KDS Boosts Hotel Database Through Pegasus Deal

Online travel and expense management company KDS earlier this month announced it has fully integrated Pegasus Solutions Inc.'s UltraDirect electronic distribution service, giving KDS users direct access to more than 60,000 hotels worldwide.

Through its UltraDirect technology, Dallas-based Pegasus connects more than 130 hotel brands to global distribution systems and Internet-based travel sites and provides such information as rates, availability, reservations and inventory.

"The two most important advantages in using Pegasus is the number of hotels in our system and that we have access to much better descriptions of properties," said Fred-Jan Loembe, marketing product manager at France-based KDS.

The partnership is not the first of its kind for Pegasus, which also counts several booking sites across Europe among its client base, as well as U.S.-based consumer booking tools Expedia and Orbitz. Loembe said the aim behind its relationship with Pegasus is to help KDS customers increase adoption rates. "Clearly, the more options you have, the more flexibility you have for travelers," he said. "When people find what they want, they put the adoption rate higher and the travel department gets a better return on its investment."