What is Saber GDS?
Saber is a travel distribution company that uses GDS to enable travel agents and businesses to search, book and manage flight, hotel and car rental reservations.
What does Saber GDS mean? The name is actually a long acronym: Saber stands for “Semi-Automated Business Research Environment” and GDS stands for “Global distribution system“. Created in the 1950s, GDS was the first technology of its type.
What does Saber GDS do?
Saber uses the Global Distribution System (GDS) – one key hotel distribution channel – to connect travel agents with travel service providers such as airlines, hotels or car rental companies.
Saber allows GDS users to access real-time travel inventory, so they can efficiently search, compare and book travel services for their customers. Using large amounts of travel data, it streamlines the booking process and allows agents and hotels to work more efficiently.
In this blog, we will explore how hotels can capitalize on the opportunities that GDS and a provider like Saber represent.
The impact of Saber GDS for hotels
Have visibility on the Saber GDS marketplace via a connectivity partner such as SiteMinder will help you get on the radar of 400,000 travel agencies in 160 different countries. These agencies serve millions of traveling customers looking for accommodation and travel packages.
A presence on the GDS can earn you more bookings and generate more revenue. It also does it in the most efficient way possible, because travel agents tend to be easier and more efficient to deal with than individual clients: they ask fewer questions and make the reservations themselves.
This also gives your hotel access to the valuable corporate travel sector, which primarily uses GDS platforms like Saber to make a reservation. Customers attracted through this channel also tend to spend more, stay longer and are more likely to book midweek.
Easily access the GDS with SiteMinder
With the help of SiteMinder, you can seamlessly connect your hotel to all major GDS providers to generate more visibility, bookings and revenue than ever before.
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History and development of Saber GDS
Sabre’s story began in the 1950s, when American Airlines’ reservations team was struggling to cope with rapidly increasing passenger numbers. The process was entirely manual and it took an average worker 90 minutes to reserve a single seat.
While an electromechanical computer was introduced in 1952, a year later, after a chance meeting between an IBM salesman and the president of American Airlines, the idea for a more automated system was born.
Saber GDS finally became operational in 1960. It was initially used exclusively within American Airlines, but in 1976 access was also granted to travel agents, leading to the GDS marketplace used by travel professionals today and service providers.
Is Saber GDS better than Amadeus GDS?
Both Saber and Amadeus have a robust GDS network, enabling thousands of travel agencies around the world to find and book hotel inventory.
With SiteMinder GDS however, you will benefit from a seamless distribution experience that includes Saber and Amadeus, including being able to manage the GDS channel alongside all other distribution channels such as OTAs.
How to take advantage of the Saber GDS platform
There are a few key steps needed to get the most out of Saber and other GDS companies.
Step 1: Access the GDS
To have a simple experience while maximizing your visibility, you can use an intermediary like SiteMinder GDS (which can also connect you to Amadeus and Travelport). Upon registration, you will receive a unique identifier – such as a chaincode – for your property.
Step 2: Configure ownership profiles and inventory
Upload your listing information into the SiteMinder system: your room types, amenities, rates and policies. You can upload and manage inventory in real time across multiple properties to ensure availability and pricing are consistent.
Step 3: Optimize pricing and channel management
Use SiteMinder to sync pricing across GDS and all your other distribution channels. Use dynamic pricing strategies to stay competitive and maximize your bookings and revenue.
Step 4: Monitor booking trends and performance
Use SiteMinder’s detailed analytics and reporting features to monitor your hotel’s performance and identify trends. Use this information to adjust your marketing and pricing strategies for better results.
Benefits of using Saber GDS for groups and channels
Being visible to travelers in the Saber GDS market can be especially valuable for groups and hotel chains, as it can be an effective way to fill your rooms, especially during midweek lulls and low seasons, thanks to its popularity with the business travel sector. segment.
Benefits that can come from distributing on Saber GDS include:
Generate revenue through analytics
You’ll have a valuable source of pricing and booking data through your channel manager. You can use it to inform your dynamic pricing strategies and to identify new revenue opportunities, such as demographics you may not have previously identified or targeted. You can also leverage promotional tools and offer special rates to attract corporate and group bookings.
Evolve to reach new markets
The “G” in GDS stands for global for a reason, and with hundreds of thousands of users spanning 160 different countries, Saber speaks to a truly global audience, allowing your group or hotel chain to reach people from all over the world. whole world, or more. effectively enter new geographic markets.
Streamline operations with seamless integration
By managing GDS connections from your location and integrating them with your property management system (PMS) using SiteMinder, you can update your pricing and availability across all your distribution channels in real time, while streamlining and simplifying your internal operations.