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German Consumer Travel Sites Now Powered by Pegasus

Pegasus Solutions, Inc. has
announced it is implementing a two-year hotel reservations technology agreement with Berlin-based ehotel AG, a
German travel reservations provider that offers a hotel booking
solution via mobile devices. 
Pegasus
is “powering” hotel reservations on the German company`s two
Web sites, ehotel.de
and bedhunter.com
, as well as those of
ehotel AG`s participating affiliate partners, such as leading car
rental company The Sixt Group, Lufthansa Corporate Flyway Airlines,
and economy airline German British Airways.  ehotel AG is also tapping
Pegasus to access hotel rates, inventory and property information for
use with the German company`s growing mobile commerce service. 


ehotel AG`s Web Sites and Service Center now Powered by PegasusTM
As a result of the agreement, ehotel AG has an XML interface to
Pegasus` Electronic Distribution Switch for direct access to the
central reservations systems (CRS) of more than 200 hotel chains.
Having switched from TRUST International`s booking engine, ehotel AG`s
Web sites now are Powered by Pegasus(TM).  ehotel AG`s company-operated
and affiliate Web sites have instant access to hotel inventory and
rates, including corporate-negotiated pricing, and receive real-time
Internet reservations directly from hotels` CRSs.  ehotel AG`s service
center agents are also using Pegasus` Internet booking engine and
database to make room reservations.


ehotel AG accesses Pegasus` Online Distribution Database of
approximately 47,000 hotels worldwide, which includes more than 1,700
hotels located within Germany.  Pegasus` Online Distribution Database
feeds more than 75,000 images and detailed property information to the
thousands of Web sites in Pegasus` Online Distribution Network, which
includes sites such as All-hotels.com, Travelchannel.de, Hotel.de,
Expedia.com, Orbitz, Travelweb.com, Lastminute.com, and now ehotel.de
and bedhunter.com. 


Pegasus` Connectivity Supporting ehotel AG`s Mobile Commerce Offering
In addition, Pegasus is providing ehotel AG`s mobile service at
wap.bedhunter.com with direct access to hotels` CRSs.  ehotel AG is
converting detailed property information, rates and availability
provided via Pegasus to a WAP (wireless application protocol)-enabled
form, enabling the ability to create, change and cancel hotel
reservations via WAP-enabled devices, such as mobile phones. 


“Pegasus Solutions represents a global, comprehensive provider for
meeting all our multi-channel hotel reservations technology needs,
including handling our corporate-negotiated rate functionality,” said
Matthias Garke, co-chief executive officer of ehotel AG.  “Pegasus
also has the proven reputation and commitment to emerging technologies
that enables us to present its offering to our affiliate partners with
confidence.”

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“We share ehotel AG`s commitment for maximizing both conventional and
emerging hotel distribution channels.  The m-commerce arena is very
attractive to us and we are very interested in working with companies
such as ehotel that are in the position to exploit this new and
quickly growing electronic distribution opportunity,” said Gideon
Dean, senior vice president of worldwide technology sales for Pegasus
Solutions, Inc. 


A sampling of other European Web sites Powered by Pegasus includes
Hotelnet.co.uk, HotelHub.net, Ebookers.com, LateRooms.com,
ThePlaceToStay.co.uk and Direct-Hotels.co.uk.  Frankfurt,
Germany-based Deutsche Bahn, Germany`s National Rail Company, also
uses Pegasus` online hotel reservations technology.


According to Jupiter MMXI
, Germany is the second largest online travel
market in Europe, with 5.1 million unique visitors in January 2002.
Investment company Bear Stearns predicts that the online booking of
hotel rooms worldwide will grow to $15.5 billion in 2006 from $3.8
billion in 2000.


Related stories on ITN:

(25/09/2002) Pegasus Selected to Power German Reservations Company

(19/09/2002) Best Western Renews & Expands Agreement with Pegasus

(18/09/2002) Ian Schrager Hotels to Implement Pegasus` RezView

(13/09/2002) German Travel Web Site Hotel.de AG Connects to Pegasus

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