XML Gets Hotel Tech Hand

<B>XML Gets Hotel Tech Hand</B>

By Jay Campbell

The Open Travel Alliance is one step closer to standards for Extensible Markup Language-based Web data exchanges in the hotel sector thanks to an alliance with the American Hotel and Motel Association and its Hospitality Industry Technology Integration Standards initiative.

The organizations agreed in June "to develop and maintain standards technically relevant to their industries."

Extensible Markup Language, or XML, would offer a single format for such functions as building, storing and exchanging traveler profiles. For corporate travel departments, it would ease the loading of profiles into online booking systems or the transfer of records when corporations change travel agencies or global distribution systems.

OTA produced the first version of its standard in March, for which final ratification is imminent (BTN, March 20).

The latest hotel-related agreement turns responsibility for computer reservations system standards over to OTA, while those who are focusing on the HITIS initiative maintain responsibility for all standards not involved in the GDS environment. HITIS agreed to donate its recently completed GDS standards, as well as its activities booking and golf tee times standards--to the hotel working group of the OTA. AH&MA was granted "perpetual membership" in OTA, permitting up to six seats on the non-supplier working group.

The two organizations said they will make their "best effort to merge their respective customer profile standards within the next 90 days," including identifying data elements and lining up different versions. HITIS also will appoint a designated member on the interoperability committee of the OTA.

"This cooperative agreement culminates a three-year industrywide effort led by AH&MA in developing electronic reservation booking and distribution standards," said Bill Fisher, president and CEO of the AH&MA. "More than 130 contributors from all aspects of the hospitality industry were responsible for developing the HITIS standards. Our contribution to OTA establishes a firm foundation for OTA to move their specifications forward."

In late June, OTA's data content team created five "sub-workgroups" that, among other things, will consider the requirements to make XML reservations for each travel supplier sector.

"We're hoping to have significant progress on being able to exchange messages by year-end, even if it's still in testing," said Gloria Zimmer, OTA's specifications manager.