Affiliate FAQs

Note that Mad! Travels will commence this program at the end of 2003 or early 2004 and will be available for members travelling in Europe only. Other continents will come online during the latter half of 2004.

Who can become a Mad! Travels affiliate?
If you own or manage any type of lodging (except a campground), you may be eligible to become a Mad! Travels affiliate. Mid 2004 we will additionally be introducing travel agent facilities on Mad! Travels. At that time, both travel agents and lodging providers will be able to promote tours, package deals and lodgings.

Does it cost me anything to become affiliated with Mad! Travels?
No. You do not need to pay anything to become affiliated with Mad! Travels.

What benefits are there for me in becoming affiliated with Mad! Travels?
You receive the following benefits by becoming a Mad! Travels affiliate:

If my lodging becomes affiliated with Mad! Travels, can I only take bookings from your members, or can anyone wanting to book my lodging through your site make a booking?
Anyone can book accommodation at your lodging through this site. Members receive the discount that you commit to when you set up your account. Bookings taken by non-members attract a 10% booking charge which is charged to the user as they make the booking. The remainder is payable directly to your lodging upon arrival.

If my lodging becomes affiliated with Mad! Travels does my lodging become exclusively bound to Mad! Travels for booking purposes, for affiliations with other similar businesses or contractually?
As a Mad! Travels affiliate, you are not bound to any exclusive agreement with us. Obviously there are contractual obligations (e.g. you must offer the discount you have committed to) and there is a minimum termination period of 1 month during the first 6 months of affiliation and three months thereafter (only for lodgings that commit to a discount for members).

What types of membership do you offer your members?
There are currently two types of memberships available for Mad! Travels members – Backpackers and Explorers. Both membership types come in two flavours – Discount Card and Internet Only. Internet Only members do not receive a membership kit or card, but can make online bookings and receive the benefits that their chosen membership level offers when booking online. Discount Card holders receive all the features that Internet Only members receive plus they receive a membership card and a membership kit containing a region map and a lodging guide. Discount Card holders are permitted to receive their specific lodging discount at the reception of their nominated lodging without making a booking (subject to availability). Backpackers membership is intended for budget travellers and guarantees a minimum of 5% off accommodation costs from lodgings offering discounts to members of that level. Explorers membership is intended for all types of travellers and guarantees a minimum discount of 10% off accommodation costs from affiliated lodgings offering any discount to Mad! Travels members.

How much commission do you take when you make an online booking?
We do NOT take a commission (or booking charge) for bookings made by a member to whom you have offered a discount off your standard rate or off a special. We DO take a 10% commission when a booking is made by a non-member or by a member for whom you have not offered a discount. If a commission is charged, it is taken off the total charge otherwise requested by your lodging for the booking. The remainder is payable directly to the lodging upon arrival.

For example, Sally books a room for herself and her husband at Sample Hotel for 5 nights at €78 per night. Sample Hotel offers a 15% discount for one double room for Explorers members and a 5% discount for one double room for Backpackers members.

Do I have to offer discounts to your members?
No. If you wish, you can become affiliated with Mad! Travels without offering a discount to Mad! Travels members. There are distinct disadvantages in this though, the main one being that your lodging will not be listed in the membership guide, which is supplied to Mad! Travels discount card holders when they first become members and every year thereafter while they renew their membership. In addition, members will be inclined to give preference to lodgings for which they can utilise the benefits of their membership.

I want to offer a discount to your members for my lodging, how much discount do I have to offer?
For all lodgings offering a discount to members, the minimum discount for the Explorers Card (or Explorers Internet Only membership) is 10%. If your lodging is a hostel, a budget hotel or a budget pension and you are willing to offer a discount to budget travellers, you must offer, in addition, a minimum discount to holders of the Backpackers Card (or the Backpackers Internet Only membership) of 5%.

I own a hotel and want to offer your Explorers-level members a discount. Do I have to also offer a discount for holders of the Backpackers Card or to Backpackers Internet Only members?
No. The Backpackers Card and the Backpackers Internet Only membership is intended for budget travellers. If your lodging does not normally cater for budget travellers, then you should not offer a discount to Backpackers level members.

I manage a budget hotel and would like to offer your members a discount. How much discount do I have to offer?
The minimum discount that you can offer holders of the Backpackers Card (or the Backpackers Internet Only membership) is 5%. Note that the Backpackers Card and Backpackers Internet Only membership is intended for budget travellers. If your lodging does not normally cater for budget travellers, you should not offer a discount for holders of the Backpackers Card or to Backpackers Internet Only members. As a general rule, for example in Europe, if your nightly room rate is €50 or less or if your bed rate is €35 or less, you should probably offer a discount for the Backpackers membership. If you are offering a discount to holders of the Backpackers Card or to Backpackers Internet Only members, you must additionally offer a minimum discount of 10% to holders of the Explorers Card or to Explorers Internet Only members.

I am interested in offering your members a discount, but I don’t want to offer a discount to members who turn up without booking through your site. Can I do this?
At the moment, this facility is not available, although we are considering making this option available to lodging providers. If you have a genuine interest in this, please contact our sales staff by submitting a sales support query in the Support section of this site. Currently if you are listed in the membership guide, you must offer the listed discount regardless whether the member booked online or turned up at your lodging without a booking (subject of course to availability).

Do I need to view a Mad! Travels membership card before I can offer a discount to a guest?
Yes and no. If you have received an online booking, the member’s membership status will have already been automatically checked, so there is no requirement to check the user’s membership status upon arrival at the lodging (in fact for Internet Only members you will not be able to do this as they do not have a membership card). If a member arrives at your lodging without a booking made through this site, you will need to confirm his or her membership status by physically viewing their valid membership card.

How does your booking engine work?
The booking engine can interact with you or your lodging’s existing booking facilities in a number of ways ranging from an email sent to you when a booking is made (that you subsequently approve or disapprove) to an automated XML request. We support OpenTravel standards as well as any custom XML standard that your systems work with using XSLT style sheets supplied by your technical staff. Full documentation is available to you once you register as an affiliate.

Do I have to use your booking engine?
No. Your lodging will still be available in the search results if you decide not to use the booking engine, however, users will be forced to contact you directly to make the booking. This might discourage some users.