Galaxy Travel Distribution System Ltd., specialising in on-line global travel distribution systems for hotels and other ground services, signed three major contracts…
Galaxy Travel Distribution System Ltd., specialising in on-line global travel distribution systems for hotels and other ground services, signed three major contracts with key suppliers of global hotel inventory at this year’s ITB Berlin 2005, held from the 11th – 15th March 2005, at the Messe Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
These agreements, signed with JACOB Online Ltd. (UK), TravelHero.com (USA) and Hoteldo.com (Argentina), will lead to the development of seamless connections between Galaxy Travel Distribution System (Galaxy TDS) and the on-line systems of the three companies thanks to ABBIE, the revolutionary switch solution, which is a key benefit of the strategic alliance between Galaxy Distribution System Ltd and Alliance Reservation Network.
According to Mr. Marco Gorin, Galaxy’s Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, the Galaxy/ABBIE connection will enable real-time commerce between Galaxy TDS world-wide users and these three companies. “TDS users will now be able to access the companies’ net rates, available, high-margin inventory of nearly 90,000 properties in the UK and Europe, USA, Mexico, and Latin America with all the immediate benefits that are traditionally offered by Galaxy’s TDS business formula,” he stated.
“For all parties involved, there are significant benefits gained as a result of the agreements – for JACOB Online, TravelHero.com and Hoteldo.com, they will receive global distribution through Galaxy TDS. For Galaxy, it means high quality inventory in terms of pricing, thus allowing Galaxy’s Retail Travel Agents to generate higher revenues,” Gorin added.
According to Denise Atkinson, API Manager, JACOB Online Ltd., which is a forward thinking company providing the travel trade easy access to over 2,500 hotels throughout Europe, Canada and North America, “The partnership with Galaxy/ABBIE and JACOB Online is a great platform for agents to have access to quality hotel beds efficiently and at great rates in over 100 destinations. From JACOB’s point of view, we are really looking forward to seeing bookings coming through from the various consortiums which Galaxy are signing up and I believe that the ABBIE platform will be a good alternative to the usual GDSs currently available
Mr. David Pearsall, Director of Vacation Products for TravelHero.com, a full-service internet travel agency with more than 125,000 properties in 23,000 cities in 216 countries, said: We are pleased to partner with Galaxy TDS and to offer access to our expanding hotel inventory in Mexico where we are currently providing real time reservations in over 40 cities and 250 hotels. Travel Hero.com covers all of Mexico with some excellent properties and pricing. With Galaxy growing in Mexico and key buyers signed up, Travel Hero.com sees an excellent opportunity for the two companies to grow in this region.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Myron Ticlo, Galaxy’s Regional Director of Sales, The Americas, commented, “We are also very pleased to partner with TravelHero.com in supplying their comprehensive hotel inventory to distributors connected to Galaxy/ABBIE and Galaxy TDS system.”
The third agreement was signed with Hoteldo.com, the first and only hotel reservation system available from the South American market. With approximately 2,000 hotels in the region – and 12,000 hotels through agreements with partners around the globe – Hoteldo.com are pioneers in bringing connectivity online to this part of the world.
Mr. German Perez, Country Manager of Hoteldo.com in Argentina explains: “Since we created our company, it was clear to us that the future was in distribution online. Creating a system with true online coverage in Latin America was not an easy task and took several years of incredible efforts before we were able to succeed.” Perez added “The agreement with Galaxy is a final boost for our company as in no time we gain access to new markets that otherwise would have taken several years for us to reach.”
According to Mr. Daniel Licata, Galaxy’s Regional Director of Sales, Latin America, “The agreement between both companies will create a synergy where Hoteldo.com will obtain immediate access to a truly global distribution net in very little time, while Galaxy will enhance its content in the Latin American region with over 2,000 new properties and availability online”.
All three link-ups represent yet another major step forward for Galaxy in asserting itself as the first true Global Distribution System for ground services. Galaxy plans to complete the interface work with the three companies by late mid-April 2005.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
