Entreprenuers

BookingCenter offers an exciting business and community model around local travel networks. Called the Local Distribution System© (LDS), it enables an entreprenuer to create a model similar to the Global Distribution Systems (GDS), the first and most successful e-commerce business model. Today's travel marketplace is increasingly reliant on the Internet and e-business. Those who manage this distribution channel maximize their return from the network. BookingCenter Partners can:

  • Create local travel networks that reward and inspire participation.
  • Incentivize Agents and Resellers to promote the network.
  • Develop deep and profitable relationships within the network.
  • Earn ongoing revenue through relationships - locally and globally.
  • Invest in a proven, sustainable business model.

Partnership Opportunities

Here are a few current customers of the BookingCenter Local Distribution System that you may be interested in viewing as examples:

Co-branded Partner Customized Partner Association Partner

Company: Web Reservations

Company: EnterTahoe

Company: St. Lucia & CaribGuide.com

Market: Eastern Australia

Market: Lake Tahoe, Northern California

Market: Saint Lucia, Eastern Caribbean

Strategy:
Develops travel portals under the Australian Holiday Guides brand; provides hotel chains and tourist authorities with booking, packaging, and management tools; distributes properties globally and via Australia agents & websites; advocates smart community travel models.

Strategy:
Leverage years of experience as a property management company with holdings in the Tahoe area and support competing businesses to improve the referral networking.

Strategy:
Aggregate independent lodging properties in the Caribbean to improve the practices and efficiencies of these tourism economies; build a consuer and travel agent travel brand.

If you are interested in partnering with BookingCenter to create a Local Distribution System of your own, please contact us. To each of our Partners, we provide the following:

How Does BookingCenter Help You Succeed?

  • Browser- and Desktop-based Management Software to manage a supplier's business.
  • Customized Central Reservations System.
  • Complete e-commerce integration supporting any currency.
  • CRM system to manage Suppliers, Agents, Resellers, and Guests.
  • 14 Years of continuous service to the travel market.
  • Complete customization of all BookingCenter products.
  • Personalized training & installation services.
  • Marketing and tracking services that increase profits.
  • 24 x 7 Support.

Overview of the Local Distribution System Components

Built from over 15 years developing and supporting property management and central reservation services, BookingCenter's tools and processes are time-tested and secure. A growing number of visitor centers, internet travel portals, and associations are installing BookingCenter to increase accommodation and tour bookings for their members. Our tools manage the day–to–day operations while distributing control and earning revenues through the Global Booking Network.

The Local Distribution Product is the combination of a Central Reservation System, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Billing & Invoicing, and Agent/Reseller/Source analysis. Perfect for Destination Marketing Organizations, Convention and Visitors Bureaus, Lodging Associations, Activity Providers, Event Organizers, and travel websites Each product below enables accommodation or travel suppliers to manage rates, availability, and descriptive content in the LDS and the Global Booking Network. The system works tightly as a complete business system.

A comprehensive property management solution that manages an entire business - from credit cards, group bookings and call accounting, to tax & financial posting to QuickBooks, M.Y.O.B., PeachTree, Sage. Can be used by remote booking operators or agents to synchronize with the LDS. Macintosh ™ and Windows™ compatible. Click here to read more information

The affordable solution for tourism operators with up to 10 rooms, BookingCenter Lite manages your entire booking business reliably and easily. Throw the paper away! Can be used by remote booking operators or agents to synchronize with the LDS. Macintosh™ and Windows™ compatible. Click here to read more information

The best property management solution for the 21st century. Because it runs on a web browser, MyPMS assures your business processes from anywhere. Combining credit cards, groups, call accounting, direct bills, invoicing, and reports as Excel & Word files, MyPMS is a scalable and flexible. Can be used by remote booking operators or agents to synchronize with the LDS. Click here to read more information

Simply add "Book Now" button to your website and begin taking bookings through the Global Booking Network with the Management Tool. This product links to your booking area in the LDS and can be accessed from any web browser. Customers can view your rooms, rates & availability, and book or request. Click here to view more information
Working seamlessly with GDS and Net Rate inventory being managed by a property daily, BookingCenter ‘pulls’ descriptive content, rates, and availability from the Galileo GDS system, the Lodging.com, and/or the Orbitz.com system. It allows a Portal owner to quickly populate a Portal with these properties and sell them, earning a commission. There are 2 business models that come though the ‘GDS Channel’: GDS ‘Retail’ rates and ‘Net Rates’. There are over 30,000 properties you can add NOW to your Portal to be booking today!
  • The BookingCenter Central Reservation Service allows the LDS Manager, Agents, and Resellers to log-in for reviewing and reporting of all booking and fees within their ’network’. Additionally, each property in the network gains full access to a secure The BookingCenter Central Reservation ServiceMember's Area to manage their bookings and guest communications.
  • If the travel suppliers are operating hospitality businesses, the Global Booking Network can publish the rates, inventory, and content of each property to the four GDS systems (Galileo, WorldSpan, Amadeus, and Sabre) as well as over 8,000 travel websites where customers are buying. The partner usually derives a fee from bookings made through the Global Booking Network in addition to those transacted through the supplier's direct site(s) and the LDS Portal website(s). BookingCenter supports many business models and both confirmed and unconfirmed bookings.
  • Each Partner receives access to a complete CRM system (Customer Relationship Management) allowing the LDS Partner to perform automated email and traditional marketing, e-commerce control and management, and registration/subscription management to their network of Suppliers, Agents, and Resellers. From anywhere!
  • BookingCenter provides useful online reports on all e-commerce transactions through an LDS Portal, maintaining automated billing and marketing of registrations/subscriptions, visitation patterns, and supplier activity in your Network. Perfect for Call Centers and Reservation Agents.

View a demonstration of an LDS Portal See a Demo of an ASP Solution

The Local Distribution System Business Model

LDS Partners create revenue in numerous ways:

  • Fees From Bookings.
    Bookings made from an LDS portal)s) and website(s) are charged a negotiated commission, fee, or subscription. BookingCenter shares in the fees with the LDS Partner, with the percentage depending upon who collects the commissions and from what network the booking was transacted.
  • Commissions From Software Sales.
    The LDS Partner receives volume pricing for BookingCenter software licenses. Individual properties can manage directly the automatic updating of rates and availability - or the LDS reservation manager can do so for them via our software, web forms, telephone, fax, or email. Regardless, each property in the network becomes a unique BookingCenter 'Site' and can upgrade at any time to a desktop or browser-based management system. For details on the software products, click here.
  • Sign-up and Hosting Fees for the Booking Service.
    Each property in the LDS network can provide real-time bookings direct from their website as well as the Partner's and Global Booking Network. Many LDS Partners charge hosting and sign-up fees to properties for the setup and maintenance of this real-time service.
  • Recurring Service Fees.
    Each property in the Network has the ability to use Point-of-Sale technology to transact their online bookings, packages, or local credit/debit card transactions; telecommunications services such as Call Accounting; Internet Backups assuring 24 x disaster recovery. LDS Partners receive these recurring revenues.

If you are interested in partnering with BookingCenter to create a Local Distribution System of your own, please contact us.

View a demonstration of an LDS Portal See a Demo of an ASP Solution

Costs to Create a Local Distribution System

These are typical costs to create an LDS business.

  • Hosting Fees
    Monthly hosting fees are charged LDS Partners who require customized service. This guarantees 99.9% 'up-time' from a secure network architecture balanced from our two server locations in San Francisco, California and Sydney, Australia. Daily backups and firewall security are used to protect the integrity of the LDS's data. Robust Unix servers, Oracle databases, and OMNIS data engines are run to assure enterprise-strength stability.
  • Customization Costs
    There are three levels offered BookingCenter partners:
    • Co-Branded
      Partners receive a customized booking interface to the booking screens, report screens, and Booking URLs. Members of the network log-in to a 'co-branded' Member's Area and have the same access to online support, commission reporting, and booking & guest management as all BookingCenter customers.
    • Privately Labeled
      Partners receive all the features of the Co-Branded option plus a completely customized support, Agent/Reseller/Supplier commission statement process, and booking & guest management for each property. This is especially important if the LDS is using the service as a Call Center or Central Reservations Solution and wants all Suppliers to maintain a single brand experience through the booking and management process. This option also enables custom reports from the system and the option to private-label any of the three property management systems - desktop and web-based software products.
    • Reseller/VAR
      Earn immediate revenue and long-term residual income by working with the BookingCenter team to market and sell BookingCenter products. As a Reseller, you maintain equity on all products, services, and booking generated from any Supplier you bring to the BookingCenter Network.

All LDS Partners take advantage of time-tested tools and processes (over 15 years in production) that have been proven to run a 24 x 7, scalable booking business. Read our White Paper on Associations use of central reservation systems. The LDS is a technology opportunity proven to make money while serving your local community. Contact us to learn how you can operate a BookingCenter Local Distribution System - the best travel franchise offer of the 21st Century!

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