Travelport GDS reorganized its hotel distribution and advertising business on a global basis to give it more focus.
"The main challenge for us and all GDSs is to understand the value of this [hotel] business and give it the value it deserves and not see it as an add-on product," says Niklas Andréen, Travelport's newly appointed group vice president, hospitality and partner marketing.
While much of Travelport GDSs' hotel distribution and advertising effort was carried out on a regional basis in the past, Andréen is charged with taking a global perspective to ensure that hotel content and hotel advertising makes its to travel agency desktops, ViewTrip and to online travel agency partners.
In the past, hotel advertising appeared in ViewTrip emails to travel agency clients, but this advertising appeared "more by accident" and less by concerted effort, Andréen says.
While air is the traditional GDS priority, GDSs need "more legs to stand on," Andréen says.
He says Travelport GDS will take advantage of rich media in hotel marketing with the upcoming launch of Travelport's universal desktop, and will market to OTAs through Web services and APIs.
Previously, Andréen was managing director of Travelport's Eastern Europe and Nordics region.