Non-profit groups, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) and Open Travel Alliance (OpenTravel) have announced a partnership to accelerate the support of travel industry distribution standards, as well as the creation and adoption of hospitality technology standards across the entire spectrum of the global consumer travel experience. Of top priority to both organisations are mobile standards for use within the industry, which are first on the work list.
To facilitate the intended projects, OpenTravel will co-locate its corporate office with HFTP Global headquarters in Austin, Texas, USA, starting in August 2017. The move will enable the organisations to combine resources to help develop standards that ease communications between disparate technology systems, enabling stakeholders to conduct business more efficiently.
More than 25 years ago, HFTP was given a mandate by its members to lead in establishing information processing practices and standards, explained Frank Wolfe, CEO, HFTP. He said, “HFTP represents stakeholders from the cruise line to the casino, fairway to foodservice, the motel to the midway, and the resort to recreation, across the globe. OpenTravel also represents every one of these verticals, and by partnering on this objective, both of our organizations will better serve our stakeholders.”
Individually, the two organisations represent stakeholders that do not fully overlap; OpenTravel represents the enterprise and HFTP represents individual professionals.
“OpenTravel’s 1.0 XML Messaging Standards are paramount among the travel standards and our new 2.0 Object Model will positively impact the consumer experience for years to come. OpenTravel continues to enable the future for the connected consumer end-to-end with their business and leisure travel across all aspects of travel including, but not limited to, airlines, lodging of all types, cruise lines, car rental firms, railways, ground transportation, leisure suppliers, solutions providers, service providers, travel agencies, tour operators, technology companies and distributors, and events of all types. HFTP’s resources will allow us to accelerate standards awareness, adoption and utilisation,” said Mike Tinkey, CEO, OpenTravel.
Both HFTP and OpenTravel are in the process of planning upcoming events in Orlando, Florida.
