Galileo deal adds rich media content

Galileo has teamed up with VFM
Interactive to provide
Galileo-connected agents with access through their desktop to photos,
videos and virtual tours for thousands of hotels and resorts worldwide.This agreement comes just weeks after Travelport announced the
completion of its acquisition of Worldspan, and brings Galileo customers
the same rich media content that has been enjoyed by Worldspan customers
since 2005 when it became the first GDS to integrate VFM’s rich media
content into the travel distribution chain.

Under the new agreement, Galileo will be the first GDS to offer its
hotel suppliers free use of VFM’s Vscape Lite digital still image
management and distribution solution; the state-of-the-art web-based
tool will allow participating hotels to upload and distribute up to 10
photos per property, free of charge, to Galileo-connected agencies,
booking portals and web service users worldwide as well as to thousands
of other VFM distribution channels, including major travel websites and
travel intermediaries. 

The Vscape Lite tool will simplify the process of ensuring photos and
other rich media are distributed and kept up-to-date by providing hotels
with a single point of entry for their visual content, thereby reducing
the need to upload that content to multiple channels.  Importantly,
Vscape® Lite will also provide automated image de-duping and replacement
and deletion of outdated images ensuring consistency and freshness of a
hotel’s image display. 

Louise Meyer, senior director, Hotel/Car Supply & Distribution for
Galileo commented, “It is extremely useful for both travel agents and
customers to be able to visualize hotel accommodation when booking
hotels. This new agreement with VFM will enable them to do just that and
ensure they are offering their customers the best possible option for
their trip.”

“And by providing Galileo-connected hotels with free use of Vscape Lite
to distribute their images, they will be able to streamline their image
distribution and make their products more accessible to agents, which
should ultimately help them to sell more rooms.”

Paolo Boni, president and chief executive officer of VFM, commented, “We
are delighted to have been selected by Galileo to manage and distribute
their hotel pictures and rich media.  Working together, we will provide
hotels with a tool that not only gives them more control over their
images and how they market themselves but also saves them time and
money.”

“Vscape really improves our ability to leverage our hotels’ media and
ensure the best possible display of our hotels across all electronic
channels” said Ashwin Kamlani, vice president of distribution of Sol
Meliá Hotels & Resorts.  “The ease of use and connectivity to major
distribution channels makes it an extremely valuable tool.  It’s great
to see Galileo offer this tool to all of its hotels.”

Content from VFM is available through all of Worldspan’s hotel booking
solutions for travel agencies worldwide, including the recently
introduced Worldspan Go! Hotel Booking Tool, and through the Worldspan
Trip Manager XE corporate online self-booking tool for
Worldspan-connected corporations globally.
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