By Kelly Chen 2008-2-4

As the World Expo 2010 Shanghai is expected to receive more than 70 million visitors, tens of thousands of working staff, performing artists and dignitaries from the participants, accommodation is an essential component in a "splendid, successful and unforgettable" Expo.

To ensure that visitors from home and abroad are able to find and reserve accommodation, the hosting government is facing a big challenge as well as an opportunity to stimulate the development of the local tourism and hospitality industry.

China's hospitality industry currently lags behind international standards not only in its hotel management standards, but also technological know-how and expertise in travel distribution.

The Chinese government and the Bureau of the Shanghai World Expo Coordination aim to leverage the event to lay out the travel distribution infrastructure and accelerate the development of China's hotel industry.

Thus, the Shanghai government and the organizers, for the first time in the history of World Expo, set up the Official Hotel Reservations Center.

The center will utilize a Web-based interactive and integrated central management and distribution system, specially customized based on proven, successful international management models, for the hotel and travel industry in China.

Hotels that embrace this revolutionary change in travel distribution will certainly have the advantages in establishing effective brand strategy, distribution and revenue maximization as well as their core competencies.

As a result, the China hospitality industry will have the potential to take a quantum leap in its development and possibly stay ahead of the curve in the increasingly competitive market.

As manager of the Official Hotel Reservations Center, HUBS1 will not only enable hotels in China to accelerate connectivity with diverse and multiple distribution channels, both domestic and international, but also hotel distributors will be able to obtain real-time room inventory and rates, empowering them to provide their customers with real-time reservation confirmations and an enhanced customers' online experience.

(Expo organizers last Wednesday signed HUBS1, a leading hotel distribution company in China, as the official hotel reservations service provider for participants and visitors to the World Expo Shanghai)