LAS VEGAS -- Ensemble has tiered its suppliers into three different groups based on the level of support they offer its member travel agencies in the hopes of driving more members toward the consortium's best partners.
Danny Finkel on stage during Ensemble's 2026 Horizons conference. Photo Credit: Ensemble
Danny Finkel, Ensemble's senior vice president of partner relations, spoke about the framework during the consortium's Horizons conference at Resorts World here this week.
"We want to celebrate the preferred and strategic partners who have stepped up and encourage you to start there when deciding where to place your business," Finkel told travel advisors during Monday's general session.
In a press conference on Tuesday, he offered more details about the program.
There are three tiers in the program: approved, preferred and strategic.
To sort suppliers, Ensemble has created something of a "quantitative-qualitative rubric" that takes into account a variety of factors that can create value for members. That could be everything from commissions, amenities, specials and discounts, level of BDM support and level of engagement with Ensemble.
The tiers help Ensemble offer a level of transparency to members and suppliers alike, he said. Members can understand exactly what a supplier offers, while suppliers have a window into what their peers are doing to offer the consortium added value.
"Then we help facilitate the conversations between those most strategic partners with the members," Finkel said.
The transparency of the tiers
The tiered framework came to be for several reasons.
First, Finkel said, Ensemble has spent recent years building out its portfolio of suppliers. He believes, with its breadth and depth, it is one of the leading portfolios in the industry. Now, the consortium needs to share the value those suppliers bring to members in a transparent way.
It also helps advisors when they're deciding which supplier is right for their client.
"We encourage our agencies and advisors to do what's right for the client first," said Ensemble president Michael Johnson. "And then, in a world where there are options, they are aware of some of the different tiering that's available to them and some of the potential benefits to them."
Finkel pointed out that each supplier, no matter which tier they fall into, has been fully vetted.
"They wouldn't be a part of our marketplace if we didn't want our members to sell them, and if their clients are asking for them, they should absolutely sell them," he said. "But they should also know, on both sides of the marketplace, who's providing the greatest value."