Triton has warned members booking with accommodation-only suppliers that refuse to adopt principal status that as of this month they do so at their own risk.
At a board meeting on Tuesday Global Travel Group and Worldchoice agreed to adopt Advantage’s policy not to use bed banks that do not take the fullest legal responsibility.
On Wednesday Advantage dropped Holiday Brokers, Lowcostbeds.com and Hotels4U.com as preferred suppliers after they refused to adopt principal status. Medhotels.com agreed to change.
Advantage managing director John McEwan said: “If one of our Advantage members is using an accommodation-only supplier that’s acting as an agent then in law, should anything go wrong, the responsibility and risk will probably be with the member and not us.
“That’s what we’ll be saying very clearly. We can’t prevent our travel agents from using them but we can spell out the consequences.”
Global and Worldchoice have now given the suppliers until the end of the month to fall into line.
Medhotels commercial director Carl Burrows said the firm was making the changes and absorbing most of the additional costs. It will act as a principal from June.
However, the other three face having their product officially withdrawn from around 2,000 Triton members.
Last week they dismissed the threat, with On Holiday Group pledging to continue working independently with Advantage agents. This week all declined to comment.
Cosmos group sales director Andy Washington said adopting principal status costs around 6% of revenue. “It can hit the bottom line quite quickly,” he said.
Somewhere2stay.com managing director Stuart Jackson said he hoped Advantage’s clampdown would encourage other agency groups to take a hardline stance.