What does “wholesale” pricing mean in Travel?

Retail and wholesale (aka: industry preferred) travel pricing engines serve different segments of the travel industry and cater to distinct types of customers. Here’s an overview of the key differences between retail and wholesale travel pricing engines:

Target Audience:

• Retail Travel Pricing Engines: These are designed for individual consumers or end-users who book travel services directly. Retail pricing engines are commonly used by online travel agencies (OTAs), travel booking websites, and traditional brick-and-mortar travel agencies that cater to individual travelers.
• Wholesale Travel Pricing Engines: These are intended for businesses or travel industry professionals such as travel agents, tour operators, and other intermediaries who purchase travel services in bulk to resell them. Wholesale pricing engines enable these entities to access discounted rates and negotiate bulk deals with suppliers.

Pricing Structure:

• Retail Travel Pricing Engines: Prices displayed are typically standard or publicly available rates. Consumers may have the option to compare prices across different platforms and choose the best deal for their individual needs.
• Wholesale Travel Pricing Engines: Prices are often negotiated based on the volume of bookings. Travel wholesalers can secure discounted rates through contracts and agreements with hotels, airlines, and other travel service providers.

Access to Inventory:

• Retail Travel Pricing Engines: Provide access to the general public, and the available inventory is based on standard market rates. Consumers can book individual travel services such as flights, hotels, and car rentals.
• Wholesale Travel Pricing Engines: Offer access to a broader range of inventory, often at discounted rates. Travel wholesalers may have access to exclusive deals, discounted group rates, or packages that are not available to the general public.

Discounts for Wholesalers:

• Negotiated Contracts: Travel wholesalers often establish long-term relationships with suppliers, such as hotels, airlines, and tour operators. Through negotiations and contracts, wholesalers can secure lower prices for bulk bookings.
• Volume-based Discounts: The more bookings a travel wholesaler can guarantee, the higher the likelihood of receiving significant volume-based discounts.
• Exclusive Agreements: Wholesalers may enter into exclusive agreements with certain suppliers, allowing them to offer unique packages or discounted rates that are not available through other channels.

The primary distinction lies in the target audience and the way pricing is structured. Retail travel pricing engines focus on individual consumers and standard market rates, while wholesale travel pricing engines cater to travel industry professionals, offering them the ability to secure discounted rates through negotiations and bulk bookings.

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So, who can use Biz and Leisure Travel’s booking engine?

In short, any registered user. Registration is free. We don’t charge a fee for you to access our booking engine and you can compare our prices to make sure you are ALWAYS booking the best price.

We do make a little money from the companies we present. Our partners pre-book large chunks of seats on flights, hotel rooms, etc., or we promise a certain volume to them. In return, we get discounted pricing.

How much can we save with Biz and Leisure Travel?

Flights can be 3-10% lower through our site, but it all depends on route, season, class of ticket, etc. We recommend comparing our pricing against the airline’s direct booking (through their site) pricing. Airlines are getting creative with pricing options. Make sure you are comparing refundable or non-refundable tickets, class of service is the same, etc.

Hotels can be 5-33% lower through our site. Yes, you may have to move from your typical Marriott or Hilton badge, but we have some GREAT hotel deals.

Rental cars will vary. Booking through Biz and Leisure Travel on Hertz, National, or Enterprise might save you 2-5%. Booking a car through Dollar, Thrifty, etc. can be up to 50% off. Make sure you compare your rates!

Activities come with all sorts of variations. Most of our partners offer “skip the line” options. You won’t find this option elsewhere. So you can save a 10-25% AND skip the line, like a real VIP!

Can you prove the savings?

Sure… I mean if you’re considering a trip, or just got back from one, you could simply set up a free account and check prices for yourself. It is that easy. There is no cost.

However, let’s look at a fictitious trips:

Two people, headed to Las Vegas for a Thursday to Monday in May, 2024 (we are just over three months out as we write this).

Let’s start with the hotel.

We are going to stay at the Bellagio (and hope the fountains are viable again after the Las Vegas Formula 1 racing!):

So on the Bellagio’s website, we find a “Remodeled Spa King Room”…

The room is $532.36/night. We are staying for four nights so our total, excluding tax, is $2,129.04.

Now we log into the Biz and Leisure Travel booking portal and search for the Bellagio for the same nights:

And now we “select” the hotel and find our “Remodeled Spa Premier King” room for the same dates:

The same room is $474.48 per night, not including taxes. The total for our four nights is $1,992.82. That’s a savings of $136.22 for the four night stay.

Now, let’s add a rental car. This time, we are going to start here, at Biz and Leisure Travel. We found an “intermediate” (Toyota Corolla or similar), inclusive of all taxes and fees:

$232.45 for the trip. Again, the rate states “inclusive taxes and fees”.

Let’s go check the rate for the same days, pick up times, and car size on the Fox Rental Car website:

The total, with taxes and fees, is $275.87.

The total savings with Biz and Leisure Travel is $43.45, or almost $11.00 per day. So, between rental car and hotel room savings, we’ve saved you enough for one free airline ticket, depending on where you are flying from.

You can use our booking engine to grab discounted prices on flights, hotels, rental cars, and activities.

All you need to do is set up a free account!

Business owners, Biz and Leisure Travel offers your business travelers a single portal for the bookings for their trip. No need to book direct and look for confirmation numbers. Your traveler’s trip folio, sits on our site, under their username.

And for those of you wanting some assistance booking a trip or planning an itinerary, we can do that too!