Frequently Asked Questions
I am covered for Errors and Ommissions?
How long is the term of the contract?
Will I have access to sales and vendor reports?
How often do you send reports?
Do you send reports per agent and agency?
Are there any costs to to add or subtract agents within my office? Is so what are they?
What if I sell my business? How does this affect the contract?
What if I decide to retire or leave the business during my contract?
How often do you pay commission?
Can I set commission splits within my own office?
Do you follow up on unpaid commissions from suppliers?
Do you offer reduced rate travel?
What are your commission levels with all major suppliers?
Do I still need to send suppliers payments for FITs and groups?
If Host Agency Solutions sends the supplier a cheque then how long does it take and is there a cost?
Can I use my own credit card to make these payments?
If I need to make a wire payment how does this work and is there a cost?
How are non-GDS bookings invoiced?
Do all documents come directly to the agency office or to Host Agency Solutions' office?
Can I do any ticketing myself?
How quickly can a ticket and invoice be issued?
Do I have to use Sabre to invoice everything?
I have my own credit card service fee machine. Do I continue with my own for service fees?
What is the $69.00 monthly fee for?
What does the annual fee pay for?
How are customer complaints handled?
Do you have 24 hours emergency service? How much does it cost?
What are the support team hours?
Can I sell at net? Are there minimum markups?
What happens when I sell to a supplier that does not use an IATA?
What opportunities are there for industry training?
Who is responsible for debit memos on tickets issued by Host Agency Solutions?
IATA and Regulatory Requirements
Do I terminate my IATA number?
Do my staff and I still get access to IATA cards?
Who owns Host Agency Solutions?
What about existing bookings after I cancel my IATA?
Do I use Host Agency Solutions' IATA for all suppliers?
Why is there a cost for Sabre or Galileo?
What back office software do you use?
Will each agent in my office be identified seperately?
What client management software do you use?
Can my logo go on the invoice?
Will it say Host Agency Solutions on the invoice?
Do you have regular meetings? Who chairs them?
Is there a yearly conference? Who attends?
Do you require any of my letterhead or signage to change?
Do you have any marketing support programs?
What is the relationship between TPI and Host Agency Solutions?
Can I keep contracts with specific suppliers?
Do I retain the ability to set my own minimum margins?
Do you have any group space held on any cruises?
What insurance company is your preferred?
What if I use a supplier that you don't currently have access to?
Do you have any air contracts? If so with who and what?
I have small groups that I operate as a tour operator. Do these go through Host Agency Solutions?
Can I market my groups to other Host Agency Solutions members?
Will we still get FAM opportunities?
I am covered for Errors and Ommissions?
Yes, you are covered by $2,000,000 CAD of E&O insurance.
E&O deductable is $2,500 CAD.
How long is the term of the contract?
The term of the contract is 2 years.
Will I have access to sales and vendor reports?
Yes, a vendor sales report will be sent to you monthly.
How often do you send reports?
Reports are sent to you monthly.
Do you send reports per agent and agency?
Yes, you will receive reports by agent ID and the overall agency.
Are there any costs to to add or subtract agents within my office? Is so what are they?
Yes, the is an administrative fee of $50.00 to add new agents.
What if I sell my business? How does this affect the contract?
The new owner of the agency will be responsible for meeting the terms of the contract.
What if I decide to retire or leave the business during my contract?
You are responsible for meeting the terms of the contract.
Commissions are deposited electronically into your business bank account twice monthly.
How often do you pay commission?
Commissions are paid twice monthly on the 10th and 25th for all commission actually received from suppliers.
We do not pay overrides.
Can I set commission splits within my own office?
Yes, if you have outside agents or fully commissioned agents we can help.
Do you follow up on unpaid commissions from suppliers?
You are responsible for following up on any unpaid commissions.
During your orientation we will provide instructions on what procedures will need to be followed.
Do you offer reduced rate travel?
For every $500,000 in annual sales your are alloted 2 Q escape and 2 AD75's.
What are your commission levels with all major suppliers?
We will review our commission levels with all suppliers via a webinar with our Business Development team member.
Do I still need to send suppliers payments for FITs and groups?
In the case of FIT's and groups, we send the supplier payment via a cheque once you have sent it to us.
If Host Agency Solutions sends the supplier a cheque then how long does it take and is there a cost?
We ask for one week notice however we will do our best in more urgent situations.
Can I use my own credit card to make these payments?
No. You must follow normal legislative requirements.
If I need to make a wire payment how does this work and is there a cost?
We ask for 2 weeks notice if possible and there is a fee of $60.00
How are non-GDS bookings invoiced?
We ask you to build a tour line in Sabre or Galileo and to allow us to invoice via GDS.
Do all documents come directly to the agency office or to Host Agency Solutions' office?
All documents are sent to the Host Agency Solutions head office and then forwarded to you. The exception is suppliers such as Signature Vacations where you can simply print screen or download them directly.
Can I do any ticketing myself?
Host Agency Soltions handles all ticketing requirements on your behalf. If you have an ugent file we can do it within the hour or ABC afterhours service is available at a cost of $30.00.
How quickly can a ticket and invoice be issued?
We have normal and urgent queues. 24 hours is the norm however the urgent queue is within one hour.
Do I have to use Sabre or Gallieo to invoice everything?
Yes. This enables us to properly invoice and match commissions to bookings, you must use Sabre.
I have my own credit card service fee machine. Do I continue with my own for service fees?
No all service fees are charged through BSP less 3% for credit card charges.
Is there a charge for using the credit card machine for service fee payments (in addition to the $5.00 ticketing fee?
No additional charges however the 3% credit card fee imposed by BSP would apply
What is the $69 monthly fee for?
The $69 per month (plus GST) is for our Basic support package, which includes unlimited access to Inside Sales, Clientbase Browser, and Sabre or Galileo. For $99 per month (plus GST), you will have access to Inside Sales, Sabre or Galileo, CBB, plus Softvoyage (a booking engine for your website) and a fully commissionable online store.
What does the annual fee pay for?
The fee pays for E&O, a branch in Trams, and other administrative costs.
How are customer complaints handled?
We ask you deal with these issues.
Do you have 24 hours emergency service? How much does it cost?
ABC is our emergency help service and costs $30.00 per request.
What are the support team hours?
The Inside Sales support team is available from 08:00 - 19:00 CST Monday to Friday and 09:00 - 17:00 CST Saturdays excluding holidays.
Can I sell at net? Are there minimum markups?
There is a minimum mark up of $20.00 per person, representing Host Agency Solutions' portion of the booking.
What happens when I sell to a supplier that does not use an IATA?
Use the identifying telephone number the Inside Sales support team provides you.
What opportunities are there for industry training?
You and your staff are welcome take part in any webinar training that is put on by suppliers or our training staff.
Who is responsible for debit memos on tickets issued by Host Agency Solutions?
Debit memos and other related situations are your responsibility.
IATA and Regulatory Requirements
Do I terminate my IATA number?
Yes, we will send you instructions on how the transition will work smoothly.
Do my staff and I still get access to IATA cards?
Yes, our Membership Services team will help coordinate IATA card requirements and request forms.
Who owns Host Agency Solutions?
Host Agency Solutions is a subsidiary of Independent Agency Services.
What about existing bookings after I cancel my IATA?
Your existing GDS bookings will be merged into our PCC. You will have view only access and changes may be done directly with the supplier in question.
Do I use Host Agency Solutions' IATA for all suppliers?
You are required to use either Host Agency Solutions' IATA or supplier identification such as our telephone number for all bookings.
Why is there a cost for Sabre or Galileo?
Sabre and Galleo are included in your monthly support fees are required by LIATA.
We use Sabre and Galileo.
What back office software do you use? Do I have access?
We use TRAMS for our back office and will supply you with regular reports.
Will each agent in my office be identified seperately?
Yes, they will all have an identifier.
As a minimum, Sabre or Galileo and Clientbase Browser are required.
What client management software do you use?
We use ClientBase Browser.
Can my logo go on the invoice?
Yes, you will be set up as a separate branch in TRAMS and your agency specific information will be on the invoice.
Will it say Host Agency Solutions on the invoice?
TICO, BPCPA, and other legislative bodies require the Host Agency Solutions registration information to be listed however your agency information will be most prominent.
Do you have regular meetings? Who chairs them?
Monthy meetings are held in each province and are chaired by your region's Area Development Manager. Larger meetings are held every fall.
Is there a yearly conference? Who attends?
Our annual conference occurs every spring in a holiday destination or aboard a cruiseship and all members are invited to attend.
Do you require any of my letterhead or signage to change?
Only changes in accordance to TICO and BPCPA legislation are required.
Do you have any marketing support programs?
Yes, our marketing department works with various suppliers to create regional and national programs.
What is the relationship between TPI and Host Agency Soltutions?
Host Agency Solutions and Travel Professionals International are subsiduaries of Independent Agency Services, our parent company.
Can I keep contracts with specific suppliers?
We will make every effort to retain any supplier contracts that you may have, however they need to fit into our preferred agreement program. Each case will be reviewed by our Marketing department on its own merit.
Do I retain the ability to set my own minimum margins?
Yes, however we ask that a $20.00 minimum per person on net airfares or land components be paid to Host Agency Solutions.
Do you have any group space held on any cruises?
Yes, our Cruise division is growing quickly. Contact the Inside Sales support team for details.
What insurance company is your preferred?
RBC is our preferred insurance provider.
What if I use a supplier that you don't currently have access to?
Contact Inside Sales and they will assist in setting them up as a vender.
Do you have any air contracts? If so with who and what?
We will provide you with a detailed list of preferred suppliers and various contracts that you will have access to as we progress.
I have small groups that I operate as a tour operator. Do these go through Host Agency Solutions?
Yes, all travel revenue must be invoiced through Host Agency Solutions.
Can I market my groups to other Host Agency Solutions members?
This is under review by our Marketing department.
Will we still get FAM opportunities?
FAM guidelines are subject to the individual supplier, however you are welcome to participate in all FAMs