New Tool Latest in a Long Line of GDS Products and Services for
Hotels
SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 30, 2006–Sabre Travel
Network today launched a product aimed at helping hotels and travel
agencies manage hotel booking commissions more effectively. The new
Web-based product is called Sabre Worldwide Commission Manager and was
developed in conjunction with Seville-based Worldwide Payment Systems
(WPS). It will be introduced at next week’s HEDNA Conference in
Florida and implemented with Sabre’s hotel customers during December.
Sabre Worldwide Commission Manager will be available to hotel
operators around the world and will give them a new ability to track
commission payments to travel agencies on a global scale, while
enabling agencies to track, manage and – where necessary – claim
commissions easily and efficiently.
The lack of an industry-wide standard has so far prevented
technology providers from developing products to do this effectively.
By teaming with Sabre Travel Network to develop this product and make
it available to more than 76,000 hotels and the huge worldwide network
of travel agencies that use the Sabre global distribution system
(GDS), WPS believes it will generate the impetus and scale to make
this product the global commission management solution of choice.
“Between Sabre Travel Network, Travelocity, lastminute.com,
Site59.com, the Jurni Network, Nexion and SynXis, Sabre Holdings has
one of the largest hotel inventories of any company anywhere,” said
Pedro Fernandez-Salvador, WPS’ chief executive officer. “Sabre
Worldwide Commission Manager will contribute by enhancing this hotel
offering still further.”
Sabre Worldwide Commission Manager is the latest in a series of
tools and services (some outlined in detail below) from Sabre Travel
Network designed to help hotel operators increase sales, encourage
travel agencies to book accommodation through the Sabre GDS, create
operational efficiencies for suppliers and agencies and give travel
agents the most comprehensive collection of bookable leisure and
business travel products. The company intends to unveil early next
year other products to make it even easier for travel agencies to book
hotel accommodation through Sabre.
“Managing commissions and dealing with payment enquiries has been
one of the biggest booking bug-bears facing both travel agencies and
hotel operators,” said Richard Adams, Sabre Travel Network’s senior
vice-president for the EMEA region. “By providing this solution we
hope to ease the situation for all concerned, stimulate travel
agencies to boost the number of hotel bookings they make in the GDS
and so make Sabre a preferred distribution method for hotel
operators.”
Hotel chains and independent properties that use the tool will
receive regular updates about their commission status. Sabre Travel
Network will export to Sabre Worldwide Commission Manager on a monthly
basis all booking information such as reservation numbers, check-in
and check-out dates, rates and commissions. Hotel operators can then
access and manage this information in several ways, including on the
Internet.
Sabre Connected travel agencies will be able to track their
commission status online. A high-level summary provides an overview of
all the previous months’ commissions for the bookings done through the
GDS, grouped by their status. A tracking tool enables the agency to
check the commission status of different reservations, while a claim
tool eases considerably the communication between hotels and travel
agencies about pending commissions, saving administrative work on both
sides and making the exchange of information more efficient.
Sabre Worldwide Commission Manager will be launched initially to a
limited number of travel agencies as part of a pilot project. It is
available in several languages and able to process multiple
currencies. To date English, German, French and Spanish are enabled.
An Italian version will follow shortly.
Recent initiatives for hotel operators
Sabre Travel Network has introduced recently a number of
initiatives designed to help hotel operators make more money through
the GDS. Its Sabre Surround and Hotel Spotlight marketing services
continue to show exceptional growth as hotels prove accepting of, and
willing to pay for, new merchandising opportunities. It has enhanced
existing merchandising opportunities through its targeted Promo Spots
and Sign On messaging tools, and has recently released UpSell, a way
to help hotels increase revenues on each transaction through special
offers to agents at the point of purchase.
Parent company Sabre Holdings offers hotel operators the ability
to reach consumers through advertising on the Sabre Virtually There
itinerary Web site, Travelocity, lastminute.com and IgoUgo.com, where
the world’s most passionate travelers gather to relate their
experiences. It offers direct marketing programs and product
preferencing to Jurni consortium members, and preferential placement
on agent and traveler booking screens such as MySabre and Travelocity.
It also offers targeted e-mail marketing to increase brand
awareness and booking opportunities, and tailored, targeted
promotional campaigns designed to reach the right buyers at the right
time.
“Our innovative marketing programs continue to grow in popularity
with hotels,” Adams said. “Our hotel merchandising revenues have grown
approximately 40 percent year-over-year and now account for 23 percent
of all Sabre Travel Network’s hotel revenues. We expect this strong
growth to continue and expect revenue from hotels to become a much
more significant piece of the Sabre Travel Network portfolio going
forward.”
At the end of October this year, the top ten Sabre Travel Network
hotel suppliers showed strong growth and performance. Room nights
booked through the GDS were up five percent year-on-year, length of
stay was up to 2.21 days (a year-on-year increase of 1.1 days), the
average daily rate was up 8.4 percent year-on-year and revenue
delivered to the hotels was up 13.8 percent.
About Sabre Travel Network
Sabre Travel Network, a Sabre Holdings company, provides the most
comprehensive end-to-end solutions for corporate and leisure travel.
The Sabre GDS is the foundation for these solutions, providing a
ready-built efficient marketplace that connects travel suppliers,
including hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels, with more than
50,000 travel agency locations.
Key brands of Sabre Travel Network include GetThere, for corporate
travel reservation technology; Jurni Network, a consortium of leisure
travel agencies providing marketing and promotion services; Nexion, a
host agency; SynXis, for hotel reservation management, distribution
and technology services; and TRAMS, mid- and back-office solutions and
marketing services for travel agencies. Sabre Travel Network also
markets TripTailor, a travel wholesaler providing dynamic packaging
for the travel agency marketplace.
Sabre Holdings (NYSE:TSG) connects people with the world’s
greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel products and
providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel
industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at
http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
About WPS
WPS (Worldwide Payment Systems, S.A.) is a leading information and
payment processing company, specializing in solutions for the tourist
industry.
WPS offers a wide portfolio of services and personalized
instruments to achieve efficiency and transparency when making any
information and/or payment transaction. Among others, WPS is currently
providing commission payments services, billing solutions,
reconciliation tools, automation of administrative processes for the
industry, etc.
With a worldwide presence, WPS is optimizing the business flows of
more than 90,000 travel industry players in 190 countries.
More information about WPS is available at: www.wpsnetwork.com and
logistic@wpsnetwork.com.
CONTACT: Media Contact:
Sabre Travel Network
Kathryn Hayden, 682-605-2252
kathryn.hayden@sabre-holdings.com
OR
WPS Press contact:
Tel.: +34 955 031 400
Fax: +34 955 031 440
E-mail: press@wpsnetwork.com
SOURCE: Sabre Travel Network