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Groople and SynXis Announce Direct Connectivity for Group Travel
DENVER, CO – March 2, 2006- Groople (www.groople.com), the leading online group travel booking resource, announces the recent integration of SynXis technology into its site, providing group travelers with access to real time rates and availability at thousands of hotels. SynXis (www.synxis.com) is the Sabre Holdings (NYSE:TSG) business that provides reservation management, distribution and technology services to properties around the world.
Groople and SynXis have collaborated to develop the first fully automated group shopping and booking process. The result is that Groople users can seamlessly find and book available hotel rooms at participating hotels, including smaller chains and local inns. Until now, technology limitations required hotels to store rates and availability in their local reservation systems. This meant groups would need to call or fax the hotel in order to book reservations. Such an approach was not only prone to delays in communicating changes, but also extremely inefficient for hoteliers.
“The enhanced booking technology provides even more opportunities for Groople customers to plan travel for a variety of groups of all sizes and interests.” said Mike Stacy, Groople CEO. “As Groople continues to set the standard for online group travel bookings, our integration with SynXis minimizes labor costs while allowing us to maintain flexibility through its customized services.”
This new working relationship provides hotels using SynXis with exposure to new group markets and brings small groups of travelers and small businesses together, while offering a greater variety of hotels and inns for groups planning everything from a family reunion to a bachelor party. Groople allows non-managed group leaders to request a block of hotel rooms while permitting the individual group members to make payment and changes to the reservation. In addition, the group will be able to directly upload the rooming list to the property reservation system, saving time for the hotel and the group manager. The new technology platform also appeals to suppliers who target group markets with complete control at the supplier level.
“We have been working with Groople since it’s inception through an extranet platform to bring incremental revenue to our portfolio of distinct properties.” commented Trevor Stuart-Hill, Vice President of Revenue Services for Destination Hotels & Resorts, and a longtime SynXis customer. “By taking advantage of this newly created direct connection via the SynXis CRS we will enable our properties to seamlessly manage inventory and rates through the Groople distribution channel.”
“SynXis is very excited about our Groople relationship which will help drive more distribution for our properties” said Bill Nicholson, SynXis President and General Manager. “This partnership is really a win-win as Groople users are now exposed to a wider variety of choices when booking and our properties are now exposed to a new customer base to bring them incremental revenue.”
About Groople
Based in Denver, Groople was created by more than 20 experienced leaders from every area of the travel industry with the goal of becoming the place for leisure group travelers to book the best, hassle-free deals. Groople serves military groups, family reunions, religious organizations and other leisure customers at www.Groople.com and through its offline agents while helping suppliers by giving consumers access to hotel inventory.
About SynXis
SynXis, a Sabre Holdings company, enables hotels to maximize revenue and reduce costs through innovative, market-driven technology combined with outstanding customized support. The RedX™ Distribution Management System, at the solution's core, empowers hotel operators to consolidate and manage hotel inventory from all sources -- seamless GDS connectivity, popular Internet travel sites, private-label central reservations systems, and full-service hotel Web sites. It also helps hotels build revenue by enabling them to independently manage each distribution channel from one easy-to-use control center. All of these reservations can connect directly with the PMS. SynXis is the technology source for more than 7,000 hotels, bed and breakfasts, resorts, and destinations, including, Harrah's, Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Destination Hotels & Resorts, and Jumeirah Hotels. SynXis' corporate headquarters is in Southlake, Texas, with offices in Denver, Boston and Amsterdam. For more information on SynXis and its products, please call +1-682-606-4000, e-mail info@synxis.com, or visit their website at www.synxis.com.
Contact:
Pamela Johnston - pamela@pjinc.net - (212) 629-8445
Carol Levitt – carol.levitt@synxis.com - (301) 960-4428
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