The hotel industry is reaching out to the travel agent community to beef up bookings in the recession, with incentives for both agents and their clients.
"There is so much going on in terms of pricing right now. Clients are getting great value - a room when they normally wouldn't have been getting one, and a better room with greater amenities because of the pricing in the market," said Suzanne Hall, senior director of Ensemble Travel Group.
With lower rates and significant value adds, hotels are stretching beyond their usual means to differentiate themselves from the competition. Agents are following specific crieteria when choosing accommodations, and the ability to sign up for travel agent reward programs or guest reward programs is a big incentive.
According to Ann Albano, vice president of hotel relations for Hickory Travel Systems, agents are likely to work with chains such as Marriott, Intercontinental and Radisson because booking these earns them points for future stays or room upgrades.
"That's really where it influences an agent to go from one hotel to another - what's in it for them," she said.
"For a travel agent, if he's on the phone and the traveler doesn't know where to stay and the agent belongs to Radisson's 'Look to Book' program, the agent is going to tell his client to book where he himself will earn points."
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Source - TravelTrade.com
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