GLOBAL hotel solutions provider HRS is riding on GDSs to extend its reach and offer of independent hotels that are traditionally not available in GDSs.
Earlier this month, Travelport and HRS signed a multi-year global distribution agreement that added up to 70,000 hotels from HRS’ properties to Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform.
Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Todd Arthur, managing director for HRS in Asia-Pacific, said: “The company made a strategic decision to collaborate with GDSs as we see that it provides a value for all three parties: the corporate customer, the (travel agencies) and the GDSs.
“GDSs have always been very strong in content with chain hotels and Tier 1 cities, but not for independent hotels and Tier 2 and 3 cities, especially in Asia-Pacific,” he said, citing Penang, Surabaya and Wuhan as examples.
“These second- and third-tier cities are largely driven by independent hotels and content has not been our there in the public domain so that is why we need to come in.”
Using Japan as an example, he said: “Only 10 per cent of business properties there are connected to GDSs. There is just such a significant gap in content.”
Apart from Travelport, HRS is also currently connected with Amadeus and Sabre.
“By providing the complete picture in the system, the end-user will no longer have to spend additional time sourcing for hotels outside the system, which will slow down productivity and incur higher costs,” Arthur explained.
Risk management and employee safety is one of the key concerns in the region as well.
Besides its tie-ups with GDSs, HRS earlier this year partnered risk management provider iJET International to roll out new booking tools merging its booking data into iJET’s Worldcue systems.
The collaboration provides companies with a consolidated view of their employees on the road, which closes another gap in the process of the value chain by keeping the organisation a step ahead in the domain of corporate travel agencies.
Using the recent earthquake catastrophe in Nepal as an example, Arthur said: “We are able to track immediately who’s there and which companies they are from for instant updates.”
