How to Open Hotel Supplier Accounts as a New Agency

A new travel agency can open accounts with the big hotel suppliers, usually within days to a few weeks, as long as it applies as a registered business with a clear idea of what it sells. Suppliers such as RateHawk, Hotelbeds, WebBeds and TBO sell to the trade, so they check that you are a real travel business before they show you net rates. Most new agencies start by prepaying a deposit and booking against it, and earn credit terms later.

This guide covers what suppliers ask for, which accounts to open first, and what to do once you are approved. Supplier details come from their own websites, read in November 2026. Each supplier decides on its own applications, so use it to prepare; approval is never guaranteed.

What hotel suppliers check

The forms differ, but the questions are much the same:

• Your company's legal name, registration or trade licence number, and country.
• What kind of business you are: a travel agency, a tour operator, an online travel agency, a corporate travel company or a reseller.
• Your website and business email. An address at your own domain looks far more credible than a free webmail address.
• A contact person and phone number.
• Where your customers come from and roughly how many bookings you expect.
• How you want to connect: through the supplier's booking website, through an API, or both.

WebBeds' buyer form, for example, asks for your business type and whether you want its booking website, its API or both.

Documents to have ready

• Company registration certificate or trade licence.
• Tax or VAT registration, where your country has one.
• Proof of address for the business.
• Bank details for refunds and payments.
• Any tourism licence your country requires for travel agencies.
• Your IATA number, if you have one. You do not need it for hotels, but it helps show you are established.

Having these as PDFs in one folder before you start saves days of back and forth.

Which accounts to open first

You do not need every supplier on day one. Start with one or two that cover the destinations you sell most, and add more once bookings come in. Here is how the main ones describe their onboarding.

RateHawk

RateHawk describes a one-step registration with no fees, and lets agencies work on net prices with their own markup or on gross prices. It states more than 3.3 million accommodation options in 220 countries and territories. It is often the quickest account for a new agency to open. API access comes after a signed agreement, through your account manager. Our RateHawk guide covers the registration steps.

Hotelbeds and Bedsonline

Hotelbeds is part of HBX Group, and its sister brand Bedsonline serves retail travel agents. For an API connection, the Hotelbeds developer portal gives a free evaluation key first, then you complete your profile, pass certification and go live. See our Hotelbeds guide.

WebBeds

WebBeds started in Dubai and is strong in the Middle East. It says it works with more than 500,000 hotels. You apply through its buyer form, and API access follows a commercial agreement and a technical approval. Payment terms, currency and invoicing are set in the agreement. Our WebBeds guide has the details, and WebBeds vs Hotelbeds helps you choose between the two.

TBO

TBO is listed in India and says it serves more than 159,000 buyers in over 100 countries. It has a registration form for agents and a separate API support team. The TBO guide covers the sign-up.

Regional suppliers

If you sell mostly one region, a regional supplier can beat the global ones on price for the hotels that matter to you. For Saudi Arabia, including Makkah and Madinah hotels for Umrah, see our Billbed guide.

Our comparison of RateHawk, Hotelbeds, WebBeds and TBO goes further into which suits which kind of agency.

Deposits, credit and how you pay

Suppliers carry a risk every time you book on credit, because they pay the hotel whether or not your customer pays you. So new agencies usually start on prepayment: you transfer a deposit and each booking is taken from that balance. RateHawk calls this its deposit method. WebBeds sets payment terms in each agreement.

Credit terms come later, once you have a booking history and sometimes a bank guarantee. Plan your cash for the deposit period. A deposit that runs out at a busy moment stops bookings until your next transfer arrives.

Why applications get delayed

• The company name on the form does not match the registration documents.
• The website is a placeholder, or shows no business address or contact details.
• A free email address is used instead of one at your own domain.
• The expected volume is vague or unrealistic.
• Documents are missing, expired or unreadable.

A working website with your agency's name, address and contact details answers several of these at once. It is worth having one before you apply.

After approval: test before you commit

Once you have accounts, compare them on the hotels you sell most. Pick your ten best-selling hotels and search the same dates on each supplier. Note the price, the board basis and the cancellation terms, because a cheaper rate with no free cancellation is a different product. Repeat for a few dates across the season.

Then decide how you will sell. You can book on each supplier's own website and send prices to customers by hand, or connect the accounts to your own booking website so customers search and pay without waiting for you. On Travora Hub, you connect your own RateHawk, WebBeds, Hotelbeds or Billbed account to a booking site with your agency's name, set your markup, and the rates stay on your contract with the supplier. The hotel booking engine page shows how that works.

Frequently asked questions

Can a home-based travel agency open supplier accounts?

Often yes, if the business is registered. Suppliers care about registration, documents and a credible website more than about having an office.

How long does approval take?

It varies by supplier and country, from a few days to a few weeks. API access takes longer, because it usually includes certification.

Do I need an IATA number to book hotels?

No. IATA accreditation is about selling airline tickets. Hotel suppliers ask for your business registration instead.

Should I open accounts with several suppliers?

Two or three is common, because prices and availability for the same hotel differ between suppliers. Start with the one that covers your main destinations best.

Once your first supplier approves you, you can try a live booking site in the demo and see how your rates, markup and checkout work together.