NEW YORK -- ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby aims to recover $100,000 in unpaid commissions this year for member agencies as part of the trade group's fight against hotels that don't pay promptly.
Kerby spoke about that goal and ASTA's efforts to call out problematic suppliers at the Society's New York City chapter meeting on Jan. 7 at The Langham New York. He was interviewed by Arnie Weissmann, explorer at large for Travel Weekly's parent company, Northstar Travel Group.
"We want to call out the suppliers that are really not paying advisors and not doing right for our members," Kerby said.
Since last year, ASTA has been collecting member information on hotels that are late in paying commissions or don't pay them at all.
On Jan. 2, the Society launched a watchlist of bad actors behind a members-only paywall.
As of this week, there are four hotels on the list, Kerby said. It's based on member documentation that proves they haven't been paid.
"We published the first four hotels that are offending, and we want our members to know who they can recommend with confidence because they treat travel advisors right," Kerby said.
While the list is paywalled today, Kerby didn't discount the possibility of releasing it more widely in the future.
In December, ASTA's lawyers started contacting member-reported hotels. The Society has seen 47 cases thus far, 19 of which have been closed, resulting in more than $10,000 in commission collected for members. Once contacted, Kerby said hotels have 30 days to pay.
He encouraged advisors to report hotels that aren't paying on time.
"We'll certainly sic our attorneys on them," he said. "You'd be surprised how fast things get done when ASTA is involved, because we are the collective voice for advisors. That's our job."