Travel glossary

BAR (Best Available Rate)

The publicly-available rate a hotel publishes on its own website and OTAs — almost never the cheapest rate the hotel is willing to accept.

Bed Bank

A B2B hotel-rate wholesaler that aggregates inventory from thousands of hotels and redistributes wholesale rates to tour operators, travel agents, and closed-channel programs.

Consortia Rate

A preferred hotel rate negotiated by agency networks like Virtuoso, Signature, and Amex Fine Hotels — typically 10–25% below BAR with value-adds like breakfast and upgrades.

GDS (Global Distribution System)

A network like Amadeus, Sabre, or Travelport that connects travel agents and corporate-travel tools to airline, hotel, and car-rental inventory in real time.

Wholesale Rate

A hotel rate contracted directly with tour operators and bed banks, typically 30–45% below the Best Available Rate (BAR) that consumers see on OTAs.