A higher security level and more settings really improve "CultSwitch"
Berlin, 17 Jul 2009

There is no way passing by HRS, when it comes to online hotel bookings, considering the fact that the Cologne based electronic hotel reservation system is one of the leading portals worldwide. Since 2006, Cultuzz Digital Media has been connecting clients to the HRS reservation system. Availabilities and rates are directly transferred from the hotel's front office system (PMS) to HRS. Reservations received by HRS are also directly transmitted to the hotel software. Up until today, more than 100'000 room nights have been automatically processed by "CultSwitch", the channel management system from Cultuzz Digital Media.

Now, availabilities and rates will be sent to HRS via XML. In the past, an XML connection was not available making it necessary that Cultuzz' software engineers developed and worked with an in-house electronic assistant which imitated the hotelier and automatically maintained the data in the extranet of HRS. However, this so called "screen scraping" is not as reliable as an XML interface.

"CultSwitch" is one of three channel management systems which is integrated into the HRS portal. HRS extranet now shows a new menu tab "Channel Manager" which lists the certified channel management solution providers. Within a few clicks, the hotelier can select "Cultuzz" and transfer the data administration to the "CultSwitch" system.

As of today, all Cultuzz interfaces are XML-based. "There is no more 'screen scraping' within our system", says Dr Reinhard Vogel, Managing Director of Cultuzz Digital Media. "Now, we can focus on intensifying the scale integration within the reservation channels and increasing the selling opportunities for the hoteliers."

Along with HRS, other booking platforms such as Booking, hotel.de, ehotel, Expedia, RatesToGo and eBay as well as the destination systems Tiscover and Wild-East are connected to "CultSwitch". Feratel and all GDS will follow next.

HRS operates a global electronic hotel reservation system based on a database of more than 230'000 hotels in all categories in 180 different countries. A large proportion of the bookings are made by corporate customers. Direct connections exist to more than 12'000 nationally and internationally-operating companies, who make all their hotel reservations through HRS.

Cultuzz Digital Media GmbH was founded by Dr Reinhard Vogel in Berlin in the year 2000. Subsidiaries exist in Europe, the U.S. and Australia, as well as in India. The company is specialized in online sales and distribution for the hospitality industry and is the global market leader in selling hotel rooms on eBay.

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