Why TSA Rates Trump Best Available Rates
Hello TRAVELSAVERS and NEST Members!
For this edition of Advisor’s Advice, I’d like to address our TSA rates vs. Best Available Rates.
Best available rate (BAR) pricing first came about as an attempt to help reduce confusion for consumers, and by extension, travel advisors, caused by complex rate strategies offered by hotels with many different prices.
Simply put, the best available rates are (were) typically the lowest rate of the day available to book. The rates are available to travel agencies, TMCs, and the public, and come with relatively straightforward terms and no change penalties and/or fees, other than those specified in their cancellation policy.
For those of us in the travel industry, finding the best available rate at a property is quite easy – whether you book through GDS or not. They are often labelled as just that, or some variation, such as Standard Rate, Flexible Rate or Best Flexible Rate – which brings me to my advice to you:
Please don’t book Best Available Rates – Book the TSA Rates!
I know you have many options at your disposal when it comes to booking hotel rates, but you still may end up having to do a little research to be sure you are finding not only the lowest rate possible for your client, but also the best all-around rate. Remember, sometimes the cheapest rate isn’t always the best one.
Fortunately, your agency belongs to one of the leading industry organizations dedicated to growing all aspects of your business. The TRAVELSAVERS Hotel Division has built long-standing relationships with hotel suppliers to bring you the best all-around rates – also known as the TSA rates. Here are the top reasons to book TSA and not BAR:
- TSA rates are most often better than BAR. Many of our hotel partners offer 5%, 10% and even up to 25% off the best available rate, giving you the edge on the best pricing available
- Last room availability
- 50% of properties in our program include complimentary breakfast in our rates
- 80% include Wi-Fi in our rates
- Commissionable rates up to 15%
- Complimentary upgrades at participating hotels
- Late check-in/check-out at participating hotels
- …And last but not least, you have the support of the TRAVELSAVERS Hotel Division behind you, particularly when an issue arises, such as not receiving your commission. We advocate on your behalf and our effectiveness is further reinforced when the booking is made on the TSA rate code.
If you don’t see the TSA rates in your GDS for hotels participating in our program, please email me at wbennett@travelsavers.com, or reach out to your dedicated TRAVELSAVERS Business Analyst. Often, it may just be a technical matter of enabling your agency’s PCC or OID to view and book our rates.
To find more information about the TSA Hotel Program, including booking formats, on the Agent Extranet (US, Canada or NEST), under Hotel Programs – TRAVELSAVERS Preferred Hotel Program. Here you will find GDS booking formats under “How to Book in the GDS.” You can also download and print a copy of the GDS reservation booklet from this site. For non-GDS advisors, you can book the TSA rates (Preferred Hotel Rates) using our proprietary online booking tool, tripXpress. The TSA rates in tripXpress all have the TRAVELSAVERS logo next to them for easy identification.
Thank you, and remember, book TSA and not BAR!
William "Bill" Bennett, Director – Agency Network
Telephone: +1 516-624-0500 x2341
Email: wbennett@travelsavers.com
