Ever have a customer call you about booking a particular hotel, only to quote them a price that was higher than the one they were looking at? That’s happened to virtually every travel agent out there, but the question is why?

More than 95 percent of hotels are parity priced, meaning you can’t find a better price than the one they have on their hotel websites. How does this happen to travel agents, time and time again?

The difference, in many cases, comes down to GDS inventory versus the hotel inventory found on sites such as Expedia, Orbitz, or even the hotel’s own website. The numbers, in some cases, don’t match up. Any smart customer is going to go to a major hotel or online travel agency to double-check the price you are quoting. They may have even pulled it up while dialing your number.

One of the ways to avoid any difference in pricing is to access the same exact inventory the consumer has access to, in real time. Instead of complaining about sites such as Expedia, why not use their technology and inventory to build your own business?

With the purchase of Orbitz and Travelocity in the past few months, Expedia is only getting bigger. When most individuals see this type ofgrowth, they try to emulate it, or at least try to leverage it.

Clients Get Easy Access
That’s where HotelRewards.com comes in. Instead of fighting against the online travel agencies, HotelRewards gives travel agents the same inventory, at the same price, to level the playing field. It becomes less about making excuses for losing business to the “big guys” and more about beating them at their own game.

Their game is quite simple: Give consumers easy access to shop, compare and buy a hotel room at the click of a button. They offer other travel products, but hotels are where the vast majority of an online travel site makes its profits.

It is quite ironic to see the online travel sites making money as they sell billions in hotels; all while traditional travel agents lament their ability to compete.

Take a moment after reading this article and do a search on HotelRewards.com. Explore the inventory, the booking ease and the pricing. You are shopping the same hotels, at the same rates, that your clients are looking at. That’s because it’s the same dynamic inventory that your customer is seeing on Expedia.

Make 10 Percent Commission
With parity pricing, as mentioned above, any published rate in the market is going to be equal to the rates you are seeing. There is a catch, though, as HotelRewards.com will pay you 10 percent commission on your completed bookings.

The catch for the customer is the travel agent and the ability to provide additional value and service tied to the overall travel experience. It could come down to doing nothing, as the traveler is simply on a quick “in and out” experience.

On the other hand, it could come down to making some changes, booking a dinner reservation or simply offering to be their personal concierge.

In any of these cases, the worst thing that can happen is that you walk away with a customer that appreciates you even more, even if you don’t add any value to their transaction beyond making the reservation.