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GIATA DRIVE Content Distribution Guide

Learn how GIATA DRIVE distributes your hotel content and how the Content Monitor helps you understand your connectivity with key travel partners.

GIATA DRIVE acts as a central content source for the travel industry, making your hotel content available to a wide network of OTAs, Tour Operators, travel agencies, Bed Banks, GDSs, CRS providers, metasearch platforms and other travel and technology partners.

Many of these partners regularly access GIATA's databases to keep their hotel information up to date. By maintaining your GIATA DRIVE profile, you ensure that your latest approved content is available to partners across the distribution network.

However, each channel is ultimately responsible for the content displayed on its own platform. Partners may have different update frequencies, technical integrations and content strategies, and some may combine GIATA content with information from other sources. For this reason, the content displayed on a channel may not always be identical to what you see in GIATA DRIVE.

The Content Monitor gives you visibility into this distribution. It allows you to see the channels connected to GIATA, what type of content they consume and, when available, their latest content request and how they consume your images.

In this guide, we will explain how to read the Content Monitor and how distribution works across Tour Operators, Booking.com, Expedia, Google, Gemini and other GIATA partners.

 1. Understanding the Content Monitor 

The Content Monitor gives you an overview of GIATA's distribution channels and helps you understand how they use your GIATA DRIVE content.

Depending on the information available for each partner, you can see:

  • Which channels have access to your content
  • What type of content they consume, such as images, facts or descriptions
  • Their latest content request
  • How they consume your images

What do the date and time mean?

When you see a date and time next to a channel, this means that the partner has made a request to GIATA's databases.

Partners do not all retrieve content in the same way. Some partners, such as TUI, Trip.com and CHECK24, make frequent requests to our databases, even when no changes have been made to the hotel's content. Other partners use incremental updates, meaning that content is requested when changes are made in GIATA DRIVE.

Therefore, the latest request date shows when the partner last requested information from GIATA. It does not necessarily mean that the hotel's content changed on that date or that all requested content is already visible on the partner's website.

Each partner has its own processes and timelines for receiving, processing and displaying content.

 How does each channel consume my images? 

 The Image Consumption column helps you understand how each partner receives and uses the images available through GIATA.

Depending on the channel, you will see one of the following statuses:

AN -  Activation Necessary: The distribution needs to be activated before the channel can receive your images.
SG - Single Source: The channel uses GIATA as its single source for hotel images.
MX - Mixed Sources: The channel uses GIATA images together with images from other sources.
PU - Partial Use: The channel takes a limited amount of images based on their needs and  interest.
ON - On Request: There is no automation in place for this channel, but GIATA can process manual updates. Submit your request to the Customer Experience team.

For channels using Mixed Sources, keeping your GIATA DRIVE gallery up to date ensures that the partner has access to your latest approved images. However, additional or older images from other sources may still be displayed on the partner's platform.

How do I know if the distribution is active?

Not every channel displayed in the Content Monitor is already active. If you see one of the following icons next to a channel name, the distribution is not yet active:

  • 📅 Planned – the connectivity is planned but not yet available.
  • 🕒 Coming Soon – the connectivity is currently being prepared and will become available in the future.

2. Understanding Distribution with Key Partners

Distribution works differently depending on the partner. Each channel has its own technical setup, update frequency and processes for consuming and displaying hotel content.

In this section, we will look at some of GIATA's key distribution partners and explain how your GIATA DRIVE content reaches each of them, what content they consume and what you should expect when making an update.

2.1 Tour Operators – PUSH Distribution

GIATA has direct PUSH connections with selected Tour Operators, allowing your GIATA DRIVE hotel images to be distributed directly to their catalogues.

Depending on the Tour Operator, GIATA DRIVE images may be used as the main image source or combined with images received from other sources.

Please note that distribution to a Tour Operator does not necessarily mean that the same images will appear on their website. Tour Operators may use different systems and content sources for their catalogues and online platforms.

 If you find an outdated image in a Tour Operator catalogue that is part of the GIATA distribution, please submit a request to our Customer Experience team, including the Tour Operator name, catalogue name and URL of the outdated image. We will then contact the Tour Operator directly to request the deletion of the image. 

You can check the Image Consumption status in the Content Monitor to understand how each Tour Operator uses your GIATA DRIVE images.

2.2 Booking.com

GIATA DRIVE offers a direct image connection with Booking.com through Quick Connect.

To activate the distribution, go to Edit Property → Booking.com Quick Connect in GIATA DRIVE and follow the activation process. 

Once the connection is active, your GIATA DRIVE images are distributed directly to Booking.com. The channel follows the image order defined in GIATA DRIVE, allowing you to centrally manage your gallery and future image updates.

2.3 Expedia

GIATA DRIVE also offers direct image distribution to Expedia.

To set up the connection, the Expedia Property ID and the corresponding room codes need to be added in GIATA DRIVE. For hotel chains, an Agent of Record (AOR) agreement and whitelisting by Expedia may also be required.

Unlike Booking.com, activating the GIATA connection does not automatically remove images that were previously uploaded to the Expedia extranet. These images may therefore continue to appear alongside the images distributed through GIATA DRIVE.

If you want to manage your Expedia gallery centrally through GIATA DRIVE, we recommend reviewing and removing outdated images from the Expedia extranet. Future image updates can then be managed through GIATA DRIVE.

2.4 Google & Gemini

Google regularly accesses GIATA's databases to retrieve hotel content, including master data, images, facts and descriptions. GIATA is also a source for hotel ratings on Google.

Google may combine GIATA content with information and images from other sources, such as the hotel's Google Business Profile, other content providers or guest-uploaded photos. For this reason, the content displayed on Google may not always be identical to your GIATA DRIVE profile.

GIATA content is also available to Gemini, making your structured hotel information accessible within Google's ecosystem.

Please note that Google ultimately controls which content is selected and displayed. Keeping your GIATA DRIVE profile complete and up to date ensures that Google and Gemini have access to your latest approved hotel content.

3. Other Distribution Partners

GIATA works with many additional partners across the travel industry, and their technical integrations and content strategies can differ.

Some partners use GIATA as a primary source, while others combine GIATA content with information from additional providers.

The Content Monitor should always be your first reference point to understand:

  • Whether the partner is part of GIATA's distribution

  • What type of content it consumes

  • When it last requested content, when this information is available

  • How it consumes GIATA images

If you notice that content displayed by a partner does not match your GIATA DRIVE profile, this does not necessarily mean that the distribution is not working. The partner may be using additional sources, processing updates at a different frequency or applying its own content rules.

4. Need help with outdated content?

Keeping your GIATA DRIVE profile up to date ensures that partners have access to your latest approved hotel content.

However, because each partner manages its own platform and may use additional sources, GIATA cannot guarantee that every channel will display exactly the same content as GIATA DRIVE.

If you identify outdated or incorrect content on one of our distribution partners, please contact our team with the hotel name, affected channel and examples or screenshots of the incorrect content. We will be happy to investigate the distribution and, when possible, support you with the update.

5. What about partners that are not connected to GIATA?

For partners that are not directly connected to GIATA, you can use your Open Content Link (OCL) to share your latest approved hotel content.

The Open Content Link provides access to your hotel information in 25 languages and can be shared with your distribution partners as a reliable source for your content.

Through the link, partners can:

  • Access your latest hotel information

  • View your content in up to 25 languages

  • Download your hotel information

  • Download your images in the original size and resolution uploaded to GIATA DRIVE

This allows partners without a direct GIATA connectivity to use your Open Content Link as a source for maintaining and updating your hotel content.

Your Open Content Link is available directly from your GIATA DRIVE profile.

Keep your content up to date in GIATA DRIVE

Keeping your GIATA DRIVE profile up to date ensures that your distribution partners always have access to your latest approved hotel content.

Use the Content Monitor to better understand your distribution and how each partner consumes your content.

If you notice outdated or incorrect content on one of our partner channels, our team is happy to help you investigate and find the best way to request an update.