11 Mistakes by Hotels When Dealing with Travel Agents

Avoid These 11 Mistakes with Travel Agents: Boost Bookings | Build Loyalty | Protect Margins

Why Your Booking Pipeline May Be Leaking and How to Seal It

In today’s competitive hospitality market, travel agents are still an incredibly effective sales channel — especially in India, where relationships and trust play a big role in travel decisions. Yet many hoteliers fail to nurture this relationship properly, either due to oversight or lack of strategic focus.

Below are the 11 most common mistakes hotels make when dealing with travel agents, and practical fixes to build trust, boost bookings, and grow long-term B2B business.

1. No Dedicated Point of Contact (Major Mistake by hotels)

When five different people at your hotel handle one travel agent — and none of them do it well — miscommunication is inevitable. A single point of contact (SPOC) who knows how to handle agent queries is essential. They need to be available, professional, and empowered to confirm rates and respond quickly.

2. Slow or Incomplete Responses

This one’s fatal. If your hotel takes too long to respond or provides vague information (e.g., “rates start from ₹4,000”), the agent moves on. You must respond with clear, complete details — fast. Time is money, especially in B2B.

3. Rate Disparity with OTAs and Direct Clients

Many hotels undercut agents by offering the same or lower rates to walk-in clients or via OTAs. Nothing ruins a relationship faster. If the agent’s customer finds a cheaper deal online, you lose credibility, and they lose trust.

Fix: Always protect the agent’s margin. Offer a private, commissionable net rate that’s never undercut publicly.

4. Treating Agents as One-Time Vendors

Agents aren’t just middlemen — they’re sales partners. If you're transactional, you’ll never build loyalty. Hotels that engage agents regularly, seek feedback, and nurture the connection end up on the agent’s "Top 3" list.

5. No Training or Educational Material for Agents

Agents aren’t just selling your room — they’re selling the experience. But they can’t do that well unless you educate them.

Solution: Host virtual presentations about your hotel and the destination. Provide PDFs or WhatsApp creatives that explain your USPs. Give them the tools to sell you better.

6. Not Inviting Potential Agents on FAM Trips

You wouldn’t buy a car without a test drive — so why expect agents to push your hotel without experiencing it?

Fix: Invite serious, high-potential agents for FAM (Familiarization) trips. Seeing your property firsthand turns them into loyal promoters.

7. Not Offering Volume-Based Incentives

Agents who send you five bookings and agents who send 50 shouldn’t get the same deal. Volume matters. Reward your top performers with exclusive rates, gifts, or bonuses. This is standard practice in professional B2B circles.

8. Not Differentiating Between Registered and Unregistered Agents

Some hotels treat all agents the same — even those who’ve just popped up on Instagram with no track record. This dilutes relationships with established, registered agents.

Solution: Offer premium rates, early access to inventory, and priority service to verified and registered agents. Create a tiered agent program if needed.

9. Not Listening to Feedback

Travel agents deal directly with your end customers. They know which rooms disappoint, which staff mishandles queries, and what competitors are doing better. If you’re not tapping into this feedback loop, you’re running blind.

10. Ignoring Post-Booking Support

Confirming a booking is just the beginning. Travel agents often handle guest requests, changes in plans, or special celebrations. Be cooperative — not dismissive. Ensure the guest’s experience reflects positively on the agent too.

11. Outdated or Poor Marketing Collateral

No agent wants to chase you every time for updated tariff plans, property images, or room descriptions. If your photos are blurry and your rates are from 2022, you’re not serious.

Fix: Create a Google Drive folder or WhatsApp broadcast list with updated images, rate sheets, and seasonal offers. Keep it fresh and accessible.

Final Thoughts

The truth is simple: Travel agents are your business partners, not just another distribution channel. They are relationship-driven professionals who appreciate attention, loyalty, and consistency. If your hotel becomes easy to work with, you’ll automatically be top of mind when they make booking decisions.

With OTAs pushing high commissions and guests demanding personalization, travel agents remain your most cost-effective, relationship-driven, and repeatable revenue stream — if handled wisely.

Avoid these 11 mistakes and turn your agent network into a well-oiled revenue machine.