TRUST International And Bertelsmann Launch Multimedia Content Management Tool For Hospitality Industry

The TRUSTContent database will include information provided directly from individual hotels and chains such as on-site facilities, reservation policies and other property-specific data. TRUSTContent also has the capability to house and distribute multimedia content including streaming video and graphics. Information in the database will be distributed to TRUSTRes, the software at the core of TRUST's reservations services, the GDSs, including Galileo, Wizcom, Sabre, and Worldspan, as well as GDS-powered Internet sites used by consumers.

A centralized database providing uniform information to multiple booking sources will increase the hospitality industry's ability to manage its own content, which will increase the quality and amount of content available to travelers.

"We have found that our hotel customers want more control over how they manage reservation information housed in multiple databases. As a centralized solution with consistent information, TRUSTContent will offer the flexibility of providing reservation information to multiple booking sources instantaneously. This will help our customers increase bookings and provide travelers with the sophisticated content they are accustomed to viewing on the Internet," said Marisa Montanaro, Director of Business Development for TRUST in the Americas. "This software was developed in response to the specific needs of the hospitality industry."

Currently, GDS files containing property and reservation information include only static text. This content is contained in a fragmented network of multiple platforms and distribution channels. Customarily, information in each database needs to be altered individually, creating redundancies and increasing management costs.

"For years, the hospitality industry has entered static property and reservation information by hand for display in various booking sources. The combined expertise of TRUST and Bertelsmann will change that," stated Connie Rheams, President of TRUST in the Americas. "The Internet has helped content develop from static text to rich and streaming media. Many industries such as digital music and Internet publishing have already developed new methods of managing and distributing these forms of content. It is time for hospitality to catch up."

About TRUST International

TRUST International (www.trustinternational.com) is a member of the Bertelsmann Group, the international media giant. TRUST develops and implements a state-of-the-art central reservation system, providing tailor-made, real-time reservations and global distribution solutions for the hospitality industry. TRUST services provide real-time solutions that seamlessly connect hotels and bookers worldwide, including private label telephone lines, connectivity to all Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and to various websites and Internet platforms. TRUST maintains three offices worldwide including the Headquarters in Frankfurt, the Americas office in Orlando, Florida, and an Asia Pacific communication center in Singapore. Among TRUST's clients are some 1,300 hotels at 685 destinations in 95 countries such as SRS-WORLDHOTELS, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts, Kempinski Hotels & Resorts, Dorint Hotels & Resorts, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, Oberoi Hotels, Astron Hotels, and Small Luxury Hotels of the World.