OTA going beyond specifications

After five years of writing specifications, the Washington, DC-based Open Travel Alliance is moving into other areas. Graham S. Hauck, executive director, told TravelMole: “We’ve proved we can write specifications. We’ve shown we’re capable of doing that and now we’re moving into areas such as a registration program.” That program would find ways to ensure members of OTA were correctly using programs, said Mr Hauck. “That’s only one area we’re exploring,” he said. The Alliance’s mission is the creation, expansion and adoption of open universal data specifications. These include the use of XML, as well as other specifications, for the electronic exchange of business information among all sectors of the travel industry. The 120 or so members of the group are regularly asked to comment on the specifications they receive. “Anybody, members or not, can download them and submit comments,” said Mr Hauck. Members find the specifications maintain standards that allow for easier and sometimes less costly ways of doing business. “One compelling area is interfaces. Best Western, for example, had a lot of interfaces for their reservations system. Now, with everyone using XML, they’re down from 15 or 20 to only one interface,” said Mr Hauck. The four current working groups of OTA are travel integration, car rental, hotels and airlines. “We’re looking to expand into the cruise lines. We have cruise line members but not an actual work group,” said Mr Hauck. Other upcoming initiatives include creating a committee to specifically market OTA. “We’ll have success stories and basically get the word out on OTA about what we’re doing,” said Mr Hauck. –Report by David Wilkening–