WizCom, IBM Join Hotel Distrib. Effort
<B> WizCom, IBM Join Hotel Distrib. Effort</B>
<I>Parsippany, N.J.</I> - WizCom International Ltd. is partnering with IBM and Ensemble Solutions Inc. to jointly develop a Comprehensive Global Distribution Strategy to allow hoteliers to manage inventory through multiple channels, be it the traditional GDSs, Internet, corporate intranets or other travel management databases.
They might be distributing by all these means today, but most chains have been forced to maintain separate links to each distribution channel. Updating is time consuming and costly.
"Hotel companies have told us of their need for a solution that offers greater choice and control," said Flo Lugli, WizCom president since last summer. "The market wants a flexible distribution solution that allows hotels to choose any combination of GDS, Internet or corporate channels to maximize their business."
In a new partner-versus-build strategy for WizCom, the company is relying on IBM to integrate two of its products into WizCom to provide a multi-hosted, Web-based hotel description and direct reference system multi-GDS updating product with release expected in the next four months, said Lugli. WizCom plans to showcase the product at a hotel technology show in Atlanta in late June. Ensemble will integrate its eStore product to allow hotels to expand their Internet distribution without going through multiple intermediary distributors or developing multiple proprietary interfaces. Ensemble's technology essentially allows a hotel to place real-time electronic storefronts on third-party Web sites or corporate intranets, while always maintaining single control of its inventory.
The partners also will develop a comprehensive information and marketing database to serve as a single point of entry for property information, expected early next year. The new CGDS also will interface with the WynTrac Immediate Link system that automates the group booking process for both citywide conventions and smaller meetings.
Most of the technical integration of these products has been hammered out, but Lugli said the partners purposely left open some decisions--including marketing analysis needs--to allow customers to dictate what they need. Reporting, including some for corporate travel decision makers, will be addressed by a separate initiatives that WizCom will announce shortly, Lugli said.
WizCom executives have been sharing their concepts with customers for months, Lugli said, and are ready to begin preliminary testing of the hotel description module very soon.