Public:2009A PRojects
From wiki.opentravel.org
Contents |
[edit] Hospitality
[edit] Availability and Inventory Pull Messages
The OpenTravel specifications have facilitated the exchange of distribution data between various hotel systems. As new business processes evolved, the existing messages matured and the number of implementations increased. One such business change has involved the expansion of messages from strictly push to pull messages. In addition to allowing distribution for hotels behind restrictive firewalls, pull messages provide a check to receiving systems to ensure data sent is up to date.
There are a number of pull messages already in use within the hospitality space. For example, currently the OTA_HotelRatePlanNotif message has a corresponding pull message pair – OTA_HotelRatePlan. Unfortunately, there is no such corresponding message pair for the OTA_HotelAvailNotif, OTA_HotelInvCountNotif or the OTA_HotelInvBlockNotif. There is an existing OTA_HotelAvail message set which allows for real time shopping but does not have the ability to send the raw data as the OTA_HotelRatePlan allows.
A pull version of these messages would be useful in a number of cases. The OTA_HotelAvailNotifRQ is the message that sends the notification of the availability status of a hotel. The OTA_HotelInvCountNotifRQ is the message that sends notification of inventory available for sale. The OTA_HotelInvBlockNotifRQ is the message that sends notification of new inventory blocks. It also handles the modification and cancellation of existing blocks. Adding a pull message would allow systems to resync availability, inventory count and inventory block information. Additionally, if the receiving system is behind a firewall, the pull message can be used by the receiving system to query (pull) the sending system for availability, inventory count, and inventory block data.
This project will address the lack of these pull messages (availability, inventory counts, and inventory blocks) by creating three new message pairs – OTA_HotelAvailGet, OTA_HotelInvCount, OTA_HotelInvBlock. The OTA_HotelAvailGet message will be based on the OTA_HotelAvailNotif message set and re-use the AvailStatusMessageType complex type. The OTA_HotelInvCount will be based on the OTA_HotelInvCountNotif message set and will re-use the SellableProductsType complex Type. The OTA_HotelInvBlock will be based on the OTA_HotelInvBlockNotif message set and will re-use the InvBlockType complex Type.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Booking Notification for Car Rental
To reserve a vehicle in an asynchronous communication, the requestor sends to the Car Suppliers Systems or to the Central Reservation Systems (CRS) an OTA_VehResRQ message. The latter acknowledges the reception of the message with the OTA_VehResRS.
The car rental company can then (e.g. 2 days after) asynchronously confirm or reject the reservation. A pair of messages that contains the functional reply of a car supplier to the trading partner is necessary.
This project proposes to define a standardized message set to transport this information.
The asynchronous (type B protocol) is the message exchange pattern known as the notification pattern. Any transaction involves the delivery of data from one trading partner to another party without the request to do so.
The proposed messages provide the capability for a car supplier to send Reservation Information to another system for the purpose of confirming, updating or rejecting asynchronously a reservation.
The message set acts as a “push” message. The intended partners are the Car Supplier Systems, the CRS, the GDS…
Another Car Message exists in the XML/OTA Suite to confirm, update or reject a reservation. It is the OTA_VehResRS message and is used synchronously with the OTA_VehResRQ message. Most of the elements or the OTA_VehResRS can also be reused in the proposed message set.
This proposal will be based on the current structure of OTA_VehResRS.
[edit] Travel Integration
[edit] Profile Update (Travel Integration WG)
This project is a continuation of the profile enhancements initiated in the 2008B cycle.
Profile management is becoming increasingly important within most travel industry sectors, both to help provide better service to customers and clients, and also as a central tool to collect and harmonise data for marketing and performance analysis.
This project will enhance the current OTA Profile messages and extend the messages to handle advanced search. New schemas will be developed to handle merge operations. Further, new schemas will as well need to be developed to handle update operation as it was decided to eliminate the generic Update message in the 2008B release.
The scope of this project is to enhance guest and account/corporate profiles. In addition to enhancing the data model (OTA_ProfileCreateRQ) the following operations will either be enhanced or added:
- Profile Search – OTA_ReadRQ
- Profile Merge – a new OTA_ProfileMergeRQ/RS
- Profile Update – a new OTA_ProfileUpdateRQ/RS
- Profile Multi Delete – OTA_DeleteRQ/RS
