Galileo has added the Marco Polo Hotels to its Best Available Rate (BAR) programme.  The Galileo BAR programme offers travel agents the convenience of “one-stop” shopping by providing access to the best available unrestricted rates of approximately 30,000 hotels in 74 countries including over 90 chains and 100 brands.  Galileo was the first GDS to launch a BAR programme and boasts the largest number of hotels participation today.

Galileo BAR is an exclusive programme which enables major hotel chains to provide travel agents with access to the best available published, non-restricted rates either online or over the phone via the hotel chain’s reservation line.  This ensures that all Galileo-connected travel agents can be fully confident that the hotel rates displayed on their desktops are the best available in any channel thereby reducing the need to shop outside of the GDS. 

Participants in the Galileo BAR programme represent nearly 50% of Galileo’s hotel booking traffic worldwide.  In addition to Marco Polo Hotels, the programme has seen encouraging take up within Asia Pacific with a number of major hotel chains participating, including Meritus Hotels & Resorts; Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts; Oberoi Hotels & Resorts; Raffles Hotels & Resorts; Mandarin Oriental Hotels Group; and Millennium & Copthorne.

According to Joe Lim, Business Development Manager - Hotel & Car Service, APAC Galileo by Travelport, Galileo introduced the Best Available Rate concept in August 2004, and currently close to 30,000 hotel properties worldwide participate in the programme.  “As a result of our commitment to provide our travel agents with the best available hotel rates, Galileo is in a clear position of leadership in the hotel content arena, and we are particularly pleased to welcome Marco Polo Hotels to this highly successful programme.”

Jeffrey Flowers, President of Marco Polo Hotels, commented, “We are very happy to participate in Galileo’s Best Available Rate programme which complements our sales and marketing objectives through increased brand share and bookings, and provides a consistent rate policy across our distribution platforms.  Additionally, with this programme, we will be able to assure our guests that the rate they get from a travel agent is the very best available.”
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