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Q: Why did I receive this notification of a group request?
A: We are an online group travel agency. After a group coordinator submits their request with us, we send it out to our registered member base of hotels and any hotels specifically requested by the client. When you receive our email and are not registered, you may follow the link to our site which has the details of the group. On the left you will see a link to register your hotel and place an offer. There is no fee to register and no membership fees. We are a commission based agency. Commission is due for actualized rooms after the group checks out.
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Q: Are there membership fees?
A: No, there is no charge to be a hotel member and place offers on our groups. We are a commissioned based agency, so when you place your offer you will be asked to provide a commissionable group rate (typically 10%).
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Q: How do I filter group requests?
A: Once you have registered, you can set up your account to only send you exactly the type of group requests you'd like in the Account Settings section. You can filter out group leads by rooms per night, budget, group type, minimum nights stay and more. These filters will allow each sales manager to only receive leads and manage groups within their market segment. Each sales manager at the hotel may have their own accounts and lead filters.
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Q: Do you mark up our group rates?
A: No, we do not mark up your rates. The group rate you offer to the group is the group rate they ultimately get. Groups ultimately pay the hotel directly for the group's rooms; we do not collect payment from the client.
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Q: How will I know if my offer is selected?
A: In the event one of your offers is selected for consideration by the client, you will be notified via e-mail with the client's contact information and instructions on how to contact them for contracting. At this point, the client has been instructed to contact you at the phone number provided for your account. Most hotels at this stage send over contract documents or call for credit card confirmation. You may also need to answer any remaining questions for the group coordinator.
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Q: Why aren't my offers being selected?
A: First, please make sure you have read through our Help section. There are a number of things to consider when placing an offer. You must take into account the clients' budget, the desired star rating and any specifications the client may ask for (i.e. banquet space or proximity to locals). In the event that you are paying attention to all of these things and you are still not receiving group business, you should take a look at the My Stats section. This section will give you feedback as to why groups have not been selecting your hotel.
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Q: What should I do if our hotel has sold out after I placed an offer?
A: You can either leave the offer as is since it's a space available rate or you can take the extra step to follow up on the group with a No Availability offer to let the group know that you have sold out. The client must make final arrangements with you ultimately, so in this event you can let them know you have sold out in the meantime.
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Q: How do I delete/change my offer?
A: You can always delete an offer using the Delete button found on every offer in your Account Summary. In addition, you can always place a new offer on any group request and the new offer will replace the previous offer.
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Q: What is offer expiration?
A: The offer expiration is where you can specify the length of time that your offer is valid for after the client receives it for the first time. The client may still contact you regarding their stay, but you are no longer obligated to extend your offer after the expiration (IE. The rate may change after the expiration). This is an effective sales technique to entice the client to contact you sooner rather than later.
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Q: If a travel agent books rooms via HotelPlanner.com, do we need to pay 10% to you and 10% to the travel agent?
A: No, you will only have to pay 10% to us and we will make sure the travel agent commission is paid promptly. All commissions are always paid to us.
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Q: Do you have an IATA number?
A: Yes, please email us for our number.
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Q: What is a Cut Off Date?
A: This is the date before check in, when reservations under the group block will no longer be accepted.
Ex: Assume a Check In Date of: June 15th
A "One Week" cut off date would mean that reservations under the group block at the negotiated group rate would no longer be honored as of June 8th and the remaining rooms are released to the general public.
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Q: What is Attrition?
A: Attrition is the minimum amount of the blocked rooms that must be used and/or ultimately paid for.
Ex: If 100 rooms are blocked and the client uses only 50 rooms, a 60% attrition agreement would mean the client is still responsible to pay for the 60 rooms (60%).
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Q: What if I represent more than 1 hotel?
A: You must create a new account for each property. You can use the same email and contact information on each account, but their must be a different password for each account. Once you have them set up all with the same email, the system will identify you as the same person and allow you to switch back and forth between property accounts easily.
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Q: Will other hotels or the public see the group rates I submit?
A: No, only the group coordinator will see your group rate. We never publish your group rates submitted via our company.
In addition, other hotels will not be able to see your group offers and you will not be able to see theirs.
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Q: What is the Cancellation policy for my offers?
A: When placing offers, the cancellation field is the cancellation policy for each individual room reservation once they are booked into the group block. The overall group block cancellation would be covered by your attrition and deposit policies.
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Q: What are the deposits on groups?
A: You can specify the deposit you require on a case by case basis each time you place an offer on a group. You can enter the deposit you require as a percentage of the rooms booked or as a flat dollar amount.
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Q: How do I contact you?
A: Any of our agents will be happy to assist you during our business hours:
Phone: 1-619-209-6130 or 1-800-898-1347 (U.S. + Canada Only)
Email: Hotels@HotelPlanner.com
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