Wizard makes Hotelbank disappear

Gold Medal Travel is introducing a raft of new measures to its website in a move that will see the phasing out of Hotelbank.
The legacy system, which was launched in 1992, will disappear by the end of the year after being superceded by the operator’s Holiday Wizard dynamic packaging technology.
Only a handful of bookings remain in the system.
A Gold Medal spokeswoman said Hotelbank has effectively become outdated following the development of web-based technology.
Holiday Wizard enables agents to book up to four rooms at a time, sell special offers online, search by hotel name, category and price range. It also has more property information and images.
Questions will now inevitably be raised over the future of Farebank, its flight engine, although Gold Medal said no decision has been made.
Meanwhile, more content, the ability to download customer itineraries and easier navigation will form part of an upgrade to the operator’s web offering.
Following the addition last month of 2000 European and US hotels to its bed bank – bringing the number to 5,500 – it is now adding airport car parking, lounge passes and rail. Other add-ons to its dynamic packaging system will follow.
“There is no limit to the range of product we can put on,” said Gold Medal group managing director Wayne Pearce. “Apart from producing incremental business, it creates the impression the agent is a leisure travel professional offering expert advice and service.”
Also live is checkmytrip, which gives agents the ability to download and print customer itineraries.