What’s Galileo GDS?
Galileo is a journey distribution platform that utilises a international distribution system (GDS) to permit journey brokers to guide inns, flights and different journey companies.
Galileo GDS is owned and operated by Travelport, one of many three main gamers within the GDS area (together with Amadeus and Sabre). Travelport additionally runs the Apollo and Wordspan GDS platforms. When a lodge makes use of a connectivity associate like SiteMinder GDS, journey brokers and company journey administration firms can guide stock by means of Galileo and different main GDS suppliers.
Whereas Galileo is especially used for airline bookings, it’s additionally utilized by journey brokers to guide inns, automotive rent and different journey companies for his or her purchasers.
On this information we’ll have a look at Galileo by means of the lens of a lodge trying to be taught extra in regards to the GDS, from the way it works to the way it may capitalise on the distribution alternative.
Why do inns want Galileo GDS integration?
Galileo (together with Apollo and Wordspan) is owned by Travelport, which is without doubt one of the world’s ‘Huge 3’ GDS distributors.
Which means that when a lodge’s stock is listed on Galileo, it’s additionally listed on these different Travelport platforms, which permits it to succeed in an enormous community of 68,000 journey companies throughout the globe, equating to over 250,000 particular person brokers.
Galileo is especially well-liked with journey brokers in Asia and the Center East, so being bookable by means of this GDS platform can considerably improve the variety of bookings you generate from these components of the world.
What’s the position of GDS in hospitality?
The GDS provides a approach for journey professionals to guide journey companies – flights, lodge rooms, automotive leases, excursions – for his or her purchasers.
The GDS was initially created as a approach for airways to simplify and pace up their reserving processes. As extra airways joined, the system slowly grew, ultimately changing into a market for every type of journey service suppliers.
To be listed on a GDS, a lodge can work by means of a connectivity associate, like SiteMinder GDS.
Acquire entry to each main GDS with SiteMinder
Why restrict your self to Galileo, and even Travelport? With the assistance of SiteMinder, you’ll be able to join your lodge to all main distributors on the GDS, together with Sabre and Amadeus, to generate extra visibility, bookings and income than ever earlier than.
How does Galileo GDS differ from different GDS methods?
In lots of respects Galileo is similar to different GDS operators like Apollo (which fashioned the bottom from which it was initially developed), Worldspan, Sabre and Amadeus. However a few key differentiators embrace:
- Reputation in Asia, and significantly the Center East, the place it’s the GDS platform of alternative for 55% of journey brokers.
- Travelport integration: any inns which can be bookable by means of Galileo can even be discovered on Apollo and Worldspan.
What are the important thing advantages of Galileo GDS for inns?
Galileo is finest often called an airline GDS. So what can it supply inns? Effectively, at the start, journey brokers typically have to guide lodging alongside flights, so inns are sensible to have a presence wherever flights are being booked.
However Galileo additionally provides numerous different distinctive alternatives to inns.
Higher international attain
Galileo, and the GDS channel on the whole, varieties the proper complement to your different gross sales channels – OTAs, metasearch and direct bookings – as a result of it helps you appeal to bookings from sources (specifically journey brokers and company journey administration firms) that these different channels can not.
Group bookings
Galileo allows journey brokers to effectively guide blocks of rooms for journey teams, so when you have got a presence on Galileo, you’ll be able to extra effectively earn giant bookings.
Company journey administration
Galileo helps make your lodge seen to company journey brokers and administration firms, the place you’ll be able to win high-value bookings from enterprise travellers. Company purchasers are a very priceless supply of bookings as a result of they are often much less price-sensitive and have a tendency to fill mid-week lulls.
Environment friendly upselling alternatives
A GDS grants your lodge the chance to upsell with no need to place a lot effort in in any respect. You possibly can supply journey brokers (and their purchasers) value-added choices like premium rooms, spa packages or in-house eating, to each personalise the experiences you ship and enhance your income.
API flexibility for distinctive lodge methods
SiteMinder GDS provides API integrations that can assist you seamlessly connect with your present tech and instruments, similar to your reserving and property administration methods. This lets you replace your availability, stock, pricing and information robotically and in real-time throughout Galileo and all different main GDS distributors.
What are the technical necessities for implementing Galileo GDS?
It’s essential to notice that as a lodge, you don’t join on to Galileo. Galileo is what journey brokers and professionals use to guide your rooms.
On the service supplier (lodge) facet, whilst you may be listed on Galileo, you’ll by no means instantly work together with Galileo. You’ll as an alternative want to regulate your GDS presence by means of a connectivity associate, like SiteMinder GDS. Right here’s how that works:
1. Select your GDS connectivity associate
Select a associate that provides seamless integration along with your property administration system (PMS), and that works not simply with Galileo, however with all main GDS distributors. The connectivity associate is tasked with facilitating the connections between your lodge and the GDS distributors, which includes translating your room stock, charges and availability right into a format that GDS methods can perceive and entry.
2. Configure your property particulars
Present your GDS connectivity associate with all the knowledge it must go on to the GDS distributors: room sorts, charges, facilities, imagery, insurance policies, availability and extra. This information is then synced with Galileo and the opposite GDS distributors.
3. Preserve and replace your listings
As soon as your information is synced, you’ll be able to replace listings and knowledge in actual time by means of your connectivity associate. You possibly can handle pricing, promotions, availability and extra. Common updates guarantee your lodge stays aggressive and visual to journey brokers reserving by means of Galileo and different GDS distributors.
