Three leading advisors from Travel Sisterhood have shared their main frustrations with luxury suppliers, following the network’s recent breakthrough dialogue with one of Greece’s top hotel groups.

Nadine Brady of Trav.Lov, Abigail Chatterjee of Luxury Travel by Abigail, and Despina Galani of Bellacove Journeys spoke exclusively to TTG Luxury last week, highlighting the three ongoing challenges they say continue to affect their partnerships.

Their comments come just weeks after Travel Sisterhood’s roundtable with the Sani/Ikos Group, where six members met with regional director of sales and marketing Lee Barker and head of sales and marketing Andrea Keeble for a candid conversation about issues facing the fast-growing brand. 

The virtual discussion provided an opportunity for both the agents and Sani/Ikos to talk openly, with advisors airing concerns and the Greek hospitality brand offering their explanations. 

With many of these issues seen across the wider industry, Travel Sisterhood now aims to shine a spotlight on them – helping suppliers better understand the advisor perspective and strengthen their support.

Approaching clients directly

One of the most pressing concerns is suppliers bypassing advisors to contact clients directly post-booking.

Advisors report cases where their clients are approached with discounts or encouraged to book directly for future stays, despite having introduced the customer to the brand in the first place. 

“I hear a lot from others how, once the client has booked, the supplier then reaches out directly with offers,” said Chatterjee. 

The impact is twofold: advisors lose revenue through missed commissions or fees, while their professional role is diminished in the eyes of the client.

Brady notes that this “bypassing” isn’t always deliberate. Sometimes, she says, it stems from fragmented data collection: “It can happen that the client is tagged as a trade booking, but if their partner signs up for something during the stay and gives their email, the hotel may then view them as a direct client.” 

Delayed commission payments

It’s no secret that late or inconsistent commission payments are the bane of many agents’ careers. 

While some brands are addressing the issue – such as The Beaumont Mayfair, which now pays advisors within 24 hours of a guest’s departure – others continue to lag behind.

“Sometimes you’re chasing for so long that you give up,” said Brady. Galani agreed that remuneration can be painstakingly slow, revealing she had “just received a commission last month for a booking made in January of last year.”

Brady added that her preference would be to work on net rates, allowing the client to pay the advisor directly, who then pays the hotel. But where this isn’t possible, she urges her industry peers to take collective action. 

The success of people power has already been proven by Travel Sisterhood, who recently threatened to boycott a supplier if they did not pay one of their members an overdue commission. 

Realising this would lose them the support of 80 travel advisors, it wasn't long before the supplier paid up. 

“This is what Travel Sisterhood is about – we have power in numbers,” said Galani. 

Poor communication 

Agents also expressed frustration with unresponsive suppliers, some of whom may lack the resources to match the 24/7 service that luxury advisors provide their clients. 

From ignored emails to lengthy hold times, poor communication remains one of the most common complaints agents raise about today’s hospitality companies. In some cases, advisors are left waiting for hours or transferred between multiple departments with no resolution. 

“The world is moving at such a fast pace and clients want everything now – suppliers have to adapt to that,” said Brady. 

She added that round-the-clock support is especially important when dealing with clients in different time zones, or if there is a last-minute change to a booking. “It’s more difficult if it’s a single operator but the larger companies should be able to cover this.” 

These frustrations can be exacerbated by changes to those very support lines, such as new operation hours or updated numbers, which may not have been clearly communicated to the trade.

“I’ve had instances where reservations are closed and we’re trying to book their top suite for tomorrow or even tonight,”  said Brady. “I usually get the job done but I have to push.”