Computerized Reservation Systems

Computerized reservation systems (CRS) are software applications and supporting hardware infrastructure that allow hospitality and tourism firms to receive, process, store, retrieve, and modify reservations from external sources in an efficient manner. They also provide real-time inventory status information and communicate the data to users. Hence, CRS can be characterized as systems that facilitate the distribution process, since they facilitate interactions between consumers and producers of goods and services. They can be considered as systems that are utilized for logistical purposes, especially for information transfer. CRS are utilized by firms in all sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry including the lodging sector, airline sector, rental car sector, train and bus sector, and activities sector.

CRS were first utilized in 1946 by American Airlines, which used ...