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Are Founding Partners of Hotel Distribution System (HDS), LLC; Pegasus to Provide Technology for Internet Marketing Venture |
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Five hotel chains -- Hilton Hotels, Hyatt Corporation, Marriott International, Six Continents Hotels and Starwood Hotels -- and Pegasus Solutions, the world's leading provider of technology solutions for the lodging industry, today announced the formation of Hotel Distribution System (HDS), LLC, a new venture that will market hotel rooms over the Internet through multiple online sites. Utilizing the technology leadership of Pegasus, HDS plans to provide the link to allow Internet sites to sell hotel rooms via direct connections to hotel reservation systems. Other features of HDS' state-of-the-art technology will include real-time rate and inventory availability, rich hotel content, and enhanced city search capabilities. The end result will benefit both online shoppers and hotels by providing better information for consumers, greater accuracy in reservations and customer service, more reliable efficiency in reservation system connectivity to Internet retailers, and enabling participating hotels to better manage inventory. "We believe our technology platform will be more efficient than competitors, ultimately resulting in better prices and more hotel deals," said Joe Humphry, interim CEO of the new venture. "Through HDS, participating hotels will offer deals using a 'merchant' business model, similar to the existing hotel retailers on the Internet." HDS plans to distribute its hotel offerings through multiple Internet sites that affiliate with HDS. HDS is already in discussions with several Internet travel sites and has signed an agreement with Orbitz. Humphry said that the ultimate goal is to increase competition for the sale of hotel rooms online. This will benefit consumers through better and more consistent prices and reduced distribution costs for hotels. In addition, HDS will include a direct consumer site at some time in the future. "Hotel brands will not be limited to those affiliated with the original investing hotel companies, and in fact, HDS will be seeking both independent hotels and properties affiliated with any and all other chains that may wish to participate. More importantly, hotel operators that sell through HDS will be free to enter into agreements with all competitors," said Humphry. Mr. Humphry is a long-time travel industry veteran who has been employed by the founding participants to lead the development of HDS. HDS will be conducting an executive search to identify the venture's permanent CEO and management team in conjunction with the company's launch, and for the time being, will be headquartered in Dallas, Texas. HDS is an independent company, and is privately owned by the six founding participants. |
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Hotel Distribution System, LLC HDS Media Relations 1-202-530-4523 [email protected] |
| Also See | Year-over-year Perspective of Thanksgiving 2001 Hotel Bookings Performance / Pegasus Solutions / Jan 2002 |
| The Dotcom Bubble has Burst: How Can Travel Providers Profit Online? / Jan 2002 |