Global distribution system (GDS): Complete Guide for Automated Management System for Travel Agents
Travel and Tourism industry development is a constant process following the rapid change in the market demands and trends versus approaches and modern techniques. The customer acquisition process in the travel industry would be defined through a wide spectrum of resources depends on the wider factors list. Looking from Hotels perspective as a main pillar in the Travel industry, grabbing traveler’s attention, attracting guests, in the right frame for certain types of guests to offer the demanded and aspired service and accommodation.
Reaching 2020 and a new decade with an aggressive digital transformation fits the Technology Revolution hitting the whole world with different industries. The growth of Online Travel Agencies (OATs) made the GDS your intellectual approach to building compatible eco-system fits modern development. With more than 600.000 travel agents integrating their operations to the GDS for flight booking, accommodation, destinations, tours, activities and more for developing the best quality for offered service. Adapting the global distribution system (GDS) would be the most innovative and smart solution globally to manage hotels’ process of acquiring their leads.
What is the Global Distribution System (GDS)?
The Global Distribution System (GDS) is a worldwide channel that connects travelers with service suppliers. Hotels and Accommodation providers with their wide range of products, rates, ratings, availability and a full database about travel agents and other booking search engines.
The pioneering global system was first introduced in the 1960s of the last decade. The sophisticated system was invented originally to track Flights specifically, schedules, availability, and prices.
By the early 1970s, the Global Distributing System (GDS) was the officially claimed system by most of the B2B e-commerce corporates. Airlines automated the booking and reservations for travel agents.
The Global Distributing System (GDS) is operated through the 4 major Legacy:
- Amadeus
- Galileo
- Sabre
- Worldspan
How does the Global Distribution System GDS operates?
The interlaced data structuring is like a maze with the modern revolution of the Digital Tourism Revolution or the online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Booking.com and Expedia. Integrating the work with the Hotels and accommodation entities was vital to let the technical solutions figured in this trend, all tapping into the GDSs system different software such as Amadeus and Galileo.
Global Distribution System (GDS) as an Omni-channel is integrated lively with rates and availability of accommodation and hotel management systems. By booking and completing the reservation process the system records a reduction in the inventory and availability of the offered rooms and cabinets on the Hotel website and managing system instantly. The parallel step is to deliver the reservation details to the Central Reservation System (CRS).
Every GDS is developed with a separate set of connections, data segmentation, pricing rates, and sign up requirements independently.
What are the major Global Distribution System (GDS) systems?
Global Distribution Systems (GDS) are widely spread around the world with different goals, data management and more serving hotels, airline, and online travel agents across the world. The major systems and software including Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, Worldspan, Apollo, and Pegasus.
Let’s get closer to every system if them:
Amadeus GDS
For more than 30 years, Amadeus is standing as the major GDS solution. The leading system is standing for critical solutions of Airlines, Hotels, Railways, Travel Agencies, Travel Agents and more.
Amadeus is operating in almost 200 markets and serving millions and millions of travelers around the globe.
Sabre GDS
Sabre is a B2B travel marketplace, a technical solution and integration software with GDS. When it comes to the Data-Driven systems, Sabre comes on the top of the list in serving Hotels, Airlines, Travel Agents expand their covering and acquisition in a strategic approach for a sophisticated experience.
Sabre is better to be considered a pioneer for online travel agents, booking tools, revenue management, and online itinerary tools. The smart GDS is serving airlines, hotels, tour operators, Rail carriers, car rentals and cruise lines.
Galileo GDS
Back to 1971, The United States Airlines developed an in-house reservation system. On the other hand, Sabre and Apollo systems had their own value and reputation, Galileo by American Airlines attempted to gain market share in the computer reservation system market.
Worldspan GDS
Worldspan is a travel e-commerce solution, leading software and Travelport. The GDS is offering a typical distribution for markets, travel agents, corporates, travel portals and airlines websites.
Worldspan makes the work more innovative and smarter through offering an interactive shopping tools, Booking and reservation technologies, and a wide range of pricing and rates.
How to integrate your GDSs with GDS software?
Integrating your work to a Global Distribution System (GDS) is your initial step to let your Hotel, agency to get listed among hundreds of Travel agents around the world. The connection with your internal system and the GDS allows a huge amount of data to be stored, classified, mining, managed, automatically. Saving time and cost than making the process simpler and smarter.
Integrating a software provider tap into the GDS, give your business access to travel agents deals and operations including:
- Available Rooms
- Commission standards
- Payments and Transactions
How to use the GDS leverage Hotels and Cruises business?
Separating Hotel’s work from Cruises’ work might be a not an easy job, yet they are different sources from the same entity. Cruises are considered a floating Hotel, but they are both using a different inventory system, guests’ acquisition, selling method, stuffing system, and distribution strategies. Cruises most likely tend to depend on more conventional dealers like travel agents to host and convert guests. Subsequently, the growth and expanding state globally in the cruises business makes it a suitable opportunity for a crossover of business with hotels.
