by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 7:50 AM ET, Thu May 28, 2026
The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) kicked off its annual conference this week by revealing the organization's top priorities for 2026, which include expanding its recently created watch list for hotels that are slow to pay or fail to pay advisor commissions.
During an invitation-only leadership breakfast at the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center in San Diego, California, ASTA's Executive Vice President, Mark Meader, said the hotel watch list has already proven very effective. Established in October, advisors have already filed 162 cases against hotels, and 94 have been resolved, Meader said. In addition, more than $25,000 in commissions has been recovered for ASTA members to date.
"This is not theoretical advocacy, this is real money back in advisor's pockets," Meader said.
ASTA's Commission Reporting Portal provides advisors with a structured way to report unpaid hotel commissions. ASTA can then opt to escalate unresolved cases reported by advisors and engage with hotels through advocacy and direct outreach.
"To be clear, the optimal number of hotels on the hotelier watch list should be zero," Meader continued. "But we can't stand by and ignore the problem. And that's why the watch list exists as a member-only resource on ASTA's website."
ASTA is now taking its watch list effort to the next level by expanding the intake form, Meader said. Over the coming weeks, the form will begin to allow advisors to report what Meader called "all kinds of supplier bad behavior."
"What kinds of practices are we talking about? Well, first pricing decisions that put advisors at a disadvantage. Such as extreme book direct incentives," Meader added.
Excessive client poaching tactics of all types will also soon be reportable via the expanded form. "These are egregious practices that can attempt to interrupt trust between an advisor and their client," said Meader.
Yet another issue advisors will soon be able to report involves suppliers refusing to pay the commissions due on "paid-in-full penalty canceled travel." This would involve cases in which a travel advisor has done everything correctly, the client has paid in full for travel, and the penalty cancellation date has passed.
"And then life intervenes on the traveler and the traveler has to cancel," explained Meader. "In too many cases, the supplier might keep the entire payment including the advisor's well earned commission while the advisor is left uncompensated for their work."
"Withholding earned commission from advisors in these instances is simply indefensible," Meader added.
Once ASTA's expanded reporting form is available, these types of practices will also be reportable. The ASTA team did not have an exact date for the launch of the increased reporting capabilities.
ASTA's 2026 conference is underway in San Diego, California (Photo Credit: Photo by Mia Taylor)
Expanded VeriVacation Website Functionality
Yet another development on the horizon for 2026 involves expanding the VeriVacation platform, which was launched last year to connect consumers with ASTA Verified Travel Advisors (VTAs) and help advisors generate leads.
Since being brought online in February 2025, the platform has begun to garner media attention and attract consumer traffic. Already, some 2,000 consumers are visiting the site each day, Meader told those gathered at the leadership breakfast.
"We continue hearing success stories from advisors receiving real business through the platform," Meader said.
Now ASTA is embarking on upgrading the VeriVacation website's functionality by adding "featured experiences, providing video content and faster advisor consumer connection tools," Meader explained.
And perhaps the even bigger headline: ASTA recently signed a "six figure agreement" with a third-party marketing company to increase the reach of VeriVacation.
American Society of Travel Advisors launched VeriVacation (Photo Credit: ASTA)
"We will continue promoting ASTA-verified advisors as the standard to the public," said Meader, who also pointed out that working with a verified travel advisor has become more important than ever at a time when the "barriers to entry for the profession remain far too low and consequently the risks to the profession and reputational damage are too high."
Advisors listed on the VeriVacation website must have VTA certification, which is ASTA's highest level of education, which involves completing nine courses. VTAs must also complete continuing education every two years.
ASTA's ongoing conference in San Diego features education, networking, business development and industry leadership. Nearly 1,500 travel industry professionals are on-hand for the organization's flagship annual conference, which will conclude on Friday.
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