Associations Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG), Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA), and the OpenTravel Alliance charter a collaborative group to achieve consensus and generate implementation of Unique Global Identifiers (UGIs).

When there's an inability to track individual hotel property details and unit information, it leads to misinformation about hotel ownership, brand affiliation, management, location and other details.

The UGI project was created by the organizations listed above to identify and provide a single source of information within the hospitality industry. In technical terms, a UGI is a unique and persistent code for which any entity can register. UGIs can be used to identify relationships at any point in time, such as a hotel with its franchise, chain or member associations. Once registered, any other entity in the industry can query and use the UGI codes to exchange information and potentially the transactions in which they may be involved.

Facilitated by HTNG, the UGI Workgroup will define the value proposition of a UGI to the different constituencies, such as vendors, distributors and other stakeholders. This information will lead to an initial associated business model, a minimum viable product and a governance structure to encourage industry buy-in and participation in the overall system.

The kick-off teleconference for the UGI Workgroup will be held this Wednesday, April 3 at 9:00 CST via teleconference. The group will also hold a face-to-face meeting next week at HT-NEXT. To join the group, please fill out this form.