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Consortia Program

Each year, BookingCenter offers a list of consortia for our properties to participate with. If a property chooses to participate in the annual program, they will receive instructive e-mails, starting in June, keeping them up to date with the bidding process for the next year. Along with keeping them informed, BookingCenter makes a strong effort to market your property to these mega agencies.

Below is an overview outlining:

What is a Consortia?

According to HEDNA a consortia is a "rate negotiated between a hotel company and a travel agency group. Viewership of these rates in the GDS by a TA or other GDS user is restricted and the rate may be booked only after entry of either the Agents or Client authorization code." Originally started for mom and pop travel agencies, Consortia’s have become a major player in the travel industry. Consortia’s is a conglomerate of travel agency members that have joined an organization and by doing this can now increase marketing to their customers by offering competitive rates at hotels worldwide. They are usually found using one global name (ABC Corporate Services), or continuing to keep their name, but using the relationship and tools of the program that they are members of. Each program has a list of requirements and fees to participate, but the standard requirements include:

  • A minimum of 10% off the lowest single published rate (Rack or Corporate)
  • Rate Parity
  • Last room availability guarantee
  • 10% commission to the Agent
  • All rates quoted are to be guaranteed for the entire year starting from Jan 1 – Dec 31, unless otherwise noted.

What are the Programs that I can participate, and what do they offer?

ABC Global Services – For more than 30 years, ABC Global Services has been the leading provider of travel-related products and services to the global travel agency and corporate communities.  ABC’s Premier Hotel Program is the industry leader, used by more than 7,900 agency locations in 67 countries and driving millions of room nights per year.  More information is available at www.abcglobal.travel.

  • ABC Represents 70% corporate and 30% leisure business
  • More than 30,000 hotels participate in ABC’s programs
  • ABC agencies include: Altour International, Boeing Travel Management, Casto Travel, Frosch International, Garber Travel, Protravel International, Tzell Travel, Ultramar Travel Management and Valerie Wilson Travel.
  • ABC also provides its hotel programs to prestigious agency networks including: ATPI, Lufthansa City Center, MAST, Nexion and Thomas Cook.

Booking Services International (BSI) – The leading independent pan-European corporate hotel account management organization.

¯     BSI Represents 100% corporate (20% conference)

¯     45 – 55% GDS usage

Carlson Wagonlit Travel – As the long-term partner of choice for leading corporations around the globe, Carlson Wagonlit Travel delivers unparalleled service while unlocking economic value. CWT employs a holistic approach to travel management: ÒOur understanding of clientÕs unique business models, travel needs, and both corporate and national cultures, enables us to deliver deep knowledge and expertise in all aspects of the travel management process.Ó Carlson recently acquired Maritz Travel. www.carlsonwagonlit.com

¯     99% corporate travel, 1% leisure travel

¯     Worldwide sales volume of 11.5 billion

¯     A leading travel management partner to fortune 100 companies

¯     3000+ locations, in 140 countries

CCRA – CCRA, a negotiated, preferred-rate hotel program, has become one of the largest consortia in the world, booking in excess of 20 million hotel room nights each year. CCRA has diversified its markets in order for its hotel partners to reach every segment of the traveling public. CCRA's reputation for increasing bookings by "double to triple digits" has grown in recent years. The printed directories are first-class in both design and usability and are valuable tools utilized by more than 100,000 agencies, individual agents, and travelers. www.ccraonline.com

¯     40% corporate travel, 60% leisure travel

¯     30,000 locations in 30+ countries

¯     100,000 agents worldwide

¯     27 million room nights a year total

¯     Top Agencies – CCRA has many companies that they work with, below are some of them:

Vacation.com                        Outside Sales Support Network      Cruise and Travel Store

Western Assn. of TA's           Natl. Assn. of commissioned TA's IT Group

America Society of TA's         Marketing alliance of Retail TA's

Cendant Travel – Premier membership-based provider of travel, shopping, health, entertainment, and consumer protection services for more than 25 million members across America. These programs help enhance brand loyalty and revenue for marketing partners. Members find tremendous value through the program by saving money and enjoying the convenience of shopping at home or online. Through several Trilegiant Membership clubs (Travelers Advantage, Auto Advantage, Great Fun, private label programs) approximately 4MM members have access to travel benefits including the hotel discount component.

¯     Relationships with numerous companies

¯     Offers enhanced marketing opportunities

¯     Partnerships include:

  Travelers Advantage         Off Duty Travelers Advantage        Great Options Travel   Chase Travelers Advtge    Avis Travelers Advantage                

Custom Travel Systems – Custom Travel Systems is comprised of many independent travel agencies and travel agency consortia, including Hickory Travel Systems, Inc. and FIRST Travel Management International.

¯     70% corporate travel, 30% leisure

¯     Comprised of CTS / Hickory Travel / Global Star

¯     32,000 locations, in 38 countries worldwide

¯     Top Agencies – DER has many companies that they work with, below are some of them:

Aladdin Travel                      Global Travel Mgmt.                   Travel Solutions

Premier Travel                      Discovery Travel                         Continental Travel

Traveltime Services                Travel Mgmt. Solutions               Keller Travel

ITI Travelnet                         Worldwide Travel                        Pegasus Travel, Inc

Dertours – An affiliate of Deutsches Reisebüro GmbH (DER), is one the biggest tour operators in Germany. DER was founded in 1917 in Berlin. In 2000 DER was bought by REWE, one of Europe biggest retailing companies with more than 11,200 markets and a turnover of about 37 Billion EUR in 2002. REWE started in the end of the eighties its engagement in the tourism branch with the acquisition of the travel agency chain Atlas Reisen.

¯     40% Corporate, 60% Leisure

¯     1,200 agencies, one of the biggest tour operators in Germany

¯     37 billion euros in turnover travel

¯     Top Agencies – DER has many companies that they work with, below are some of them:

Atlas Reisen                         Deutsches Reiseburo                    Meiers Weltreisen

ITS                                     Jahn Reisen                                LTI

Seimens                               Phillips                                     DERTOUR

DERCorporate (90% Corporate)                      

EhotelAG - Worldwide access around the clock, instant online access with the possibility to book fully, and targeted customer contacts are only a few of the advantages a partnership with ehotel AG will provide you - and all this will cost you not one single penny. Your record in the ehotel AG database is free of charge. We at ehotel AG only charge a commission on referred sales plus VAT. http://www.ehotel.de/affiliate/en/impressum.php?HOTEL_NUM=1

Ensemble Travel (Formerly GIANTS) – A proactive, owner-involved international organization of 1,400 independent travel agencies in the United States and Canada, is pleased to invite your hotel to partner with us and participate in our 2005 Hotel Connections program. This is an exclusive program for 4 and 5 star hotels only. All bids are done on paper and cannot be used on Lanyon at this time. Please contact Adam if you are interested in participating in this program.

Guild of Business Travel – Started in 1967 Guild of Business Travel is more than a mere association. It has become the industry seal of quality, a guarantee of high standards whenever a Guild member is used. Indeed, it has become a force in its own right and a relentless champion of the cause of business travelers. www.gbta-guild.com

¯     London based, European / UK presence

¯     Responsible for 80% of all business through the UK

¯     Rates are made available for Guild of European Business Travel

International Airline Passenger Association (IAPA) – IAPA is the worldÕs most prestigious traveler association, serving the frequent business traveler for over 40 years. Our services include exceptional savings, travelers insurance, and online reservations. www.iapa.com

¯     400,000 members in 200 countries around the world

¯     Members stay an average of 5 room nights per month

International Travel Partners (ITP) – International Travel Partners operates primarily throughout main European cities and the US. Membership is strictly restricted to companies who have an established record of integrity and reputable growth and operate to the business travel sector.

¯     Primary markets include US and Europe

¯     Represents 2.5 billion in annual sales

¯     Represents 61 travel companies and over 500 branch locations

¯     Top Agencies – ITP has many companies that they work with, below are some of them:

Accent Travel                        All World Travel Services             Boehm & Boehm

Business Travel Partners         Casto Travel                               Corp. Travel Planners

Conti Travel                         Covington Travel Intl.                  Holiday Travel

World Travel Services Travelstore.com                           Riverside Travel

Japan Travel Bureau – Founded in 1912, and renamed in 1945, JTB is Japan's top destination management company. They organize congresses, events, exhibitions, incentive tours, cultural exchange, cultural and nature tours, cruises, exclusive parties, accommodations, guides, transfers, meeting services, and more to match their travel needs. http://www.jtb.co.jp/eng/

¯     80% corporate travel, 20% leisure travel

¯     1,100 office of which 110 are dedicated to corporate centers in 23 countries

¯     Global annual sales exceed $22 billion with more than 10 million room nights consumed

¯     Top cities include Tokyo, London, San Francisco, Paris, New York, Silicon Valley, Orlando, Sydney, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Toronto, Madrid, Orlando and many other major cities

Jurni/Nexion Network – Jurni is an entirely new kind of offline travel agency consortium, one that goes beyond what youÕve come to expect of the traditional travel consortia. Jurni Network is brought to you by the people at Sabre Travel Network and leverages industry expertise, travel merchandising and technology capabilities across Sabre Holdings, the worldÕs leading name in travel commerce. www.jurni.com

Nexionª is a fully licensed, bonded and accredited agency, which has been an industry pioneer and a host agency since early 1995. Nexion is in business to provide complete and cost-effective solutions to independent travel professionals, allowing them to manage their businesses in the most cost-efficient fashion. Nexion enables independent travel agents to operate with the backing and clout of a multi-billion dollar company. www.nexion.com

¯     Network of over 2,500 travel sellers with $1B gross sales

¯     List of preferred suppliers limited to 40 – 50 across air, car, hotel, tour and cruise

¯     Single desktop tool used by all Jurni Agencies regardless of the GDS brand

¯     Direct Marketing Tools, POS marketing, Dynamic Packaging

TQ3 Navigant– TQ3 Navigant is the one of the three largest travel management companies in the world. Our 4,200 Associates serve more than 13,000 clients. Last year, Navigant sold more than $4 billion in airline tickets. As of March 2004, TQ3 was purchased by Navigant. www.navigant.com

¯     90% Corporate, 6% Meetings and Incentive, 4% Leisure

¯     1.1 billion in hotel revenue

¯     Operate in more than 1,600 locations in more than 80 countries

¯     More than 11 billion USD in total sales turnover, more than 7.5 million in room nights per year

RADIUS – With 86 shareholder agencies operating 4,600+ branches around the globe, RADIUS, formerly Woodside Travel Trust, has earned a reputation for successfully serving the needs of business travelers worldwide. Our pioneering accomplishments, culminating in the rebranding to RADIUS in 2000, have set standards in the corporate travel community. www.radius.com

¯     70% Corporate, 30 % Leisure

¯     4,600+ locations in 87 countries

¯     Alliance w/Uniglobe Travel and GIANTS

¯     Participation in 2003 included 8,460 hotels in 2,198 cities and 134 countries

Sato Travel – With 50 years experience and a Navigant Company, Sato International is the leading provider of travel services for US Military and Civilian Government. www.satotravel.com

¯     95% government / Military, 5% leisure

¯     4,300 associates, has operations in 1,300 locations in 19 countries

¯     Over 4 billion sold in airlines tickets

Thor – THOR’s history of leadership in the travel industry spans close to 30 years. Founded in 1977, in Boulder, Colorado, USA, THOR anticipated the need to create a new service providing commissionable and discounted hotel rates, which its member agencies could recommend to their travelers.

THOR’s, Worldwide Hotel Program is now the largest and fastest growing program with over 22,000 hotel partners around the world. Many of our 3,700+ member agencies use this extensive worldwide program to book both corporate and leisure travelers. www.thor24.com

¯     70% Corporate, 30% Leisure

¯     2,500+ Travel Agencies, in 17 countries

¯     Agencies based: 95% US, 5% International

Travelgraphic International – A member network of 3,000 travel agents spread throughout the world, Travelgraphic International offers a 1-year membership to their database for a limited fee. www.tgiweb.com

¯     45% Corporate, 55% leisure

¯     3,000 + agencies

¯     Represents approx. 6 million Travelers

TRAVELSAVERS – TRAVELSAVERS is an international travel marketing company that was founded nearly 35 years ago. More than 3,000 independent travel agencies in 13 countries around the world are part of our organization, making us one of the world's largest travel marketing companies. www.travelsavers.com

¯     60% Corporate, 40% Leisure

¯     4,000 corporate and Leisure agencies

¯     Represents over 18.2 billion in annual sales

Virtuoso – An invitation only program, Virtuoso only accepts hotels on its own merits. Open invitation is not available for this program. Requirements include, but are not limited to: 5 star or superior classification, a history of outstanding service, special amenities provided including breakfast and references from Virtuoso TAÕs that have personally stayed at the hotel. If you have an interest in participation please contact Adam for more information.

Worldtravel / BTI – Is the world's leading travel management company operating in close to 100 key commercial countries. With substantial global capabilities and specialist local expertise, BTI is the acknowledged expert in the delivery of corporate travel solutions. Its international clients include major multi-national corporations, but the Company prides itself on also being able to respond to the needs of smaller national organisations.www.bti-worldwide.com

¯     90% corporate, 10% Leisure

¯     3,000+ agencies located in key markets of over 100 countries across 5 continents

¯     Offices in US, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa

Worldwide Independent Travel Network (WIN) - WIN is the Worldwide Independent Travel Network, an established leader in the travel services business. WIN is a partnership of likeminded travel agencies from around the World.

¯     56% Corporate, 40% Leisure, and 4% Meetings and Incentives

¯     6,000 independent agencies worldwide

¯     Top Cities include: Rome, Milan, Manchester, London, New York, Chicago, Madrid, Toronto, Washington DC, Athens, Vancouver, Calgary, Tokyo, Brussels, San Francisco, Vienna, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Montreal, and many more.

¯     Top Agencies – ITP has many companies that they work with, below are some of them:

Advantage Travel UK             ASR Germany                Group Star/OVR

Sure Travel                           Premier Foods                HSBC

Mitra Travel                         Nike                              Toyota

 

Benefits to Participation

Increased visibility – By partnering with these programs hotels will be listed in each programs directory, website, and will have a special rate access code through the GDS. This exposure includes agencies that book specified negotiated rates within the consortia umbrella.

Increased Revenue – Hotels will see an increase in revenue generated through these partnerships.

Relationships TA’s – By being accepted into these programs you will have opportunities to form your own relationship with these agencies. Relationships that can help to generated exposure, and eventually leading to revenue.

Marketing opportunities – Each program has a number of opportunities a property can participate in.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I change my rates? A rate cannot go higher than the contract agreement rate, however a hotel can choose to lower a rate at anytime.
  • What formula should I use when creating my Consortia Rate?

One of the primary rules is that your rate is 10% off the lowest single published rate. Consortia require rack and corporate rates to be submitted for comparison purposes only - you need NOT distribute a CORP rate to the GDS, just use it a a guide when enrolling ito the Consortia. The corporate rate should always be below the rack when doing submissions and the consortia rate should be 10% off of that. To be safe and to ensure that you have no problems doing submissions, your formula should be:

Rack – Corporate (10%) – Consortia (10%)  = Consortia Rate

 Ex.       Rack                 $100.00

             Corporate           $ 90.00

              Consortia           $ 81.00

 Sato is the exception to the rule. They do not follow the same rate structure. Their rate is derived off of the government per-diem. They require that you give them 5% off.

Government – SATO Rate (5%) = SATO rate

  Ex.       Government        $ 100.00

               SATO               $ 95.00

  • Can I change my mind, and cancel my contract? It is not advisable to cancel your contract with the consortia one you have it. Consortia’s will black list your property and advise their agencies not to book at you property.
  • Can I offer different rates to different programs? Parity is the rule when dealing with consortia. What one program has the other must have as well.
  • What is the BLOCK SPACE program? A guaranteed room block set aside for certain programs at your property.
  • Do I have to participate in BLOCK SPACE? Certain programs require hotels in certain markets to participate in the BLOCK SPACE program. Since you are using BookingCenter, the BLOCK SPACE is irrelevant, as you are managing a 'single image' of real-time availability. If there is availability for a room to be rented at a Rack rate, it must be available to the Consortia. If there is no room available, then you are obviously not required to rent one!
  • Do I have to give last room availability? Per the contract that is signed, all consortia’s have last room availability.
  • What does my participation fee into the program entail? Each program is different, and would need to be reviewed before a decision is made to use that program.
  • If I miss the deadline set by the consortia, can I still participate? Many programs allow hotels to participate in a limited fashion after deadlines have been missed. A contract will have to be filled out and sent in. For more details contact us as we will have to work with the consortia on the exception.

I hope this helps in making your decision for participation in the Consortia Program of the Global Booking Network. Contact us for more information.

Also, you may want to read a White Paper that Lanyon (the provider of a piece of the technology that empowers the BookingCenter Consortia) offers on the topic of selling to corporate and group travel buyers. Download it here.

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