GDS Best Practices

This document covers the areas in RedX which need to be completed correctly and maintained with accurate and up to date information by your hotel(s).

PART I

LOCAL POLICIES AND EXTRA CHARGES

  This information is added into the following areas in RedX:

SET UP < PROPERTY < POLICIES < LOCAL POLICIES

Currently the only fields from this section of RedX that are transmitted seamlessly to the GDS are the Check-In time and the Check-out time policy fields. You must ensure that the 24 hour clock format is used, e.g. 1200 for noon, 1500 for 3 PM because the property will be unbookable when the incorrect format is loaded. Punctuation marks such as . : or , must not be used.

Seamless means that this data is delivered automatically to the GDS from RedX and does not need a notification to our database department.

This page should always be kept up to date as it includes the Extra person/Child Charge and rollaway/crib charges for adults, children and infants. The Travel Agent using the GDS will look up the information coming from this field when requesting an extra bed for their client.

NOTE:  The extra charges fields require a manual upload in the GDS. Please notify our database department for the GDS upload.

CANCELLATION AND GUARANTEE POLICIES

·         CANCEL POLICY

SET UP < PROPERTY < POLICIES < CANCEL POLICIES

The Cancel Settings and the No Show Settings are transmitted seamlessly to the GDS. The cancel message has a length limitation of 62 characters (including spaces). This information displays in the rate rules that a travel agent displays when making a reservation in the GDS. It also displays in the Passenger Name Record (PNR) created by the travel agent to link all the separate elements of a passengers travel itinerary together in one file e.g. flights, car, hotel when the travel agent completes the booking. It will also be stored in the PNR history.

You must ensure that the Cancel Policy Type dropdown matches the information you input in the Days/Hours and Cancel Time boxes, please see screenshot below. The property will be unbookable if the incorrect format is loaded.

·         GUARANTEE POLICY

SET UP < PROPERTY < POLICIES < GUARANTEE POLICIES

The Guarantee and Deposit settings are transmitted seamlessly to the GDS. The message has a length limitation of 62 characters including spaces. In this section you can select the type of guarantee required, please see screenshot below.  The two most common options are IATA guarantee and credit card guarantee.

If a Credit Card guarantee is required then the booking can only be made when the travel agent enters the credit card number in the SELL entry (credit cards that your property accepts as valid forms of payment can be found and edited in SET UP > PROPERTY>PROPERTY INFO>POLICIES>PAYMENT METHODS). If an IATA guarantee is set up you should ensure that the IATA guarantee section is completed accordingly.

NOTE:   If a deposit is required then the rate can only be booked by entering the deposit details in the PNR. The GDS will return an error message if the incorrect form of guarantee is entered.

The GDS do not check that credit card is valid, only the algorithm and the credit card type is checked. We therefore recommend you to pre-authorize the credit card when you have received the reservation to ensure that you can at least charge for no-show if necessary.

NOTE:  In GDS there is no field for the travel agent to add the Credit Card Security Code.

PART II

ROOMS

In order to access the room type information, go to:

SET UP < ROOMS < ROOM TYPES

The Room Short Description, the guests per room and the Allow extra bed fields are transmitted seamlessly to the GDS. The Descriptions by Channel, which is accessed by clicking the Descriptions button at the top of the page, can be used to customize the descriptions by channel. If this is not used then the GDS description will pull from the Default Short Description. This information will display on the availability screen and the rate rules in the GDS.

The short description has a character limitation of 92 characters and only the dash (-) is allowed as a non standard character. The information from this short description field is sent seamlessly to the GDS availability screen and the rate rules, please see screenshot below.

The long description is also uploaded in the GDS, but it is not transmitted seamlessly which means that it requires a manual update by Database department, the long description displays in the HOD fields in GDS.

NOTE: Because the room type name does not display in the GDS, adding the room type name in the short description is recommended.

NOTE: Please notify our Database department team if you make any changes/amendments in the room long description.

PART III

RATES

SET UP < RATES < RATE CONFIGURATION

The Rate Type Name, Rate Type Class, Long Description, commissionable and other indicator boxes below the Default Long Description field are transmitted seamlessly to the GDS. This information will display in the rate rules.

The Descriptions by Channel  is accessed by clicking the Descriptions button at the top of the page and can be used to customize the descriptions by channel.  This information is displayed in the rate rules.

If this section is not completed is not used then the GDS description will pull from the Default Long Description.  

The Long Description has a character limitation of 10 lines of 64 characters each per line (only the dash (-) is allowed as a non character code), and will pull seamlessly in the rate rules, please see screenshot below.

NOTE: The Rate Short Description is only used in the GDS when there is no Long description present in the default Long description or in the Descriptions by Channel.

RATE LOADING (pricing)

MANAGE < AVAILABILITY < RATE SEASONS

All rate values are transmitted seamlessly to GDS. 

Please note that currently only Galileo supports Children rates. These rates need to be loaded as an offset in the DETAILED VIEW per child, please see screenshot below.

Recommendations:

·         BASE PRICE – based on single or double occupancy

·         DAY OF WEEK OFFSETS – if applicable load a surcharge or discount for the specific day of the week.

·         OCCUPANCY OFFSETS – If applicable load a surcharge or discount based on the occupancy per room type. If you want to load an offset for more than 2 adults and for children you can click on: SHOW DETAILED VIEW to add these offsets or load it in the extra adult offset on the main view.

·         LENGTH OF STAY OFFSETS – If applicable load the discount or a charge for a specific minimum and maximum stay,

ROOM/RATE SEQUENCING

SET UP < CHANNELS< PRODUCT ASSIGNMENT

In the GDS the initial availability is returned offering a rate range (see screenshot below) per available hotel (low – high). Thus when a travel agent selects one of the hotels he or she expects to find the lowest rate somewhere in the first lines of the availability screen. Research has shown that travel agents tend not to scroll down (this functionality may sometimes not be made available to them), and that they typically book a best available rate found in the first 3 lines of the hotel availability.

The section in Product Assignment that allows you to influence your selling order is called Order rooms and rates (room/rate sequencing). Move the room or rate type in the list by highlighting it and using the arrows next to the box to move it up or down in the list, please see screenshot below.

 

NOTE: Rate sequencing is only necessary for public rates.

 

 

RATE TRANSLATION

SET UP < CHANNELS < GDS < RATE TRANSLATION

A GDS rate will only be bookable when the specific Rate Code and the Rate Type Class is entered in the rate translation table per GDS. Duplicate rate codes are not allowed and RedX will return an error message when the GDS Rate Code is already in use (as it does when you try to use a duplicate code in Rate Configuration). You can use the same Rate Type Class for multiple rates.

The Rate Type Class allows the Travel Agent to search for a specific rate type. For example if the Travel Agent is only interested in viewing available Corporate Rates in a city or specific area (i.e. London),  the travel agent will use the qualifier *COR* (for Corporate Rate) in their availability request to view only available corporate rates in the hotel list that is returned. They will do this as well for Promotional rates, Package rates, etc.

If your property does not have a rate mapped to that class, the property will not be returned in the availability result screen and can miss out on potential business, please see screenshot below.

 

Once the correct Rate Code is entered and the correct Class (this class needs to match whatever class is selected from the drop-down in Rate Configuration for this rate type) is selected from the drop-down menu, the rate will be book-able.

 

NEGOTIATED AND CONSORTIA RATES

For Negotiated or Consortia Rates the Rate Type Code should always be mapped for each applicable GDS in the Negotiated Rate Translation page. Once the negotiated rate indicator box is ticked in the rate configuration page, the rate translation page for that rate type will automatically display the Negotiated rate translation page versus the Public rate translation one. In order to map the Negotiated or Consortia rate to the correct GDS access code, enter the code or company name in the Search field and hit the Search button. This will then refresh the page to show dropdowns for each GDS with the appropriate codes to choose from.

 

Duplicate Rate Codes are not allowed. RedX will return an error message if the Rate Code is already in use.

NOTE: Please notify our database department if you have loaded a Negotiated or a Consortia Rate. We need to receive the rate loading instructions to attach the Travel Agent PCC codes to the rate to make the rate bookable for the designated Travel agent.

NOTE: Once the Negotiated or Consortia Rate is loaded we strongly recommend advising the travel agent to make a test booking to ensure that all has been set up correctly.

 

 

PART IV

MARKETING MESSAGES

 

SET UP < CHANNELS < GDS < MARKETING MESSAGES

 

In RedX you have the option of entering your own Marketing Messages. These will display in the GDS only. Once you have loaded these in RedX, it will update automatically in the GDS.  There are 2 types of Marketing Messages, please see screenshot below:

BOOKING RESPONSE MESSAGE – This message will display when the Travel Agent has completed the booking. The character limitation depends per GDS, however currently Sabre has the most restrictive of 175 characters including spaces.

 

SEAMLESS RESPONSE MESSAGE – This message will display on top of the hotel availability screen when the property is selected. It will also display in the rate rules. The character limitation on the availability display is 35 characters, however in the rate rules can display up to 64 characters.

 

Example – Booking Response Message and Seamless Response Message (screenshots taken from Amadeus):

NOTE: Some Travel Agents use third party applications that may not display marketing messages.