Langham, Millennium, and Outrigger programs, among others.

Prompt Commissions

Beyond a way to get and stay educated about hotels, what agents want from hotels often varies.

One of the most cited “needs” is related to commissions. Not only do agents want to get a decent commission for booking hotels, they want the commissions to arrive in a timely manner.

“One of the pitfalls of booking a client directly with a hotel is hoping that the commission check comes in before the end of the century,” Laskin said. “Not all are like that, but it is common practice that agents have to chase their earned commissions from many hotels.”

Gillette agreed. “I want prompt payment of commission without having to pay a fee to get my money.”

One of the reasons so many agents often opt to book hotels through tour operators and wholesalers is they avoid commission chasing by doing so.

Recognition for Client, Agent

Another item on several agents’ wish lists – incentives.

Whether it’s an incentive for the agent, or the client, or both, incentives are high on the list of what agents want from hotels.

In addition to prompt commission payments, Gillette said she’d like her clients to get a personalized message from her welcoming clients to the hotel, or even a token in-room amenity. Some hotels do one or the other she said, but added more hotels should offer this to agents.

Murillo told TMR she wants to see incentives for the agents, “like if you book so many rooms, then you get a free night… that really helps bring more sales.”

Gillette added that an exclusive offer for agents to sell, that isn’t offered direct, is a good incentive for agents, as well.

Tap into an Agency Marketing Group

One way for hotels to make sure this is available to agents is to create relationships with agency groups, Murillo said.

“You’ve got to do the big relationships… with some group (like a consortia) where agents are going to get brownie points in the sense of better rates, better amenities, better treatment.”

Develop Relationships

Travel agencies developing their own unique relationships with hotels, like Great Southern Travel, seek the same thing.

“What we need from a hotel depends on what our needs are,” Crouch said. “It it’s a hotel that we’re looking at in an air city that we’re going to have a lot of people driving to then obviously the free parking is something we want to negotiate for.”

In other instances Great Southern Travel agents may want something else for their clients.

“The best thing we hope to have is flexibility. Each individual’s needs are unique… so for different clients we’ll have different needs… and sometimes you’ll get a front line person that’ll say no. Instead of saying no, say ‘let’s see what we can do.’”

Hotel Staff Needs Training

Ultimately, what agents are asking for is understanding and respect – an understanding of what agents do for hotels and a respect for the value they bring.

“Hotels can make sure the front desk people are aware of what we do,” Turner said. “And respect what we do. We’re not the enemy and even though people may go online to book, we bring a higher yield client to the hotel.”

Next week TMR speaks with three hotel chains about the value of travel agents and how they make sure their entire staff knows it.