Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced today that its Galaxy Hotel Systems division has developed a new two-way web booking engine using eXtensible Markup Language (XML).
This initiative will allow all hotels that have the Galaxy/UX product installed to accept reservations directly into their Property Management System (PMS) from the Internet.
Starwood recently renamed its Hotel Systems Division of Geac Computers, Inc., a subsidiary of Geac Computer Corporation Limited, to Galaxy Hotel Systems, LLC. The hotel company had acquired Hotel Systems Division of Geac Computers, Inc., from Geac Computer Corporation Limited in April 2001 for $1 million. The acquisition was spearheaded by Starwood Technology and Revenue Systems (STARS) - a newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary of Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Galaxy Hotel Systems, LLC has been a leading provider of proven property management solutions to the hotel industry for the last 32 years. Galaxy is committed to providing technology tools to enable hotel employees to achieve superior guest service and total guest satisfaction. Galaxy will focus on developing feature and functionality that drives the overall value of the product not only to Starwood hotels but to independent and other branded hotels as well.
Galaxy has also developed Hospitality AXIS, a technologically advanced Property Management System leveraging the strengths of Galaxy/UX. This system integrates technology with operations and defines performance standards for the next generation of Property Management Systems. Equipped with all of the tools necessary to meet the increasing demands of a company`s business, Hospitality AXIS enables a hotel`s staff to provide high levels of guest satisfaction. Featuring a single-screen design, the system provides easy access to all guest information, reduces keystrokes, and increases front desk productivity.
The Galaxy/UX and the Hospitality AXIS systems will provide the technology to effectively manage all hotel operations ranging from reservations, guest registration and group processing to concierge services, accounts receivable, and telephone services.
“The combination of adding the XML links to the web-booking engines with the proven architecture and reliability of the Galaxy/UX product, makes for an extremely powerful product,” noted Danny Hudson, Vice President, Property Technology Strategy for Starwood. “We are confident that Galaxy`s 32 years of experience in Property Management Systems will help us achieve our desired goals in this area.”
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