Amadeus Outlines Net Strategy

<B> Amadeus Outlines Net Strategy</B>

By Mary Ann McNulty

<I>Miami</I> - Amadeus this month introduced a new multi-language online booking tool for unmanaged travel and offered glimpses of both a new Net-centric strategic direction and a corporate reporting tool. The company plans to divulge full details on the latter at its subscriber meeting in August.

The automated booking tool is called Online Basic, an appropriate name for a low-cost, basic booking tool that offers no policy enforcement features. The product is designed for corporations with annual travel spend of up to $500,000 that want to book over the Internet. It is available in English, French, Spanish and German, with Italian to be added in July. The product actually can support up to 15 languages, though Amadeus determined that these are the five most commonly used languages.

Online Basic is being sold to travel agencies at a cost of $25 per month, including up to 15 bookings. Additional bookings are charged at a rate of $2.50 each. Users can book air, car and hotel reservations, said David Cerino, Miami-based director of marketing. A Website address can be customized for a specific travel agency.

Offering some glimpses of its future direction, Jim Davidson, Miami-based president and CEO, told an industry conference that a browser-based reservation platform will be at the core of the company's new strategy.

"Our new business strategy is not just about product, it's about changing the way we do business--and the way our customers do business," Davidson said. "In development today are the new tools that our customers will be using in the near future to integrate GDS data with the multitude of obtainable information out there now on the Web. Our agency customers will be able to utilize such information in order to add value to the services they currently provide."

Davidson said the company began laying the groundwork for this new strategy a couple of years ago, when it opted for a frame relay network that other CRSs also have adopted. The new strategy will revolutionize the company's product line, training and support services, and sales and marketing efforts, he said. Competitors Sabre and Worldspan have likewise announced shifts in their strategic directions that embrace the Web.

Offering a peek at Amadeus Zoom, the code name for an information analysis and reporting tool being customized for the North American market, Amadeus executives said the product will offer online, real-time statistical information on trends and vendors. This mid-office product will offer reports on both pre- and post-ticketed data, to allow users to make more informed business decisions.

Amadeus already implemented Zoom in other markets, but at press time hadn't announced a release date or the real name for the U.S. version.

The company also announced the demise of the name System One, as the North American marketing company now uses only Amadeus.