The American Society of Travel Advisors has taken a bold step in the fight for fair pay, making its Hotel Watch List publicly available for the first time in a bid to hold hotels accountable for unpaid advisor commissions.
Previously accessible only to ASTA members, the list is now open for anyone to view through March 13 and includes high-profile properties like the TWA Hotel by New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, The High Line Hotel in New York City, London’s Biltmore Mayfair Hotel, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, and the Orlando World Center Marriott. The move is designed to promote transparency, strengthen accountability, and encourage more travel advisors to participate in ASTA’s Report a Hotel tool.
The process is structured: Hotels reported for failing to pay commissions 45 days or more after a client’s stay are notified in writing and given an opportunity to resolve the matter through ASTA’s dispute resolution process. Properties that tender payment to the advisor or otherwise satisfactorily resolve the matter within 30 days are not added to the Watch List. Those that don’t find themselves named publicly.
“Commissions earned are commissions owed, period,” said Zane Kerby, ASTA President and CEO. “Our members should not have to chase money they are contractually due. By making the Watch List public, we are increasing pressure where pressure is warranted and reinforcing a simple standard across the industry: pay advisors on time. If a hotel does not want to be publicly identified for poor commission practices, the solution is straightforward: resolve the issue and pay what is owed.”
The initiative is backed by ASTA’s Report a Hotel tool, which launched in late 2025 and has already helped recover nearly $15,000 in unpaid commissions for advisors. ASTA has set an ambitious target of recovering $100,000 by the end of 2026, and views public visibility of the Watch List as a key step toward accelerating results.
Peter Lobasso, ASTA’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel, framed the decision as one about systemic change.
“Transparency drives better behavior,” he said. “When commission issues go unreported, patterns of behavior among some hoteliers are allowed to persist. Publishing the Watch List sends a clear message that timely commission payment is not optional. It is fundamental to healthy advisor–supplier relationships.”
ASTA is urging all travel advisor members to use the Report a Hotel tool to flag noncompliant suppliers and recover funds owed to them. The Hotel Watch List is publicly accessible through March 13, 2026, while the reporting tool remains available exclusively to ASTA travel advisor members at asta.org.
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