Interface

What is the meaning / definition of Interface in the hospitality industry?

Interface is the crossing point or technical connection between different IT systems. In other words it is the direct communication/ connection between two (or more) networks/ applications/ systems that can be interlinked together without any intermediary.

In the hospitality industry it often refers to a connection between a PMS/ CRS and an OTA.

Some examples:

• 1-way Interface: Downloading of reservations from a hotel’s CRS to the PMS.
• 2-way Interface: The OTA agent ‘pulls’ and reads the rates and availability put by the hotel into the hotels PMS. On the other side, the hotel sales team ‘pulls’ the bookings from the OTA website via an Interface into the hotels system.

See also:

• Channel Management
• Extranet

Synonyms

• Direct Connect
• Integration
• Interfaced Connections