FORTEhas replaced its short-breaks programme Forte Leisure Breaks with an accommodation-only brochure called Forte Hotels, the Worldwide Collection.
The decision came after the sale of its sister company Magic Travel Group to Thomson at the end of last year.
Forte director of leisure sales Louise Cowgill said it had relied on Magic Travel Group for the transportation side of its European leisure breaks.
“We had to look at how to distribute our European product. We did not want to become a tour operator.
“With the growth of call centres and flight centres, most travel agents now just want hotel accommodation and they provide the Eurostar or flight tickets. Our new brochure opens up our whole portfolio and is for the independent traveller,” she said.
Cowgill admitted that sales through its own brochure might be affected by deals signed with Superbreak and ABC Holidays Extras this year.
Forte has agreed to put 85 of its top-producing leisure properties in the Superbreak UK short-breaks brochure and has increased the number of airport hotels featured by ABC from 12 to 17.
“This was part of our strategy when we looked at our distribution through the travel trade,” said Cowgill.
The Forte programme will go live on viewdata on March 22 and features Posthouse, Heritage, London Signature and half of the group’s international hotels, Le Meridien.
All European Le Meridien hotels are included plus 24 properties worldwide which are suitable for golf packages. The rest are listed but without price panels.
The 78-page brochure also includes Forte’s sister budget brand Travelodge for the first time.
Over 60 of the 170 Travelodge hotels are featured and have agreed to pay 10% commission to agents booking through a dedicated telephone number.
Although Travelodge is owned by Forte’s parent Granada, it has traditionally been run separately to the other brands and has not paid agents commission.
Cowgill said it could not put Travelodge on viewdata because it was impossible to ensure up-to-date availability. “The inventory moves too quickly,” she said.
The brochure will be accompanied by a new 20-page agency manual advising agents how to book Forte hotels, listing all the hotels’ numbers and outlining the five brands.