FORT LAUDERDALE During a press luncheon on May 16 hosted by Caryl Helsel, HEDNA president, a major survey regarding biasing was discussed and results show that biasing is widely practiced via GDS systems and the Internet.
According to the survey, there are several forms of biasing including defined bias, bias via payment, shareholder ownership bias, bias through marketing and commercial practices, and screen-padding bias. “The bottom line is, biasing is happening everywhere,” said Helsel.
Helsel also announced that HEDNA will be putting out a press release regarding dual representation noting that the association does not support this practice. She said this will give membership the backing of an industry association to prevent dual representation from taking place on GDS and Internet systems.
Another major issue as noted by the HEDNA president was control regarding rate access and tracking reservations. She noted that the best way to handle this issue is to get more involved in the decision making process. (5/16/01) Shannon McMullen