In a turn of events from last month, Marriott Corp. has changed its
mind about accepting bookings from OSSN’s TRUE ID holders.
In recent “Welcome Acceptance” letters to TRUE ID holders,
Marriott states: “Congratulations on the new appointment of your
[travel agency] and welcome to the travel industry.”
Last month, OSSN President Gary Fee informed Marriott
International that the chain is losing up to $5 million in
potential sales per year by not allowing independent contractor
bookings (News, July 18).
Fee added that if Marriott included ASTA’s Travelsellers.com ID
holders, the total would be closer to $10 million per year.
At that point, Marriott responded that it accepts only two
designations for independent agents: IATA’s Travel Industry
Designator Service operated outside the U.S. and the Travel
Services Intermediary program operated by IATAN.
“It appears that Marriott has recognized the importance of the
non-ARC seller of travel and the tremendous role that these sellers
now contribute to the booking process,” Fee said.
