HARVEY World Travel agents in the UK will have access to 5,000 apartments in Australia at better commission rates to rivals, thanks to parent company S8.
Although many of the apartments are available in the UK market through companies such as Gold Medal and Travel 2/4, HWT agents will be able to bypass the supplier to book and go direct to S8, which has management rights to the rooms – serviced flats with kitchens and bedrooms on short-term lets – in 48 hotel blocks in Australia.
HWT executive director Tim Dodds said: “Our agents will get paid more generous commission and acquire the rooms at a better rate than they can buy them through Travel 2/4 or Gold Medal, which access rooms via an inbound operator and then through S8. HWT agents will have online real-time access to room availability.”
Dodds said S8 originally bought HWT with a view to giving it controlled distribution for its apartments by selling direct through its own agents and reducing distribution costs through third-parties. Hotels generally pay commission of up to 30% to wholesalers to sell their products.
“Instead of going to operators they could go direct to their retailers through our direct-selling model,” added Dodds.