Monday, 27 October 2008 11:40 by
Admin
The GDS or Global Distribution Systems is a computer network that
enables travel agencies to book your rooms directly on behalf of their
clients. Developed in the 60s and 70s this pre-Internet technology
consists of four systems Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan.
With
more travelers booking lodging on the Internet, one might think that
this would signal the end of Travel Agencies (TA). So far, this has not
been the case. While TA may handle more business or corporate accounts
than leisure travel, if you have excess room availability, then this is
one option to explore.
The standard commission that lodging
properties pay when a travel agent books a room reservation with 10%.
However in order to physically enter your room availability into the
GDS computer system, you need to work with a 3rd party company that
provides "GDS Representation Services."
A list of these companies and some of their contact and pricing information can be viewed below.
While
there are several pricing models (monthly minimum, minimum charge per
booking, straight percentage of the full price of the reservation,
percentage plus a flat per booking fee, etc.) ultimately they connect
you to the same GDS.
This is much like choosing an Internet provider, where they all connect you to the same Internet.
Some
of the differences that are most apparent (besides the pricing) is the
actual web site interface where you list your rooms and modify your
availability. Ask to see the interface (similar to your availability
calendar) so that you know what type of system you will be working with
on a regular basis.