News for the Hospitality Executive |
DALLAS
(May
9, 2012) – Pegasus Solutions
and TravelSky Technology Limited, China’s state-owned
global distribution system (GDS), have completed a connection that
makes Pegasus’
global hotel inventory of nearly 100,000 hotels available for booking
in China.
With more than 1,000 hotels under nine brands, Starwood Hotels &
Resorts is
the first Pegasus customer to go live on the connection.
“As the largest global operator of upscale hotels in China, we have long recognized the hospitality business opportunity in the country,” said Qian Jin, senior vice president, operations, Greater China for Starwood. “Today, the burgeoning middle class is not only traveling domestically, but has also expanded their travel beyond Chinese borders. Our hotels in China will continue to reap the rewards of domestic and inbound travel, and our global portfolio will tap growing outbound demand through the Pegasus/TravelSky connection.” As the number of domestic and international Chinese travelers surges, the agreement makes Starwood properties available to the 7,000 travel agents who work with TravelSky managing the country’s growing demand. TravelSky also now has full access to the Pegasus Hotel Content Database (HCD), the largest repository of hotel descriptive content in the world, which houses nearly 1.5 million images, videos and virtual tours, as well as property and room descriptions. “TravelSky, often referred to as the fifth GDS, has gone global from a hospitality perspective,” said Steve Lapekas, executive vice president, corporate business development for Pegasus Solutions. “As established global chains expand into Greater China, and Chinese outbound travel maintains double-digit growth, this partnership provides a valued and reliable connection to our established distribution network of nearly 100,000 properties. We have completed the certification process to drive immediate value to Starwood, as well as the entire Pegasus distribution network.” TravelSky has long-dominated the airline market in China, now recognized as both the second largest travel market in the Asia-Pacific region and the world’s second largest economy. According to PhoCusWright, China’s total travel market in 2012 is projected to approach US$74 billion. As travelers from the country’s exploding middle class clamor for international bookings, the new connection with Pegasus offers accessibility to the single largest collection of electronically bookable hotels, added QiangXue, vice president, tour and transport solutions, Travelsky Ltd. “We maintain more than 100,000 terminals in over 300 Chinese cities. Additionally, 7,000 travel agencies and all the global distribution systems depend on access to our air central reservation systems,” said QiangXue. “With Pegasus, we now address the hospitality needs of our 1.2 billion customers by allowing them to book a variety of hotels anywhere in the world.” TravelSky completed the Pegasus Distribution certification process the week of April 30, 2012. About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,090 properties in 100 countries and territories with 154,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and ElementSM. The company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com. About Pegasus Solutions Pegasus Solutions is the world’s lead provider of technology and services to hotels and travel distributors, serving nearly 100,000 hotels around the globe, and the majority of the world’s travel agencies. Offering award-winning solutions for booking, distribution, and commission processing services, Pegasus also offers a full array of strategic online marketing solutions and accommodation booking options through its Open Hospitality division. The company also delivers hotel marketing representation services through Utell® Hotels & Resorts, and powers the niche consumer website www.hotelbook.com™, which is dedicated to promoting independent and boutique hotels worldwide. Through it’s widely followed monthly data report The Pegasus View, Pegasus is also recognized as the only hospitality company to report regularly on both business and leisure bookings, for which it was awarded a Stevie Award in 2011. Pegasus has 22 offices in 12 countries, including regional hubs in Dallas, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, New York, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, please visit www.pegs.com, www.openhospitality.com, or www.utell.com. |
Media Contact: Ariel Herr |