Frequently Asked Questions
Everything travel agencies ask about booking hotels, running programs, and integrating with Safaryar Holidays.
B2B Partnership & Onboarding
How long does it take to become a Safaryar Holidays partner?
Most travel agencies are onboarded usually within 24 hours, and at most within 1-2 business days, of applying. After you submit the partnership form at /apply, our team verifies your agency credentials, activates your B2B portal account, and shares your access. There is no setup fee. Once active, you can search live availability across 257+ contracted hotels and book immediately.
Who can apply for a Safaryar Holidays partnership?
Safaryar Holidays partners exclusively with licensed travel agencies and tour operators, not individual consumers. Applicants submit a valid business or tour-operator license through the partnership form at /apply, along with company details and a primary contact, and our team verifies these credentials before granting access to net rates. This B2B-only restriction protects wholesale pricing for the trade and reflects our existing base of 370+ partner agencies across Iran, the Gulf, Europe, and Central Asia.
Is there a minimum booking volume to stay an active partner?
No, there is no minimum booking volume required to remain an active Safaryar Holidays partner. Agencies of every size, from single-owner operators to teams booking hundreds of reservations a month, keep full access to net rates and the booking portal regardless of activity level. We do prioritize proactive account management and rate alerts for agencies with consistent volume, but access itself is never suspended or downgraded for low or seasonal booking activity.
What documents are required to open a B2B account?
Opening a B2B account requires a company registration or trade license, a tax identification number, and a signed partnership agreement. Agencies outside Turkey submit an equivalent business registration document from their home market instead of a Turkish tax ID. Verification typically takes under 24 hours, after which Safaryar Holidays issues portal login credentials and assigns a dedicated account manager. No financial guarantee is required to open the account itself, only to unlock certain credit-based payment terms later.
Does Safaryar Holidays charge a joining fee or annual subscription?
No, joining Safaryar Holidays as a B2B partner is free. There is no signup fee, annual subscription, or platform license cost at any tier. Revenue comes solely from the margin built into contracted hotel rates, so partner agencies pay nothing beyond the price of the rooms, transfers, or tours they actually book, whether they use the standard B2B portal, the white-label booking engine, or the XML/API integration.
What support does a partner agency get after onboarding?
Every partner agency is assigned a dedicated account manager reachable by email and WhatsApp during business hours, Monday-Friday 09:00-18:00 GMT+3, for account, rate, and technical support. Response time for urgent booking issues, such as a guest already at check-in, averages under 30 minutes during business hours, and messages sent outside those hours are queued and answered first thing the next business day. Separately, urgent on-the-ground assistance for travelers already in destination is handled by a 24/7 operations line.
Hotel Booking & Rates
How fast is a hotel booking confirmed on the platform?
Most bookings on Safaryar Holidays confirm instantly, within seconds of submission, because the majority of our 257+ contracted hotels run on live, real-time allocation. A smaller number of specialty or high-demand properties use on-request inventory, which typically confirms within 2-4 hours during business hours. The booking portal always flags which confirmation type applies before you submit, so agencies never book blind on turnaround time.
How do Safaryar Holidays rates compare to OTA prices like Booking.com?
Safaryar Holidays net rates typically run 15-30% below comparable OTA public rates because partner agencies access wholesale allocations instead of retail listings. This gap comes from direct hotel contracting and volume commitments across 257+ directly contracted hotels, primarily in Istanbul with additional contracted properties in Ankara and Van. Antalya, Cappadocia, and Bodrum are served through our DMC/destination coverage rather than the directly contracted count. Agencies mark up these net rates for their own clients, capturing margin that an OTA booking would otherwise absorb entirely for the platform.
Can I modify or cancel a confirmed booking?
Yes, confirmed bookings can be modified or cancelled directly through the B2B portal up until each hotel's individual cancellation deadline, shown on the booking confirmation. Date changes, room-type swaps, and guest-name corrections are typically processed free of charge when requested up to 24 hours before check-in, subject to the specific rate's policy. Changes made inside that window may incur hotel-set penalties, which the portal displays clearly before you confirm the change.
What rate types does Safaryar Holidays offer?
Safaryar Holidays offers three main rate types: standard net rates for room-only stays, package rates that bundle breakfast or half-board, and dynamic on-request rates for high-season or sold-out periods. All three appear side by side in search results with cancellation terms and included meals labeled clearly. Agencies filter by rate type, board basis, and refundability directly in the search interface, with no need to contact support to compare options.
Can I see real hotel availability before booking, or is it estimated?
Availability shown in the Safaryar Holidays portal is live, not estimated, for the large majority of our 257+ contracted hotels, pulled directly from hotel or channel-manager inventory in real time. A smaller subset of on-request properties show indicative availability that our team confirms within a few hours. Every listing is marked clearly as instant-confirm or on-request, so agencies know exactly what to expect before submitting.
Can I book for a guest under my agency's name without revealing my supplier?
Yes, every booking is issued under your agency's name, and the guest never sees Safaryar Holidays as the supplier. Vouchers, invoices, and hotel-facing paperwork can be branded with your agency's details rather than ours, which is standard practice among B2B hotel wholesalers protecting agency-client relationships. This applies across every channel, including the white-label booking engine and API integration, so end clients only ever interact with your brand.
Payment, Credit & Cancellation
What payment methods does Safaryar Holidays accept?
Safaryar Holidays accepts bank wire transfer, credit card payment through the B2B portal, and pre-funded agency balance accounts that let partners book against a standing credit without paying per transaction. Wire transfer suits larger agencies settling weekly or monthly, while card payment suits smaller or occasional bookings. All methods support USD, EUR, GBP, and TRY, with hotel rates typically quoted in EUR or USD and currency conversion shown transparently at checkout.
Can travel agencies get credit terms instead of paying upfront?
Yes, qualified and verified partner agencies can request credit terms from the start of the partnership, subject to a standard credit check and approval rather than an initial track record of bookings. Approved credit lines commonly run on 7- or 15-day payment terms, set individually per agency based on business volume and the outcome of the credit review. Agencies that don't qualify at onboarding can still book on a prepaid or balance-account basis and reapply for credit terms later.
Is a deposit required to confirm a hotel booking?
Most standard bookings on Safaryar Holidays require full payment at the time of confirmation rather than a partial deposit, since net rates are already discounted below OTA pricing. For MICE and group bookings, however, a deposit of roughly 20-30% is typically required to hold blocked rooms, with the balance due 30 days before arrival. Deposit terms for groups are confirmed in writing on the group contract before any rooms are blocked.
What is the cancellation policy for a hotel booking?
Cancellation policies are set per hotel and rate, not by Safaryar Holidays globally, and are always shown on the booking confirmation before you pay. As a general pattern, most standard room-only rates allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before check-in, while non-refundable or promotional rates carry no refund once booked, and the exact window varies by hotel and rate. Cancelling inside the free window returns the full amount to the original payment method or agency balance.
What happens if a guest doesn't show up (no-show)?
A no-show is billed at the full rate of the booked stay, or at minimum one night, per the individual hotel's no-show policy shown at the time of booking. Safaryar Holidays does not add any additional no-show penalty beyond what the contracted hotel charges. Agencies are notified automatically when a reservation is marked no-show, typically within 24 hours of the missed check-in, so they can address it with their client promptly.
How are refunds processed and how long do they take?
Refunds for eligible cancellations are credited to the agency's Safaryar Holidays balance instantly, so the funds can go straight toward a new booking without waiting. If a refund needs to go back to the original card or bank instead, that route typically takes 5-10 business days depending on the receiving bank. Refund amounts always match the cancellation policy shown at booking, with any hotel-imposed penalty deducted first.
Technology & Integration
Does Safaryar Holidays offer an XML/API for hotel inventory?
Yes, Safaryar Holidays provides a full XML/API integration exposing live availability, net rates, and booking and cancellation functions across our 257+ contracted hotels. The API follows standard OTA-style XML request and response formats compatible with most booking engines and channel managers already used by travel agencies and tour operators. Documentation and sandbox credentials are issued after signing a partnership agreement, and our technical team supports the connection through go-live.
How long does it take to integrate with the Safaryar Holidays API?
A typical XML/API integration takes 2-4 weeks from receiving credentials to going live, depending on the receiving system's development resources and testing cycle. Simple read-only availability and rate feeds can go live faster, sometimes within a week, while two-way integrations with live booking and cancellation take longer to test thoroughly. Our technical team supports the build through a sandbox environment before switching to production.
What is the white-label booking engine and who is it for?
The white-label booking engine is a fully branded hotel search-and-book website that agencies deploy under their own domain and logo, powered by Safaryar Holidays inventory on the backend. It suits agencies that want an online booking presence without building their own reservation system, and it includes the same 257+ contracted hotels and net rates available through the main B2B portal. The agency's clients never see Safaryar Holidays anywhere in the booking flow.
What uptime and reliability can agencies expect from the platform?
The Safaryar Holidays booking platform targets 99.9% uptime, in line with standard travel-tech reliability benchmarks, with scheduled maintenance windows communicated in advance and generally scheduled outside business hours. Planned downtime is rare and typically kept under 30 minutes when it does occur. Agencies relying on the XML/API for live sales are notified of any maintenance window by email ahead of time so they can plan around it.
Which currencies and languages does the platform support?
The B2B portal and API support pricing and invoicing in USD, EUR, GBP, and TRY, with rates typically contracted in EUR or USD and converted automatically at checkout using current exchange rates. The interface itself is in English, and account managers communicate in Turkish, Arabic, and Persian to match the primary markets Safaryar Holidays serves. This multi-currency, multilingual setup reflects the international mix of our 370+ partner agencies.
Can our internal reservation system pull live rates without a full integration?
Yes, agencies not ready for a full two-way API integration can use a lighter read-only rate and availability feed to display Safaryar Holidays inventory on their own site or system, then route the actual booking back to the B2B portal. This is a common first step before committing to the full XML/API integration with live booking and cancellation. Both paths draw on the same underlying inventory across 257+ contracted hotels, so pricing stays consistent either way.
MICE, Tours & Groups
What group size qualifies for MICE/group rates?
Group and MICE rates generally apply from around 10 rooms or 20 passengers upward, though smaller groups can request blocked rates on a case-by-case basis for high-demand dates. Larger MICE programs, such as conferences and incentive trips, are handled by a dedicated groups desk that negotiates directly with hotel and venue partners across Istanbul, Antalya, and Cappadocia. Group quotes typically bundle accommodation, meeting space, and transfers into a single package.
How far in advance should a MICE or group booking be requested?
Group and MICE requests should be submitted at least 4-6 weeks before the event date to secure preferred hotels and negotiate favorable rates, especially in peak season (April-October) in Istanbul and Antalya. Smaller groups or off-peak dates can sometimes be confirmed faster, within a few days, but shorter lead time limits hotel choice and pricing leverage. Complex multi-city MICE programs with meeting space benefit from even earlier planning, ideally 8-12 weeks out.
What languages are tour guides available in?
Safaryar Holidays coordinates licensed, government-certified tour guides in English, Turkish, Arabic, Persian, and Russian as standard, with additional languages such as German, French, and Chinese available on request for larger groups. Guide language is confirmed at the time of tour booking and matched to the group's primary market; most guides working with our Iranian-market clients, for example, are Persian-speaking. All guides hold official Ministry of Culture and Tourism certification, as required by Turkish law.
What kinds of tour packages does Safaryar Holidays offer?
Safaryar Holidays offers incoming tour packages covering Istanbul city tours, Cappadocia balloon and cave-hotel programs, Antalya coastal excursions, and multi-day itineraries linking two or more destinations. Packages can be sold as standalone day tours or bundled with hotel accommodation as a full FIT or group itinerary. All packages include licensed guiding, ground transport, and entrance fees, with private and shared-group options priced separately so agencies can match the package to their client's budget.
Can MICE events include venues outside a hotel, like conference centers?
Yes, Safaryar Holidays arranges standalone conference centers, event venues, and unique spaces such as historic buildings or waterfront venues, in addition to in-hotel meeting rooms, primarily in Istanbul and Antalya where MICE demand is highest. Venue sourcing includes capacity matching, AV equipment coordination, and catering arrangements alongside the accommodation block. This full-service approach gives agencies one point of contact for both the hotel rooms and the event venue.
Is there a minimum notice period to cancel a group or MICE booking?
There's no single fixed notice period — group and MICE cancellation terms are set out in the individual group contract signed before rooms are blocked, since hotels and venues reserve substantial inventory specifically for each group. Notice periods and penalty scales vary with group size, season, and the venue's own commitment terms, and are usually tiered, with smaller penalties further from the event and larger penalties closer to it. This differs from standard individual bookings, which use shorter, rate-specific cancellation windows.
Destinations & Logistics
Which destinations in Turkey does Safaryar Holidays cover?
Safaryar Holidays directly contracts 257+ hotels primarily in Istanbul, with additional contracted properties in Ankara and Van. We also operate as a DMC across Antalya, Cappadocia, and Bodrum, arranging hotels and services in those destinations through our ground network rather than direct contracts. Istanbul carries the deepest directly contracted hotel inventory, while Cappadocia focuses on cave-hotel and balloon-tour products. Coverage continues to expand based on demand from partner agencies across our key source markets.
Does Safaryar Holidays arrange airport transfers?
Yes, private and shared airport transfers can be booked alongside any hotel reservation or as a standalone service, covering Istanbul Airport, Sabiha Gokcen, Antalya Airport, and Cappadocia's Nevsehir and Kayseri airports. Private transfers are typically priced per vehicle rather than per person, with vehicle size matched automatically to group size in the booking flow. Shared transfers run on a per-person basis and are generally the lower-cost option for solo travelers or small groups.
What is the best season to book Cappadocia hotels and balloon tours?
Cappadocia is bookable year-round, but April-June and September-November offer the most reliable weather for hot-air balloon flights, which are frequently cancelled during the July-August heat and in winter fog. Cave hotels stay in demand across all seasons because of the destination's unique architecture, so advance booking is recommended regardless of month, particularly for boutique properties with limited room counts. Balloon tours should always be booked as a separate add-on, since operators confirm flights the morning of, weather permitting.
How far is Antalya from Istanbul, and is it a separate contract from Istanbul hotels?
Antalya is about a 1 hour 25 minute domestic flight from Istanbul, and yes, it runs on a fully separate hotel-contract portfolio within the Safaryar Holidays network, reflecting the resort-style, often all-inclusive nature of Antalya properties versus Istanbul's city-hotel inventory. Agencies booking both destinations for one client itinerary manage them as two separate hotel bookings in the portal, though both draw on the same contracted-hotel network and a single account.
Does Safaryar Holidays cover secondary cities like Ankara or Van?
Yes, Ankara and Van are covered by directly contracted hotels within our 257+ portfolio alongside Istanbul, primarily serving business travel and specific group-tour itineraries rather than high-volume leisure demand. Inventory in these cities is smaller than in Istanbul, so agencies booking Ankara or Van are encouraged to confirm availability with their account manager ahead of a client-facing quote, especially during conference season. Antalya, Cappadocia, and Bodrum are covered separately through our DMC network.
What is the peak season for Istanbul and Bodrum, and does pricing change?
Istanbul's peak season runs roughly April through October, aligned with the main inbound tourism season, while Bodrum peaks even more sharply from June through September as a summer coastal destination. Rates typically rise 20-40% during peak months compared to shoulder and winter pricing, reflecting standard seasonal hotel demand patterns across Turkey. Booking 3-4 weeks ahead is recommended for peak-season Bodrum, given the resort's limited room inventory relative to demand.
Still have questions? Contact our team or apply for a partnership.
Founder & CEO, Safaryar Holidays
Alper Tekin founded Safaryar Holidays in 2018 and leads its B2B hotel wholesale and DMC operations across Turkey.