What’s Galileo GDS?
Galileo is a journey distribution platform that utilises a world distribution system (GDS) to permit journey brokers to ebook accommodations, flights and different journey providers.
Galileo GDS is owned and operated by Travelport, one of many three main gamers within the GDS house (together with Amadeus and Sabre). Travelport additionally runs the Apollo and Wordspan GDS platforms. When a resort makes use of a connectivity accomplice like SiteMinder GDS, journey brokers and company journey administration corporations can ebook stock via Galileo and different main GDS suppliers.
Whereas Galileo is especially used for airline bookings, it’s additionally utilized by journey brokers to ebook accommodations, automobile rent and different journey providers for his or her purchasers.
On this information we’ll take a look at Galileo via the lens of a resort seeking to study extra concerning the GDS, from the way it works to the way it would possibly capitalise on the distribution alternative.
Why do accommodations want Galileo GDS integration?
Galileo (together with Apollo and Wordspan) is owned by Travelport, which is likely one of the world’s ‘Large 3’ GDS distributors.
Which means when a resort’s stock is listed on Galileo, it’s additionally listed on these different Travelport platforms, which permits it to achieve an enormous community of 68,000 journey companies throughout the globe, equating to over 250,000 particular person brokers.
Galileo is especially widespread with journey brokers in Asia and the Center East, so being bookable via this GDS platform can considerably improve the variety of bookings you generate from these elements of the world.
What’s the position of GDS in hospitality?
The GDS gives a approach for journey professionals to ebook journey providers – flights, resort rooms, automobile 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 turning into a market for every type of journey service suppliers.
To be listed on a GDS, a resort can work via a connectivity accomplice, like SiteMinder GDS.
Achieve entry to each main GDS with SiteMinder
Why restrict your self to Galileo, and even Travelport? With the assistance of SiteMinder, you possibly can join your resort 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 shaped the bottom from which it was initially developed), Worldspan, Sabre and Amadeus. However a few key differentiators embrace:
- Reputation in Asia, and notably the Center East, the place it’s the GDS platform of selection for 55% of journey brokers.
- Travelport integration: any accommodations which can be bookable via Galileo may also be discovered on Apollo and Worldspan.
What are the important thing advantages of Galileo GDS for accommodations?
Galileo is greatest generally known as an airline GDS. So what can it supply accommodations? Nicely, at first, journey brokers typically must ebook lodging alongside flights, so accommodations are sensible to have a presence wherever flights are being booked.
However Galileo additionally gives quite a lot of different distinctive alternatives to accommodations.
Larger world attain
Galileo, and the GDS channel typically, varieties the right complement to your different gross sales channels – OTAs, metasearch and direct bookings – as a result of it helps you entice bookings from sources (specifically journey brokers and company journey administration corporations) that these different channels can’t.
Group bookings
Galileo permits journey brokers to effectively ebook blocks of rooms for journey teams, so when you might have a presence on Galileo, you possibly can extra effectively earn giant bookings.
Company journey administration
Galileo helps make your resort seen to company journey brokers and administration corporations, the place you possibly can win high-value bookings from enterprise travellers. Company purchasers are a very precious 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 resort the chance to upsell while not having 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 resort methods
SiteMinder GDS gives API integrations that will help you seamlessly hook up with your present tech and instruments, reminiscent of your reserving and property administration methods. This lets you replace your availability, stock, pricing and information routinely 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 resort, you don’t join on to Galileo. Galileo is what journey brokers and professionals use to ebook your rooms.
On the service supplier (resort) facet, when you may be listed on Galileo, you’ll by no means instantly work together with Galileo. You’ll as a substitute want to regulate your GDS presence via a connectivity accomplice, like SiteMinder GDS. Right here’s how that works:
1. Select your GDS connectivity accomplice
Select a accomplice that gives seamless integration together with your property administration system (PMS), and that works not simply with Galileo, however with all main GDS distributors. The connectivity accomplice is tasked with facilitating the connections between your resort and the GDS distributors, which entails 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 accomplice with all the data it must move on to the GDS distributors: room varieties, charges, facilities, imagery, insurance policies, availability and extra. This information is then synced with Galileo and the opposite GDS distributors.
3. Keep and replace your listings
As soon as your information is synced, you possibly can replace listings and data in actual time via your connectivity accomplice. You possibly can handle pricing, promotions, availability and extra. Common updates guarantee your resort stays aggressive and visual to journey brokers reserving via Galileo and different GDS distributors.