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anonymous

TravelClick: Mobile and Digital Bookings Continue to Rise | Hotel Business - 0 views

www.hotelbusiness.com/ital-bookings-continue-to-rise

technology hospitality hotel software OTAs

shared by anonymous on 11 Sep 19 - No Cached
  • anonymous on 11 Sep 19
     
    In the last 10 years bookings online have increased drastically. Guests are no longer picking up the phone and making reservations. Guests are booking through OTAs such as Expedia, booking.com, Hotels.com and more. Millennial's especially don't want to pick up the phone and waste their rime talking with someone when they can book easily on their mobile phone in mere seconds. Most hotels would prefer direct bookings to their site. They make more money this way, but with the increase of OTA bookings hotels are having to turn to social media to push their own sites. They are also using things like loyalty programs to drive direct bookings as well.
kakaboshi

Travel advisors urged to take active role in NDC implementation: Travel Weekly - 1 views

www.travelweekly.com/...ive-role-in-NDC-implementation

Travel NDC GDS Airlines TravelAgents

shared by kakaboshi on 11 Sep 19 - No Cached
  • While the major GDSs -- Sabre, Amadeus and Travelport -- initially resisted NDC, all three eventually reversed course and last year announced that they would develop and test NDC-enabled solutions.
  • "It is clear that the GDSs are now en masse embracing NDC and trying to at least equalize the airline dot-com content and experience and trying to bring that to the indirect channel,"
  • Sabre earlier this month released its first set of NDC application programming interfaces (APIs) with United Airlines. That gave some agency customers the ability to make NDC bookings, which Kathy Morgan, vice president of NDC at Sabre, called "huge."
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • As far as integrating NDC into its agency points of sale, Morgan said some capabilities are expected to be integrated into Sabre Red 360 by the third quarter this year.
  • By 2020, IATA wants 20% of sales with a group of airlines known as the Leaderboard to be powered by NDC.
  • Five airlines are currently supplying NDC content on Travelport's platform, and Ferguson said more will be introduced throughout the year; access to NDC content via Smartpoint will also continue to expand.
  • Considering many major airlines' bookings are split roughly 50-50 between direct bookings and agents, Ferguson said meeting IATA's goal would require that about 10% of agent bookings are powered by NDC by the end of 2020.
  • Gianni Pisanello, head of Amadeus' NDC-X program, said that in 2018, the company worked to develop NDC using test programs with airlines and agencies. This year, Amadeus is in deployment mode.
  • "We're trying to implement this with as many airlines as we can and as many agencies as we can this year," Pisanello said. "Next year, 2020, is really going to be a fine-tuning year." 
  • "We are dependent on airlines and their airline systems to be ready before we can do our bit as a GDS provider," Pisanello said. "And, of course, then the agencies are dependent on us as an intermediary to upgrade them and enable them to integrate those services into their own systems. So there is a sequential path here to the deployment of NDC."
  • The ability to make NDC bookings is expected in Amadeus' point of sale app, Selling Platform Connect, by this summer. As with the other GDSs, functionality will initially be limited. At first, agents will be able to complete an essential booking flow: the ability to search, book and settle. Additional features, such as the ability to change bookings, will be rolled out as they are developed.
  • Now is the time for travel advisors to step up and get involved with their GDS's efforts to implement IATA's New Distribution Capability (NDC), thus helping to shape its future
  • kakaboshi on 14 Sep 19
     
    GDS companies continue to evolve and implement new technology to stay in line with current consumer demands. After initial resistance, they are implementing the NDC program into their system. NDC (New Distribution Capability) is a travel-industry supported program launched by IATA for the development and market adoption of a new XML-based data transmission standard (source: https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/airline-distribution/ndc/Pages/default.aspx) This article discusses the need of the airlines to upload useful content and for the travel agents to be more actively involved in order to make it useful for them. However, with major airlines' bookings split between 50% direct booking and 50% agents, and the airlines' efforts to drive more direct booking traffic, I wonder what is the sentiment of the companies to provide with more content and information on a platform that competes directly with their efforts to increase direct sales from their websites. Selling air tickets directly from their sites not only allow the companies to decrease booking fees and commissions but also allow them to collect much needed date from the consumers who use their services.
Michaela Gave

GDS hotel bookings increased at a record rate in April 2013 - 1 views

hotelmarketing.com/...at_a_record_rate_in_april_2013

hotel bookings hospitality travel business

shared by Michaela Gave on 09 Sep 13 - No Cached
  • increase 8% last month, compared with April 2012
  • Global corporate bookings set a new growth record of +8.8% over prior year in April, according to Pegasus Solutions, the single largest processor of electronic hotel transactions
  • Dibakar Desouza on 09 Sep 13
     
    The reason for my choice is to show that GDS is still preferred in this age. No matter what evolution takes place with direct booking, GDS would never fade away. It is proven that via GDS, the occupancy in hotels are greater than direct booking, once again due to the fact that people have used this before and are comfortable with it and will not want to change.
  • Michaela Gave on 14 Sep 13
     
    Hotel booking transactions have increased by 8.8% since April which is the highest year increase through GDS since August 2011 setting a new record. Previously January lead with the strongest growth at 7.9% over 2012. Bookings are primarily business travel and have helped set an increase of 4% with rates .1% ahead of last years. When reported in 2011 it was said that the hotel industry is heavily influenced by the economy verses today reporting positive economic indicators which is definitely welcoming business and leisure travelers to book their travel plans using GDS. Not only did business travel increase so did leisure travel increasing by 6.2% from April 2012. This year in April growth reached its highest growth pace thus far at 5.4% with an increase in rates by 1.2%. Seems like people can always find money in their budget to travel. For the "condition" of the economy I am happy to see that leisure travel is still increasing and people are still using GDS to book. As we discussed in our discussion board, GDS should continue to be used. It is obviously growing and people have not stopped using it. All ages are using GDS and are finding it to work for them. As far as business travel, my company requires us to use our online travel agent even when booking through Expedia or another site is cheaper. They say it's the way they track our expenses for the year. I think businesses have started hiring less people and are requiring their employees to work remotely and then travel when needed. This could be where some of the increase in business travel is coming from.
kteme001

GDS hotel bookings via Expedia: growth, but for how long? - tnooz - 0 views

www.tnooz.com/...t-bookings-via-expedia-growing

Hospitality Industry Technology software business

shared by kteme001 on 02 Feb 18 - No Cached
  • The commissions for these so-called GDS hotel bookings are about 10%.
  • Pegasus, the largest global switch provider that Expedia works with,
  • Our goal is to present our customers with the best “store”/shopping experience possible and we were finding that conversion on the GDS properties was nowhere near as strong as the properties we work with directly.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Unlike GDS listings, partner listings come with several perks:
  • They can also, presumably, introduce hotels to the Expedia experience and open the door to upselling later.
  • So it’s likely to remain a small channel.
  • kteme001 on 02 Feb 18
     
    This article touches on GDS bookings and bookings via Expedia specifically. It is one of the most well-known websites used by consumers. Many don't know that cutting out Expedia and selling rooms via GDS systems only costs hotels about 10% of the share, which is much lower than the usual standard for bookings through other agencies. Some data from travelport showed that there was a 30% growth in GDS direct bookings in 2014. Some brands are taking GDS properties from their sites because they feel they don't offer the level of customer service they require. With this example it's clear to see that the relationship between the hotel, GDS systems and sites like Expedia, can get very complicated. Expedia acts as the middle person between the GDS systems like Pegasus and the customer using the site for booking. Each outlet provided for bookings has pros and cons, so it is best to do your research on what is best for your hotel.
augu010

Flight Booking Process: Structure, Steps, and Key Systems | AltexSoft - 0 views

www.altexsoft.com/...tructure-steps-and-key-systems

flight booking process structure steps systems Travel tech

shared by augu010 on 22 Jan 20 - No Cached
  • An airline uses a software solution called Passenger Service System (PSS) comprised of a central reservation system (CRS), airline inventory system, and departure control system (DCS).
  • It’s responsible for storing and managing all flight-related information, inventory, and ticketing.
  • contains schedules, fares, reservations and ticket records. Its goal is to support bookings through different distribution channels. It stores a database of fare tariffs, rules and booking conditions, all considering different zones, classes, and inventory buckets.
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • The GDS data from is then distributed among booking platforms and directly to travel agents who request it.
  • All the systems mentioned above are connected via APIs or an EDIFACT protocol and distributed via GDSs. So, if an Online Travel Agency (OTA) wants to access flight information, it must connect to a GDS or third-party API for fares and schedules.
  • Flight search
  • Reservation management
  • Passenger name record (PNR) is a personal code that contains a traveler’s information and itinerary.
  • Ancillary services include an ability to reserve a particular seat, additional baggage, extra legroom, or in-flight meals.
  • Being a member of a frequent-flyer or airline loyalty program, a passenger can use earned miles accumulated from each flight, or points for purchasing extra services from airlines.
  • To receive a ticket with a PNR (sometimes called a booking confirmation number), a traveler must pay the fare.
  • A payment gateway is a third-party service that not only processes all financial operations between customer and merchant, it also ensures data safety.
  • As soon as the payment was processed by the payment gateway, the airline’s CRS can generate a booking confirmation number and issue an electronic version of a ticket.
  • Based on a flight’s itinerary, airport baggage management systems like SITA’s BagManager or ARINC SmartBag generate code and issue a baggage tag with it each time luggage is checked-in through an airport agent or a self-service drop.
  • Since there are no ticket agents anymore and you don’t need to call them to reserve a paper ticket, today’s flight booking pipeline is considered to be simpler than before. But still, a single booking requires a number of different operations, all bound to one another.
  • augu010 on 22 Jan 20
     
    This article goes into detail of the processes involved in flight booking and how GDS's play a role in this process. GDS's allow for airlines to disburse their flight information to various search engines which allows the consumer to have it at their hands in a matter of minutes. Booking is now made easy and GDS's have decreased the work load of hotels and airlines alike.
dbonn009

Why Personalization Is the Future of Hotel E-Commerce – Skift - 2 views

skift.com/...the-future-of-hotel-e-commerce

shared by dbonn009 on 08 Sep 18 - No Cached
  • he hotel industry has an opportunity to transform the direct booking process using website personalization. Doing so can help deliver a more efficient and customized booking experience, resulting in better conversion ratios and the opportunity to further cultivate relationships with guests.
  • Personalization in the hotel industry has ceased to be a trend. Today, it’s an obligation.
  • Back in 2015, American Express Travel reported that 83 percent of millennials would allow brands to track their habits in exchange for a more customized experience
  • ...16 more annotations...
  • And earlier this year,
  • Deloitte Consulting published the white paper
  • noted that “–truly knowing your guests –what they have told you, what they request, what you have learned, and what should be implied –should yield larger results.”
  • using new technology-driven tools to help them streamline the booking process and create a more seamless guest experience.
  • When potential guests are shopping on a hotel’s website, there’s a clear opportunity before a booking is made for properties to demonstrate the acute attention they’ve paid to individual guests’ preferences. This is accomplished by using website personalization technology, allowing hotels to automatically and intuitively suggest particular room categories, package types, and even rates tailored to each user’s expectations.
  • he results of these improved personalization efforts are numerous, including higher booking probability, increased user satisfaction, and a greater likelihood of repeat visits to the website, leading to better brand loyalty. Taking these steps can even offer hotels a further tool to take more control of their distribution decisions, rebalancing their e-commerce strategies between direct and non-direct channels.
  • Building Loyalty is an Investment
  • over-relying on OTAs for cash customers hurts profitability.
  • Today’s personalization technology can also help hotels to optimize the conversion rates for direct bookings.
  • If this analysis shows that more users are bouncing from the site instead of booking, it may be time to consider new tools.
  • “When users leave a hotel’s website, they’re likely to have forgotten the details after visiting multiple other hotel-related sites,” he noted. As Upneja believes, personalization tools are one method to prevent this. “Appeal to them on the spot with personalized offerings like the right price, the right room category and the right amenities before they can move on.”
  • Personalization tech is increasingly an essential tool to rethink online bookings. But in order for it to succeed, there needs to be alignment between the personalization of the booking experience and the hotel’s curation of more traditional on-site amenities like service and design.
  • That site is available on both desktop and mobile, and in English and Spanish, the primary languages spoken by the hotel’s two main markets.
  • Using IP addresses also enables the Viceroy Los Cabos to personalize resort packages to users in locales suffering from bad weather.
  • “Ideally we want to sense that behavior and adapt the site for them, showing them customer reviews, social media posts, food and beverage photography – things that we know will be a strong call to action for the customer to continue through to making that reservation.”
  • Today’s hotelier recognizes the value that personalization has on the guest experience. The more guests feel that every aspect of their experience was tailored exactly for them, the greater the likelihood that they will spend more on property and return again and again.But in today’s competitive market, truly savvy hotel executives realize that it is no longer enough to only customize during the guest stay. Personalization needs to extend to the booking process, where the right tools give hotels the means to increase conversions, build better loyalty and customize content in order to deliver more direct bookings.
  • miamigol on 08 Sep 18
     
    On my previous article about Oraculo, the world's first predictive algorithm for hotels, I described how personalization in hospitality is no longer a trend but an obligation. By posting this new article I wanted to dig a little deeper into tailoring guests needs through e-commerce. In 2015, American Express Travel reported that 83% of millennials would not object to have their habits tracked if they get a more customized experience. This strong message has prompted the hotel industry to develop and implement website personalization technology that suggests, intuitively, specific room categories or packages to online lookers. Since building loyalty is an investment, improving the direct booking ratio is now the main goal of the industry. From experience, when I travel I try to stay at the same hotel and book directly from the hotel website. The most important thing to me when I shop around is furniture and bathroom. Although these are not generally specified in detail in room descriptions, the brand I'm loyal to is usually very consistent with my needs. If new technology would give me a more personalized stay somewhere else I would definitely change my membership. I have friends who don't travel much except for vacation and long weekends. They are lookers who go to online travel agencies (OTA's) and bounce from site to site trying to find the perfect place. The article explains this newer technology will be crucial to prevent lookers from bouncing to other websites, and encourage them to book directly from the hotel and avoid OTA's. The idea is to make it so personalized that it will be appealing on the spot. These new technologies not only can tailor room types and resort packages based on IP addresses, but it can customize your TV programming based on your web history. Personalizing the guest experience during the stay is no longer enough. Data shows that in order to build loyalty and make the customer return, personalization has to begin in the booking pr
  • kayshap96 on 16 Sep 18
     
    This article describes how personalization of eCommerce can bring better profits, because it is helping guests personalize how they would like their stay. This is more efficient for the guests because it is ensure they get what they want, like if they want to be around certain theme parks, or if they want their rooms a certain way. They even have options where you can fit guests language barriers, like if they speak only spanish they can change the language so spanish speakers can also ensure they have their preferred stay.
  • dbonn009 on 28 Jan 19
     
    This article explains the importance of website personalization. Here, vital information is stored for current and future use of consumers. It is important for industry professionals to have access to this information but protect it from reaching outside entities.
kcamp110

GDS Hotel Bookings Rise in 2017 | TravelPulse - 0 views

www.travelpulse.com/...tel-bookings-rise-in-2017.html

gds increase travel hotel

shared by kcamp110 on 01 Jun 18 - No Cached
  • GDS Hotel Bookings Rise in 2017 | TravelPulse
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 01 Jun 18
       
      This article is rather short but I thought it complemented the discussion post for this week. Travel Click surveyed 900 travel agents worldwide and discovered that hotel bookings will surpass 68 million reservations by the end of 2017 thanks to Global Distribution Systems. In 2016 the estimated number of bookings was 66 million, meaning GDS is gaining in popularity as a means of securing travel arrangements even today. Like the Whitepaper suggests, Sabre, Amadeus, and Travelport are the 3 major companies supporting this service. I thought it was interesting that the article brought up the issue of "rate parity" as a means to distinguish one hotel from another. Travel agents are less likely to book a hotel if the hotel is offering different rates across platforms, especially if the GDS rate is higher. Again, bringing this article back to the discussion questions, this is evidence that there are benefits to using a travel agent when planning a trip. They have a comprehensive knowledge of the market at their disposable compared to the average person searching for the best deal on their own. Towards the end of the article the author brings up that travel agents are not using Airbnb because the platform isn't integrated into the GDS - which was not surprising.
  • travel agents are using the GDS to make a record number of hotel reservations. 
  • 68 million reservations
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 01 Jun 18
       
      I think this figure them mention is slightly misleading though. In context this sounds like the total number of reservations made using GDS systems, not necessarily the number of reservations made by travel agents.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • increase of more than 2 million reservations from the number of bookings generated in 2016.
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 01 Jun 18
       
      Regardless of who is responsible for the amount of bookings, I think an increase of 2 million bookings in one year is evidence that GDS is still an extremely profitable revenue stream for the hospitality industry.
  • One of the most important things that travel agents want when it comes to hotel bookings on the GDS is rate parity. Hotels that don’t offer the same prices on the GDS that they do elsewhere are not looked upon favorably. 
  • Hotels that offer great amenities are also among the ones that travel agents book the most. 
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 01 Jun 18
       
      The most appealing amenities mentioned in the article are swimming pools, free parking, airport shuttles or transfers, hotel gyms and early check-in/late check-out. Hoteliers should take this information into account and find ways to highlight these features at their properties.
  • global travel agents rely on the GDS as an essential operating system for conducting hotel research and booking reservations
  • Travel agents continue to rely heavily on the GDS for booking and shy away from non-traditional accommodation options such as Airbnb because they are not available on the GDS.
  • lazarobenitez on 15 Oct 18
     
    The article talks about the use of GDS and its importance in the current Hospitality World. It shows a study which refers GDS as the most important booking tool for travel agents, citing record numbers in booking in 2017
  • kcamp110 on 22 Jan 20
     
    Based on the reading GDS assist and has raise the profit margin for hotel across the board. Hotels are more profitable due to this feature .
Alyssa Westmeyer

Hotel technology trends that are changing how hotels do business - 1 views

www.lodgingmagazine.com/...2

pms cloud

shared by Alyssa Westmeyer on 03 Oct 13 - No Cached
  • Choice created the software in 2003 as an inexpensive solution for franchisees of its economy brands.
  • The PMS had a lot of growing pains at first, but eventually it became more and more cloud enabled and was adopted across the company.
  • “A lot of companies had outsourced their IT and now they’re bringing it back in house because they can do almost everything they need on the cloud or through software as a service.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Switching to the cloud from a client server platform pays off with a big drop in both the initial capital outlay and the ongoing operating costs for the property management and other systems.
  • pects of a franchisee’s business, from guest check-ins and housekeeping services to billing and finances. Over time new features have been rolled into the software platform making it more robust and useful for hotel owners—it’s currently distributed in eight countries and available in four languages. And while plenty of cloud-based PMS packages are now available from third-party vendors like Micros, Maestro, and RoomKey, Choice’s internal solution has garnered its fair share of attention. “We had been getting knocks on the door from IT vendors at other hotel companies and individual Choice franchisees that own other brands, saying they were interested in our product,” says Pacious, “So we set up a new division so we could take a look at other opportunities we could develop.” This led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system. Pages: 1 2 3 4 2013-06-18 Sean Downey !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })(); (function() { var li = document.createElement('script'); li.type = 'text/javascript'; li.async = true; li.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//platform.stumbleupon.com/1/widgets.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(li, s); })(); inShare0 Related Articles attachment-3
  • his led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system. Pages: 1 2 3 4 2013-06-18 Sean Downey !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })(); (function() { var li = document.createElement('script'); li.type = 'text/javascript'; li.async = true; li.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//platform.stumbleupon.com/1/widgets.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(li, s); })(); inShare0 Related Articles Hotel Market Insight: Cleveland a
  • This led the company to launch SkyTouch last year, a new division that develops and markets cloud-based software solutions to hotels inside and outside the Choice system.
  • Alyssa Westmeyer on 03 Oct 13
     
    Choice Hotels has been a industry leader in the cloud PMS movement. They identified the opportunity to create their own platform 10 years ago when cloud was barely on the radar and have now successfully distributed it to 5,500 of their properties. Unique functionality built into the system is internet redundancy via cellular data plan, company-wide campaign pop-up messages to staff, interface to Pegasus and revenue management through predictive analytics. The platform has been so successful that, in response to inquiries from other companies who wanted to use Choice's proprietary system themselves, they created an additional revenue stream by establishing a separate company that sells and creates custom cloud PMS systems. One advantage pointed out is that managers no longer need to be on property to access and make changes to their PMS. While this is hugely beneficial to the majority of the industry (who already work long hours and visit the property on their day off), there may be some who take advantage of the situation. If this becomes the case, less oversight at the property means that operations has the potential to slip. It doesn't seem that this is a concern for Choice Hotels but it should be considered.
cpaez007

Airline ticket distribution: How airlines might reduce Global Distribution System (GDS)... - 0 views

pwc.blogs.com/...ystem-gds-fees-by-encoura.html

shared by cpaez007 on 04 Feb 18 - No Cached
  • After a quick search I found and booked the same ticket through an online travel agency for a bit more than the price on the airline website, but less when you included the €8 fee. Unfortunately this small change in booking method would have cost the airline a substantial amount of money. Here’s why…
  • Selling costs generally represent around 4% to 8% of overall airline expenses
  • Many airlines sell a large proportion or the majority of their tickets through indirect channels.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • A key driver for the high cost of selling tickets through indirect channels is the fees charged by Global Distribution System (GDS) companies for each ticket sold. With airline profit margins under constant pressure airlines need to find ways of reducing distribution costs by selling tickets to customers directly instead of through 3rd parties.
  • The fees to distribute tickets through the GDS are relatively high averages around US$12 per return ticket [2]. In 2012, it was estimated that approximately US$7 billion in GDS fees was paid by airlines which was over twice the industry’s expected net profit for that year [3].
  • Quite simply, the GDS is something that airlines cannot live without. Why? If your competitors are using the GDS and you are not then your tickets will not appear in any searches by 3rd party distributors meaning it is unlikely your tickets will be sold by the 3rd party.
  • Even low-cost carriers such as Air Asia and Ryanair that have avoided the GDS for years have recently started selling tickets through the GDS as they have realised that they are missing out on revenue from not selling tickets through the GDS.  
  • The ‘New Distribution Capability’ (NDC) is a XML-based data transmission standard set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and provides a set of guidelines for communications between airlines and 3rd party distributors. The NDC will allow for the sale of ancillary products (for example, baggage, meals, special seating etc.), something which the GDS currently cannot handle. However, while the NDC has the potential to help airlines boost revenue, there are still questions as to whether there will be any benefits stemming from reduced distribution costs.
  • How can we make our direct channels so attractive that customers will want to use them over indirect channels?”
  • The simplest solution is to ensure that the user experience on the airlines website is seamless and easy. Users are highly likely to abandon online bookings and use another booking website if they encounter difficulties. Simple actions such as ensuring customers are not diverted to an error page can translate into a significant increase in direct bookings
  • Airlines might also want to re-think the way it provides incentives and commissions for ticket sales.
  • With the trend moving towards airline consolidation (for example, partnerships, equity interests and mergers) airlines might also consider how they can work together to sell each other’s tickets on their websites. This strategy goes well beyond the sale of interline or codeshare tickets and will give customers benefits including the ability to book multi-airline itineraries directly from an airline website. Of course airlines must be wary of how they do this to ensure they are not in breach of any anti-trust regulations.
  • There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach and for an airline to decide on the best distribution strategy it will need to conduct a solid analysis into their customer behaviours, channel usage and also the commercials of their different distribution systems.
  • cpaez007 on 04 Feb 18
     
    In this article we discuss the issues that airlines are having with the GDS system. They give an example of someone attempting to purchase a ticket through an airline website, and then through a travel agency. The direct airline method was only cheaper, if the guest provided information to a direct bank account. The cost for airlines to sell is a bit less than 10%, and they are sold mostly through indirect channels, like travel agencies. The main reason this can happen, is the integrated GDS system. A GDS system is a data facility that shares inventory information for various airlines to different 3rd party channels. The issue with this, is that the total in fees for the use of the GDS system was around $7billion, which is twice the amount of net profit they are receiving. People state that the airline system cannot survive without the GDS, but is that statement really true? Airlines like Air Asia or Ryanair have really attempted to focus on selling tickets directly, and really expand on their profit. How can this be achieved? Well, airlines are making the booking process easier for guests to manage, which gives them more of a reason to book through there. Also, they are offering greater loyalty rewards for directly booking through the site. Different incentives need to be created to attract guests to book directly. Lastly, they would like to create another distribution system, to put GDS out of business. This new system will work to allow guests to handle meal and baggage fees. Concepts that the GDS cannot handle. With that said, will this new system reduce costs for airlines? I guess they will have to wait and see.
rnobl005

Booking Holdings Buys Activities Distribution Startup FareHarbor - Skift - 0 views

skift.com/...istribution-startup-fareharbor

shared by rnobl005 on 22 May 18 - No Cached
  • Booking Holdings Buys Activities Distribution Startup FareHarbor – Skift
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 22 May 18
       
      Module 3: Networking (Rebecca Noble) I came across this story a few weeks ago and thought it made sense to post about this week as it has to do with e-commerce. Booking Holdings' recently purchased a start up called FareHarbor in what is speculated to be a $300 million deal. FareHarbor is a reservation system designed for tour operators to distribute and sell their products online. Booking Holdings used to be known as the Priceline Group - the company now owns Booking.com, Priceline, KAYAK, OpenTable, and a few other tourism related brands. The idea is that customers buying a hotel room in Paris who know they want to take a tour of the Eiffel Tower can package those two purchases together. This deal is evidence that travel corporations are making a big push to be full service agencies and e-commerce plays a big part in the ability to do so. The article cites a few other similar deals, specifically Expedia.com partnering with a restaurant reservation platform called, Reserve (reserve.com/about). It also talks about Airbnb's own tour offerings, which they call Experiences. There are many other companies similar to FareHarbor that allow tour operators to sell their products online, many of which specialize in a specific geographic region. As such we may see large corporations like Booking Holdings buy these smaller companies so they have tours in popular destinations worldwide.
  • Booking Holdings said Thursday that it will acquire U.S.-based, experiences booking-software provider FareHarbor.
  • The FareHarbor acquisition will help provide content to expand Booking.com‘s upselling of consumers on tours after the consumers have already bought another product from the online travel giant.
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 22 May 18
       
      Booking Holdings will utilize the tour excursions supported by the FareHarbor software as an upsell when customers are purchasing other products on Booking.com.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • The price tag could be relatively “hefty” — as in more than $300 million — speculated one source who is knowledgeable about the tours and activities sector.
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 22 May 18
       
      $300 million is a HUGE price tag. I think this purchase is a significant statement on the importance of e-commerce in the tourism industry.
  • Both deals — FareHarbor and Reserve — accentuate an accelerated focus on in-destination activities, whether they are visiting a hot restaurant or tours and attractions.
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 22 May 18
       
      Reserve is an e-commerce software system used for restaurant reservations. They recently made a deal to become the exclusive restaurant reservation provider for Expedia.com.
  • Airbnb officials recently said that they plan on being in 1,000 cities with their Experiences product by the end of this year, and they project profitability in Experiences by 2019.
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 22 May 18
       
      In addition to offering local places to stay, Airbnb now offers tours, or what they call "Experiences." I've heard mixed reviews about this service. They spin it as touring the city you are in with a local guide. But that guide could legitimately mean any person off the street. Guides that lead tours and excursions through legitimate tour operating companies have way more experience and depending on the city they are in have to pass some sort of certification examine to lead tours.
  • The purchase denies TripAdvisor’s Experiences unit a chance to enhance its relationship with suppliers and to make the end-to-end technology experience more seamless between suppliers and consumers.
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 22 May 18
       
      TripAdvisor is a competitor of Booking Holdings, so this deal can be seen (according to the author of the article) as a defensive tactic to control the market.
  • Notable players in B2B tech include Bokun, Musement, Once There, Palisis, Redeam, Regiondo, Rezdy, Rezgo, Tiqets, TourRadar, TrekkSoft, Trip.me, and Veltra.
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 22 May 18
       
      This are all companies similar to FareHarbor that support tour operators in various parts of the world. The majority of Rezdy's tour inventory, for example, is in the Asia Pacific region. With so many individual companies offering similar services I can see large companies making a move towards purchasing smaller companies to expand their reach geographically.
  • FareHarbor debuted a predictive pricing platform powered by artificial intelligence to help operators select optimal rates for activities.
    • rnobl005
      rnobl005 on 22 May 18
       
      Having worked for a tour operator I can see why this is a super lucrative tool. Tour pricing adjusts seasonally based on when the destination is in peak season. Having AI tell you when to adjust the price on your product is a vast improvement operationally because you don't have to dedicate the time to monitoring sometimes thousands of tours by hand.
  • rnobl005 on 22 May 18
     
    Module 3: Networking (Rebecca Noble)
asant318

Consumers spend $5.2 billion annually in fraudulent and misleading hotel booking transa... - 2 views

ehotelier.com/...ing-hotel-booking-transactions

shared by asant318 on 25 May 18 - No Cached
  • scams and fraudulent and misleading travel websites and companies continue to mislead and confuse consumers.
  • 28.5 million hotel stays and $5.2 billion in fraudulent and misleading hotel booking transactions in 2017.
  • 39 per cent of travellers reporting that they most often book their hotel rooms through a third-party website
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Taking a few extra seconds to book directly with a hotel or a trusted travel agent can save time and money in the long run, and lead to a better travel experience overall.”
  • constant flow of new companies entering the online travel market—suggests we need to do more to protect consumers.
  • AHLA encourages consumers to book directly through the hotel website or mobile app
  • asant318 on 25 May 18
     
    This article reviews a survey conducted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association which reveals that 23% of consumers say they have been misled by third-party traveler re-sellers. The article further explains the Federal Trade Commission's investigation of one of these companies, Reservation Counter, LLC which resulted in legal action. The article concludes that to protect consumers AHLA will support legislation known as the Stop Online Booking Scams Acts and strongly encourages travelers to book directly through the hotel or trusted travel agent. I think we are seeing the AHLA's opposition to OTA's in defense of hotel properties that want direct booking. The protection of customers is important, but it seems like an implied warning of ligitimate OTA's like www.booking.com.
tjcamino

Importance of GDS For Travel Agency And Tour Operator - 1 views

www.holidaysimply.com/importance-gds-tour-operator

GDS Travel Agents

shared by tjcamino on 22 Jan 20 - No Cached
  • The Global Distribution System is a tool for travel agents that enables transactions between travel industry service providers and travel agencies.
  • The GDS mainly uses real-time inventory to service provides.
  • why is it important to the travel industry?
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • he channel manager you choose should integrate with your booking system and should also give you the opportunity to customize and update your options
  • alendars will adjust your availability based on the on the resources that you have in your inventory.
  • black-out dates in your online booking system
  • GDS is not connected to an efficient channel manager, you will never be able to update your availability across all of the channels that you use to sell your tours and activities.
  • Independent travel agents, online agents, and travel agencies use this system to search for the best available travel and accommodations rates for their clients
  • GDS systems also support high traffic to the travel sites
  • Global Distribution System may become a more of a direct corporate booking tool rather than the system used exclusively by travel management companies.
  • tjcamino on 22 Jan 20
     
    This article talks about the Global Distribution System (GDS) and how important this is for the travel agents. This systems enables transactions between the travel services that are provided and allows travel agents to see and sell those services. For example, the GDS will allow travel agents to see available hotel rooms & airline ticket rates in live feeds. But the big questions is why is the GDS important to the travel industry? When managed property with a channel manager, the booking system will give the property an opportunity to customize and adjust availability based on inventory and allow to block out dates. Travel agents and online booking systems use the GDS to search for availability and best available rates in real time. If not managed correctly, this could cause issues and over bookings. The GDS systems also support high traffic to the travel sites. The future of the GDS system might in obsolete in the near future and may be a corporate booking took rather than the system used exclusively by travel management companies.
  • ggara004 on 22 Jan 20
     
    Interesting read! This article touches on the importance of GDS for travel agents. It is essential for travel agents to use these systems to effectively sell travel services and updated inventory to consumers in real time. The article concludes that although travel agents use this as their method of booking travel, some hoteliers believe this way of booking may become obsolete in the future. As of today, companies still continue to use GDS as their booking system and does not appear to be leaving anytime soon.
cleon087

Travel Agents Are Increasingly Using Global Distribution Systems to Book Hotels - Skift - 0 views

skift.com/...ibution-systems-to-book-hotels

hospitality GDS

shared by cleon087 on 08 Jun 20 - No Cached
  • shifting in a dynamic marketplace, they remain useful for travel agents around the world.
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 08 Jun 20
       
      I really like how this line pertains to the discussion that we had this week. It proves that GDS still has a role only that its role is shifting.
  • using a global distribution system more than they did two years ago, le
  • Hotels pay a fee of about 20 percent on a booking when they sell a room on a global distribution platform, leading many to look for other distribution solutions like encouraging travelers to book direct online or using online booking sites
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 08 Jun 20
       
      The hotel prefers getting all the profit thats whys they encourage the use of their websites and offer rewards to guest that do. My mom is a member of Marriott rewards program and most of the time can get a better deal from direct booking and save hours of searching.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • it helps hotels manage their presence on a variety of distribution platforms.
  • ely on the GDS as an essential operating system for conducting hotel research and booking reservations,
  • o generate incremental revenue and maximize revenue per available room through the power of the GDS.”
  • 63 percent of those polled indicated they tend to book away from hotels that don’t offer the best rate on global distribution system
  • said they will book the best deal they find regardless of the advertising content the systems push them.
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 08 Jun 20
       
      This shows peoples motives and how they will spend their time looking just to save money even if it is just a few bucks.
  • It could also be that agents don’t make any commission on sites like Airbnb and Homeaway, so don’t have the incentive to book them for clients.
  • cleon087 on 08 Jun 20
     
    This article discusses how travel agents are starting to increasingly use GDS to book for their clients. The article also talks about how people are looking for the best price and care more about that than the advertisement. Hotels want their guest to direct book through their website in order to not have to share profits with others. Hotels pay fees to be on these websites and travel agents are starting to use it more. The article emphasizes the role that GDS has come to evolve to.
blevi022

Southwest Airlines Expands Corporate Booking Through the GDS – Skift - 0 views

skift.com/...-reach-more-business-travelers

technology hospitality travel airline Southwest

shared by blevi022 on 31 May 20 - No Cached
  • For the first time, the majority of the airline’s content and booking capabilities are available in global distribution systems (GDS) at an industry-standard level of participation, instead of at a basic booking level.
  • In August 2019, the airline announced that after nearly 50 years in operation, it would significantly expand the amount of content it offers in the GDS through agreements with Travelport and Amadeus
  • Nearly every other major U.S. airline is in all three of the main GDS providers: Amadeus, Travelport, and Sabre, at an industry-standard level of participation. Prior to this May’s launch, Southwest only offered limited participation in Sabre and Apollo
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • This strategic move has been a long time coming for Southwest and its corporate travel buyers — and it’s more important than ever during such a turbulent time.
  • Additionally, the airline is partnering with the Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC) to ensure the expanded offerings act in accordance with industry standards and to efficiently manage the reporting and settlement of tickets booked through the Travelport and Amadeus channels.
  • August 2019, the airline announced that after nearly 50 years in operation, it would significantly expand the amount of content it offers in the GDS through agreements with Travelport and Amadeus. The move to make the majority of its fares available in the GDS marks a big step forward for the airline in how it reaches business travelers and provides a more consistent customer experience for its corporate travel
  • Southwest Airlines is one airline that has its eyes set on a rebound to emerge stronger on the other side. One way it plans to do so is by shifting its distribution strategy. For the first time, the majority of the airline’s content and booking capabilities are available in global distribution systems (GDS) at an industry-standard level of participation, instead of at a basic booking level
  • uthwest Airlines is upping its corporate travel game by significantly expanding its presence in the global distribution system (GDS) network. This is set to enhance the relationship between the airline and its corporate buyers and agencies.
  • Nearly every other major U.S. airline is in all three of the main GDS providers: Amadeus, Travelport, and Sabre, at an
  • Prior to this May’s launch, Southwest only offered limited participation in Sabre and Apollo. Most corporate bookings were made on Southwest’s direct channels: SWABIZ, its corporate booking channel, and the Southwest API direct connect. Those that did book within the GDS were unable to perform
  • The process was not only atypical for a major U.S. airline, but was often frustrating and more costly for corporate buyers and agencies.
  • The agreement will give both Amadeus and Travelport industry-standard access to Southwest’s fares and functionality, like allowing travel managers to change and cancel flights through the system without having to pick up the phone and call the airline directly.
  • This move was in direct response to customer feedback. For the past few years, we’ve been told that the GDS is the preferred channel among business travelers and corporate travel buyers for booking travel. But it’s a timely shift as well. This new channel strategy will put Southwest in a strong position when a recovery begins,” h
  • The key benefit of the GDS is that it allows us to perform the booking in a standard workflow. The ability to serve our clients will be more efficient, and it will ultimately result in allowing us to offer a more effective and comprehensive service.”
  • mmilian on 31 May 20
     
    This article is about Southwest expanding their GDS game. They are going to enhance their relationship with travel agencies and corporate customers.
  • blevi022 on 08 Jun 20
     
    Southwest Airlines had long resisted using GDS. It has been known for only allowing direct booking through its website. Last year, Southwest began to significantly increase the amount of tickets offered through GDS. This is viewed as good move for Southwest to help increase sales for the Corporate Travel market. This shows that GDS continues to have a use and airlines who did not use them are now willing to use them to help sell their inventory especially in the wake of COVID-19.
smend120

Benefits of Global Distribution System | GDS Booking System - 0 views

www.flightslogic.com/global-distribution-system.php

Hospitality Technology Travel-agent GDS

shared by smend120 on 06 Sep 22 - No Cached
amdelgad liked it
  • a central reservation system that allows travel agencies and their clients to access travel knowledge, buy and compare reservations choices and book travel
  • connects the travel service suppliers or vendors to the travel agencies in real-time, by providing a centralized service that covers the bookings of airline tickets and more.
  • The leading global distribution systems are Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, and Worldspan.
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • Travel Agencies have historically relied on GDS for services, products & rates to produce travel-related services to end customers.
  • The GDS system is one of the most necessary tools for the travel business
  • OTA (Online Travel Agent) can access the inventory of airlines in real-time. Users can book and process the travel offers that best work their needs.
  • Amadeus GDS helps to distribute the services in order that the audience or clients may get the specified result out of it. In the world of travel, Amadeus API Integration is one of the ancient and trusted technologies.
  • Galileo is one of the global suppliers of travel product within the world and that they currently provide the Galileo Global Distribution system. Galileo is an application program interface (API) that permits customers to make an interface like a website, connected to the Galileo.
  • Sabre Global Distribution System is one of the leading suppliers of travel reservation systems with over 55000 travel agencies. Sabre is an efficient and cost-effective distribution channel that helps airlines and travel corporations to extend their market reach to leisure and corporate traveler.
  • travel agents to search, price, book, and ticket travel services provided by airlines and tour operators. Sabre provides users with schedules, availability, pricing, policies, and rules, yet as reservation and ticketing capability for travel suppliers.
  • Travelport is a leading Global Distribution System, that operates in 170 countries including globally accepted and allows Worldspan and Galileo GDS platforms. The Travelport network consists of 400 Airline partners serving to travel corporations increase revenue, lower value and efficiency reach leisure and company travelers globally in each continent and channel.
  • Worldspan GDS System provides data-rich solutions that offer travel buyers and suppliers distinctive insights into their operations that facilitate to manage your travel business, reducing prices and improving revenues. Worldspan travel software acts as a single source for providing travel deals and information all over the globe.
  • he integration of Worldspan travel software permits the travel agents to boost the client's expertise by providing information like rates, inventory, discount and description that is finished on a real-time
  • market your latest sales message, special offers, and discounts directly to travel agents. 
  • A single global travel distribution system is connected through B2B, B2C, B2E and B2B2C websites.
  • OTAs have greatly improved the travel shopping experience & convenience for consumers and have increased pricing transparency.
  • GDS systems deliver worldwide data, rates, inventory, offers, real-time availability of airlines, hotel rooms, car rental, bus tickets, and many more to make the travel industry more informatics and sophisticated.
  • Benefits of Global Distribution System Global distribution systems are widely responsible for the growth of travel industry and stepping stone of most internet based travel services.
  • djohn304 on 06 Sep 22
     
    Global distribution systems work by connecting travel companies (airlines, car rentals, cruise lines) to travel agencies (online or human) who then connect with the interested traveler. By this chain, the travel agent is able to offer real time availability from the companies to the traveller. The benefits of this system are the ability to deliver tons of information direct from the relevant companies, it is convenient for those that use them and easy to track travelling trends and interests. To me, it works like a mass marketing strategy. The content is generated by the owners and instead of enlisting their own man power, they utilize the efficiency and convenience of remote technology to mass distribute. The intended consumer receives the information without ever having to think where it's coming from, but inevitably trusts its reliability. The productivity of this system is something that those in the hospitality industry cannot ignore because this represents moments of the first interaction between the interested consumer and your operation. In order for the information to reach them in a convenient medium. In summary, GDS's help information get from the travel company to the consumer everyday in real time via global networks.
  • smend120 on 12 Sep 22
     
    Global Distribution Systems (GDS) are largely responsible for the expansion of the travel industry. They provide the foundation for most internet-based travel services offered globally, and they link the providers of travel services in real-time. To make the travel business more complex and informatics, the GDS system provides global data, pricing, inventory, offers, and real-time availability of flights, hotel rooms, car rentals, and even bus tickets. GDS enables travel agencies and their customers to access travel information, purchase and compare options for reservations, and schedule trips. One of the most essential tools for the travel industry is the GDS system. Global Distribution Systems are server-hosted web platforms that offer worldwide discounts on the booking of travel-related goods like airfares. Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport are the three main GDSs in the market, and they are connected to more than 650,000 travel agents. Travel agencies depend on GDS's assistance to maximize their own profits because GDS is a direct seller of airline tickets. To increase their revenues and their ability to offer tickets to customers, travel agencies enter into an agreement with GDS and gain access to a listing of fares.
  • smend120 on 12 Sep 22
     
    " Benefits of Global Distribution System Global distribution systems are widely responsible for the growth of travel industry and stepping stone of most internet based travel services. Benefits of Global Distribution System for Travel Agents and Tour Operators GDS systems deliver worldwide data, rates, inventory, offers, real-time availability of airlines, hotel rooms, car rental, bus tickets, and many more to make the travel industry more informatics and sophisticated. How Travel GDS Marketplace Is Reshaping the Travel Industry GDS stands for Global Distribution System and it's essentially a central reservation system that allows travel agencies and their clients to access travel knowledge, buy and compare reservations choices and book travel. functions across the world and connects the travel service suppliers or vendors to the travel agencies in real-time, by providing a centralized service that covers the bookings of airline tickets and more. permits travel agents to access, in real-time, availability, feature and costs for airlines and extra travel services worldwide. The leading global distribution systems are Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, and Worldspan. This permits users to buy tickets from various suppliers or completely different airlines. GDS can link services, rates, and bookings that combine a spread of products and services in travel sectors: e.g., airline bookings. Independent travel agents, travel agencies are now using an increasing sophisticated GDS system to seek out the best travel and accommodation and rates for their clients. Travel Agencies have historically relied on GDS for services, products & rates to produce travel-related services GDS system is one of the most necessary tools for the travel business the system will yield results with real-time pricing and availability comparisons There are 3 major GDS within the market- Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport here are over 650,000 and travel agents connected via a GDS system Systems enable users to bu
yuqiongliang

Website, GDS and OTA: the right mix in distribution channel investments - Insights - 0 views

insights.ehotelier.com/...stribution-channel-investments

channel website insights distribution mix

shared by yuqiongliang on 26 Jan 20 - No Cached
  • Here is a summary of the trends in three online distribution channels used in the hospitality industry: websites, Global Distribution Systems (GDS), and online travel agents (OTAs).
  • The Internet has made marketing more measurable and accountable with different metrics and analytics that show the contribution of marketing to the bottom line. The most critical measures of marketing are the customer acquisition cost (CAC) and the customer lifetime value (CLV), which at times can be difficult to understand and quantify.
  • The CAC is the price a hotel pays to acquire a new customer, which can have a significant impact on RevPAR performance and asset value growth. The CLV is a prediction of the value a business will derive from its entire relationship with a customer.
  • ...28 more annotations...
  • CAC = Marketing Campaign Costs/Total Customers Acquired
  • CLV = Gross profit from all historic purchases for an individual customer
  • f managed skillfully, the hotel’s website could yield the lowest CAC and the highest CLV as it permits the hotel to have a direct interaction with the customer which could lead to a long-term relationship.
  • Each online distribution channel plays a different role in the hotel’s marketing program:
  • The hotel website is the most critical marketing tool because it can deliver a message that is both relevant and appealing to the target customer.
  • A responsive web design provides an optimal viewing experience by adapting the website to mobile phones, desktop computers, and tablets. A responsive design is an advantage because a wide range of devices are used to make hotel reservations.
  • This could be a significant advantage for a hotel considering that mobile bookings have increased by 42% in the last two years, accounting for 25% of total bookings made in the Americas, as reported by TravelClick.
  • hotel website that contains relevant, unique, engaging, and accurate information will be able to dominate SEO.
  • Online Travel AgentsThis channel has the highest cost for hotels given the bidding process and the commission structure in place, typically amounting to 15% to 30% of revenues generated.
  • Branded hotels typically have agreements and commission structures in place with different OTAs.
  • Most OTAs feature a pay-per-click sponsor listing through a bidding process that typically ranges from $0.25 to $2.00 per click, depending on the market.
  • Each OTA uses a slightly different algorithm to position and rank hotels in the results screen. Regardless of the OTA used, hoteliers should implement the following techniques to position their hotel with the highest possible ranking:
  • The more information we know about customers, the more we will understand how to attract them to hotel properties. Hoteliers need to understand the electronic distribution environment and develop a comprehensive pricing strategy to maximize revenue and profit. Maximizing profitability can only be possible by extracting intelligence on the day-by-day activity of these channels and analyzing the possible displacements.
  • It is important for hotels to ease the booking process for travel agents by including the right type of information and rates in the GDS, and by keeping hotel information current, including all attractions and points of interest that attract guests.
  • Measuring the distribution channelsDemand360 is a market intelligence tool from TravelClick that provides exclusive information and in-depth reports on projected future demand for a hotel’s specific competitive set.
  • GDS provide pricing, availability, and reservation functionality to a world-wide market of consortia, who can book airline, car, hotel, and other travel arrangements for their customers.
  • Here is a summary of the trends in three online distribution channels used in the hospitality industry: websites, Global Distribution Systems (GDS), and online travel agents (OTAs).
  • The most critical measures of marketing are the customer acquisition cost (CAC) and the customer lifetime value (CLV), which at times can be difficult to understand and quantify.
  • the hotel website reflects and emphasizes the hotel’s image and competitive edge
  • OTAs can boost occupancy in need periods and help diversify a hotel’s client base by introducing guests that otherwise might not have considered staying at that particular hotel
  • the GDS connects hotels with consortia, which are global associations of travel agents that provide hotels primarily with major sources of corporate business.
  • A vanity domain name with an independent website that reflects the hotel’s unique personality can be an advantage for a branded hotel operator to include relevant information about their particular submarket and the property.
  • The advantage of this distribution channel is marketing exposure. If a hotel is incapable of filling certain days using other channels, even higher-cost OTAs would be considered a benefit.
  • GDS provide pricing, availability, and reservation functionality to a world-wide market of consortia, who can book airline, car, hotel, and other travel arrangements for their customers.
  • It is important for hotels to ease the booking process for travel agents by including the right type of information and rates in the GDS, and by keeping hotel information current, including all attractions and points of interest that attract guests.
  • The GDS distribution channel remains an important part of the industry, and it can have a significant impact on the amount of commercial demand captured.
  • Data mining will help managers understand how many room nights are being booked and the typical season and day of the booking, which will in turn help them recognize how to maximize profit from these accounts and avoid displacing higher-rated demand.
  • GDS channel advertising opportunities are also available to increase the exposure of the hotel on the GDS
  • dyaniroberts on 26 Jan 20
     
    Hotels rely on the information that is accessed through different intermediary systems that give each property information on their customers, as well as insight on their comp set. OTAs play a key role in assisting properties generate revenue, they have different processes in place such as pay per clicks or commissions involved when bookings are made through their websites. Marketing plays a key role in both OTAs and a properties direct website. Websites must be user friendly, easily accessible and have the ability to function on a mobile device. Majority of bookings are made online and and increasing amount are being made through a mobile device. Ensuring that each of these platforms creates a welcoming environment for each potential guest maximizes the chances of them booking.
  • yuqiongliang on 02 Feb 20
     
    An effective marketing strategy starts with knowing your customers and your goals. it is important to understand how to attract online shoppers, increase conversion rates, and have data mining tools to understand the customer's preferences and booking patterns to be able to develop a long-lasting relationship.OTAs and GDS remain an essential part of the industry, as they provide marketing exposure to a wider range of market segments.
Yuting Peng

The importance of social networks in hotel business - 0 views

www.arcotelhotels.com/...ial_networks_in_hotel_business

network hotel business

shared by Yuting Peng on 24 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • The booking tool offers fans who follow us on Facebook the opportunity to directly book their stay at one of our hotels. Social media will grow in significance and we consider it particularly important to offer excellent services – also on the Internet.
  • In addition to social networks, hotels should also focus on mobile solutions and complement their classical marketing mix with mobile applications for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones.
  • Yuting Peng on 24 Jan 13
     
    The article tells us how the social networks important to the hotel business. The study shows the network and social media are benefit to hotel marketing. And the ARCOTEL sees this potential opportunity in social media and network application Facebook. Nowadays, the network and some third party such as kayak, priceline provide many hotels boost in booking and increase in guest loyalty and public relation. But study shows that only 24 percent of the users would like to join hotel profiles on Facebook. The ARCOTEL hotels have integrated the apps into their Facebook sites. By using this app, the fans can directly book their favourite hotel and read ratings and other information through the app. The social media will get after them to offer excellent services. Both of them were done on the internet. At the same time, the fans who use the app to book hotel will also get prize draws, special discounts or a user-friendly booking function with extra tools. Although the network has given the hotel a instrument to contact with the guest, the modern technology still can not replace the classical booking and marketing paths, the network is just like the catalyst. As the internet business is rapidly growing worldwide. Hotels have to focus on combine their classical marketing with new technologies such as smartphones, ipad and facebook. They will help the hotel gain business and be success.
Jenna Rashbaum

Hotel systems weighed down by booking requests - 0 views

www.hotelnewsnow.com/...ighed-down-by-booking-requests

hotel systems booking technology hospitality travel

shared by Jenna Rashbaum on 04 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • The ratio has been growing at an average pace of 20% year over year and continues at a steady climb
  • Travelers are increasingly looking for value in their travel experience and continue to do more shopping before booking, meaning the number of information requests is expected to continue rising
  • Jenna Rashbaum on 04 Sep 12
     
    In Dallas, hotels are trying to bring in technology to make things easier while bringing in a CRS system has just made it more complicated. Since there are so many online requests for hotel rooms the Central Reservation System cannot necessarily keep up with that which could be problem because if it cannot keep up then it is not going to be in a search for a new guest. InterContinental Hotels Groups is updating their CRS with a newer one that can handle the large amount of requests at one time but there is still a problem of speed. We like to see things happen immediately when we want it done and if it does not happen like that we might decide to leave the page and go somewhere else to book causing the company to lose out business. Before the internet when people needed to book hotel rooms and they went to a travel agent the agent would have to call around to see which property had availability, then find out if they property they wanted had specific rooms and rates they are looking for and then finally book the room at the specified rate. As soon as the internet came along the process became easier because it was all right there except not that much easier because it still could not do everything that we wanted it to.
  • Jenna Rashbaum on 04 Sep 12
     
    Central Reservation Systems via the internet are good when they want to be and bad when they want to be. If there is a huge meeting booked last minute in a popular city during peak time there is going to be a huge influx of people trying to book hotels online at the same time and the CRS might not work as people would like it to causing people to get angry and not want to go to that specific hotel.
  • Ting Li on 05 Sep 12
     
    Central Reservation System is really a very good system which can improve the efficiency and speed of the hotel reservation.
Joshua Frost

The Heat is On: Five Online Travel Trends Set to Explode :: Hotel News Resource - 0 views

www.hotelnewsresource.com/vel_Trends_Set_to_Explode.html

online travel trends business

shared by Joshua Frost on 11 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • smartphone sales will reach 982 million
  • Expedia reports that 65% of hotel bookings within this last 24-hour window are via mobile, and 15% for flight bookings.
  • Expect also to see increasing numbers of mobile-only companies entering the fray.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • A report by eMarketer indicates that ecommerce sales in the US are expected to hit $119 billion in 2012.
  • Joshua Frost on 11 Sep 12
     
    Another interesting article here regarding smart phones and the booking process. How many times have you gone home to your computer to book a flight or a hotel? Well according to this article you are one of the few. Expedia reported that 65% of hotel bookings in a random 24 hour period were booked on the go. With smartphone sales reaching $982 million this year, there are many companies that are now doing "mobile-only" booking. eMarketer indicates that ecommerce sales are going to reach $119 billion this year. With that being said, travel agencies should be bracing themselves for a hit. If people are using sites like Priceline and Expedia more and more everyday, eventually there will be no need for agencies.
pelaez17

Why is GDS important to the travel industry? | TTS - 4 views

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

shared by pelaez17 on 24 Sep 17 - No Cached
  • he Global Distribution System (GDS) is a primary reservation tool for travel agents.
  • 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.
  • Through such commerce platforms as the GDS Travelport, 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.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • 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.
  • Promotional messaging to agents through GDS cores like the most prominent airline national distribution systems (Amadeus, SABRE, Galileo, and Worldspan) 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. 
  • 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.
  • GDS is probably not going to fall into disuse any time soon. Rather, it will continue to evolve as it did from the Lazy Susan system of the 1950s.
  • anonymous on 24 Sep 17
     
    I found this article interesting as it talks about why the GDS is important and also gives some insight to how the booking process has changed over the decades. For instance, thanks to the internet we can book a flight within minutes while comfortably sitting on our cough. The article however states, what I did not know, was that back in the 50's, it took an airline reservationist 1.5 to 3 hours to book a single airline flight for the customer. At the end, the article also states that GDS most probably will not be going anywhere any time soon and still be around, at least for some time, and keep on evolving.
  • ...2 more comments...
  • lkastwood on 24 Sep 17
     
    The Hotel industry has been trying to move away from Global Distribution Systems (GDS), because of the high cost associated with them; however, travel agents more than ever are turning to the global distribution system for their hotel and travel bookings. In a recent article written for Travel Technology & Solution they discussed why GDS is important to the travel industry. Educating the reading on what GDS is and how it works, the importance of GDS to travel agents and the future of GDS. According to tts.com "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. This allows for the travel agent to provide the best option at the best price to their clients. Travel agents are in favor of this system as what once took hours to complete can now be done in minutes. An agent has the ability to receive messages through the system alerting them of special rates, fares and travel packages which in turned are passed on to their clients. "Not only is messaging through GDSs effective in promoting travel savings to clients, GDS providers are becoming fundamental to the supply of travel products to retailers in the online channel." With a large percentage of people still turning to travel agents to book their travels GDSs might be here to stay. Over the past four years the use of the Global Distribution System has increased, "yet some industry observers suggest that GDSs may become nearly obsolete by 2020".
  • amberarias on 28 Jan 18
     
    This article discusses the history, importance, and future of GDS in a way that is simple and easy to understand. It use to take a long time to make a travel reservation until GDS came along, and it is now used by travel companies and their agents everywhere. It allows them to see a variety of airlines, hotels, transportation, and activities to compare pricing, in order to select the best of each one for their clients. They say GDS will become extinct in a couple of years but this article states otherwise. They believe it will become more sophisticated/developed into something greater.
  • zport003 on 05 Sep 18
     
    The article describes the importance of GDS to the travel industry. The article describes GDS as "a network/platform that enables travel agencies and their clients to access to travel data, shop for and compare reservations options and book travel." The system is used globally as it helps in generating travel sales in billions of dollars. Travel agents use the system access scheduling and inventory of hotels, car rentals, airlines and bus tickets all in real time. The system achieves this by linking the travel reservation sectors of car rentals, hotels and airlines. The major GDSs in the world are Sabre, Amadeus, Worldspan, Apollo, and Galileo. The authors argue that GDS is important to travel agents as it helps the agents to make reservations in real time for their clients and can complete bookings for their clients within a short time. The end of the article proposes that GDS may become obsolete by 2020 due to technological advances. However, the authors argue that the system will evolve with the technological changes and will not fall into disuse anytime soon.
  • pelaez17 on 10 Sep 18
     
    GDS I feel will always have an impact in the travel industry because it is what it was built for since the beginning. Yes, we advance with apps and direct booking but people will always use travel agencies and GDS I believe will always be the primary source for booking for travel agents because it is what makes them comfortable.
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