Agreement Reached On California Res Program, Major Travel Agency and Hotel Associations Forge Solution
Agreement Reached On California Res Program, Major Travel Agency and Hotel Associations Forge Solution
LEXINGTON, KY, APRIL 1--The Association of Retail Travel Agents (ARTA), the California Hotel/Motel Association (CHMA) and WorldRes, Inc., have agreed upon a solution that allows travel agents to directly benefit from the State of California hotel reservation program.
The solution not only addresses California travel agents' issues, but also serves as a model for statewide reservation programs throughout the United States. The partners are presenting this solution to the Secretary of Trade and Commerce and actively seeking the support of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and the California Coalition of Travel Organizations(CCTO) for this new model.
The revised program gives both callers and visitors to the web site a choice when making a reservation: they may either use a local travel agent or reserve directly through the call center or web site. For consumers who choose to book through a travel agent, the program provides a list of local agents to contact for information on their chosen destination, activities and related travel products. The agreement also creates an advisory board with representatives from the travel agent organizations, regional hotel & motel associations, the state tourism authority, call center and the technology provider.
ARTA President John Hawks said, "Our primary goal is that travel agents have the same level playing field with hotels to close sales generated by the program. We are committed to doing what is best for our members, which includes finding ways to help them be more productive. We recognize that the potential benefits of online bookings are enormous. As the Internet continues to expand, we want to ensure that the opportunities for travel agents grow with the latest technologies. This solution makes the California program an example for other destinations to follow."
"Travel agents are a very important part of our business, and we feel this program helps both them and our member hotels, motels, and inns," said Jim Abrams of the CHMA. "California agents will have access to lodging properties and information they can't get through their current airline reservation systems, and these properties will, in turn,
benefit from this increased exposure. We sincerely hope that the other travel agent organizations, besides ARTA will recognize this and join us in building the best possible solution for all parties involved."
Greg Jones, CEO of WorldRes, said, "We're excited that ARTA and CHMA have taken the lead to give California agents a way to benefit from our cutting edge Internet technology. We look forward to the State of California endorsing this solution and getting the program back online."
The California hotel reservation program was voluntarily suspended to review the concerns of travel agent organizations regarding their role in the tourism promotion campaign. In the meantime, agents and consumers
can still access the call center (1-800-GoCalif) and other parts of the state web site (
Founded in 1963 , ARTA is the nation's largest nonprofit trade association that admits only travel agents as members. It is headquartered in Lexington, KY.
The California Hotel & Motel Association is the largest state hotel/motel/inn association in the country. It has over 1,300 members, which represent more than 160,000 guest rooms in hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns, guest ranches, resorts, spas, timeshares, and condominium rentals located throughout California. CH&MA members range
in size from small bed and breakfast inns with only one or two rooms to the largest hotels in the state. CH&MA is the only entity which represents the interests of all components of California's diverse and economically vital lodging industry. A large number of CH&MA members are not participants in typical travel agent reservation systems, and the Division of Tourism's statewide reservation system will be their only link to travel agents.
WorldRes, Inc., (
travel and destination Web sites and call centers.
CONTACT:
ARTA CHMA WORLDRES
John Hawks Jim Abrams Scott Potter
(800) 969-6069 (916) 444-5780 (650)372-1700
Steve Perry Paul McIntyre Rick Keating
(800) 969-6069 McIntyre Communications Keating Communications
(916) 783-8775 (212)760-2400