Pegasus Systems Signs Westmark Hotels And Renews Red Roof Inns' Contract For Reservations Processing
DALLAS - September 24, 1998 - Dallas-based Pegasus Systems, Inc.
As a result of the THISCO implementation, travel agents around the world are able to electronically book rooms at any of the 14 Westmark hotels in Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory on the Galileo(R), SABRE(R) and Worldspan(R) global distribution systems (GDSs). THISCO (The Hotel Industry Switch Company)is the hotel industry's premier electronic switching service for reservations processing. It provides an electronic interface between hotels' central reservations systems and the global distribution systems (GDSs), enabling travel agents around the world to book hotel rooms from their GDS computer terminals.
Westmark's manager of information systems and central reservations, Sharon Lloyd, said the agreement with THISCO reflects the hotel chain's plan to enhance the services offered to the travel agent community. "We're providing travel agents with a quicker and easier way to book hotel rooms. Now, when they book a Westmark hotel, travel agents will receive a three-second response and an immediate confirmation," Lloyd said. "THISCO is a cost-effective way for us to increase hotel bookings by being accessible to the more than 300,000 travel agent terminals worldwide, while streamlining and improving the efficiency of our central reservations department."
The THISCO service provides seamless connectivity between hotel companies' central reservation systems and Galileo's "Inside Availability," Worldspan's "Hotel Select," SABRE's "Direct Connect Availability" and Amadeus' "Complete Access Plus" services. Seamless connectivity provides travel agents with the ability to access the same real-time hotel room availability and rates as a hotel's reservations agent.
"With electronic hotel bookings by travel agents on the rise, Westmark's properties benefit from the increased exposure a connection to the GDSs provides," said Bill Nicholson, chief operating officer of Pegasus Systems. "These contracts with Westmark and Red Roof Inns further establish THISCO as the preferred method for reservations distribution."
Westmark Hotels has Alaskan properties in the cities of Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, Tok and Valdez. Hotel sites in the Yukon include Beaver Creek, Dawson City and Whitehorse.
Company Information
Seattle-based Westmark Hotels operates 14 hotels and inns in Alaska and Canada's Yukon and has served business and leisure travelers since 1953. Westmark Hotels is part of the Holland America Westours family of companies - the largest cruise, tour, transportation and hotel company operating in Alaska and the Yukon.
Red Roof Inns, Inc. RRI of Hilliard, Ohio, is one of the leading economy lodging chains in the United States. With more than 270 properties and 31,000 rooms in 36 states and the District of Columbia, Red Roof Inns offers business and leisure travelers exceptional value in price, quality and convenience. With one of the highest systemwide occupancy rates in the industry, Red Roof Inns is expanding its operations through franchising, strategic partnerships and developing company-owned inns in unique, high-visibility areas.
Founded by 16 of the world's leading hotel and travel-related companies in 1989, THISCO(TM) (www.thisco.com) improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the room reservations process and the marketing of hotel rooms through the computerized global distribution systems (GDSs). THISCO(TM) connects more than 27,000 hotels with every major GDS to facilitate hotel reservations by travel agents worldwide. THISCO also provides the technology that enables hotels to accept real-time direct bookings through TravelWeb(R), the Internet site for "book-it-yourself travelers". In addition, THISCO is the core technology behind Pegasus Systems' NetBooker(TM), a reservation service that provides third-party Web sites with direct access to an extensive hotel database and hotel reservation/confirmation capabilities.
Pegasus Systems, Inc. provides global electronic commerce and transaction processing solutions to hotels, travel agencies, meetings and convention planners, corporate travel departments and Internet businesses around the world via its services that include: THISCO(TM), HCC(TM), TravelWeb(R) (www.travelweb.com), NetBooker(TM) and Pegasus IQ(TM). Pegasus Systems has its headquarters in Dallas and offices in London. The company's stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol PEGS.
Michael Brophy
(214) 234 4400
