A challenge for software and system providers

User friendly, standardized and flexible systems will be necessary

The above requirements may look contradictory. A corporation or organisation could of course select one or a few suppliers , e.g. international hotel chains, and incorporate the booking tools used by that suppliers in the intranet.

However, this would not meet the requirements for all destinations and for all purposes that the organisation may suggest. The booking tool would not present all competitors equally, enabling the user to make fair comparisons. The travel manager would not be able to mandate preferred suppliers as best suites the organisation. 

In the best of worlds you should have the option to make reservations at agreed rates and fares without any assistance of travel agents, without the interference of campaigns, incentive programs and yield programs.

What I am asking for is a tool that would support travel management in the best sense of that concept, a tool that creates the direct channel of communication between end user and appointed supplier. For the appointed supplier that ought to be an ideal situation, for the travel manager it is a shortcut to optimized policy compliance. Policy compliance is also a guarantee that the corporation will deliver the agreed number of roomnights. In periods of low business activity it is a lifeline for the supplier.

Compatibility is the critical issue.

Since corporations and organisation have such extensive intranet applications it will be necessary for software and system providers to create interfaces to match both intranets and supplier systems.

I am quite aware that the introduction of a booking system that is not generally used and does not provide seamless communication with the most frequent GDS (global distribution systems), CRS (computerised reservation systems) and local PMS (property management systems) may create additional administration for the supplier. The ideal client is a corporation with substantial international travel into a limited number of destinations. In my own experience I have not asked for such applications if the expected business volume would not justify it, from the supplier's viewpoint. On the other hand, those suppliers that have been positive have also gained considerable competitive advantages, not to mention the mutual benefits of operating efficient allotment management.

If the market is mature I believe that modern web based applications have every possibility to capture most of the corporate business, provided it is direct - and not depending on current GDS based applications. 

For a more general application, to be used for small business volumes and by travel agents who manage small and medium sized clients I believe that further standardization will be necessary. Seamless communication is likely to be required between client intranet applications and an existing switch and perhaps selected CRS's. However, this is also where the owners of the switch and CRS are very reluctant to release control of data standards and - most of all - the yield management options. Further active buyer (corporations and organisations) engagement in the existing distribution structure will be necessary to drive this modernisation process.