Typically available exclusively to ASTA members, the Hotel Watch List identifies properties reported for commissions that remain unpaid 45 days or more after a client’s completed stay. ASTA makes the list public quarterly to promote transparency, encourage timely payment practices and remind travel advisors to report unresolved commission issues.
Since launching its Report a Hotel Commission Issue tool, ASTA has recovered nearly $60,000 in unpaid hotel commissions for its members. Those recoveries represent income advisors had earned but, in many cases, struggled for months to collect.
Toni Temple of Cruise Planners recently received a commission payment of more than $16,000, 113 days after the final traveler in a group completed their stay.
“I feel that until I reached out for help by ASTA, the property was ignoring me,” Temple said. “Thank you for the advice and direction you provided me during this.”
Joyce Davis, President of Joy! Cruises and Tours Inc., recovered $3,000 after ASTA pursued her case for several months. The hotel was placed on the Watch List after failing to respond initially and was removed once Davis confirmed that she had received payment.
“I finally received my commission check,” Davis said. “Thank you so very much for your invaluable assistance. I am sure that I would not have received this payment without you advocating on my behalf.”
For Kelli Benitez, ASTA’s public release of the Hotel Watch List prompted her to pursue an international hotel commission she had considered a lost cause.
“Had ASTA not sent out the recent Hotel Watch List, I don’t think I would have pursued this, especially since it was not a domestic hotel,” Benitez said. “I thought it was a lost cause. So, thank you ASTA for inspiring me to advocate for myself, trust the process and helping me recover the commission that was due to me.”
"For travel advisors, commissions are not just compensation, they are the foundation of their business," said Beth Butzlaff, General Manager, USA Virtuoso and Chair of ASTA's Consortium Council. "When payments are delayed or never arrive, advisors are forced to spend valuable time chasing down earnings instead of serving clients. By providing a clear way to report and address commission issues, ASTA is helping drive greater accountability and support stronger industry partnerships."
Before a property is added to the Hotel Watch List, ASTA notifies the hotel in writing and provides an opportunity to resolve the issue through its business-to-business dispute resolution process. Properties that pay the advisor or otherwise resolve the matter satisfactorily within 30 days are not added to the list.
If a reported hotel is not an ASTA member and cannot be engaged directly through the resolution process, ASTA may add the property to the Watch List. The reporting process allows ASTA to identify patterns, alert the advisor community and reinforce a fundamental industry standard: commissions earned are commissions owed.
The Hotel Watch List will remain publicly available through September 22.
ASTA travel advisor members experiencing hotel commission payment issues are encouraged to use the Report a Hotel Commission Issue tool once more than 45 days have passed since the client completed their stay. The reporting tool remains an exclusive member benefit.
Tags: Joyce Davis ASTA Beth Butzlaff, USA Virtuoso
