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Accommodation providers want to provide the best service possible to their guests. Although it doesn’t hurt to have paper brochures at the front desk, hoteliers prefer to enhance their guests’ experiences by recommending and booking activities for them.

Partnerships with accommodation providers are becoming indispensable for activity businesses. They offer a symbiotic relationship that benefits both – agents (accommodation providers) provide better customer service to their guests while activity operators get more sales of their products from a wider audience.

What Do Booking Agents Seek in an Activity Operator's Business?

Working with agents can be beneficial for your activity business, however booking agents are also running a business – this means they will be looking to charge you a commission fee for making bookings for their guests. There are different types of agents out there with different commission rates depending on industry standards. For example, the industry standard commission rate for an accommodation provider is 10-15% while that of a retailer could be as high as 25%.

When partnering with an activity operator, agents are interested in:  

• Automated Bookings
  Agents are interested in reselling activities from operators that can offer instant booking confirmations. They simply do not have the time to wait for a phone response. Automated confirmation means better customer service.
• Market Presence
  The more visible your business is in the market, the more confidence the agents have to sell your products. This means - building your profiles on social media, networking at tourism events and partnering with Online Travel Agencies.
• Commission Rate
  Agents are motivated for partnerships with operators that have good commission offerings.

How Can Activity Operators Partner with Agents?

The best way to partner with agents (and track referrals) is to use booking software for your activity business, that can be easily integrated with a referral system.

Whyte Waters' Trade Manual Online (TMO)

Whyte Waters TMO connects agents with activity operators, by facilitating activity reselling.

• For Activity Operators
  With a booking system like RTBS, operators do not have to worry about confirming availability to agents on the phone or email. Our system allows operators to share their live inventory with the growing network of agents.  
  
  
• For Agents
  Delight your guests with better services. Help them figure out which activity is best suited for their needs and book their desired activities immediately. Take ownerships of tours and activities by accessing their real-time availability online. Face-to-face referrals add more credibility for travellers than static sources such as online communities.

Whyte Waters provides a range of products for agents to improve their guests’ experiences. To learn more, contact us today.