| Setting | Default behavior | Configurable options |
|---|---|---|
| Online Booking Tool (OBT) hotel rate sort default | Negotiated rates first | Price: lowest to highest |
| Hotel preference labels | Standard preference tiers | Custom labels like most preferred, preferred |
| Search radius | Default radius (e.g., 10 miles) | Adjustable to 25, 50 miles, or custom |
| Amenity filters | Basic filters enabled | Enable/disable specific amenities |
| Provider-controlled sort | Default provider logic | Override with company logic |
How to ensure travelers see — and choose — your negotiated rates Visibility in the booking tool is essential to realizing the value of your hotel program
Organizations invest heavily in hotel programs designed to deliver savings, amenities, flexibility, and essential protections. But if travelers don’t clearly see and select those preferred rates when they book, the program’s value never materializes.
Every day, misconfigured rates are a missed opportunity — reducing visibility into traveler selections and compromising the integrity of the savings you’ve worked hard to secure. Taking time now to validate that all negotiated rates — static, dynamic, and chainwide — are properly loaded and performing as intended ensures you’re maximizing value from the start.
How the distribution ecosystem shapes rate visibility
The hotel distribution landscape has evolved significantly in recent years. Content now flows through a mix of direct connections, global distribution systems (GDS), booking tools, travel management company (TMC) servicing models, and third‑party aggregators. Each has its own logic for sourcing, labeling, and sequencing rates. As these channels expand, so does the variability in how travelers encounter preferred content.
With this in mind, visibility might shift based on how rate types are prioritized, how suppliers are designated within the booking tool, or how content is mapped across different servicing locations. Even when agreements are well-structured and rates are correctly loaded, inconsistencies in setup across platforms’ pseudo city codes (PCC) can affect what travelers see first.
Because no single system controls the full distribution path, ensuring negotiated rates surface clearly requires coordinated attention across suppliers, TMCs, and booking tool administrators. When these elements are aligned, preferred rates appear prominently and consistently. When they’re not, travelers might encounter a mix of public, promotional, and commissionable options that dilutes the program's value.
Display logic and the choices travelers make
Booking tool configuration plays a central role in guiding traveler choices. In a multi‑source environment, the order in which rates appear — and the labels assigned to them — can significantly influence which options travelers select. Even when negotiated rates are correctly loaded, differences in sort order, preference tiers, or amenity filters can shift visibility and affect adoption.
Key settings include:
Ensuring that preferred properties and negotiated rates appear prominently in search results increases visibility, boosts adoption, and strengthens program performance. Regular reviews of these settings — especially after system updates, supplier changes, or new rate types — help maintain alignment and protect the value of your negotiated program.
Checklist: keeping negotiated rates visible
These steps help protect negotiated value, strengthen program performance, and ensure travelers consistently see the rates designed to deliver the greatest benefit.
- Verify rate loading. Confirm that your hotel partner has current rate-loading instructions and access codes, especially after organizational changes.
- Confirm configuration. Share your negotiated rate list and chainwide partners with your booking tool provider and your TMC, along with how each should be designated in the OBT. If GDS visibility is correct but display issues persist, the configuration within the booking tool or connection logic might need review.
- Set the correct sort order. Confirm your company’s configuration is set to display negotiated rates, including chainwide discounts, at the top of search results to guide traveler behavior and reinforce program value.
- Load rates across all PCCs. Pseudo City Codes route reservations through specific servicing locations in the GDS. After-hours teams, regional partners, or global servicing centers may use different PCCs than the primary office. If negotiated rates are not loaded everywhere, travelers might lose visibility of preferred content.
- Run regular spot checks. Monthly or quarterly reviews help confirm that negotiated rates are visible, correctly sorted, and not displaced by public or commissionable rates.
- Assign a tester. Designate a team member or trusted traveler – or several - to monitor visibility and escalate issues quickly to you.
- Track recurring issues. Document patterns across properties, chains, or regions and escalate persistent problems to supplier account teams.
- Assess re-shopping impact. Re-shopping tools may automatically rebook reservations into lower public rates, unintentionally replacing negotiated options that include contracted amenities or flexibility.
Strengthening your program in 2026
A well-configured booking environment is essential to realizing the full value of your negotiated program. When suppliers, TMCs, and booking tool administrators stay aligned, preferred rates surface consistently, and travelers can easily identify the options designed for them. With your 2026 program in motion, ongoing checks of static, dynamic, and chainwide rates help confirm that content loads correctly and performs as intended. Making sure your negotiated rates remain accurate and accessible isn’t just good operational hygiene — it’s a strategic advantage.