Online hotel aggregator Travelguru.com has launched TGConnect, an Extranet API for hotel partners and channel managers for exchanging hotel rates and inventory. The API will allow hoteliers to manage hotel booking updates, rates and availability in real time. The company states that the API interface is Online Travel Agent (OTA) compliant and can be integrated to other OTA compliant applications. Travelguru claims that the API will be used by 1000 hotels under different partners. The interface is already live with Axis rooms, and the company states that other partners such as Rate Tiger, Rate Gain, Maximojo Eazy Yield, and Staah will also integrate the API shortly. It appears that the API will be implemented on both Yatra.com and Travelguru website. Besides aiding the hoteliers, the TGConnect will also allow consumers to get real time updates on their bookings, rates and hotel availability. Another thing to note is that since the company is offering the API access for free, hoteliers wouldn't charge extra for providing booking updates in real time. In July 2012, , Yatra.com had acquired TravelGuru from Travelocity for an undisclosed sum. This was the second time the company was being acquired. Travelocity had acquired TravelGuru in 2009 for an undisclosed sum, and had allowed it to operate as a separate company and brand. Before being acquired by Travelocity, TravelGuru had raised, in all, $25 million in investment from Sequoia Capital and Battery Ventures, and was a part of Times of India’s Private Treaties portfolio. It had acquired hotel bookings site, Desiya, for around Rs 100 crores, around $25 Million in 2007,…
