The Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA) announced the results of its ninth annual Survey of Global Distribution System Hotel Reservations. In 2002, the number of hotel bookings made through the GDSs - Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, Sahara and Worldspan - was 46,997,385. This marks an increase of 0.5% from last year`s levels.
Although the 2002 levels were up slightly, they are 3.7% below the 2000 levels (48,787,000 bookings), which posted the strongest year for net GDS hotel reservations.
Based on an average daily rate of US $127 and an average length of stay of 2.2 days, 2002 GDS hotel bookings produced over 103 million room nights and US $13.1 billion in revenue for hotels worldwide.
HEDNA president Roland Tanner, who also serves as Vice President of Product Development for Pegasus Solutions, Inc. commented, This marks a second consecutive year of continued growth in electronic reservations, both in the GDSs as well as the Internet channels.
John Burns, president of Scottsdale-based Hospitality Technology Consulting, which conducts the Survey annually for HEDNA said, The crucial role of the GDSs in the quickly-evolving distribution marketplace is clearly demonstrated by their strong performance in 2002. Adept GDS distribution must continue to be a key element in every hotel`s sales program. Theodore Koumelis - Wednesday, March 26, 2003