Hotel reservation systems

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Hotel reservations systems, commonly known as a central reservation system (CRS) is a computerized system that stores and distributes information of a hotel, resort, or other lodging facilities.

A Central Reservation System is a tool to reach the Global Distribution Systems as well as Internet Distribution Systems from one single system, namely a central reservation system. A CRS is mainly an assistance for hoteliers to manage all of their online marketing and sales, where they can upload their rates & availabilities to be seen by all sales channels that are using a CRS. Sales Channels may include conventional travel agencies as well as online travel agencies. A hotelier using a central reservation system easens his/her tasks for online distribution, because a CRS does everything to distribute hotel information to the sales channels instead of the hotelier.

Below is the list of main modules that are present in a CRS:

• Reservations
• Profiles
• Groups and Blocks
• Rate and Inventory Control
• Administration
• Reporting
• Global Distribution Interface
• PMS Interface

Information commonly stored in a CRS

• Room Types
• Rate plans architecture
• Room Rates & conditions (guarantee, deposit, customized cancellation rules, Minimum Length Of Stay, Maximum Length Of Stay, Closed to Arrival, Arrival not allowed, departure not allowed...)
• Room inventories
• Generic hotel information (address, phone number, fax number)
• Distribution content (descriptions, amenities, pictures, videos, local attractions...) are stored in the CRS or in a Content Management System (Lanyon, VFM leornardo, Pegs ODD)
• Reservation information
• Geocode information
• Nearby IATA cities and airports

Reservations

• Individual, group, shared, and multi-rate reservations
• Add, change, and cancel bookings including multiple legs
• Standard, package, negotiated, and group rates (via on screen button)
• Multi-Currency rate displays
• Sell messages dynamically linked to CRO office, property, rate or allotment code
• Geographical and regional single or multi-property search
• Property details including pictures, raster maps, rate and room type lists, nearby attractions, and point of interest information
• Links to external context databases to provide in-depth property, rate, and room details
• List of room types and rate codes
• List of rate availability strategies and restrictions
• User definable products by rate code
• Waitlist capabilities
• Quote rates system set up initial and secondary rates per property, per day
• Query system for reservation action items
• Intuitive, logical sales process flow
• links

Profiles

• Individual guest, groups, corporate, source, travel agency, and wholesales profiles.
• Multiple address and phone number capability for each profile
• Membership or club numbers and tracking
• Comparison and merging of profiles
• Notation for special commissions for client, agent, or source
• Relationship linking
• Unlimited credit card numbers
• Outstanding history statistics for past and future stays
• Profile protection
• Profile privacy
• Nightly process to identify duplicate profiles and merge them automatically

Groups and Blocks

• Groups room control
• Room inventory allotments with cutoff date or days
• Elastic room limits to be sold out of general inventory beyond block
• Tour series (recurring group stays)
• Super Group Blocks -single group staying at multiple properties
• Multiple rate assignments for shoulder dates
• Blocks fully integrated with selling screen
• Rooming list

Rate and Inventory Control

• Single and Multi-Property availability display
• Unlimited room classes and room types
• Multi-level inventory control by room class and room type
• Strategic overbooking levels
• Unlimited number of rate plans
• Detailed rate availability display
• Rates in multiple currencies
• Rates confirmed in multiple currencies
• Flexible package price calculations
• Negotiated Rates
• Versatile tax calculations
• Chain cross sell capability with schedule
• Supports generic room types
• Room and rate management and restrictions
• Ability to open/close room types by rate code, property, room class, etc.
• Central interface to yield systems and ability to update the properties with yield information via the Two-Way Interface (where supported)
• Best available rates
• Rates based on rates
• Rate seasons
• Unlimited number of guarantee, deposit, and cancellation policies, by property,

Administration

• Transaction activity by agent and CRO
• User definable Global Messaging display
• On-line, written, or faxed confirmations
• Multiple Chain (brand) definition
• Brochure requests and on-line customer surveys
• Extensive revenue and forecasting reporting
• Security controls
• Multiple time zone support
• User definable Closing Script
• Configurable Profile, Booking, and Display Information Screen layout
• Multi-tiered source of business tracking
• Multiple configurations to support regrets and denials

Reporting

The CRS reporting system provides a number of standard reports. Additional reports can be created using the integrated report generator by your IT Specialist. System reports may be generated automatically and may be run daily, weekly, monthly, yearly or manually upon request. Reports include:

• Expected Arrivals
• Reservation
• Property Forecast
• Total Booking Activity
• Stay Activity
• Monthly Booking Activity Summary
• Daily Booking Activity Summary
• Property Detail
• Property Detail - Room and Rate Information
• Agent Activity
• Automatic Allotment Release
• Delivery Queue Purge

Global Distribution Interface

The CRS offers a GDS (Global Distribution System) interface that allows travel agencies and consortia to confirm bookings and send the information to their CRO. For example the Pegasus Switch gives access to travel industry users of these major applications:

• Sabre
• Galileo
• Amadeus
• WorldSpan
• TRS Hotel Connection
• Including XML API following subset of OTA specifications
• Connectivity to most ADSs through Pegasus
• Direct interface to Expedia
• Ability to connect directly to any ADS using XML API

Web-based PMS Interface

CRS offer Two-Way Interface that allows the CRS to communicate with and exchange information between the CRS central database and the Front Office PMS (Property Management System) at each property. The Two-Way Interface includes features that is allow the CRS and PMS to work with the same information despite differing data structures and values.

What interface to a web-based PMS offers: - Control all reservations coming from different sources in a single control panel/extranet - Property Management System helps you distribute your rooms optimally to different online channels you work with since with PMS you can easily check the resource of your reservations. You can easily analyze how much each sales channel contributes to your revenues and identify the most efficient channels. - With Property Management System, hoteliers receive instant alerts containing information of your reservations: length of stay with check-in and check-out dates, number of guests, room type, price and rates, personal information of customers, billing and etc. - Main advantage of a web-based PMS is its communication ability to CRS as well as to hotel website booking engine and other online sales channels. source