SABRE PLANS TO OFFER a private-label version of
Trisept Solutions' tour-booking engine, VAX VacationAccess [www.vaxvacationaccess.com], to GDS subscribers by
first-quarter 2004. Trisept has a similar arrangement with Amadeus.
The Web-based booking engine gives agencies access to VAX's
preferred brands, which include Club Med, Funjet Vacations and many
others. Sabre said the private-label product will eventually
include its own preferred brands, as well as VAX's. Sabre said GDS
subscribers will be able to use the VAX tool free of charge.
Trisept Solutions is owned by Milwaukee-based LaMacchia
Enterprises.
STARWOOD HOTELS AND RESORTS is testing self-service, check-in
kiosks for guests. Kiosks have been installed at two Starwood
properties, the 1,215-room Sheraton Boston Hotel and the 509-room W
New York in Times Square. To check in, guests swipe a credit card
at the kiosk and confirm their reservations. The kiosk dispenses
card-keys and the room number. Following the test, Starwood plans
to expand the service to an undetermined number of downtown,
convention and airport hotels next year. Starwood isn't the only
one testing self-service kiosks. In September, Hilton began testing
them at two of its properties, the Hilton New York and the Hilton
Chicago.
UNITED AIRLINES joined Galileo's Preferred
Fares Select program, giving Galileo-wired agencies access to all
of United's published fares, including Web fares. In return, United
pays Galileo a locked-in, discounted GDS fee for the next three
years [Galileo won't say how much United will save]. United had
joined Galileo's Momentum program, which discounted GDS fees but
required agencies to help the cause by accepting a cut in GDS
incentive payments. However, Galileo scrapped Momentum this summer
immediately after competitor Sabre signed up most of the major
network carriers for its fee discount program, Direct Connect
Availability (DCA) Three-Year Option. So far, four network
airlines--United, Northwest, Continental and US
Airways--participate in Preferred Fares Select. Sabre has all four
of those airlines in the fold for DCA, plus American and Delta.
IT'S THE HOTELS VERSUS THE AIRLINES. Travelweb
[www.travelweb.com], the online seller of merchant-rate
hotel rooms owned by five major hotel chains, Pegasus and
Priceline.com, sued airline-owned Orbitz [www.orbitz.com] for
breach of contract. The suit, filed in the Circuit Court of Cook
County, Ill., in Chicago claims Orbitz cut its own merchant deals
with hotels already participating in Travelweb's program, which
Travelweb said violates their agreement. The suit also alleges
Orbitz did not display Travelweb properties in accordance with the
agreement, which expires in June 2005. Travelweb expects a hearing
to occur in November. Orbitz is Travelweb's primary distributor, as
sales on Orbitz.com account for 90% of Travelweb's revenue.
Travelweb said it is trying to decrease that percentage as it signs
up more distributors.
Travelocity [www.travelocity.com] said it decided to end its
distribution agreement with Hotels.com, avoiding litigation. Terms
of the settlement weren't revealed. Last month, Hotels.com [www.hotels.com]
pulled its hotel inventory off Travelocity.com, claiming
Travelocity breached their contract on Aug. 29 by terminating "the
exclusivity to which Hotels.com was entitled under the hotel supply
agreement." In other words, Hotels.com claimed Travelocity's
expansion of its own hotel program infringed on Travelocity's
commitment to market Hotels.com inventory.