Bed bank hotelconnect.com has said three of its top seven distributors come from outside the high-street travel sector.
The company warned agents risk losing commission and market share to firms whose main line of business is not travel.
For example, restaurant website toptable.co.uk is now distributing hotel rooms through its site and is in talks with a number of travel industry partners about integrating their sites into its own. Borders is also providing travel information kiosks in its bookshops.
Commercial manager Ian Ackland said: “Agents who turned their backs on city breaks were wrong. They still complement main holidays. Agents who do not promote them are driving clients into the arms of other aggregation sites.”
Ackland said hotelconnect.com’s move to sell through sites outside the travel sector was a reaction to gaps in the distribution channel.