Consortia are Travel Agent groups working together for buying power.
Consortia can be a Travel Agency group such as American Express Travel, a franchise group such as Harvey World Travel or independent travel Agents who have banded together such as the United Travel Agents Group - UTAG.
Recent trends see these groups forming mega alliances on a global basis such as the Radius group.
For Airlines, Car rental companies and Hotels these consortia are a major source of corporate business. The consortia discipline their Travel Agency members to sell preferred products. Many consortia print hotel guides annually and bias their reservations systems (GDS) to only show hotels that they have agreements with.
Each consortia has rules and guidelines for hotels to participate. If you decide to participate in a consortia program, you must verify the terms and conditions directly with the consortia. Fees apply to participate in consortia programs and each consortia will have conditions that must be met. These terms will usually include-
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Last room availability and Run of the House.
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Rates must be at least 10% less than published rates and commissionable (10%)
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Rates must be guaranteed 1st. January through to 31st. December.
Consortia