travel agents (sep 2020)

Travel Agents (SEP 2020)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DESCRIPTION ..................................................................................................................................... 1

TRAVEL AGENT OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................... 2

POST-DEDUCT TRAVEL AGENT ................................................................................................... 3

Post-Deduct Travel Agent Commissions by Percentage ............................................. 3

Post-Deduct Travel Agent Commissions by Value ........................................................ 3

Entering Post-Deduct Travel Agent to Streamline ........................................................ 4

Entering Post-Deduct Reservations Manually ................................................................ 4

Entering Post-Deduct Reservations via the Travel Agent Module ............................ 5

Generating Post-Deduct Travel Agent Statements in Streamline ............................ 7

POST-DEDUCT WHOLESALE TRAVEL AGENT ......................................................................... 7

Post-Deduct Wholesale Travel Agent Commissions by Percentage ........................ 8

PDWTA Commissions by Value .......................................................................................... 8

Entering Post-Deduct Wholesale Travel Agent to Streamline ................................... 9

Entering PDWTA Reservations Manually ......................................................................... 9

Entering PDWTA Reservations via the Travel Agent Module ................................. 10

Running Post-Deduct Wholesale Travel Agent Statements in Streamline ......... 12

PRE-DEDUCT TRAVEL AGENT ................................................................................................... 12

Pre-Deduct Agent Commissions by Percentage ......................................................... 13

Pre-Deduct Travel Agent Commissions by Value....................................................... 13

Pre-Deduct Travel Agent Collections.............................................................................. 14

Entering Pre-Deduct Travel Agent to Streamline ....................................................... 14

Entering Pre-Deduct Travel Agent Reservations Manually ..................................... 15

Entering Pre-Deduct Reservations via the Wholesale Agent Module .................. 16

Receiving Pre-Deduct Travel Agents Payments in Streamline ............................... 18

WHOLESALE TRAVEL AGENT ..................................................................................................... 20

Wholesale Travel Agent Commissions by Percentage .............................................. 20

Wholesale Travel Agent Commissions by Rate Type ................................................ 20

Wholesale Travel Agent Collections ............................................................................... 21

Entering Wholesale Travel Agent to Streamline ......................................................... 21

Wholesale Travel Agent Rate Types Set-up .................................................................. 23

Entering Wholesale Reservations Manually ................................................................. 24

Entering Wholesale Reservations via the Wholesale Agent Module .................... 25

Receiving Wholesale Payments in Streamline ............................................................. 26

DESCRIPTION

This guide will provide instructions for setting-up and managing sales from

individual travel agents. More travel agent information is available for OTAs

within individual training provided for those channels.

The logic for both travel agents and wholesale travel agents is available in

Streamline. This document will review the variety of options for set-up.

1. Allow travel agents to always collect money and send payments to the

property management company, these are pre-deduct or wholesale travel

agents.

2. Allow the property management to collect the money and pay the travel

agents, these are post-deduct types of travel agents.

REMEMBER TO SEARCH THE KNOWLEDGEBASE IN STREAMLINE FOR THE

MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION ON TRAVEL AGENTS.

USER GUIDE | Travel Agents (SEP 2020)

2

TRAVEL AGENT OVERVIEW

This chart provides a snapshot to reveal how each travel agent type works.

Determine the best travel agent type(s) for your business model and jump to that

section of this guide.

ACCESS/ RIGHTS POST-

DEDUCT

PRE-

DEDUCT

WHOLESALE POST-DEDUCT

WHOLESALE

Login via Streamline portal to

book reservation YES YES YES YES

TA Commission paid BEFORE the

owner/PMC split YES YES

TA Commission is paid out of the

PMC commission (owner is not

impacted)

YES

YES

Must enter all reservation

information, including credit card YES YES

Property Mgmt Co (PMC) charges

the guest YES YES

PMC takes over the mgmt of

reservation after booking,

including collection of payment

YES YES

PMC runs statements to pay TA

commission AFTER check-out YES YES

PMC selects this type of TA to

maximize cash flow YES YES

Enters reservation without guest

payment information (credit card) YES YES

TA collects guest payment and

pays the PMC YES YES

TA manages the reservation until

Check-in YES YES

PMC collects reservation payment

from TA less TA commission YES YES

PMC offers rooms at a set rate and

the TA can sell for whatever value

they desire

YES

NOTE: This information is intended for managing individual travel

agents. Please reference integrations training for OTA’s.


3

POST-DEDUCT TRAVEL AGENT

Post-Deduct Travel Agents book any inventory made available to them. The

travel agent receives their commission after the guest checks-out payable to

them by the Property Management Company (PMC).

NOTE: Post-Deduct and Post-Deduct Wholesale Travel Agents are very

similar as outlined in the chart on page 2. The main difference is when

the travel agent commission is deducted.

Post-Deduct Travel Agent Commissions by Percentage

The TA commission is calculated on the total room revenue. Here is an example

where the TA receives 10% commission and the Owner/PMC split is 70/30:

• Room Revenue for Reservation collected by the PMC = $1000

• Owner revenue $700 (70% of $1000)

• PMC commission $200 (20% of $1000)

• PMC pays the TA = $100 of the $1000

After the reservation checks-out, the system creates a payable account for this

travel agent. The amount payable is the commission percentage calculated on

the total room revenue.

Post-Deduct Travel Agent Commissions by Value

In some cases, PMCs prefer to work with Post-Deduct TAs based on a dollar

amount. Here is an example where the TA receives $50 and the Owner/PMC split

is 70/30:

• Room Revenue for reservation collected by the PMC = $1000


• PMC commission $250 (30% of $1000 less the $50 travel agent commission)

• PMC pays the TA = $50 of the $1000


4


travel agent. The amount payable is the TA commission value.

Entering Post-Deduct Travel Agent to Streamline

1. Go to [Tools]

2. Users/Owners -> [Post-Deduct Travel Agents]

3. Select [Add New Post-Deduct Travel Agent] and [Continue]

4. Enter all required* and appropriate information and [Continue]

5. Using the checkboxes in the Commissionable column select the

homes/inventory to allocate to this agent (Travel Agent Settings) and

[Continue]

a. Select the radio

button to either

Use Standard or

Use Rate or Use

$ Amount

b. Enter a value, if

applicable, and

[Continue]

NOTE: When logged into the Travel Agent Module, The Post-

Deduct Travel Agent will only have access to the units selected as

commissionable under their Travel Agent Settings tab.

Entering Post-Deduct Reservations Manually

When entering a post-deduct reservation manually into Streamline follow these

steps during the reservation creation process:


5

1. After selecting [Make Reservation]

check the box in the reservation

window for TA

2. Choose the appropriate travel agent

from the dropdown menu

3. The reservation will update.

4. Guest information must be added, and

payment type will be required since the

PMC is the merchant of record and

must collect payment from the guest.

Entering Post-Deduct Reservations via the Travel Agent Module

Provide the travel agent the following URL,

https://travelagent.streamlinevrs.com/auth_login.html, their username and

password. This provides the travel agent access to the unit(s) enabled on the

wholesale agent settings tab of their Travel Agent record.

Three booking engines are available to the TA: Quick Book, Informative Book

and Tape Chart.

https://travelagent.streamlinevrs.com/auth_login.html


6

Post-Deduct Travel Agents

will be required to enter

guest information and credit

card information.

Since the PMC is the

merchant of record and will

collect payment from the

guest payment information

is required.

Once booked, the reservation will be displayed in Streamline as a confirmed

booking and, if auto-charging is enabled, the payment will process at the time of

booking. The Post-Deduct Travel Agent will wait for their commission until the

PMC pays following the guest checkout


7

Generating Post-Deduct Travel Agent Statements in Streamline

It is important to note that the reservation must be checked out in order to pay

the PDTA. Only checked out reservations will appear on the PDTA Statement.

1. Go to [Accounting] -> Post-Deduct TA

Statements

2. Select [Statements Manager]

3. Select All Post-Deduct Travel Agents or an

individual one to prepare payment

4. Enter the date range to prepare (future dates are not acceptable, as these

TAs can not be paid in advance)

5. Select [Generate Travel Agent

Statements]

6. Select [View DETAILS] to view the

individual statement

7. [Approve] the statement if it is

acceptable. If there are errors the commission values can be adjusted on the

reservation

a. Navigate to the reservation and select the commission tab to make

the correction then delete and re-run the PDTA statement

8. Select the checkbox to write checks for approved statements

9. Select [Write Checks] to process the payment to the Post-Deduct Travel

Agent

POST-DEDUCT WHOLESALE TRAVEL AGENT

Post-Deduct Wholesale Travel Agents (PDWTAs) book any inventory made

available to them. The travel agent receives their commission after the guest

checks-out payable to them by the Property Management Company (PMC).


8

NOTE: Much of the navigation in Streamline for Pre-deduct will

make reference to Wholesale because Pre-deduct and Wholesale

are similar as noted in the chart on Page 2. The main difference is

when the travel agent commission is deducted.

Post-Deduct Wholesale Travel Agent Commissions by Percentage

The PDWTA commission is calculated prior to the Owner Commission Split. Here

is an example where the TA receives 10% commission and the Owner/PMC split is

70/30:



• PMC revenue $270 (30% of $900)

• PMC pays the PDWTA = $100 of the $1000


travel agent. The amount payable is the commission percentage calculated on

the total room revenue.

PDWTA Commissions by Value

In some cases, PMCs prefer to work with PDWTAs based on a dollar amount.

Here is an example where the TA receives $50 and the Owner/PMC split is 70/30:



• PMC revenue $250 (30% of $1000 less the $50 travel agent commission)

• PMC pays the PDWTA = $50 of the $1000


travel agent. The amount payable is the TA commission value.


9

Entering Post-Deduct Wholesale Travel Agent to Streamline

1. Go to [Tools]

2. Users/Owners -> [Post-Deduct Wholesale Travel Agents]

3. Select [Add New Post-Deduct Wholesale Travel Agent] and [Continue]



homes/inventory to allocate to this agent (Wholesale Agent Settings) and

[Continue]

a. Select the radio

button to either

Use Standard or

Use Rate or Use

$ Amount

b. Enter a value, if

applicable, and

[Continue]

NOTE: When logged into the Travel Agent Module, The PDWTA

will only have access to the units selected as commissionable under

their Wholesale Agent Settings tab.

Entering PDWTA Reservations Manually

When entering a PDWTA reservation manually into Streamline follow these steps

during the reservation creation process:


10

1. After selecting [Make Reservation]

check the box in the reservation

window for TA

2. Choose the appropriate travel agent

from the dropdown menu

3. The reservation will update.

4. Guest information must be added and

payment type will be required since the

PMC is the merchant of record and

must collect payment from the guest.

Entering PDWTA Reservations via the Travel Agent Module

Provide the post-deduct wholesale travel agent the URL,

https://travelagent.streamlinevrs.com/auth_login.html, their user name and

password. This provides the PDWTA access to the unit(s) enabled on the

wholesale agent settings tab of their PDWTA record.

https://travelagent.streamlinevrs.com/auth_login.html


11

The same three booking engines are available to the TA: Quick Book, Informative

Book and Tape Chart.

PDWTA’s will be required to

enter guest information and

credit card information.

Since the PMC is the

merchant of record and will

collect payment from the

guest payment information

is required.

Once booked, the reservation will be displayed in Streamline as a confirmed

booking and, if auto-charging is enabled, the payment will process at the time of

booking. The PDWTA will wait for their commission until the PMC pays following

the guest checkout


12

Running Post-Deduct Wholesale Travel Agent Statements in

Streamline

It is important to note that the reservation must be checked out in order to pay

the PDWTA. Only checked out reservations will appear on the PDWTA Statement.

1. Go to [Accounting]

2. Select [Statements Manager]

3. Select All PDWTA or an individual PDWTA to

prepare payment

4. Enter the date range to prepare (future dates are

not acceptable, as PDWTAs can not be

paid in advance)

5. Select [Generate Travel Agent

Statements]

6. Select [DETAILS] to view the individual

statement

7. [Approve] the statement if it is acceptable. If there are errors the

commission values can be adjusted on the reservation

a. Navigate to the reservation and select the commission tab to make

the correction then delete and re-run the PDWTA statement

8. Select the checkbox to write checks for approved statements

9. Select [Write Checks] to process the payment to the PDWTA

PRE-DEDUCT TRAVEL AGENT

Pre-Deduct Travel Agents can basically book any inventory made available to

them for FREE, since payment to the PMC is not due until the guest checks-in.

NOTE: Much of the navigation in Streamline for Pre-deduct will

make reference to Wholesale because Pre-deduct and Wholesale

are similar as noted in the chart on Page 2. The main difference is

when the travel agent commission is deducted.


13

Pre-Deduct Agent Commissions by Percentage

The commission is calculated on the room revenue and deducted from the

Property Management Company (PMC) Commission. Here is an example where

the TA receives 10% commission and the Owner/PMC split is 70/30:

• Room Revenue for Reservation = $1000

o Note: The travel agent can charge ANY value to the guest. The

Room Revenue stated here is the rack rate.

• Travel Agent keeps =$100 of the $1000

• Travel Agent pays $900 to the PMC to apply to the reservation

• Owner receives $700 (70% of $1000)

• PMC receives $200 (20% of $1000)

After a pre-deduct agent makes a reservation, the system creates a DUE account

for this travel agent. The amount due is based off the rack rate less the

percentage TA commission.

Pre-Deduct Travel Agent Commissions by Value

In some cases, PMCs prefer to work with Pre-Deduct Travel Agents based on a

dollar amount. Here is an example where the TA receives $50 and the

Owner/PMC split is 70/30:







• PMC receives $250 (30% of $1000 less the $50 travel agent commission)


14

After the Pre-Deduct Travel Agent makes a reservation, the system creates a DUE

account for this travel agent. The amount due is based off the rack rate less the

TA commission value.

Pre-Deduct Travel Agent Collections

The travel agent will collect all funds and manage the reservation until the guest

checks-in. Payment to the property management company is based on their

requirements. It is customary to collect the entire reservation before check-in.

The collection process for pre-deduct travel agents in Streamline is extremely

robust. If used properly, it ensures that money due to the PMC is collected from

the travel agent.

It is very IMPORTANT to have a strong relationship with this type of travel agent,

since they can book inventory without payment, which could be problematic if

payment is not received when due.

Entering Pre-Deduct Travel Agent to Streamline

1. Go to [Tools]

2. Users/Owners -> [Pre-Deduct Travel Agents]

3. Select [Add New Pre-Deduct Travel Agent] and [Continue]




[Continue]


15

a. Select the

radio button to

either Use

Standard or Use

Rate or Use

$ Amount

b. Enter a value,

if applicable, and

[Continue]

In addition, there is an option to Collect Travel Agent Tax, where tax can be

calculated based on Rack or Net. This will adjust how taxes are calculated.

• Rack means the taxes on the reservation will calculate based on the rack

rate, as if there was no commission for the agent.

• Net means the taxes on the reservation will calculate based on the

discounted value of the room rate to account for the Agent’s commission.

Entering Pre-Deduct Travel Agent Reservations Manually

When entering a pre-deduct reservation manually into Streamline follow these

steps during the

reservation creation

process:

1. After selecting

[Make Reservation]

check the box in the

reservation window

for TA

2. Choose the

appropriate travel

agent from the

dropdown menu

3. The reservation will

update and the amount due from the Pre-Deduct Travel Agent will show

highlighted in blue below the Total of the reservation.


16

4. Guest information must be added, and no payment type will be required

since the reservation will be paid by the Travel Agent.

a. Best Practice: Set payment type to CHECK before completing the

reservation to avoid system errors requesting a payment type.

Entering Pre-Deduct Reservations via the Wholesale Agent Module

Provide the wholesale agent the URL https://wholesale.streamlinevrs.com, their

user name and password. This provides the travel agent access to the unit(s)

enabled on the wholesale agent settings tab of their travel agent record.


and Tape Chart.

https://wholesale.streamlinevrs.com/


17

Pre-Deduct TA’s will be required to enter guest information and no payment

information is required. It is assumed they are collecting the money and will pay

as they make reservations in your system.

Once booked the reservation will be displayed in Streamline as a confirmed

booking. The Pre-Deduct agent will collect payment from their guest and if any

changes are needed the agent would need to contact the property management

company directly.


18

Receiving Pre-Deduct Travel Agents Payments in Streamline

At some point, a Pre-Deduct Travel Agent sends the funds owed for the

reservations they made. Hence, the importance of have a trustworthy

relationship with the travel agent.

There are two options available for posting the payments using the Pre-Deduct

TA Payments report:

1. Go to [Accounting]

2. Select [Generate Report/Receive

Money]

3. There are two options: [Generate

Wholesale Payment] or [Build

Wholesale Payment]

a. Generating the report will pull ALL reservations that are due based on

TA and dates selected

b. Building the report is a good option when the reservation numbers

associated with the payment are known.

When starting the receiving process, [Generate Report/Receive Money], any

pre-deduct agent and any date or date range can be selected to receive

payment.

NOTE: If payments for reservations checking in months from now

need to be received, set the date to run the report for the date of

future reservation. Streamline runs the report looking backwards

for all reservations based on that date.


19

The resulting report using [Generate Wholesale Payment] contains all

reservations up to that date for which money is owed by the pre-deduct travel

agent.

1. Select [DETAILS] to view the report

2. Enter the Payment Amount from the Pre-Deduct Travel Agent, the check

number, and the posting date.

3. Select [Apply ALL] to post to all reservations listed OR check each

individual reservation that this payment applies.

4. [SAVE AND APPROVE] to post the payment

5. The payment is now reflected on each of the reservations/folios where the

payment was applied.

When using the [Build Wholesale Payment] option:

1. Enter the Reservation numbers to add to statement (see image below)

2. Select [Add to Report]

3. Enter the Payment Amount from the Pre-Deduct Travel Agent, the check

number, and the posting date.







20

WHOLESALE TRAVEL AGENT

Wholesale Travel Agents can basically book any inventory made available to them

for FREE, since payment to the PMC is not due until the guest checks-in.

Wholesale Travel Agent Commissions by Percentage

The commission is retained prior to the Owner Commission Split. Here is an

example where the TA receives 10% commission and the Owner/PMC split is

70/30:







• PMC receives $270 (30% of $900)

After a wholesaler makes a reservation, the system creates a DUE account for this

Wholesale Travel Agent. The amount due is based off the rack rate less the

percentage commission. (Notice in this example, compared to the same example

for Pre-Deduct Travel Agents, the PMC receives more money and the owner

receives less.)

Wholesale Travel Agent Commissions by Rate Type

This is another difference between Pre-Deduct and Wholesale. The PMC can set

wholesale rates to offer their units to the wholesale travel agent. This option is

not available for Pre-Deduct Agents.


21

Some PMCs prefer to work with Wholesale Travel Agents based on defined rates.

Here is an example:

Home Type Rack Rate Wholesale Rate

2 Bedroom $350 $300

3 Bedroom $450 $415

After a wholesaler makes a reservation, the system creates a DUE account for this

travel agent. The amount due is based off the wholesale rate.

NOTE: If rate types are used, these will need to be defined for all units in

the system.

Wholesale Travel Agent Collections

The travel agent will collect all funds and possibly manage the reservation until

the guest checks-in. Payment is due to the property management company

based on their requirements. It is customary to collect the entire reservation

before check-in.

The collection process for wholesale travel agents in Streamline is extremely

robust. If used properly, it ensures that money due to the PMC is collected from

the travel agent.

It is very IMPORTANT to have a strong relationship with this type of travel agent,

since they can book inventory without payment, which could be problematic if

payment is not received when due.

Entering Wholesale Travel Agent to Streamline

1. Go to [Tools]


22

2. Users/Owners -> [Wholesale Travel Agents]

3. Select [Add New Wholesale Travel Agent] and [Continue]




[Continue]

a. Select the radio button to either Use Standard or Use Rate or Use

$ Amount

b. Enter a value, if applicable, and [Continue]

NOTE: If rate types are used, after creating the agent, edit the user and

select Wholesale Agent Settings, there will be two additional columns.

Use Rate Type and a Rate dropdown to select.

When using rate type, there is also an option to Collect Travel Agent Tax, where

tax can be calculated based on Rack or Net. This will adjust how taxes are

calculated.

• Rack means the taxes on the reservation will calculate based on the rack

rate, as if there was no commission for the agent.

• Net means the taxes on the reservation will calculate based on the

discounted value of the room rate to account for the Agent’s commission.


23

Wholesale Travel Agent Rate Types Set-up

When Wholesale agents book units using a rate type, they will book them at that

rate in Streamline utilizing the taxes and fees structure that is in place. However,

the travel agent can decide to market these units at any value above this rate in

their own booking engines. The rate type defined is exactly what they will

owe the PMC for the reservation.

1. Go to [REVMAXMD Tools and Reports]

2. Expand RevMaxMD Tools

a. Submit a ticket if these are unavailable

3. Select [Manage Rate Types]

4. Select [Add Rate Type]

5. Enter Name

6. Pricing Model (daily – weekly – monthly)

7. Select the Season Group to apply the rate type to

8. DO NOT select a distribution channel

9. DO NOT select yielding

10. Select [Submit]

Once the rate type is added, each unit will need to have the pricing defined. Use

the homes pricing tool to quickly define these prices.

1. Go to [Tools]

2. Property Definitions -> [Homes Pricing Tool]

3. Set appropriate filters including the RATE TYPE dropdown to select the new

rate type to add pricing for and [Create Report]

4. Enter pricing and select [Submit Homes Pricing]


24

Entering Wholesale Reservations Manually

When entering a wholesale reservation manually into Streamline, follow these

steps during the reservation

creation process:

1. After selecting [Make

Reservation] check the

box in the reservation

window for TA

2. Choose the appropriate

travel agent from the

dropdown menu

3. The reservation will

update to show the

amount the travel agent

will owe based on the defined percentage, value or rate type.

4. Guest information will be added, and no payment type will be required since

the reservation will be paid by the Travel Agent.

a. Best Practice: Set payment type to CHECK before completing the

reservation to avoid system errors requesting a payment type.


25

Entering Wholesale Reservations via the Wholesale Agent Module

Provide the wholesale agent the URL https://wholesale.streamlinevrs.com, their

user name and password. This provides the travel agent access to the unit(s)

enabled on the wholesale agent settings tab of their travel agent record.


and Tape Chart.

https://wholesale.streamlinevrs.com/


26

Wholesale TA’s will be required to enter guest information and no payment

information is required. It is assumed they are collecting the money and will pay

as they make reservations in your system.

Once booked the reservation will be displayed in Streamline as a confirmed

booking. The Wholesale agent will collect payment from their guest and if any

changes are needed the agent would need to contact the property management

company directly.

Receiving Wholesale Payments in Streamline

At some point, the wholesaler sends the funds owed for the reservations they

have made. Hence, the importance of have a trustworthy relationship with the

wholesaler.

There are two ways to add payments into Streamline:


27

1. Add a [NEW PAYMENT] directly to a

reservation using the Wholesale Payment

Type(s)

a. When this method is used it is reflected in

the wholesale payment report.

2. Using the Wholesale Payment Report to

Receive Money

In Streamline the wholesale agent and any date can be selected to receive

payment.

NOTE: If payments for future reservations need to be received

(checking in, in furture months), run the report for the date of

future reservation. Streamline runs the report for all reservations

prior to the date entered.

The report contains all reservations up to that date for which money is owed by

the wholesaler.

1. Select [DETAILS] to view the report

2. Enter the Payment Amount from the wholesaler, the check number, and the

Posting Date.







28

It is possible to build specific payments by using the [Build Wholesale Payment]

option rather than using the [Generate Wholesale Payment] option. This is a

great choice when a wholesaler has indicated the exact reservation numbers

where this payment should be applied.

1. Select [Generate Report/Receive Money]

2. Enter Wholesaler

3. Select [Build Wholesale Payment]

4. Ener the Reservation numbers to add to statement (see image below)

5. Select [Add to Report]

6. Enter the Payment Amount from the wholesaler, the check number and the

Posting Date.






REMEMBER TO SEARCH THE KNOWLEDGEBASE IN STREAMLINE FOR THE

MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION ON TRAVEL AGENTS.

travel agents (sep 2020)

Documents