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Glossary · Travel distribution & business models

What is Bed-bank?

Bed-bank (hotel wholesaler)

A wholesaler that contracts hotel rooms in bulk and resells that inventory to travel agencies and platforms through an API. Examples include Hotelbeds, TBO and RateHawk. Like a GDS, a bed-bank is a supplier you connect to, not a competitor.

Also written "bedbank"; sometimes "hotel aggregator".

Related terms

GDS (Global Distribution System)
A global reservation network — the largest are Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport — that aggregates real-time availability and fares from airlines, hotels and car-hire…
Travel API
A programming interface that exposes travel content and booking functions — search, pricing, booking, cancellation — so a developer can build them into their own…
Dynamic packaging
Combining separate travel components — flight, hotel, transfer, activity — into a single bookable package assembled in real time from live inventory and pricing,…
Markup and markdown
Rules a platform applies to supplier (net) rates to set the selling price. A markup adds margin; a markdown discounts. Wholesale platforms usually support tiered…
OTA (Online Travel Agency)
A website or app that sells travel directly to consumers — flights, hotels, packages — such as Booking.com or Expedia. OTAs sit on the retail (B2C) side of…

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