The agent remains the best advisor to the final customer
En un sector donde la intermediación humana lleva años disputando su lugar frente a la reserva directa y las plataformas digitales, Travelance ha incorporado a Checkin Hotel Group como su primer socio hotelero, apostando por devolver al agente de viajes un papel central en la distribución turística. El grupo español, con 33 hoteles repartidos entre las costas peninsulares, las Islas Canarias y Punta Cana, aporta diversidad de producto y un crecimiento sostenido del 20% anual que lo convierte en un aliado con proyección. La alianza no es solo comercial: es una declaración de intenciones sobre quién debe beneficiarse cuando un viajero encuentra el hotel que necesita.
- La distribución hotelera lleva años escapándose de las manos de los agentes de viajes, y plataformas como Travelance sienten la urgencia de revertir esa tendencia antes de que el canal quede definitivamente marginado.
- La incorporación de Checkin Hotel Group genera un movimiento concreto: 33 propiedades bajo tres marcas diferenciadas entran de golpe en el ecosistema de reservas, ampliando el catálogo disponible para miles de agentes.
- El incentivo del 0,5% de rebate convertible en tarjetas Amazon puede parecer modesto, pero introduce una lógica de recompensa acumulativa que cambia el comportamiento del agente a la hora de elegir dónde reservar.
- Tanto Checkin como Travelance coinciden en el diagnóstico: el agente de viajes no está obsoleto, pero necesita que las estructuras que lo rodean lo reconozcan y lo remuneren en consecuencia.
- La estrategia de Travelance apunta a cadenas medianas con potencial de crecimiento real, señalando que la próxima fase de expansión pasará por incorporar inventario hotelero directo en lugar de depender de intermediarios externos.
Travelance, la plataforma diseñada para recompensar a los agentes de viajes por sus reservas, ha dado un paso significativo al incorporar a Checkin Hotel Group como su primer socio hotelero. El grupo, fundado en 2013, gestiona 33 propiedades bajo tres marcas con perfiles bien diferenciados: Checkin Hotels para el viajero práctico y de presupuesto ajustado, DWO Hotels para quienes buscan diseño y experiencias urbanas, y Bakour Hotels & Resorts orientado a familias y el segmento vacacional todo incluido. Sus destinos abarcan las costas españolas, las Islas Canarias y Punta Cana, con presencia urbana en Madrid, Valencia, San Sebastián y León. El año pasado, el grupo registró un crecimiento de ingresos cercano al 20%, impulsado por mejores tarifas y mayor ocupación, y tiene prevista la apertura de tres nuevos establecimientos a corto plazo.
Para los agentes integrados en Travelance Rewards, la alianza abre una vía de ingresos adicional: cada reserva en propiedades de Checkin genera un rebate del 0,5% del valor de la reserva, canjeable en tarjetas regalo de Amazon. El incentivo es tangible y está pensado para que el agente considere Travelance como primera opción cuando un cliente necesita alojamiento.
Detrás del acuerdo hay una lectura estratégica compartida. Iñaki Bustero, director comercial de Checkin, subrayó que el agente de viajes sigue siendo el asesor de mayor confianza para muchos viajeros, y que las empresas del sector deben reforzar ese papel en lugar de sortearlo. Por su parte, José María Hoyos, al frente de Travelance, explicó que la elección de Checkin no fue casual: se buscaba una cadena mediana con crecimiento real y un porfolio lo bastante diverso como para ser útil a agentes que venden tipos de viaje muy distintos.
El acuerdo es un ejemplo concreto de una tendencia más amplia: tras años en los que las plataformas digitales y las webs directas de los hoteles erosionaron el papel del agente tradicional, están surgiendo iniciativas que intentan reconstruir ese canal ofreciendo mejores márgenes, mejores herramientas y acceso directo al inventario hotelero.
Travelance, a platform built to reward travel agents for their bookings, just brought its first hotel chain into the fold. The partner is Checkin Hotel Group, a Spanish operator that runs 33 properties across three distinct brands, each aimed at a different kind of traveler. The move signals something larger: hotels are becoming central to how travel gets sold, and the agents who sell it need better tools and better incentives to do so.
Checkin Hotel Group was founded in 2013 and has grown steadily. Last year alone, the company saw its revenue climb by roughly 20 percent, driven by higher room rates and fuller occupancy. The group operates under three separate banners, each with its own character. Checkin Hotels targets budget-conscious travelers looking for practical comfort near beaches and major cities. DWO Hotels pitches itself as the design-forward option, emphasizing style and curated experiences for urban visitors. Bakour Hotels & Resorts focuses on families and all-inclusive vacations, and this year introduced themed rooms specifically designed for children. Together, these properties span the Spanish coasts—Costa Brava, Costa del Sol, Barcelona's shoreline, and the Mar Menor—plus the Canary Islands and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The group also operates in urban markets including Madrid, Valencia, San Sebastián, and León. Three new properties are scheduled to open soon: a Checkin Basic location in León, a Bakour property on the Costa Brava, and a DWO hotel in San Sebastián.
For travel agents using Travelance Rewards, the integration opens a new revenue stream. When an agent books a room through one of Checkin's properties on the platform, they accumulate a rebate equal to 0.5 percent of the reservation value. Those rebates can be converted into Amazon gift cards. It's a modest incentive, but it's real money, and it's designed to encourage agents to think of Travelance when their clients need a hotel.
Iñaki Bustero, Checkin's commercial director, framed the partnership as a strategic bet on the travel agent channel. He noted that agents remain the most trusted advisors for many travelers, and that the companies surrounding them—the platforms, the hotel chains, the technology providers—should recognize and reinforce that role rather than work around it. The travel agent, in other words, is not obsolete; they're essential, and partners should act accordingly.
José María Hoyos, who runs Travelance, sees the moment as ripe. Hotel sales have become one of the travel industry's growth engines, he said, and the time had come to bring hotel inventory directly into Travelance's ecosystem rather than relying solely on third-party suppliers. But the choice of Checkin was deliberate. Hoyos emphasized that the company wanted to work with mid-sized chains that have real growth potential but remain underutilized by many travel agencies. Checkin fits that profile: established enough to be reliable, growing fast enough to be interesting, and diverse enough in its brand portfolio to appeal to agents selling different kinds of trips.
The partnership reflects a broader shift in travel distribution. For years, online booking platforms and direct hotel websites pulled business away from traditional travel agents. Now, platforms like Travelance are trying to rebuild the agent channel by giving them better margins, better tools, and better access to inventory. Checkin's entry into Travelance Rewards is a small but concrete example of that strategy taking shape.
Citas Notables
The agent of travel remains the best prescriber to the final customer, and it is important that the tools and partners surrounding them recognize and reinforce that role.— Iñaki Bustero, Commercial Director of Checkin Hotel Group
Hotel sales are consolidating as one of the sector's engines, and we believed it was time to incorporate hotel product directly into our ecosystem.— José María Hoyos, Managing Director of Travelance
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a hotel chain like Checkin need a platform like Travelance when they could just sell directly to consumers?
Because travel agents still move significant volume, and they're loyal to platforms that reward them. Checkin gets access to a channel that might otherwise book with a competitor. Travelance gets inventory. The agent gets a commission. Everyone wins.
The 0.5% rebate sounds tiny. Does that actually move the needle for an agent?
On a single booking, maybe not. But an agent who books fifty rooms a month across Checkin's properties is looking at real money by year's end. More importantly, it's recognition. It says the hotel chain values the agent's role.
Why three separate brands instead of one?
Market segmentation. A family looking for an all-inclusive vacation in Punta Cana has different needs than a business traveler in Madrid or a couple seeking a design-forward coastal getaway. Three brands let Checkin serve all three without diluting any single brand's identity.
Is this a sign that travel agents are making a comeback?
Not a comeback exactly. They never really left. What's changing is that platforms are realizing agents are more valuable as partners than as obstacles. Travelance is betting that agents who have good tools and good incentives will keep selling, and that hotels will pay for access to that channel.
What happens if Travelance adds ten more hotel chains?
Then agents have real choice, and the platform becomes genuinely useful rather than just another booking site. That's when you see real volume shift.