If I were...
Speaking in general and without naming anyone, I don't understand how a vendor who already provides similar services to other companies, and one with stringent SLAs and remarkably high QA scores, is proving such a disappointment.
When a company hires a vendor, it oftentimes must pay to train newly assigned employees. Assume this rate exceeds $30/hour. If the primary function is booking travel, employees should have some prior experience, but this was not required. And I would probably have fairly high expectations.
If I were a financial institution paying for training, headcount, technology, etc. for a service solely designed to increase my revenue, I'd be disappointed.
If I were a global payment processor who negotiated value-added benefits, such as a Luxury Hotel Program (or I were a hotel owner who forecasted participation), to a counterparty who makes it difficult for consumers to take advantage, I'd be disappointed.
If I were a card issuer, and had a third-party vendor instructing consumers to book travel elsewhere, in the most lucrative spend category (the one that puts dinner on everyone's plates), I'd be embarrassed and livid.
If I were the vendor, who may also be a highly experienced travel agency well-versed in how commissions are earned, I'd feel stupid. For example, what if a major hotel chain pays a special 25% commission for booking suites, and one of my newly minted employees told an affluent consumer to book his or her 5 night stay in a $2,500/night designer suite elsewhere? Someone just lost $3,125. On a $20,000 First Class ticket to Hong Kong with an airline that provided a 35% concession on premium class travel, that's $7,000 #ouch (real world examples).
Furthermore, if that consumer places spend on a different credit card, the vendor also just caused an additional 2.5% loss in swipe fees.
Lastly, if I were a vendor who already had certain travel agency distinctions with suppliers that provided similar benefits such as free breakfast or late checkout, I would stop confusing consumers with other programs, and (just) take credit for the special status a supplier awarded based on historical booking volume.