WASHINGTON, DC | The OpenTravel Alliance (OpenTravel), the travel industry’s leading specification development organization, has published the latest version of its specification. It is the latest addition to the OpenTravel library of specifications adopted by travel companies worldwide.

“The new schema in this version will solve business problems for both the rental car and hotel industries,” said John Turato, chairman of OpenTravel and Vice President, Technology, for Avis Budget Group. “Speaking for the rental car industry, the two new messages included in this version will allow rental car companies to provide more in-depth rate and rate rules information to our distribution partners, which will mean better service to rental car customers.”

The specification also includes an enhanced rate plan message for hotels that allows any distribution partner (e.g. GDSs, third party travel sites, Property Management Systems or CRS) to request detailed rate plan information (availability and pricing). In addition, partners will now be able to more efficiently exchange pricing using rate calculations instead of daily pricing. The leader for this project team was SynXis, a leading provider of distribution technology and services for the hotel industry.

“Our customers at SynXis expect timely implementation and delivery of systems integrations. Using the OpenTravel specification allows us to move quickly,” said Scott Alvis, president and general manager for SynXis. “Participation in OpenTravel supports our ‘best-of-breed’ philosophy that enables hotels to select the systems that best meet their needs while letting the vendors work together to ensure interoperability and seamless functionality.”

The specifications can be downloaded at .

Upcoming OpenTravel Alliance Activities

OpenTravel board member John Lambe from OpenJaw Technologies will participate in a panel discussion at EyeForTravel’s Travel Distribution Technology conference in London on January 16, 2008. For more information, visit .

OpenTravel will hold a European Seminar at the Travel Technology Conference in London on Tuesday, February 5, 2008. For more information, visit or .

OpenTravel’s annual Advisory Forum will be held April 14-16, 2008 at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit .

About the OpenTravel Alliance
The OpenTravel Alliance is passionate about solving the problems inherent with connecting multiple systems within the complex travel distribution arena.

OpenTravel’s mission is to engineer specifications that make data transmission flow smoothly throughout travel, tourism and hospitality. OpenTravel creates, expands and drives adoption of open universal data specifications, including but not limited to the use of XML, for the electronic exchange of business information among all sectors of the travel industry.

With a diversified membership representing influential names in all sectors of the travel industry, OpenTravel is comprised of representatives from airlines, car rental firms, hotels, cruise lines, leisure suppliers, service providers, tour operators, travel agencies, and trade associations. Thousands of message structures are in use, carrying tens of millions of messages between travel trading partners every day.

For more information, visit .

Valyn Perini
Executive Director
+1 978 266 0032