What is Hotel CRS – Hotel Central Reservation System for Gulf and Arabian countries
Hotel CRS stands for hotel central reservation system and is commonly used in resort and hotel industry. Hotel CRS or central reservation system is a computerized system that revolves around storage and distribution of information concerning resorts, hotels and a host of lodging facilities. A hotel CRS constitutes of various modules. The modules include reservation, profiles, groups and blocks, rate and inventory control, administration, reporting, global distribution interface and PMS interface. A hotel reservation system has turned out to be beneficial for the travel agencies and the users.
Hotel CRS
Software for Travel Agency
CRS as a tool is used to reach the global distribution system or GDS along with internet distribution system from a single point system. Hotel managers use this tool to manage their online sales and marketing avenues. They also project their rates and availabilities which are easily viewable by the sales channel i.e. the online travel agencies team aligned with CRS.
Some of the primary functions in CRS as below
- Fully flexible and scalable for growing the business.
- Platform which is easier to use.
- Manageability of rates, availability, and content or information from the single point of entry.
- Connectivity of hotels to GDS, online travel agents as well as mobile booking engines.
- Multiple distribution channels emphasized with channel manager usage.
Now let’s understand, what information is stored in Hotel CRS. Information includes room types, room rates, conditions, inventories, plan rate architecture, reservation information, graphical information in the form of video, pictures, and detailed hotel information like address, the phone and fax numbers and geographical code information.
Hotel CRS
Hotel CRS reporting module is very important and calls for a number of standard reports. System reports are those reports which can be run daily, weekly, monthly or yearly and sometimes on need-based request. Some of the basic reports include for expected arrivals, reservation, property forecasting, property details, agent activity and daily booking activity summary.
So CRS can be conceptualized as backend office system of a booking engine which enables administration of rates and availabilities with ease and comfort. It also involves the management of statistical evolution of all incoming reservations.
In a nutshell, with the presence of Hotel CRS, travelers can search for more hotels and book them in a more efficient manner, as it works like a hotel’s central reservation system.
Here are few ways CRS benefits a company and travelers
- While travelers reserve their requirements over the hotel spread, convenience and efficiency come into the picture.
- Travel policy compliance increases as travelers use company-preferred booking or reservation channels
- From company’s viewpoint, as hotel booking data which is very vital is captured, this data is used for performance measurements and sometimes supplier negotiations.
- Traveler satisfaction is boosted as the tool is more user-friendly.
How B2B internet booking systems are helping travel companies grow?
A computer reservation system, CRS as its known, is web based travel agency software. It provides travel agencies / travel management companies a 24/7 interface to its customers to search and book the flights, hotels, transfers, sightseeing, holiday packages. Travel reservation system supports B2C – end user module, B2B – agent module, B2B2B – sub agents and while-label. For flight inventory, it interfaces with GDS systems like Amadeus, Galileo / Travelport and Sabre, for hotel inventory / hotelextranet, it interfaces to GTA, Hotelbeds, Hotelspro, Travco, Tourico, DOTW, Bonotel, WCT and others. CRS – computer reservation system connects to all the providers through web services XML/API and bring the data of availability and pricing in run time. Users can search for flights, hotels, cars and packages in runtime, select & make the payment and get the confirmation voucher at the same time.
Author:
The author is a travel technology expert and has been involved in several travel portal development projects.
Resources:
http://www.provab.com/travelportaldevelopment.html
http://www.provab.com/hotelcrssoftware_crshotelsreservationsystems.html
http://www.provab.com/hotelreservationsystemqualityaward.html
