July 2010

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Tap Into Your Hotel Partners
by OSSN Staff

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We've learned how to close and book hotel reservations using GDSs, reservations services like CCRA, and packagers like Travel Bound. But, we may be missing a critical step on the marketing side: tapping into the travel agent materials and services on hotel company web sites.

Many leading hoteliers have expanded the travel agent portions of their web sites in recent years, and some have actually carved out this content into a separate online portal for agents. Here's a short list of what's on those sites for you:

  • Online booking engines designed especially for use by travel agents to make your bookings go very smoothly

  • Special discounts and rates that you'll find only on these sites (and that you can offer to your clients)

  • Trade-only rates for fam stays and trips that aren't posted anywhere else

  • Newsletters and updates about new properties, renovation projects, and other news that might affect your clients' travel plans

  • Collateral marketing materials that you can use in your home based travel business - everything from hotel images that you can use with permission in your emails, web site pages, and flyers to customizable emails, flyers, and web pages built by the hotel company for your use

These sites may also feature other helpful information for agents' eyes only - from rewards programs (in which you earn points for each booking made) to contact data and forms to help track late commission payments.

Chances are you work most of the time with a select group of hotel companies to serve most of your clients' hotel requests. So, it makes sense to check out the travel agent sites and portals offered by these key suppliers, to make sure you're taking advantage of what they offer agents. Here's a list of links to the agent sites operated by hotel companies that are current OSSN supplier members:

Also, don't forget to check the longer list of hotel companies that accept TRUE booking codes! Go to the directory of TRUE hotel supporters (11 online pages of home-based-agent-friendly hotel companies). These pages include links you can click on to go straight to the agent areas of these hotel suppliers' web site. (Note: You must be signed into www.checkatruecode.com to gain access to these pages.)

(Credits: OSSN/TRUE; Starwood Hotels; Sandals)

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