Global reservation transaction management system and method

Abstract

A reservation system and methodology ensures that all changes to a database in a federation are reliably and immediately communicated to all of the other databases in the federation. The system communicates information concerning hotel reservation transactions. The system comprises multiple applications each associated with one or more databases including hotel reservation data. The databases in the federation reflect transactions that are communicated to other databases and they also employ information received from other databases in determining the transactions that their associated local applications permit and the way in which they are processed. In one embodiment of the invention, communication among databases occurs through the Internet and data storage devices via secure packetized messages addressed to objects that represent the relevant databases. The system of the present invention also preferably includes a central database that functions as the primary source for verifying reservations and hotel data. Additionally, the system of the present invention also includes a yield subsystem that allows hotels to increase revenues. The yield subsystem calculates rates and availability based upon forecasted changes in supply and customer segment demand.

1 . A system for managing reservations comprising: 
 a centralized database including information for a first lodging property and a second lodging property, said lodging properties each including an inventory of rooms, said first lodging property associated with a first external database regarding its inventory of rooms, said second lodging property associated with a second external database regarding its inventory of rooms, said information including availability information and pricing information regarding each of said inventory of rooms; and    a reservations management system coupled to said centralized database, said reservations management system configured to: 
 communicate with a first reservation system,  
 communicate with a second reservation system different from said first reservation system, whereby a reservation is made for either of said inventory of rooms using either of said reservation systems,  
 update said information in said centralized database regarding said reservation, and  
 update information in each of said first and second external databases, said information similar to said updated information in said centralized database.  
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said first reservation system comprises a property management system that controls an inventory of a hotel or a hotel chain.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said first reservation system comprises a global distribution system.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said first reservation system comprises a reservation agent terminal.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said first reservation system comprises a direct access client.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said first reservation system is a web server coupled to a web browser.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said reservations management system is further configured to calculate a room rate.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said reservations management system is further configured to query said centralized database regarding said inventories of rooms.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said reservations management system is further configured to book a room from said inventories of rooms.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said reservations management system is further configured to manage yield.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said reservations management system includes a first interface that interfaces said first reservation system with said reservation management system, a second interface that interfaces said second reservation system with said reservation management system, wherein said first interface translates information between a format associated with said reservation management system and a first format associated with said first reservation system, and wherein said second interface translates information between said format associated with said reservation management system and a second format associated with said second reservation system.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the inventory of hotel rooms in each of the first and second external databases is organized as a hierarchal combination of a plurality of attributes associated with a room.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the hierarchal combination comprises an inventory of hotel rooms organized as a plurality of first attribute combinations, second attribute combinations, and third attribute combinations, wherein each said first attribute combination comprises at least one second attribute combination and each said second attribute combination comprises at least one third attribute combination.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the third attribute combination comprises more attributes than the second attribute combination, and wherein the second attribute combination comprises more attributes than the first attribute combination.