The hotel members’ organisation has invited “selected” agencies to join the new preferred agency programme, called WithIN, which is offering the “best available” rates plus special benefits and upgrades for their customers.
SLH said 360 agencies around the world had already signed up, including Rask Travel in the UK and Protravel International, while 235 member hotels have so far agreed to participate, including new openings such as The Celino South Beach (Miami), Ovolo The Valley (Brisbane), The Merchant House (Bahrain), Finca Serena (Mallorca), Vintry & Mercer (London) and The Outpost Hotel Sentosa (Singapore).
Agents are being invited based on “brand association, booking history and pattern and potential volume into the portfolio”. To then qualify for year two, the agency must meet a production threshold set by the SLH sales team in order to continue.
The programme is bookable via GDS and through the SLH Voice reservations teams, while a dedicated website for agents is expected to launch in early 2020.
Agency members can benefit from 10% commission rates on standard rooms rising to 15% on suites, based on a minimum two-night stay.
An agency’s clients can benefit from free breakfast and WiFi, room upgrades, early check-in/late check-out and $50 per room credit that can be spent in a hotel’s spa or F&B outlets.
Carsten Lima, vice-president of sales for SLH (EMEA), said: “We strongly believe in investing in our partnership approach to working with the best travel agencies so our relationship with them continues to go from strength to strength.
“With the launch of WithIN, we are making this partnership approach bigger and better, so that selected travel agencies working with us benefit from even more opportunities to promote and sell our participating SLH hotels regardless of luxury network affiliation.”
