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erinkieltyka

Global Distribution System (GDS): What Are the Benefits for Hotels? - 1 views

www.revfine.com/global-distribution-system

shared by erinkieltyka on 10 Sep 19 - No Cached
  • A global distribution system is a computer network, which empowers service providers in the travel industry to carry out seamless transactions.
  • using a global distribution system helps to reach a larger number of customers.
  • These fees can vary significantly, but it is not unusual for the fees to account for around 10 percent of the amount paid.
    • npate083
      npate083 on 13 Sep 19
       
      Everything has a cost and so does GDS. It is normally a transaction or agent fee on every booking made through GDS.
  • ...22 more annotations...
  • Amadeus GDS ranks as the market leader and it is estimated that somewhere in the region of 40 percent of all travel agency booking
    • npate083
      npate083 on 13 Sep 19
       
      Amadeus is the leading the market share for GDS. They cover around 40% of all travelers.
  • All of this means that hotels have the ability to manage their hotel description, room listings, photos and other information across different GDS systems from a single place, while usage can also be automated.
    • npate083
      npate083 on 13 Sep 19
       
      GDS allows hotels to update their rates, listings, descriptions, etc from one place.
  • Travelport is a company that owns the Worldspan, Galileo and Apollo systems.
  • The Sabre global distribution system is the closest competitor for Amadeus when it comes to total market share
  • GDS can be especially beneficial for a hotel aiming to attract business or corporate travellers
    • npate083
      npate083 on 13 Sep 19
       
      Many corporate travellers still use GDS to book business travel as it is easy for an expense report later.
  • For hotel owners, it is important to balance room rates with this in mind. Ideally, to optimise revenue, a hotel should keep room rates low enough to maintain a good relationship with travel agents, but should
  • a GDS is often used by a travel agency, in order to see real-time information and data about the availability of hotel rooms, flights and other travel services.
  • global distribution system (GDS) is a network, which allows travel agents to access hotel inventories and sell rooms to their clients. F
  • the GDS provides a single point of access for thousands of travel agents across the globe, who can then book hotel rooms for their customers.
  • GDS provider will actually connect your hotel to all of the three major GDS systems at once, rather than focusing on a single one.
  • Amadeus GDS
  • Sabre GDS
  • it is estimated that more than 200,000 hotels use the network to connect with travel agencies.
  • Travelport GDS
  • t offers access to diverse markets, including those in the Americas, Asia and Europe.
  • Hotels can turn to a number of different GDS systems around the world, with each one having its own unique features and target markets. However, it is generally accepted that there is a ‘big three’ within this industry
  • using a global distribution system helps to reach a larger number of customers
  • using a global distribution system helps to reach a larger number of customers
  • This is because a large number of organisations still turn to a travel agent to book business travel, rather than attempting to book directly, as it can be easier for them to manage expenses this way
  • Standard practice is that a hotel will pay a small initialisation fee, followed by transaction and/or agent fees on every booking that is made
  • Amadeus can provide the hotel industry with e
  • xcellent access to the European market, in particular, as its database is hosted in Germany
  • afigu115 on 10 Sep 19
     
    Global Distribution systems ensure that the travel industry gets accurate information and keeps track of data and information. The GDS is a single system that reaches out to very large groups and gives them access to prices and availability of rooms. The GDS comes at a price, for every booking they take a certain percentage of that rate. The best known global distribution systems are Amadeus GDS, Sabre GDS, and Travelport GDS. All of these systems are different but most of the travel bookings are done through them. I believe the GDS is a great way to to attract potential travelers and it makes it easy because everything is on one system.
  • dominiquewalker on 23 Jan 20
     
    This article is a good introduction to the concept' of GDS. It is brief, informative and written in plain language, making it easy to understand. The definitions are clear, and the major points i.e. The "big three" GDS' are effectively covered.
  • erinkieltyka on 09 Sep 22
     
    This article discusses the pros of hotels utilizing GDS systems and describes the 3 most prominent global distribution systems. Some benefits include a larger consumer outreach, and helpful information access for travel agents. The "Big Three" global distribution systems are Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport.
Ashley Mullins

Travel trends and predictions. Debate on the future of sustainable tourism; a vision fo... - 0 views

www.responsibletravel.com/...travel-trends.htm

shared by Ashley Mullins on 30 May 13 - No Cached
  • If I walked into a high street travel agent today, the first question I would be asked is 'Where do you want to go?' I've always thought that this was the wrong question: it isn't the 'where' that's important, it's the 'why' and the 'how'. I want to go on holiday to re-charge my batteries or to reconnect with myself. Sometimes I want to meet new people or to discover and learn about another place and another culture. When deciding what my next holiday will be, I try to place the focus more on what I need from the holiday and what I can give back to destinations and local people.
  • This new way of travelling could be described as 'deep' travel.
  • Tourism will no longer be dominated by Westerners either. We'll see residents of India and China becoming more mobile than ever before from a leisure perspective.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • By 2020, we'll also see the majority of hotels getting their produce, employees, materials, services and the like from sources within their immediate vicinity. I refer to this as 'hyper-local' sourcing.
  • Ashley Mullins on 30 May 13
     
    This article is based on the new trend of traveling & what the travel agents need to stay aware of. Climate change and global warming is on the rise and the majority of the people are starting to make a change. Yes, people are switching vehicles to fuel efficient but are starting to recycle a lot more but people are also changing their traveling motives. Instead of spending a week in the sun at a luxury resort, travelers are wanting more of a cultural experience and yearning to learn about other ways of life. There is a shift in activities which people are starting to take up. A more personal and low key tour of a family or small village is the ideal excursion now. Travelers are also taking into account the carbon emissions they are producing while traveling to their destination. Traveling by train or boat is making a come back instead of flying or driving.
Cecilia Lucas

New airport tech could shrink security checks to 5 seconds -- Government Computer News - 0 views

gcn.com/...econd-security-iris-scans.aspx

shared by Cecilia Lucas on 28 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • new contraption June 7 that could get you through an airport security line in five seconds
  • Instead, airline travelers would pass through one of three 21-foot tunnels based on the passengers’ status as known travelers, normal travelers or enhanced security travelers
  • TA and the Homeland Security Department have not commented on the cost of collecting and storing millions of travelers’ iris scans. According to IATA, the association is working with the Homeland Security Department on DHS' Checkpoint of Tomorrow program to revamp a tedious and often contentious security process at airports.
  • Cecilia Lucas on 28 Mar 12
     
    The International Air Transport Association introduced a new security system at the 67th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Singapore in 2011. This new system would divide travelers in three different categories: known travelers, normal travelers and enhanced security travelers. Each level would have different security procedures and then passengers would pass through different tunnels, one for each category of traveler. For example, if you are a known traveler you would need to pass a iris recognition system which would confirm your identity and you would pass through a tunnel with minimal scanning technology. The scanning procedures get more invasive for normal passengers and even worse for enhanced security travelers.
Sherine Mattison

The Role of Internet in the Hospitality Industry - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com - 0 views

voices.yahoo.com/pitality-industry-6499282.html

shared by Sherine Mattison on 08 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • E-Booking The first role of the internet in the hospitality industry is online booking. As aforementioned in the past, travel agents were the most common source for booking hotel rooms and other travel components like flight tickets and travel tours. However, the internet has changed this; manual booking and reservations have been transformed to E-booking or online booking via Central Reservation Systems (CRS). As of March 2008, there are over 1.4 billion internet users (Internet World Stats, 2008) and according to the Computer Industry Almanac, this number is assumed to increase to 1.80 billion in 2010 (Clickz Stats, 2005). The Travel Industry Association in the United States stated that in 2002 about 64 million out of 619 million online users were online travelers and used the Internet to purchase travel-related services and products (Zhang, 2004, p.3). "Online leisure travel sales totaled $20.4 billion in 2002 and hotel booked online reached $3.8 billion" (Ibid). In 2005 the online travel revenue reached $27.7 billion in the U.S. alone and has steadily increased (Webmetro, 2005). Now imagine how big these figures would be on a global basis.
  • Another important role of the internet is the use of it as a marketing tool. Before a hotel can offer e-booking it has to set up its own website. The hotel can apply attractive designs and offer guests a virtual tour of the entire property and show various room types. This strategy is considered a minor but may get a lot of appeal from online users. The internet also allows hotels to reach more customers by using search engine optimization (SEO), which is a tool that helps increasing the traffic and page ranking in search engine results (Hotel Travel Check, n.d.). Another internet marketing strategy for the hospitality industry is electronic customer relationship management (eCRM), which are activities to manage customer relationships by using the internet and web browsers (Hotel Marketing, 2007).
  • Sherine Mattison on 08 Sep 12
     
    "The first role on the internet in the hospitality industry is online booking." With the increase in use of online booking sales of travel related goods and services in the hospitality industry has soared. "In the past, travel agents were the most common source of booking hotel rooms and travel components." The use of the internet has changed this as more and more travellers are booking online. "Another role of the internet is the use of it as a marketing tool." Hotels are able to market themselves; when the internet is used they will be able to set up their own websites where they will be able to showcase the aesthetics of the property and the services offered. This could attract a lot of online users. The customers would be able to see virtually what they are about to purchase. This type of technology also allows the business to reach customers globally. This in turn allows the business to have an idea about the kind of customers they are catering to. Since businesses would be using less of travel agents, there would be some savings and so they would be able to offer customers more competitive rates, there an increase in sales.
jiayi017

Reimagining the future of travel and hospitality with artificial intelligence - 0 views

yourstory.com/...ficial-intelligence-technology

hospitality

shared by jiayi017 on 15 Jan 20 - No Cached
  • primary sales processes
  • ustomer personalisation
  • assimilating patterns in image, voice, video, and text, and turns it into meaningful and actionable insights for decision making.
  • ...41 more annotations...
  • One great example of an AI concierge is Hilton World wide’s Connie, the first true AI-powered concierge bot.
  • Connie is powered by IBM’s Watson AI and uses the Way Blazer travel database.
  • it can learn and adapt
  • Mezi,
  • It talks about bringing on a concept of bleisure (business+leisure) to address the needs of the workforce.
  • With AI and NLP, Mezi collects individual preferences and generates personalised suggestions
  • Lola.com provides on-demand travel services
  • instantly connect people to their team of travel agents
  • Chatbot technology
  • Skyscanner is just one example, creating an intelligent bot to help consumers find flights in Facebook Messenger.
  • Deutsche Lufthansa’s bot Mildred
  • connecting with consumers in their own time and in the social media spaces they most frequently visit.
  • Aero Mexico started using Facebook Messenger chatbot to answer very generic customer questions.
  • 80 percent
  • KLM Royal Dutch Airlines uses AI to respond to the queries of customers on Twitter and Facebook.
  • Digital Genius,
  • Trivago acquired Hamburg, Germany machine learning startup Tripl as it ramps up its product with recommendation and personalisation technology,
  • voice-activated search,
  • customer-centric
  • trends in users’ social media activities
  • customised pictures and text
  • KePSLA’s travel recommendation platform is one of the first in the world to do this by using deep learning and NLP solutions.
  • Dorchester Collection is another hotel chain to make use of AI.
  • analyse customer behaviour deeply in the form of raw data.
  • Metis.
  • surveys and reviews
  • measure performance and instantly discover what really matters to guests.
  • intelligent algorithms that monitor and send out timely alerts with hot deals are currently in high demand in the travel industry.
  • The AltexSoft data science team has built such an innovative fare predictor tool for one of their clients, a global online travel agency, Fareboom.com.
  • elf-learning algorithm, capable of predicting future price movements
  • automated disruption management is somewhat different.
  • time-sensitive task, requiring instant response.
  • predict such disruptions and efficiently mitigate the loss
  • 4site tool, built by Cornerstone Information Systems
  • Thus, Amadeus, one of the leading global distribution systems (GDS), has introduced a Schedule Recovery system,
  • AI could start to infiltrate business travel even more so than leisure in the next 12 months.
  • request travel recommendations and random suggestions.
  • Trends, outliers, and patterns are figured out using machine learning-based algorithms that help in guiding a travel or hospitality company to make informed decisions.
  • Due to the greater need for structure and less of a desire for discovery, it certainly makes sense that AI would be more suited to business travellers.
  • it could help to simplify the booking process for companies, and help eliminate discrepancies around employee expenses.
  • The travel and hospitality industry transformation will morph into experience-driven and asset-light business, and wide adoption of AI will usher a new-age customer experience and set a benchmark for other industries to emulate.
  • alexsolano36 on 15 Jan 20
     
    This article examines the current and upcoming updates in AI technology and how hospitality companies are using AI to their advantage. From helping airline companies deal with disruptions in real time to improving the breakfast experience at a hotel, AI is being employed successfully to instantly solve problems and mitigate new ones from occuring.
  • jiayi017 on 04 Apr 21
     
    This article mainly describes examples of how the hospitality industry uses intelligent data to influence its value chain. Such as intelligent travel planning customization, intelligent travel search, travel assistant, intelligent social media data analysis, intelligent forecasting, and so on. With the continuous development of the intelligent trend, many tourism and hotel organizations have begun to continuously introduce AI equipment, which has also promoted the transformation of enterprises to experience-driven and asset-light businesses.
teallemejia

As vacations resume, here's why you might want to pay a travel advisor - 0 views

www.cnbc.com/...t-to-pay-a-travel-advisor.html

travel advisor

shared by teallemejia on 12 Sep 21 - No Cached
  • The pandemic ruined travel for travel advisors and their clients the last 15 months. However, people who didn’t book with an advisor had no advocate and were much worse off.
  • A survey from Sandals Resorts and the American Society of Travel Advisors found that 94% of customers will use them again and 44% of all travelers are more open to the idea post-Covid.
  • we were just refunding and refunding, and we were fighting for our clients
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • people forgot about the other side of the hospitality industry, from the flight attendant and travel advisor to the [hotel] housekeeper,” Griscavage said. “It impacted our industry in a really bad way.”
  • Using the internet cut out “the middleman” — i.e., the travel advisor, who was paid a commission by airlines, hotel chains and tour operators — so suppliers could offer seeming bargains at their own self-service sites or at online travel agencies. Problems arose, however, with unforeseen bumps in the road — natural disasters, political crises, industry strikes — and then travelers largely had to fend for themselves.
  • “The future is bright,” Kerby said. “If you didn’t understand the value of a travel advisor before, you certainly do now because you realize how thin the response mechanisms are for some [travel] suppliers.”
  • teallemejia on 12 Sep 21
     
    This article talked about the importance of travel agents. Before the pandemic people often thought that travel agencies weren't necessary was a dying career, however since this past year they have really proven their worth and won't be going away any time soon. Travel agents were able to cancel trips and get their customers money refunded or switched gears and planned a different trip for the future. Using the internet to cut out the middleman and save money isn't always the best way to plan a trip and the pandemic proved this.
Xueling Wang

Roadmap to New Air Travel Security System Unveiled by Travel Industry, Security Experts... - 0 views

www.ustravel.org/...avel-industry-security-experts

technology security travel

shared by Xueling Wang on 24 Mar 13 - No Cached
  • Xueling Wang on 24 Mar 13
     
    A plan developed by the U.S Travel Association and a panel of travel and security experts aims to improve security at America's airports and reduce the burden on travelers. Among the most notable recommendations are the creation of a trusted traveler program and a requirement that travelers be allowed to check at least one bag at no additional cost to the ticket price as a means to reduce the amount of luggage going through the security checkpoint. There are recommendations about this plan: Reduce duplicative TSA screening for international arrivals.  Expand trusted traveler programs to qualified international passengers. Give TSA authority over the entire checkpoint area.  Develop a comprehensive technology procurement strategy.  Implement well-defined risk management processes. 
anonymous

Royal Caribbean Expands Distribution Agreement with Sabre Travel Network - MarketWatch - 0 views

www.marketwatch.com/...abre-travel-network-2013-01-16

royal caribbean cruises hospitality technology

shared by anonymous on 29 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • SOUTHLAKE, Texas, Jan 16, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has signed a multi-year, distribution agreement with Sabre Travel Network, making all of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises' fares and schedules available in the Sabre global distribution system (GDS). Under the new agreement, Sabre and Royal Caribbean have expanded their relationship to include travel agents in Mexico, who will now be able to make bookings on Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises through the Sabre Red Workspace.
  • Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has signed a multi-year, distribution agreement with Sabre Travel Network, making all of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises' fares and schedules available in the Sabre global distribution system (GDS). Under the new agreement, Sabre and Royal Caribbean have expanded their relationship to include travel agents in Mexico
  • Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has signed a multi-year, distribution agreement with Sabre Travel Network, making all of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises' fares and schedules available in the Sabre global distribution system (GDS). Under the new agreement, Sabre and Royal Caribbean have expanded their relationship to include travel agents in Mexico
  • anonymous on 29 Jan 13
     
    Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Sabre Travel Network have signed a multi-year distribution contract that will distribute all Royal Caribbean, Azamara, and Celebrity cruise schedules and fares on the Sabre GDS system. With the Sabre system travel agents in Mexico can now make bookings on Royal Caribbean cruises and associated lines. This system. This system will allow travel agents in Mexico to increase productivity when booking Royal Caribbean cruises. I think this is an interesting step by Royal Caribbean to expand their relationship with Sabre Travel Network and a new region for booking. The impression I get from this agreement is Royal Caribbean is looking at opening their cruises to a new consumer market. This focus is aimed more on making sales and entering a new market. Now Royal Caribbean will be focusing on Mexican consumers. This system will allow travel agents in Mexico to have an easier time at booking a cruise with Royal Caribbean, Azamara, and Celebrity.
anonymous

Why is GDS important to the travel industry? - 0 views

tts.com/...s-is-important-travel-industry

hospitality technology software travel

shared by anonymous on 09 Sep 16 - No Cached
  • The Global Distribution System (GDS) is a primary reservation tool for travel agents. And unless you are brand new to the travel business, you probably have used the GDS many times during each work day. But what is GDS, and why is it important to the travel industry? What do you know about GDS? GDS is a network/platform that enables travel agencies and their clients to access travel data, shop for and compare reservations options, and book travel. GDS networks like the system operated by Travelport generate billions of dollars in global travel sales. 
  • The importance of GDS to travel agents? Imagine a large room with large round tables. Seated around each table are airline reservation employees. As a ticketing request is called in, a reservationist reaches out toward a very large rotating Lazy Susan placed on each table. The Lazy Susan has cubby holes that house index file cards; each card represents an airline flight. The reservationist pulls a card, marks it to indicate a seat is booked; a ticket is manually written, the phone call is concluded, and the index card is returned to its cubby hole. The process for one reservation takes between 90 minutes and 3 hours. The year is 1953. The modern GDS system evolved from this early labour-intensive manual system, thanks to the collaborative team efforts of American Airlines (AA) and IBM.  The result of that collaboration? The first airline industry mainframe-based system, SABRE.
  • brittsengl on 09 Sep 16
     
    I really enjoyed reading this article, because it gave me more insight as to why we travel agents are still important even with advanced technology(GDS). Then it also explains how people use the GDS system and don't even notice it. Last tells you what it thinks the future of this GDS will will bring worldwide.
  • anonymous on 18 Sep 16
     
    In this article it talks about how the Global Distribution System is a tool used for travel agents. Agencies get information from a airline, hotel, car rentals, through the GDS system. I learned that the three main GDS system are Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport. Travel agency uses GDS system way more now because it is easier for them to look for the best rates and accommodation that they can for their client. Today, GDS are still big business and companies will continue using it. The GDS system puts your hotel in front of a lot of travel agents and travelers. It is very important to put your company on the global market because clients are traveling more frequently and traveling farther everywhere. The GDS is not the answer for every company because it does cost money.
paige rosenberg

The Future of Hotel Security - AOL Travel News - 1 views

news.travel.aol.com/...the-future-of-hotel-security

shared by paige rosenberg on 17 Feb 12 - No Cached
  • Technology is opening new doors to hotel safety
  • Yet more card-free security systems are on the way
  • eventually new security measures will become such a part of our everyday lives that they will become the norm.
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • Systems that track the other qualities that make each human unique are in development as well.
  • here are some systems being explored that can allegedly sniff someone, and also systems that can recognize the pattern of blood veins on a human being which are apparently unique to the individual,
  • new thing is contact-less Smartcards and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) cards that need just be waved to allow room access.
  • Kimpton's 190-room Nine Zero Hotel in Boston was the first hotel to install a biometric iris scanner back in 2004
  • we navigate hotels is set to change in the blink of an eye. Or the swipe of a cellphone. Or the print of a finger. With futuristic systems like scent and iris scanners and digital facial-recognition, hotel security is being taken to the next level. #plain_module { width: 590px; height:170px; border: none; float:left; margin:0px; font-size:12px;} #plain_module img {border:none; width: 13px; height:14; border: 0px; margin:0px; } #plain_module .mini_main { margin: 0px; padding:0px; width:585px; height:220px; repeat scroll 0 0} #plain_module .mini_item_header {padding:10px 0px; margin: 0px 0px; font-size:16px; color: #555555; border-bottom:1px dotted #CCCCCC;} #plain_module .mini_item {padding:5px 0px; margin: 0px 0px;} #plain_module a { color: #49A3CA; text-decoration:none; } #plain_module a:hover { color: #F98419; text-decoration:underline;} span.gray {color:#949494;} .mini_main li{list-style-type: none;background-image: url(http://www.aolcdn.com/travel/bullet);background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: 0 1px;padding-left: 10px;}
  • Those plastic key cards that once seemed so innovative will soon go the way of the actual key
  • "In addition to Radio Frequency Identification, there are also systems that use a smartphone, such as an iPhone,"
  • When a guest checks into a hotel and provides their phone number, they get an encrypted sound code via text message
  • Many industry watchers are keeping an eye on Houston's largest hotel, the vast 1,200-room Hilton Americas–Houston. The hotel has a facial recognition system that can identify and track guests, employees, and even suitcases
  • 1,200 rooms worth of luggage in transit, the system makes it a lot easier to find lost or misdirected bags.
  • Returning guests will be recognized and greeted by nam
  • "Hospitality all over the world has become more aware of past vulnerabilities that they might have had and have closed these holes by more in-depth training and awareness of guests and staff," he says. "In today's society, all travelers are becoming interdependent on each other for safety and security."
  • Fang Shu on 17 Feb 12
     
    This article talks about the future trend of the hospitality security, which is technology is opening new doors to hotel safety.  The author introduces some different technologies such as Contact-less Smartcards and RFID that hotels like New York's Plaza Hotel are currently using. Finger print or cellphone wipe technology is also used instead of card, which should be more safe. Some hotels even use video-capture systems to make sure the security is perfect. After introducing these technologies, the author also talks about the privacy issues. Because some customers are not willing to be on cameras. However, though some of them are concerning about this issue, an expert predicts that new security measures will eventually become such a part of everyone's everyday lives that he or she will become the norm. All in all, this article gives us the trend that more and more technologies will be used for hotel security in the future.
  • ...7 more comments...
  • Melissa Krajewski on 17 Feb 12
     
    I think PR representatives should address the privacy controversy surrounding radio frequency identification technology with a safety campaign. This may help consumers realize that they are not in the privacy of their own home when they are in the hallways of hotels and cruise ships and the cameras/tracking could help protect them. As long as the data collected is not misused these technologies will continue to be present in these locations.
  • Mary White on 17 Feb 12
     
    It's pretty important for the hospitality industry to present these new technologies as wonderful security measures. People could be put off by knowing they have to swipe their finger to get into a bathroom. The success of these technologies depends on effective marketing and proven security measures that ensure collected information about a traveller will not be used in unethical ways.
  • YONGHE FAN on 18 Feb 12
     
    Interesting article it is. Security is always the big issue for hospitality. I would like to stay in a hotel that is using finger print as the key card of the hotel because i believe that is much safer than cards that anybody can access my room by using the card.
  • Carolina Alfonso on 26 Mar 12
     
    In this article all of the new trends for hotel security are described and examples of where they are being implemented are given. Thanks to technological innovations hotel safety is heading into a whole different level. Now key cards are being change to more sophisticated ones that need just to be waved to open a room door. In the near future it is expected for these cards to be used as a payment method and to check-in and check-out. In the U.S biometrics technology is starting to be used by a small number of properties not only for guests to access their rooms but for employees. Facial recognition systems with the ability of tracking guests and employees are also being implemented. This system helps to improves customer service as it helps to really understand guest's preferences, as enormous amount of information can be extracted as they are constantly being monitored. Other technologies are also being developed. The most amazing ones are the systems that track other unique human characteristics as the way a person walks or it's DNA.
  • Jingjing Zhu on 30 Mar 12
     
    The technology of hotel changes very fast, such as swipe of a cellphone or print of a finger, or the contact cards that need just be waved to allow room access. It is like the cruise world's one card system, these cards may soon make hotel stays easier by allowing guests to pay for services, as well as to check- in and check-out, through a single device. If customers lost their cards on cruise, the radio frequency identification and smartphone will provide customers their code via text message, so they can play back the code to unlock your room door. But more card free security systems are on the way. If you want to get into your room at New York's SoHo Loft , you are going to have to lift a finger. The Nine Zero Hotel in Boston us the technology to make the property safer all round ,that means non-staff members and intruders can not access the property. Systems that track the other qualities that make each human unique in development as well. The Houston's largest hotel has a facial recognition system that can identify and track guests and an annual $16 million payroll ,the system offers benefits such as employee time theft monitoring and prevention for the hotel. But with 1200 rooms worth of luggage in transit the system makes it a lot easier to find lost or misdirected bags The Wolfe feels that in addition to the biometrics and high-tech methods currently being deployed ,one of the greatest security measures of late is actually low tech.
  • Te Gu on 30 Mar 12
     
    The full name of RFID is radio-frequency identification. RFID is the use of a wireless non-contact system that uses radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data from a tag attached to an object, for the purposes of automatic identification and tracking. Some tags require no battery and are powered by the electromagnetic fields used to read them. Others use a local power source and emit radio waves (electromagnetic radiation at radio frequencies). The tag contains electronically stored information which can be read from up to several metres (yards) away. Now RFID in hospitality industry as a tool is used for improving service quality, customer satisfaction, market share, and profitability. As the new technology apply into hotel security, the hotels change their ways in the blink of an eye, or the swipe of a cell phone, or the print of a finger. With futuristic systems like scent and iris scanners and digital facial-recognition, hotel security is being taken to the high level and some of the luxury hotels begin to use RFID system. Usually customers will worry about lose the card of hotel. Then they can not open the door and even need to pay extra money to buy a new card. But now security systems in some hotels do away with cards altogether. Because of RFID system, customers can use the iPhone connect with the system. When a guest checks into a hotel and provides their phone number, they get an encrypted sound code via text message. Guests can play back the code to unlock your room door.
  • liang qian on 31 Mar 12
     
    i think there are some factors to consider. Customer Service - Many opportunities for "great" customer service are lost if guest and employee interaction is diminished. In many cases, the front desk staff give the first impression that a guest experiences. This first "experience" can be crucial for referring the guest to other property amenities, i.e. spa, restaurants, lounge, pool, attractions, etc. Often, the front desk staff are acting as the concierge and resolvers of guest issues.
  • katya zelinskaya on 01 Apr 12
     
    this article talks about new technology that is being implemented throughout out US and the world. Old key cards are now going to be replaced with even older standard keys or the radio frequency identification card that can be waived in front of the door to gain access. Also, there is a technology that will sent an encrypted sound text to guest;s cell phone, which when played back will open the door.  It talks about technology that tracks all employees, guests and their luggage.  There are several concerned that travelers have about their privacy, but article stated that it all depends on the type of the traveler.  Also, the face recognition technology used in Houston's largest hotel remembers guests names and when they return, guests are greeted by name.  Article concludes that even with all this technology, the best security is provided through interdependence of travelers and employees.  
  • paige rosenberg on 04 Aug 12
     
    Technology in the hotel travel and tourism industry will be changing drastically in the near future, from the swipe of a cell phone, print of a finger, facial recognition, iris scanners, security is going to be taken to the next level. the plastic key cards will soon no longer exist. Radio frequency I'd cards are the new thing, where guest will use this for preferences for everything, from charging things to your room, preference of floor type to pillow choice, chick in and out etc. systems that track the other qualities of a person instead of using a key or card are in development as well. There are research going on how to open the door and. Lose wi just the persons walk and movements. Some people think these new security technologies are awesome, while some think they are not, people dont want to be watched 24/7while on vacation they just want to enjoy there stay. But in today's society all travelers are becoming interdependent on each other for safety and security.
gabybilk

Is the GDS Still a Good Investment? | hospitalityupgrade.com - 0 views

www.hospitalityupgrade.com/...magazine_Detail.asp

shared by gabybilk on 11 Sep 19 - No Cached
  • Global Distribution System (GDS) still contributes significantly to hotel distribution revenue–approximately 27 percent, according to TRAVELCLICK’s latest eTRAK repor
  •   The survey found that about 25 percent of travel agents worldwide–mostly international agents–are using their GDS platform more often than in the past. Of those surveyed, 70 percent recall seeing GDS promotional messages—up 15 percent from 2007.
  • Survey results also reveal that most travel agents worldwide believe the GDS should offer rate parity: 88 percent of U.S. travel agents and 81 percent of international travel agents said it was very important to see the same rates available on all platforms.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The survey showed that 83 percent of agents offer best available rates (BAR) or promotional rates to customers who have negotiated rates at the time of booking.
  • travel agent use of the GDS to grow significantly.  We anticipate this trend will continue in the future.  The more useful, accurate and visually engaging the information provided by hotel companies in the GDS environment, the more agents will rely on the system to book travel for their clients
  • gabybilk on 11 Sep 19
     
    The article discussed the significance of hotels using the Global Distribution System and how the GDS helps promote and influence bookings.The GDS is basically the main source of booking reservations for a travel agent. The GDS shows all rates and inventory for hotels, airlines, and rental car centers. According to the article, GDS is used mainly by international travel agents, but it is used my travel agents all over the globe. When looking at the GDS, travel agents ted to focus mainly on the rate information it is advertising, usually the BAR rate is what travel agents are aiming to get for their clients. The GDS is relied on heavily by travel agents to offer the best rate to their client, which in return will help them gain more clientele. The more accurate and visually appealing the GDS is, the more the agents are willing to use it.
laurenperdomo

Why is GDS important to the travel industry? | TTS - 0 views

www.tts.com/...portant-to-the-travel-industry

shared by laurenperdomo on 10 Sep 19 - No Cached
  • three important GDS systems: Travelport (Galileo, Apollo, Worldspan), Amadeus and SABRE
  • GDS booking has increased worldwide over the past 4 years yet some industry observers suggest that GDSs may become nearly obsolete by 2020. But like many technology/software-based systems, GDS may evolve, instead.
  • The Global Distribution System (GDS) is a primary reservation tool for travel agents.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • agents can access scheduling and inventory of hotels, airlines, car rentals, and (some) railway and bus reservations – in real time
  • alert agents to special rates, fares, and travel packages – an effective marketing tool for passing savings on to agents, and from agents to their customers. 
  • GDSs may become more of a “direct corporate booking tool” instead of a system used exclusively by travel management companies. 
  • Technology may refine and tailor engines to target specific travel interests like corporate or leisure travel. Integration methodologies may change, blurring or merging nearly separate functions like booking and in-flight processes
  • Technology may also produce new solutions to make data more useful and practical for customers (travel agents) and expand to cover new industries.
  • mabar006 on 10 Sep 19
     
    The article discusses the definition of GDS and how important it is in the travel industry. As stated, the three main GDS systems involve Travelport, Amadeus, and Sabre with Travelport generating billions of dollars in travel sales. Upon explaining how important GDS is in the hotel and airline industry, it also explains its importance to travel agents as it points out reasons for why it has a bright future in the hospitality industry.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • audragrace on 11 Sep 19
     
    This article explains why GDS is crucial for the industry. It is suggested that GDS is one of, if not the best tools for travel agents. Along with the pros of using GDS this article goes into what the future of GDS might look like.
  • mserr078 on 26 May 20
     
    The Article talks about how important is the GDS in the travel industry. where some agents can access to scheduling and inventory for your hotels. it talks about three important GDS Systems like the Travelport, Amadeus and Sabre.
  • laurenperdomo on 06 Jun 20
     
    This article describes GDS as a network/platform that enables travel agencies and their clients to access travel data, shop for and compare reservations options and book travel. Agents can access scheduling and inventory of hotels, airlines, car rentals, and (some) railway and bus reservations - in real time. GDS links all those services across the three primary travel reservation sectors (airline, hotel, and ground transportation, i.e., car rentals), and activities. GDSs are very important to travel agents and they will continue to be used and will continue to evolve.
naxiang2001

What is a Global Distribution System (GDS)? 2022 Guide for Hotels - 3 views

hoteltechreport.com/gds

GDS Hospitality Hotel Industry

shared by naxiang2001 on 17 Sep 20 - No Cached
  • What is a Global Distribution System (GDS)? 2020 Guide for Hotels
  • The History of the GDS
  • a GDS functions as a middleman between a travel agent and a hotel’s (or airline’s) central reservation system. Travel agents can see real-time rates and inventory for a given hotel via the GDS, though the GDS doesn’t actually hold its own inventory.
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • Besides the time savings, the GDS allows travel agents to tap into reservation systems for a world of travel providers.
  • What are the Most Popular Global Distribution Systems?
  • Did you know you could book a flight, tour operator, car rental or hotel room in real-time via electronic GDS systems since the 1960s? You may be thinking, “hmm… online travel agencies like Expedia and Booking.com aren’t that old, are they?” But years before the OTAs gained prominence, global distribution systems provided real-time access to hotel and flight inventory for travel agent service providers across the world. 
  • The GDS industry has come a long way since the 60s; while Sabre is still a major player, several GDS companies operate today. The major global distribution systems for travel reservations include: Amadeus is the world’s largest GDS, accounting for about 40% of GDS transactions, and it’s especially popular in Europe. Though many of these reservations are for airfare, it’s still a powerful tool for hotels, with over 600,000 hotels connected. Sabre is the second-largest GDS, accounting for about 35% of travel agency bookings. Around 175,000 hotels are connected to Sabre, but its portfolio in North America is larger than its competitors. Travelport GDS  owns systems called Galileo, Worldspan, and Apollo. Travelsky is a state-run GDS in China.
  • Does the GDS still serve a purpose when travelers can easily book directly with the airline or hotel? In many cases, yes, the GDS still delivers value, especially for airlines and corporate travel companies. Airlines still distribute their inventory to OTAs via the GDS, and corporate travel planners continue to use the GDS to find corporate rates.
  • American Airlines was the first company, in partnership with IBM, to implement an electronic reservation system for their reservations agents to use. This new technology, called the Semi-Automated Business Research Environment (SABRE), allowed American Airlines to greatly expand their reservations team beyond the number of people who could huddle around the paper booking files.
  • For hotels, airlines, and the like, the GDS offers massive marketing power.
  • No one GDS can be called the “best” travel service provider, since they all provide similar functionality and have their own unique differences.
  • travel comp
  • With decades of history and an enormous user base of travel agents, using the GDS can be a great way to expand your hotel’s marketing and distribution strategy. But the GDS doesn’t necessarily provide value to every hotel; if you’re wondering how to use the GDS or why to add it as a distribution channel, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons for your individual hotel.
  • No one GDS can be called the “best” travel service provider, since they all provide similar functionality and have their own unique differences.
  • hotels would need to undertake huge marketing efforts in order to be seen by travel agents. The GDS effectively democratized this process, with chain hotels getting the same visibility on the GDS as independent hotels.
  • Today you can book not only airfare and hotels via the GDS, but also rental cars, cruises, rail tickets, and tours.
  • In 2006 the volume of internet reservations exceeded GDS reservations for the first time,
  • lwu014 on 17 Sep 20
     
    This arctic is about what is a global Distribution System, history of the GDS, how does a GDS work and what benefits GDS offer.
  • ...2 more comments...
  • carlatj on 24 May 21
     
    A brief history of the GDS gives us a glimpse of the important this technology which as been around for over 50 yrs. Although it has evolved, the consumer has evolved with it but the basic idea still prevail and still very much in use.
  • anonymous on 29 May 21
     
    This article gives a complete description of what the GDS is and its history. It goes over how the GDS works, the benefits of using it, and whether the GDS has a role in the future of global distribution.
  • cdamo003 on 25 Jan 22
     
    A GDS or Global distribution system can come in handy for many different purposes. Some of these companies such as Expedia and Travelocity are know ones in the United States. It is important to weight pros and cons when deciding who to book with when choosing a hotel or an airlines especially since there are so many options. Depending on how you book especially when bundling with a GDS you could get a great deal.
  • naxiang2001 on 28 Mar 22
     
    This article evaluates the past and current roles of GDS in the travel and tourism industry. It is clear that the GDS has adapted and changed with the times and now is able to do even more than at its initial conception. However, as the article pointed out the all the functions of the GDS it is clear that OTA's ad websites are also able to provide a lot of these same functions. We discussed this week whether the GDS system is still currently a relevant system and most agreed that it is. However, as we look to the future it will be interesting to see what evolutions the GDS has yet to go through and how it will attempt to remain relevant in the ever changing tourism market.
Diamond Williams

Online Travel Shoppers Respond Best to Intuitive Ecommerce Experiences - eMarketer - 0 views

www.emarketer.com/...1009012

ecommerce online shopping travel

shared by Diamond Williams on 03 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • Like almost all online customers, travelers comparison shop to find the best deals. So it should come as no surprise that a Q4 2011 report on worldwide visitors to travel and hospitality websites by web analytics company iPerceptions found that price was the main barrier to shoppers completing online reservations.
  • But after price, functionality and site design were among the biggest stumbling blocks for prospective customers.
  • When iPerceptions broke down the data, it found that leisure travelers sought out information about hotels or prices more often than did business travelers. Additionally, business travelers were more likely than vacationers to complete a reservation.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • The highest percentage of respondents, 28%, said they arrived at a website by typing in a web address.
  • Diamond Williams on 03 Jun 13
     
    iPerceptions put information together on online travel shopping. One question being what are some of the things that keep travelers from booking rooms. Price was number one on this list of things. This is not surprising because most online travel customers comparison shop to find the best deals. Next, after price, functionality and site design were among the biggest stumbling blocks to those who wanted to book online. Having a website that is easy to navigate so the customer can get the information they are looking for is critical to that traveler actually making that reservation. 8% gave up after being unable to find what they needed. And 7% had a technical issue when trying to book. That's 15% altogether. The survey also concluded that it is mostly leisure travelers who were seeking information as opposed to business travelers. Although, business travelers were more likely to complete reservations. Maybe this can be accredited to the fact that business travelers have all the information they need so they don't have to spend time searching. Or the increased frequency of travel makes them more familiar with sites and where to go and how to get information. The highest percentage of respondents said they arrived at a website by typing in the web address. This leads me to believe that in addition to having a website that is functional and easy to navigate, your web address must be memorable and easy to spell. Those who got to the site by search engine came in at a close second.
Hanlu Hu

E-Commerce for the Hospitality Industry | The Moscow Times - 6 views

www.themoscowtimes.com/...449373.html

technology

shared by Hanlu Hu on 30 May 12 - No Cached
  • E-commerce has been defined as "the buying and selling of products and services by businesses and consumers over the Internet."
  • Accelerating Internet usage worldwide The Internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel Most travelers research hotel reservations on the Internet Social media and online hotel reviews are an increasingly important decision factor The web is the preferred media source for travel information, favored 17:1 over television and 6:1 over newspapers and magazines.
  • Adding real time search functionality to your site, capability to generate user reviews, launching contests helps to build fresh content and quality links
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • Heavy graphics, animation and flash demos cause your site to perform slowly. Sites that are built keeping these guidelines in mind will deliver better user experiences, will perform better on search engines, and ultimately drive higher ROI.
  • As things stand now, mobile queries represent about 10% of all queries made on Google. People are using mobile devices to conduct searches, as well as share content, connect with friends and browse the web
  • Embracing social media. 93 percent of social media users expect companies to have a social presence. 85 percent of social media users want companies to interact with them on social sites. A well-planned social initiative can turn fans into brand evangelists.
  • The Internet has consolidated itself as a very powerful platform that has changed the way we communicate, and the way we do business.
  • The growing importance of e-commerce in the modern hospitality industry has created an urgent need for simple solutions to manage companies' online presence. Now that each hotel is involved in e-commerce, why is hotel e-commerce so important today?
  • We forget that the human brain can only consume limited information. It is important to take a holistic approach and prioritize information. Good web site architecture and organized content improves site usability and its efficiency when used with search engines.
    • yan xie
      yan xie on 03 Jun 12
       
      It is true that we always forge how many information the human brain will take at once. Although the e-commerce is the good way for customers to know the new products and new service from the hotels, sometimes the hotels provide so much information to customers. It lets customers confused and does not know what the specifice products can meet their requirements. And sometimes, they feel some hard to understand your service so that they give up hotels service or new products to choose the one they are familiar. So how to make e-commerce usability and efficiency is a new point, which the hospitality industry company need to consider.
  • make sure your ad groups are made up of tightly knit keyword themes and that those keywords are reflected in your ad copy; ensure that your landing pages clearly reflect the offer promoted in the ad copy and includes clear calls to action and conversion factors.
    • yan xie
      yan xie on 03 Jun 12
       
      As the point two mentioned, the customers cannot get so many information at once, and they also cannot search lots of information at once. So the keyword themes is also another important thing for company to do the promotion and ads. This ads need to have the keywords to clearly reflect the offer promoted for customers. In this way, the customers will catch the information as possible as they can.
  • Top e-commerce sites are continually testing new things. It's the only way to achieve continual improvement.
    • yan xie
      yan xie on 03 Jun 12
       
      To do the continually testing new things is always a best development way for the developing company. If the company cannot test the new things in their e-commerce sites and e-commerce process, the e-commerce of this company will be far away from other companies. Company need to have the innovation to make some new things for their e-commerce and do the test all the time to select the best way for the business and customers' expericence.
  • hospitality industry has always been among the first to capitalize on new technologies
  • Gerardo Collado on 30 May 12
     
    The hospitality industry along with the resourcefulness of the Internet has allowed the Russian hospitality industry to benefit and grow with the technology of e-commerce. E-commerce is defined as "the buying and selling of products and service by businesses and consumers over the Internet". This technology is significant due to its beneficial factors of lowering costs, accessibility, decision-making, and media exposure. As well, the article provides for methods and advice regards effective strategies to utilize the Internet. Primarily, the speed of the website's functionality is essential, along with providing compatibility of browsers, thus, allowing for a better experience for users. The information in the website should be efficient, allowing for real time search whether using a mobile phone or a computer. It was informative to read the multiple functionality, that social media is playing in the hospitality industry regards the exposure and marketability. E-commerce has change the market of goods and services, from a tangible experience to digital experience, through the use of online shopping estimated at $228 Billion in 2010, a third derived from the purchase of travel and flight websites, thus, demonstrating the importance of the Internet in relation to consumerism.
  • ...7 more comments...
  • Avril Emmanuel on 01 Jun 12
     
    This article talks about why hotel E-commerce is essential today and how to go about having E-commerce work for your business/hotel. The article says, "The internet has consolidated itself as a very powerful platform that has changed he way we communicate, and the way we do business." This is the reason why businesses need to utilize the internet. According to the article these are the reasons that hotel e-commerce is important today: the internet is being used worldwide, the internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking medium, the internet is used, by travelers, to research hotels and their reservations, the internet is the home of social media and hotel reviews and the internet is preferred 17:1 over television and 6:1 over newspapers and magazines for travel information. It would be at a hotel's detriment if they do not utilize the internet and e-commerce. It isn't enough to use e-commerce for business but there must be an upkeep. It is extremely beneficial to research or monitor how customers and potential consumers are seeking information and what attracts them to a site. According to the article, e-commerce strategies that would 'help get the best from the internet world' are: 1. Search-friendly website design 2. Improving Conversion and Usability 3. Paid Search 4. Real time Search 5. Mobile Device Market 6. Social Media 7. Testing
  • yan xie on 03 Jun 12
     
    This article mentioned why the ecommerce important for the hospitality industry. And also there are more things they hospitality industry companies need to know. Although the e-commerce is the good way for customers to know the new products and new service from the hotels, sometimes the hotels provide so much information to customers. It lets customers confused and does not know what the specific products can meet their requirements. And sometimes, they feel some hard to understand your service so that they give up hotels service or new products to choose the one they are familiar. So how to make e-commerce usability and efficiency is a new point, which the hospitality industry company need to consider. As the point two mentioned, the customers cannot get so many information at once, and they cannot search lots of information at once. So the keyword themes is also another important thing for company to do the promotion and ads. This ads need to have the keywords to clearly reflect the offer promoted for customers. In this way, the customers will catch the information as possible as they can. It is true that we always forge how many information the human brain will take at once. To do the continually testing new things is always a best development way for the developing company. If the company cannot test the new things in their e-commerce sites and e-commerce process, the e-commerce of this company will be far away from other companies. Company need to have the innovation to make some new things for their e-commerce and do the test all the time to select the best way for the business and customers' experience.
  • xiyu wang on 16 Sep 12
     
    This article discusses about the application of e-commerce in hospitality industry. Internet has become a very powerful tool for customers when they are planing their travels. As the same time, it has become an important media for hotelierss to improve their businesses. Internet can provider a lot of online sources to customers when they make any dicisions. And how to make your web site become more competitive and attract more customers is the topic of this article. First of all, a good design for the web site is the most important thing for hotelierss. And the download speed is the basic factor. Quick download speed brings a good experience to users, and improves the ranking in organic search. Secondly, improving usability needs to be focused on by hotelierss. Large imformation may not be took in by users. You need to make your customers seethe most important information first. In other word, you need to prioritize your web site and make the imformation more understood. Paid search and real time search are also focused on by the author. Sometimes, paid search can make your hotel more compelling on the search engine. And some tips have been given in this articel to help the hotelierss to maximize conversions. Real time search is similar with paid search, and it needs compelling fresh content and quality incoming links on the web site. Maps, photo galleries, videos and press releases are creative ways to distrivute content on different channels. With more mobiles customers using, mobile represent about 10% of all queries make on Google. Hotels can exand the mobile market and improve the download speed of their site by avoid heavy graphics and flash, making their site is mobile compatible. Social media is in the same condition with mobile. Customers need more connections on social sites, so they want companies to interact with them through the social media. The last point is testing. Every new thing needs a lot of tests. It can provides changes and improvement for
  • Gaby Belardo on 16 Sep 12
     
    The article discusses power of internet and how different it is from magazine and television ads. "In terms of time your travel websites are available for are accessible for a longer period of time, the flexibility that the content can be changed without asking someone,if you have a content management system." Also travel websites will help your business potentially reach a wider audience. Another big advantage of having a travel website is it's availability even when your business is closed or no one is available to answer your phone. Everyone knows that there are so many time zones, and the visitors can come from any part of the world. So having a travel websites gives your travel business visibility for all 365 days of year 24x7.
  • Xiameng Zheng on 30 Jan 13
     
    In hospitality industry, customers are constantly seeking new sources of information to help them make decisions before purchasing services. E-commerce in hospitality industry is about the online buying and selling services. And it's become such an important source for the company and customer. Hospitality businesses are all involved in the trend. Smart hoteliers need to keep a sharp focus on the fundamental shift in ways customers are seeking information and channels that drive maximum return on investment. This article listed several basic e-commerce strategies that will help hoteliers to get the best from the Internet world.
  • Marcos Oliveira on 31 Jan 13
     
    As new technological advances are being made, the hospitality industry has always been among the first to capitalize on new technologies. The term e-commerce has been defined as the buying and selling of products and services by businesses and consumers over the internet. Now that hotels are involved directly with e-commerce it becomes even more important today because of the accelerating internet usage worldwide,the internet is still the lowest cost channel for booking, many travelers make their travel decisions via the internet. Embracing social media, 93% of social media users expect companies to have a social presence and 85% of social media users want comoanies to interact with them on social sites. A well-planned social iniative can turn fans into brand evangelists. This article dealt mainly with a brief introduction of what e-commerce is in terms of its defining and what it means to the hospitality industry. With more and more people utilizing the internet each day, the potential to have a person book a hotel room greatly increases. Several search engines have advertisements relating to many hotel companies offering specials and customers will see these ads and book. With more technological advances bound to come into play, its only a matter of time before the practice of e-commerce is taken to another level.
  • Ling Xiang on 31 Jan 13
     
    Over the last decade the population of Internet users has increased rapidly. The hospitality industry has always been among the first to capitalize on new technologies. E-commerce has been defined as "the buying and selling of products and services by businesses and consumers over the Internet." With hotel e-commerce, the landscape of the hospitality industry is forever changed. Online sales are an important part of the business. The growing importance of e-commerce in the modern hospitality industry has created an urgent need for simple solutions to manage companies' online presence. Now that each hotel is involved in e-commerce, reasons why is hotel e-commerce so important today may because the accelerating internet usage worldwide, the Internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel, and social media and online hotel reviews are an increasingly important decision factor.
  • Panpan Xie on 31 Jan 13
     
    E-commerce has become more and more important in our daily life, because many customers today prefer to use internet to help them make decisions. In hospitality industry, e-commerce also plays an important role, as internet is a very cheap and convenient booking channel and many people use the internet intensively. There are many e-commerce strategies for hoteliers, such as making friendly web site design, embracing social media, etc. As e-commerce has so many advantages, I think e-commerce is an opportunity for hoteliers to grasp. It is important for hoteliers to use different strategies to get the best from the internet world.
  • Hanlu Hu on 02 Feb 13
     
        This article introduced the function of ecommerce and the ecommerce effect for the hospitality industry. The author listed some important reasons about why hotel ecommerce is so important:1)Accelerating Internet usage worldwide.2)The Internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel. 3) Most travelers research hotel reservations on the Internet. 4)Social media and online hotel reviews are an increasingly important decision factor. 5) The web is the preferred media source for travel information, favored 17:1 over television and 6:1 over newspapers and magazines. This article also listed some basic e-commerce strategies that will help hoteliers to take advantage of ecommerce from the Internet world. 1) Search-friendly web site design.2) Improve conversion and usability 3) Paid search. 4) Real time search - natural ranking.5) Mobile.6) Embracing social media. 7) Test, test, test. Top e-commerce sites are continually testing new things.      In a summary, the author suggest smart hoteliers need to keep a sharp focus on the fundamental shift in ways customers are seeking information and channels that drive maximum return on investment. Moreover, hoteliers have to constantly learn and look for ways to harness the power of new developments and trends.
Yu Zhai

Why non-GDS hotels are 'in-thing' for business travel buyers in 2012? | HotelHub - 0 views

www.hotelhub.com/business-travel-buyers-in-2012

non-GDS hotels travel buyers

shared by Yu Zhai on 27 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Our own internal bookings report for HotelHub shows almost flat growth in GDS hotel bookings in 2011, while non-GDS bookings grew at a much faster pace.
  • Yu Zhai on 27 Jan 12
     
    This article identified some factors that happening in the market which drives a trend for increased bookings through non-GDS hotels. Business travel buyers are increasingly looking at newer opportunities to cut travel costs. Business travel slowdown imminent, The Global Business Travel Association forecasts that the business travel growth is expected to slow in 2012. And business-travel growth will outpace anticipated GDP growth, despite uncertainties in the economy. Rate negotiation process is getting increasingly tougher With a declining market demand, hotels try hard to remain profitable, and have toughened the rate negotiations with buyers. Many are exploring alternative strategies to generate savings from their hotel programs. Some buyers are considering alternative negotiating strategies to derive savings. Due to the demand for wider range of rates to aid policy compliance, corporates are looking for a better value proposition in using hotel aggregators. Hotel aggregation offers key value proposition The latest versions of HotelHub indicate that hotel aggregation offers a major advantage in corporate hotel reservation process. GDS firms and non-GDS are realizing the gap, and aggregation makes Travel Managers save lot of time and cost in servicing booking requests. This article identified some factors that happening in the market which drives a trend for increased bookings through non-GDS hotels. Business travel buyers are increasingly looking at newer opportunities to cut travel costs. Business travel slowdown imminent, The Global Business Travel Association forecasts that the business travel growth is expected to slow in 2012. And business-travel growth will outpace anticipated GDP growth, despite uncertainties in the economy. Rate negotiation process is getting increasingly tougher With a declining market demand, hotels try hard to remain profitable, and have toughened the rate negotiations with buyers. Many are exploring alternative strategies to gener
mannypjr

Technology in travel agencies: 7 fundamental changes that impact the travel agent's rev... - 0 views

www.keyfortravel.com/...ct-the-travel-agents-revenue-2

technology travel impact changes

shared by mannypjr on 13 Sep 20 - No Cached
  • the market scenario of their business has changed dramatically in recent years (and will continue to change)
  • Why would any travel agent really want to return to costly, inefficient booking and communications systems anyway?
  • from services to clients to a more experiential-based kind of travel
  • ...20 more annotations...
  • The goal is no longer the Destination but what you can take from it, in terms of emotions, feelings and experiences above all
  • a new way of booking that no longer requests the presence
  • it is difficult to sift through the options and opportunities to find the one that fits the needs of your business. And, even the most tech-savvy travel agents, may find some obstacles on their way
  • disruption, modernization, techie platforms, big data, robotization and artificial intelligence
  • Internet is helping to create the modern travel agency
  • no longer have to physically visit an agency
  • the rise of online booking
  • The same is valid for airlines and hotels where customers are now allowed to book tickets and lodging directly from these companies' websites.
  • creating a new kind of relationship between travel agencies and clients
  • travel agencies have widened the ways in which they can communicate not only with customers, but also with their business network and partner services. 
  • "get a personality"
  • Social media is one of the more significant tools nowadays
  • a 24/7 booking service and customers accept no less than that
  • "Digitization in aviation, travel, and tourism is expected to increase profitability throughout the ecosystem, creating up to 305 billion dollars (270 billion euros) in value over the decade spanning 2016 to 2025", according to Accenture and the World Economic Forum report.
  • the huge amount of customer data at the disposal of travel agencies is allowing for a more pervasive analysis and efficient predictions based on behavioural information
  • intelligent virtual assistants are increasingly being integrated into mobile devices and messaging apps, assuring travel agencies can offer a truly on-demand service which makes clients happier
  • Virtual reality is allowing agencies to "transport" customers to their dreamed destinations
  • . It is all about making clients happier and assure revenues are growing, turning the business into a profitable one. 
  • Transformation in the travel sector is all about increasing speed and creating the agility to spot and respond to customer needs better than ever before
  • Maximum efficiency, agility, end-to-end experiences based on real-time data, hyper-personalized services are some of the "must do" nowadays.  
  • mannypjr on 13 Sep 20
     
    This article talks about the 7 fundamental changes that are impacting travel agents. Specifically it speaks about the internet's role, self-service, forming new types of relationships with clients, social media, mobile access, digitization, and data/AI use.
laboygrisell

GDS vs. Channel Manager: What's Better for Small Hotels? - 1 views

www.littlehotelier.com/...-whats-better-for-small-hotels

GDS Small Hotels Hospitality

shared by laboygrisell on 30 Jan 19 - No Cached
  • Small accommodation providers have two options when it comes to distributing their online inventory. They can either do it via a global distribution system (GDS) or via a channel manager.
  • Option 1: Global distribution system (GDS)
  • GDS acts as a middle-man that connects your small hotel to a network of travel agency professionals, including corporate travel bookers. You connect to the GDS, giving you access to all of the travel agents your GDS is connected with. Those travel agents then sell your rooms to their customers (a mix of corporates and leisure travelers), and any bookings made are automatic.
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  • Retail model This is the traditional model, ie. how you would work with a retail or traditional travel agent.
  • Merchant model This model applies to third party service providers that connect you to retail travel agents (by integrating with a GDS) and online travel agents.
  • Opaque model In this model, your guests don’t know they’re staying at your specific property until after they’ve made the booking.
  • Small accommodation providers can benefit greatly from using a GDS to connect to retail travel agents and corporate buyers. However, we highly recommend that you steer clear of the merchant model, because you would be paying commission to both the third party service provider and the OTA.
  • Option 2: Channel Manager
  • On average, small hotels can cut the commissions they pay in half by using an all-in-one solution
  • In this kind of business relationship, it’s much better to retain full control of your rates and inventory
  • In the distribution landscape, Global Distribution Systems (GDS) are just one of the many players involved in selling your rooms to a world of travelers. They are one of the oldest kinds of distributors in the industry, so it’s important that you understand how you can work with them effectively.
  • A GDS doesn’t work exclusively for accommodation providers – it does the same for airlines, activities, and car rental companies.
  • Your rooms are sold through all channels connected through the GDS e.g. traditional travel agents. Whoever sells your room earns a standard commission. Your guest pays you, then you pay your agent. An easy way to understand this model is if you think about how you would work with your local brick and mortar travel agency, that caters to walk-in customers. This is the default model used upon connecting with a GDS.
  • In this model, you would work with online travel agents (OTAs) like Booking.com via the third party service provider. An OTA sells rooms on your behalf, allowing your guests to find and select your hotel, check your availability, and make a booking.
  • However, this is very costly. As they are a third party provider of GDS services, you would not only pay commission to the OTA (a percentage of each booking), but you would also be paying the third party service provider a commission for use of the system (usually $10-$12 per reservation).
  • The only difference is, they won’t guarantee it (there is less of an incentive to sell you because there is no additional commission for them), and they will de-emphasise your listing (by placing it at the end of the list, hiding images, hiding room rate, and other strategies).
  • You set up several rates (usually 25%-45% less than retail rate), selling your rooms based on bids that guests make based on location, star rating, and other attributes. For example, Priceline uses a bidding system, and Hotwire allows guests to make bookings based on discounted rates.
  • GDSes are great for tapping into the corporate travel market – however, it is being used more for other types of travel than for accommodation.
  • mmadar on 09 Sep 19
     
    Compared to large hotel chains and airlines, the GDS can play a different role for businesses of smaller sizes. For small hotels, it may be beneficial to make use of a channel manager instead of depending on sales from a GDS. The article suggests to smaller hotels that channel managers, who work directly with travel agents, can mean more profit for your business. Using the GDS and a travel agency, you are technically paying 2 commissions. With a channel manager, you would only be paying one. Having this business relationship will cut out a middle man, and hotels with smaller budget will find this strategy more efficient.
  • dskomorowsky on 11 Sep 19
     
    I find this article a little misleading. The GDS are channels, can be managed by a channel manager, or in conjunction with, or separately but usually for smaller hotels require an intermediary. Accessing the GDS(s) are used less by smaller hotels for two main factors: 1. Costs and Fees 2. Scope of demand (driving the right customers). 3. Program Fees The article cites figures which have changed substantially since 2015, as of Q4 North American GDS growth was up 6.4% and ADR was up 4.2% YOY with 18.4% of all bookings coming through GDS. TravelClick, Inc. (2019, March 4) What isn't highlighted in the article was the fact that margin agreements with OTAs for smaller independent hotel range anywhere from 20-35% . If the article had done an actual cost comparison (access through intermediary to GDS instead of OTA) the 10% commission + access and delivery fee may have proven more profitable. It would have been better if they had done a little more comparative cost analysis. TravelClick, Inc. (2019, March 4). GDS Booking and ADR Growth Drive Strong Q4 2018 RevPAR Performance in Hospitality. Retrieved from https://www.hospitalitynet.org/performance/4092226.html
  • laboygrisell on 07 Sep 20
     
    This article from the Little Hotelier talks about what exactly is GDS and the Channel Manager and which on is better for Small Hotels. Small Hotels should opt for the system that gives them what they need, but in their price range and for the size of their business.
amajo017

What is a hotel global distribution system (GDS)? (+3 types) - 0 views

www.cloudbeds.com/...hotel-gds

hotel hospitality tech travel mobile business software technology

shared by amajo017 on 08 Jul 22 - No Cached
  • A hotel GDS gives your hotel access and visibility to thousands of travel agents and corporate bookers
  • A global distribution system can integrate with your Property Management System (PMS)
  • As part of a GDS hotel booking system, your hotel will be exposed to a more targeted, professional travel community that alternative property types don’t have access to.
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  • First, you should know that GDS services are only available for authorized users who are licensed and registered and not accessible for use by the general public.
  • For the widest visibility and revenue-earning potential, consider connecting your PMS to a GDS distribution platform that will allow you to connect to several big-name hotel GDS providers and manage your account on one system.
  • In terms of hotel GDS providers, there are three main giants that dominate the market:
  • Cloudbeds’ simple solution connects you to a system that connects to the big three GDSs mentioned above, allowing you to manage all your GDS accounts from one platform.
  • Still, GDSs also have the power and functionality to send their inventory to OTAs.
  • A global distribution system (GDS) is one of the best ways for hoteliers to promote their hotel in the global corporate travel market. It’s a critical component of a well-rounded distribution strategy and helps hotel management increase occupancy within the lucrative corporate travel segment.
  • A global distribution system is an online system that delivers real-time hotel, airline, train, and car rental inventory, room rates, discounts, and more to travel agents and other businesses.
  • As part of a GDS hotel booking system, your property will be exposed to a more targeted,
  • GDS hotel booking system allows companies, such as travel agencies and corporate bookers, to book travel on behalf of others.
  • Public rates are visible and bookable to all agencies in a GDS and are subject to commissions paid to the booking agency. Common public rates are the Best Available Rate (BAR), Corporate (COR), and Government (GOV). Negotiated rates are only visible to companies with which you have a special agreement. The authorized agencies that can book these rates must enter an agreed-upon GDS hotel code called a Rate Access Code. Since negotiated rates are based on net rates, they are not subject to commissions.
  • Amadeus has been connecting travel providers to travel sellers since 1987. They serve over 770,000 hotels in 190+ countries worldwide and have a global team of 19,000 employees. Aside from hotels, Amadeus also services airlines, airport operators, rail operators, ground handlers, car rental companies & transfer providers, insurance provider groups, and cruise lines & ferries
    • amajo017
      amajo017 on 09 Jul 23
       
      This is the one my work uses!
  • Sabre has been part of the birth of airline automation since the 1960s. Today, they have almost 400,000 travel agents in their global travel marketplace. Their technology products include travel-focused mobile apps, check-in kiosks, airline and hotel reservation networks, ticket agent terminals, aircraft & crew scheduling systems, revenue management solutions, and more.
  • (Galileo, Worldspan, Apollo) – With origins leading back to 1971, Travelport encompasses the Galileo, Worldspan, and Apollo GDS systems. Their worldwide travel retail platform services travel agencies and suppliers with distribution, technology, and payment solutions, among others. They have partnerships with hotel chains and boutique hotels to develop targeted promotions and flexible rate models to gain greater visibility in their markets. 
  • The GDS system will likely evolve in the coming years rather than become obsolete, so it’s worthwhile connecting to one if you want to attract more business travelers and make gains in the corporate travel industry.
  • tvill22 on 08 Jul 22
     
    This article talks about the GDS and how it can help attract clients in particular business clients. It starts by giving all the benefits of the GDS. It then goes on to explain how the GDS works and who can access it. It ends by talking about the types of GDS systems and how they will evolve and stay relevant in the future.
  • amajo017 on 09 Jul 23
     
    This article describes the different types of GDS programs that hotels might use. The one my hotel uses is in here as well! It outlines why they are important, how they are used, and the massive reach that they have. Most companies use GDS to streamline their efficiency so it is interesting to read why it is so effective.
amcqu004

What will ChatGPT mean for the travel industry? | PhocusWire - 1 views

www.phocuswire.com/t-mean-for-the-travel-industry

travel industry AI chat technology hospitality hotel

shared by amcqu004 on 15 Jan 23 - No Cached
  • ChatGPT (which stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a free artificial intelligence chatbot that has incredibly human-like communication skills (and a fee-based premium version in development)
  • Microsoft is reportedly considering a $10 billion investment in ChatGPT owner Open AI according to multiple media outlets.
  • Because of this, tech companies are seeing value in data-driven personalization solutions and ChatGPT fills that need. It can help save companies time and money to allocate resources to solve more complex and specific problems.  
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  • With a large dataset already in place, integrating this technology into our platform could hyper-personalize search results for travelers and supports our vision of offering open-ended, flexible search options. 
  • saved more than eight million hours in agent time, allowing travelers to resolve issues faster with self-service. 
  • but the technology is still in a relative state of infancy
  • ChatGPT really captured everyone's attention when it launched,
  • - it's already dividing opinion with responses that can range from entertaining and creative to glaringly inaccurate
  • It's too early to say whether the likes of ChatGPT can truly emulate those very human instincts.
  • First, people need to recognize that it's not generating anything new as much as scraping and regurgitating the internet
  • Every single tour operator, even single hotel, every transport company now has the same opportunity to be as productive as a company much bigger than themselves. I see that as a commodity – everyone has access to it therefore, in some ways, where’s the value. But it’s the most productivity-enhancing thing I’ve ever seen. 
  • However I don’t think that’s the real impact. I think that’s just the start of the game. Once AI starts to get into the actual experiences – not just tour experiences but hotels, airports… the ability to speed up and enhance the actual experience, especially in something that is not a good experience at the moment like an airport, is going to be quite dramatic.And the real game changer... is once the general public has it, it changes everything. You are a tour operator, and you create itineraries. The consumer can now do exactly the same thing as you and do it in real time. And 1,000 people can create 1,000 different experiences tailored to what they like. So the creation of a travel experience on the ground, which tour operators have dominated, is going to be disrupted by travelers being able to do it themselves. 
  • it’s not the live data, it’s not up to date, the facts may not be 100% and it doesn’t have geolocation.
  • The weakness at the moment is it’s only scraping data through 2021. So
  • This could make entirely new businesses or it can destroy businesses.
  • will save hundreds of thousands of dollars on freelance costs, so there's big disruption to come.
  • For basic service copy – simple product descriptions, basic articles, email campaigns, that sort of thing, it's going to be very useful for brands and very painful for content creators.
  • There’s some interesting use cases that we hope to explore such as improving automation and responses for common customer service requests through chat (and eventually even speech and video), as well as concierge-like services to recommend travel destinations, create personalized itineraries and the like.
  • . So there are issues with accuracy and truthfulness, and it needs human expertise to fact-check the output.
  • ChatGPT might herald a revolution in automated content creation, but I also think it could create a new premium for genuine human expertise too.
  • ChatGPT has been trained with information existing until end of 2021. Travel is a super dynamic category where this morning’s information is no longer relevant a few hours even minutes later. Inventory availability, prices, category of rooms/seats/cars change by the minute. You need good old-fashioned technology like CRS, WBE, RMS, etc. to handle these dynamics, not ChatGPT.
  • Google can provide a much better AI-powered chatbot than ChatGPT that spews much better answers in milliseconds, but how are they going to make money?
  • Specific to ChatGPT, I believe that this technology will eventually be used in conjunction with a brand’s own content, in addition to the internet as a whole, so that it can be trained and customized by the brand to answer questions.
  • What’s also really interesting is how this once again demonstrates that the most disruptive innovations often come from outside the travel industry.
  • ChatGPT is gaining that trust in its ubiquity and daily usage, so I think travelers could be much more likely to accept its itinerary recommendations without nearly as much research and shopping around. This has implications for human agents too.
  • amcqu004 on 15 Jan 23
     
    ChatGPT is a new technology that is hoping to take over the travel industry. It is an AI product, similar to google, which will generate answers to questions that travelers may have via a chat service. It is meant to replace tour guides, travel agents, and concierge experts and can either save business time and money, or create chaos and the need to speak to an expert human instead. Like all technology products, there is always room to improve and grow in the initial stages, and not all roles are better off being completed by a computer, rather than a human. Although AI may have access to more information at a quicker pace, and may even be able to write better than most people, some companies believe that the possible errors and inaccuracy provided by ChatGPT will make content creators and human expertise way more valuable. ChatGPT accesses data from 2021 and prior, which means it is not current and up to date. This is a major flaw that will need to be improved.
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