The new connectivity agreement between Availpro and the Orbitz Worldwide group of websites (Orbitz, Cheaptickets, E-bookers, HotelClub, Trip.com, Lodging.com, Ratestogo, The Away Network and Orbitz for Business) will enable European hotel owners to increase their presence in the North American Leisure and Corporate markets. There were over 10 million American visitors alone to Europe in 2009.

Prior to this arrangement, the sheer number of distributor sites undoubtedly dissuaded some hotel owners from managing their offers through each site individually, due to the amount of time this would have required. Henceforth, they will be able to manage all of these distribution channels through Availpro, as well as provide a single central inventory - something which no other CRS can offer - by using a scraper to manage all Orbitz Worldwide websites.

Until now, Expedia was the only network able to offer hotels this level of exposure to the key North American market.

Following the arrival of Julien Touraine (formerly of Orbitz Worldwide, Booking.com) two years ago, Availpro vastly increased the number of distributors connected to its Smart Channel Manager, with more than 100 active connections. Availpro now uses XML as its two-way connectivity standard, providing hotel owners with a guarantee of security (no overbooking), increased sales and reliability.

"There were very few major distributors who were not already connected to the Availpro network. With the introduction of Orbitz Worldwide and lastminute.com this month, our customers are now able to manage almost all OTA production via two-way connectivity from a single interface, making Availpro Smart Channel Manager the very best tool on the market," explains Julien Touraine, connectivity director at Availpro.

The next step for Availpro is to continue expanding its portfolio to include niche and local (country-specific) distributors. The company's French head office, which is responsible for connectivity development and certification, will continue to support its local sales offices (UK, Spain and Portugal).