What is the Global Distribution System (GDS)?

Everyone of a certain age will remember seeing The Matrix for the first time, and you're all probably familiar with Neo having to choose between the red pill and the blue pill.

 

For short-term accommodation providers, entering the GDS can feel a lot like taking the red pill. Before you know it, you're in a whole different world.

 

Luckily for us, the GDS isn't a machine bent on world domination! It is, though, very important for accessing Government and Corporate bookings.

The GDS initially began with airports - those three letter codes for each airport? That's the GDS. For example, London Gatwick = LGW.

 

Then they started wanting to integrate connecting travel (car rentals, train tickets) into the system - hence train stations have similar codes to airports. And then they wanted the ability to be able to book accommodation connected to travel, starting first with hotels that were closest to the relevant airport.

 

This legacy of prioritising location is still with us today - location is still one of the driving factors behind a booking being made on the GDS.

 

There are two other legacies of the GDS:

We will dive into these elements a bit more in following pages.