Methods and apparatus for managing a tour product purchase

• US 20030110063A1
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pan Travel Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Pan Travel Company LLC
• Inventors: Freitas, Jeffrey, Among, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,574,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to overcome the various problems and disadvantages of the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a database and server that holds all of the various components a buyer may want to “mix and match” to produce a desired, customized tour product.

It is yet another object of the present invention to allow a vendor to instantly confirm and manage inventory for all selected suboptions of any components sold by the vendor, which enables a quick and easy electronically ticketed transaction.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a system that gives a potential buyer the ability to instantly mix and match suboptions for various components, and then easily mix and match additional suboptions for other components to compare price conveniently.

It is another object of the present invention to allow a buyer to book a customized tour product which includes multiple destinations. This capability allows for multiple air reservation bookings in conjunction with other “package” inventory such as hotel and car at each destination.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a final option using a client, comprising:

displaying a plurality of components received in said client, each of said plurality of components having a parameter, and allowing a user to input and manipulate information for said parameter of selected ones of said plurality of components;

said client transmitting to a server said parameter information received from said user for said selected ones of said components;

said client receiving from said server a plurality of options generated in response to said transmitted parameter information, each of said plurality of options comprising at least one suboption that corresponds to a value of one of said selected ones of said components and is selected in accordance with said parameter information, said client sending to said server said final option selected by said user from one of said plurality of options; and

providing said user with a confirmation generated by said user in response to user-provided reservation information, wherein said method is performed for at least two destinations, and said at least one suboption represents inventory that can be immediately confirmed as available and manipulated by a third party in real-time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising coupling said client to a network via a communications device and providing said user with a single user interface to view said at least two destinations and generate a single itinerary having a single price.

3. The method of claim 1, further said user selecting multiple airfares in a sequence of said at least two destinations.

4. The method of claim 1, said client receiving step further comprising one of said client and said server sorting said plurality of options according to price.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

said client transmitting user-generated payment information to said server in response to said selected final option; and

said client receiving one of an approval and a denial of said final option selection in response to said user-generated payment information.

6. The method of claim 5, said client transmitting user-generated payment information step comprising said client transmitting to said server at least one of payment account information, billing address, company name, telephone contact information and electronic mail address of said user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising said client receiving a user-generated discount code indicative of a discount criteria of said user, and transmitting said discount code to said server that generates a discount.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said third party comprises a vendor selling said inventory via said server, and confirming and changing availability of said inventory in response to said final option.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising said vendor selling said at least one suboption comprising one of a hotel room, a vehicle rental, an air transportation ticket, a travel tour and a travel service or a product.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing step farther comprises said client receiving said confirmation from said server for at least one of said third party and a travel agent.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying step comprises displaying said plurality of components comprising at least one of lodging accommodations, surface transportation options, air transportation accommodations, and reservation options received in said client.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said transmitting step comprises transmitting parameters for at least one of:

said air transportation accommodations comprising at least one of desired travel dates, desired travel times, desired airlines and desired flight requests;

said surface transportation options comprising at least one of desired vehicle type, desired vehicle rental price and desired vehicle rental company;

said lodging accommodations comprising at least one of specific room type, hotel classification, hotel chain and hotel rating; and

said reservation options comprising surface tours, travel insurance, luggage, clothing, video entertainment, audio entertainment and food products.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

said user combining at least one first suboption of a first option with at least one second suboption of a second option; and

said client transmitting said at least one first suboption and said at least one second suboption to said server to generate said final option.

14. A method for processing a final option using a server, comprising:

generating in said server and transmitting to a user interface a plurality of components for use at a plurality of destinations, each of said plurality of components having a parameter;

said server receiving information for said parameter of at least one of said plurality of components for use in at least two of said plurality of destinations, and generating and transmitting a plurality of options to said user interface, each of said plurality of options comprising at least one suboption that corresponds to a value for selected ones of said plurality of components and is generated in accordance with suboption availability information received in said server from a third party;

said server transmitting to said user interface a request for reservation confirmation data from a user in accordance with said final option selected by said user from said plurality of options; and

outputting to said user a confirmation generated in response to said reservation confirmation data, wherein said third party can directly an immediately modify levels of inventory of said at least one suboption.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising coupling said server to a network via a communications device and providing said plurality of components to said user interface via said network, wherein said user selects options for a sequence of at least two of said plurality of destinations to generate a single itinerary having a single price.

16. The method of claim 14, said transmitting step further comprising said server sorting said plurality of options according to price.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said outputting step comprises sending one of a facsimile, electronic mail, pager, voicemail and hard copy confirmation to said user.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

said server receiving user-generated payment information in response to said final option selection; and

said server one of approving and denying said final option selection in response to said user-generated payment information.

19. The method of claim 18, said server receiving said user-generated payment information step comprising said server receiving at least one of payment account, billing address, company name, telephone contact information and electronic mail address data of said user.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising said server displaying in said user interface purchase terms and conditions for approval by said user prior to said outputting step.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

said server receiving a discount code indicative of a discount criteria of said user; and

calculating a discount in response to said discount code.

22. The method of claim 21, said server receiving said discount code step comprising said server receiving a user-generated location code.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein said third party confirming said availability in said server comprises a vendor that sells said at least one of said suboptions via said server.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising said vendor selling at least one of hotel rooms, vehicle rentals, air transportation, travel tours and activities.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising said server storing said final option for a prescribed interval.

26. The method of claim 14, further comprising said server receiving at least one of said plurality of components from a third-party central reservation system, wherein said third-party central reservation system components comprises an airline reservation received from said server.

27. The method of claim 14, further comprising said server monitoring a plurality of said final options.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein one of said user, a travel agent and said third party accesses said plurality of final options monitored in said server.

29. The method of claim 14, wherein said outputting step further comprises said server providing said confirmation to one of said third party and a travel agent, and further comprising said server providing to said third party a plurality of said confirmations generated during a predetermined interval.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said third party receives from said server said plurality of confirmations on a daily interval.

31. The method of claim 14, wherein said generating step comprises generating said a plurality of components comprising lodging accommodations, surface transportation options, air transportation accommodations and services or products reservation options.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein:

said parameter for said air transportation accommodations comprises at least one of desired travel dates, desired travel times, desired airlines and desired flight requests;

said parameter for said surface transportation options comprises at least one of desired vehicle type, desired vehicle rental price and desired vehicle rental company;

said parameter for said lodging accommodations comprises at least one of specific room type, hotel classification, hotel chain and hotel rating; and

said parameter for said reservation options comprises at least one of surface tours, travel insurance, luggage, clothing, video entertainment, audio entertainment and food products.

33. A method of purchasing a final option, comprising:

providing a user with a plurality of components for a plurality of sequential destinations, each of said plurality of components having a parameter;

receiving parameter information from said user, and in a single transmission, providing said parameter information for selected ones of said plurality of components to a processor;

generating a plurality of options for said plurality of sequential destinations, in response to said parameter information, each of said plurality of options comprising at least one suboption having a value for each of said selected ones of said components, said suboption generated in accordance with said parameter information and said user selecting a final option from said plurality of options; and

sending a confirmation to said user indicative of an electronic reservation of said final option, wherein an availability of said at least one suboption is determined in accordance with information directly updated in real time by a third party.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising said user accessing a network via a communications device and using a user interface to view an input from the network.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising sorting said plurality of options by price.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

said user providing payment information to a server in response to said final option selection; and

one of an approving and a denying said user'"'"'s said final option in response to said payment information.

37. The method of claim 36, said user providing payment information step comprising providing said server with at least one of payment account information, billing address, company name, telephone contact information and electronic mail address of said user.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising displaying purchase terms and conditions for approval by said user prior to said sending said confirmation step.

39. The method of claim 33, further comprising generating a discount by transmitting to a server a user-generated discount code indicative of a discount criteria of said user.

40. The method of claim 33, further comprising said third party comprising a vendor selling said at least one suboption, said vendor capable of confirming and changing availability of said at least one suboption in response to said final option.

41. The method of claim 40, comprising said vendor selling said at least one suboption comprising at least one of a hotel room, a vehicle rental, air transportation, a travel tour and a travel product or service.

42. The method of claim 33, further comprising one of said third partly and a travel agent receiving said confirmation.

43. The method of claim 33, said providing step comprising displaying to said user at least one of lodging accommodations, surface transportation options, air transportation accommodations, and reservation options.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein said parameter information for said air transportation accommodations comprises at least one of desired travel dates, desired travel times, desired airlines and desired flight requests.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein said parameter information for said surface transportation options comprises at least one of desired vehicle type, desired vehicle rental price and desired vehicle rental company.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein said parameter information for said lodging accommodations comprises at least one of specific room type, hotel classification, hotel chain and hotel rating.

47. The method of claim 43, wherein said parameter information for said reservation options comprises at least one of surface tours, travel insurance, luggage, clothing, video entertainment, audio entertainment and food products.

48. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

said user matching at least one first suboption from a first option with at least one second suboption from a second option; and

said user transmitting said at least one first suboption and said at least one second suboption to a server to generate said final option.

49. The method of claim 33, wherein said sending step comprises sending said confirmation comprising one of a facsimile, electronic mail, pager, voicemail and hard copy as said confirmation.

50. The method of claim 33, further comprising storing said final option in a memory device for a prescribed time interval.

51. The method of claim 33, further comprising receiving in a server at least one of said plurality of components from an external airline reservation system, and receiving an airline reservation in said server from said reservation system.

52. The method of claim 33, further comprising one of said user, a travel agent and said third party monitoring said plurality of final options.

53. The method of claim 33, further comprising providing to said third party a plurality of said confirmations generated during a predetermined interval.

54. A system for selecting a final option, comprising:

a client system that receives a plurality of components, each of said plurality of components having a parameter configured to store user-provided information, receives a plurality of options generated in response to said user-provided information, and outputs said final option selected from said plurality of options by a user; and

a server system that generates and transmits, to said client system, said plurality of options, each of said plurality of options including a plurality of destinations and comprising at least suboption that has a value corresponding to one of said plurality of components and is selected in accordance with said parameter information, wherein said server system is directly updateable by a third party in real-time in response to an inventory level of at said least one suboption.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein said final option includes said plurality of destinations and has a single itinerary and a single price.

56. The system of claim 54, further comprising:

a communications device that provides said user with access to a remote server via a communication network.

57. The system of claim 54, further comprising:

user payment information provided to said server system in response to said final option selection; and

a final decision comprising one of approval and denial of said user'"'"'s said final option selection in response to said user payment information.

58. The system of claim 57, said user payment information comprising at least one of payment account information, billing address, company name, telephone contact information and electronic mail address.

59. The system of claim 54, further comprising a confirmation sent to said user in response to an approval of purchase terms and conditions for approval by said user.

60. The system of claim 59, wherein said confirmation comprises one of a facsimile, electronic mail, pager, voicemail and hard copy.

61. The system of claim 59, wherein one of said third party and a travel agent receives said confirmation.

62. The system of claim 54, further comprising a user-generated discount code indicative of a discount criteria of said user.

63. The system of claim 62, wherein said user-generated discount code comprises a location code.

64. The system of claim 54, further comprising a vendor that sells said at least one suboption, and can confirm and change availability and price of said at least one suboption in response to said final option, wherein said at least one suboption comprises at least one of a hotel room, a vehicle rental, an air transportation ticket, a travel tour and a travel product/service item.

65. The system of claim 54, said plurality of components comprising at least one of lodging accommodations, surface transportation options, air transportation accommodations, and activity reservation options, wherein:

said user-provided parameter information for said air transportation accommodations comprises at least one of desired travel dates, desired travel times, desired airlines and desired flight requests;

said user-provided parameter information for said surface transportation options comprises at least one of desired vehicle type, desired vehicle rental price and desired vehicle rental company;

said user-provided parameter information for said lodging accommodations comprises at least one of specific room type, hotel classification, hotel chain and hotel rating; and

said user-provided parameter information for said reservation options comprises at least one of surface tours, travel insurance, luggage, clothing, video entertainment, audio entertainment and food products.

66. The system of claim 54, further comprising at least one first suboption from a first option combined with at least one second suboption from a second option to generate said final option.

67. The system of claim 54, further comprising a memory device that stores said final option for a prescribed time interval.

68. The system of claim 54, further comprising a reservation system that receives at least one of said plurality of components from said server system.

69. The system of claim 68, wherein said reservation system comprises an airline reservation system.

70. The system of claim 54, further comprising a plurality of said confirmations generated during a predetermined interval that are provided to said third party.

71. A client system for selecting a final option, comprising:

an input system receiving a plurality of input signals that comprises,

a first input signal comprising a plurality of components, each of said plurality of components having a parameter with a user-determined value, and

a second input signal comprising a plurality of options, each of said plurality of options having a suboption comprising a value corresponding to one of said plurality of components and generated in accordance with said user-determined value of said parameter; and

an output system generating a plurality of output signals, said plurality of output signals comprising,

a first output signal comprising said user-determined value of said parameter for at least one of said plurality of components, and

a second output signal comprising a final option selected from said plurality of options, wherein said output device is configured to change said second input signal in response to a user input, said final option comprising a plurality of destinations corresponding to said components, in an itinerary having a single price.

72. The client system of claim 71, further comprising:

a communications device that couples said client system to the remote server, and

a user interface that allows said user to view said final option, including said components corresponding to said destinations.

73. The client system of claim 71, wherein said plurality of options in said second input signal are sorted according to price.

74. The client system of claim 71, further comprising:

a user-generated payment information output signal in response to an information request input signal; and

one of an approval and a denial input signal received in response to said user-generated payment information output signal.

75. The client system of claim 74, wherein said payment information output signal comprises at least one of payment account information, billing address, company name, telephone contact information and electronic mail address of said user.

76. The client system of claim 71, further comprising a third input signal including purchase terms and conditions, and a fourth input signal including a confirmation signal.

77. The client system of claim 71, further comprising a discount code output signal indicative of a user discount.

78. The client system of claim 77, wherein said discount code is a user-generated location code.

79. The client system of claim 71, further comprising a third party input signal including one of text information, a location indicator and rating information for said at least one suboption.

80. The client system of claim 71, further comprising a third party that controls inventory of said at least one suboption in response to availability of said inventory.

81. The client system of claim 80, wherein said third party comprises a vendor that controls inventory of said at least one suboption comprising one of a hotel room, a vehicle rental, an air transportation ticket, a travel tour and a travel product/service item.

82. The client system of claim 71, further comprising a third input signal including a confirmation message from said server for at least one of a user, said third party and a travel agent.

83. The client system of claim 71, wherein said first input signal comprises said plurality of components comprising at least one of lodging accommodations, surface transportation options, air transportation accommodations, and reservation options received in said client.

84. The client system of claim 83, wherein said parameters for said air transportation accommodations comprise at least one of desired travel dates, desired travel times, desired airlines and desired flight requests.

85. The client system of claim 83, wherein said parameters for said surface transportation options comprise at least one of desired vehicle type, desired vehicle rental price and desired vehicle rental company.

86. The client system of claim 83, wherein said lodging accommodations comprise at least one of specific room type, hotel classification, and hotel chain.

87. The client system of claim 83, wherein said parameters for said reservation options comprise at least one of surface tours, travel insurance, luggage, clothing, video entertainment, audio entertainment and food products.

88. The client system of claim 83, wherein said second output signal comprises at least one first suboption of a first option and at least one second suboption of a second option to generate said final option.

89. A system for selecting a final option, comprising:

a plurality of parameters, each of said parameters configured to store information;

a plurality of components simultaneously presented in a display, each of said plurality of components displaying at least one of said plurality of parameters in said display;

an information source that provides said information stored in at least one of said plurality of parameters in response to said display;

a plurality of options generated in response to said information, each of said plurality of options comprising at least one suboption having a value corresponding to selected ones of said plurality of components, said plurality of options selected in accordance with said stored information for a plurality of destinations; and

an inventory monitor that classifies said at least one suboption as one of available and unavailable, prevents said unavailable suboption from inclusion in said plurality of options and allows said available suboption to be included in said plurality of options, wherein said final option is selected from said plurality of options.

90. The system of claim 89, further comprising a communicator that allows remote access via a communications device and a user interface that facilitates communication

91. The system of claim 89, wherein said plurality of options is sorted by a characteristic of each of said plurality of options.

92. The system of claim 91, wherein said characteristic is a price of each of said plurality of options.

93. The system of claim 89, further comprising:

payment information provided by a user; and

one of an approval and a denial of said final option in response to said payment information.

94. The system of claim 93, said payment information comprising at least one of payment account information, billing address, company name, telephone contact information and electronic mail address of said user.

95. The system of claim 89, further comprising:

purchase terms and conditions displayed to said user for approval; and

a confirmation sent to said user in response to a purchase of said final option.

96. The system of claim 95, further comprising providing to said third party a plurality of said confirmations generated during a predetermined interval, wherein said third party receives said plurality of confirmations on a daily interval.

97. The system of claim 95, wherein one of said third party and a travel agent receives said confirmation.

98. The system of claim 96, wherein said confirmation comprises one of a facsimile, electronic mail, pager, voicemail and hard copy as said confirmation.

99. The system of claim 89, further comprising a user-generated discount code indicative of a user discount criteria.

100. The system of claim 99, said user-generated discount code comprising a user location code.

101. The system of claim 89, further comprising a third party that provides said at least one suboption to a user, and confirms and changes available inventory of said at least one suboption in response to said final option selected by a user.

102. The system of claim 101, wherein said third party comprises a vendor selling said at least one suboption that comprises at least one of a hotel room, a vehicle rental, an air transportation ticket, a travel tour and a travel product/service item.

103. The system of claim 89, said plurality of components comprising at least one of lodging accommodations, surface transportation options, air transportation accommodations, and reservation options.

104. The system of claim 103, wherein said parameter information for said air transportation accommodations comprises at least one of desired travel dates, desired travel times, desired airlines and desired flight requests.

105. The system of claim 103, wherein said parameter information for said surface transportation options comprises at least one of desired vehicle type, desired vehicle rental price and desired vehicle rental company.

106. The system of claim 103, wherein said parameter information for said lodging accommodations comprises at least one of specific room type, hotel classification, and hotel chain.

107. The system of claim 103, wherein said parameter information for said reservation options comprises at least one of surface tours, travel insurance, luggage, clothing, video entertainment, audio entertainment and food products.

108. The system of claim 89, wherein said final option comprises at least one first suboption selected from a first option and at least one second suboption selected from a second option.

109. The system of claim 89, further comprising a memory device that stores said final option for a prescribed time interval.

110. The system of claim 89, further comprising an external reservation system that receives at least one of said plurality of components.

111. The system of claim 110, wherein said plurality of components comprises an airline reservation from said external reservation system.

112. The system of claim 89, wherein one of said user, a travel agent and a third party accesses said inventory monitor.

113. A server system for selecting a final option, comprising:

a first system that generates a display comprising a plurality of components, each of said plurality of components having a parameter configured to store information provided by a user; and

a second system that receives said user-provided information for said parameter of at least one of said plurality of components and generates a plurality of options, each of said plurality of options including at least one suboption having a value selected in accordance with said user-provided information and corresponding to one of said plurality of components, wherein said server system receives said final option that has a plurality of destinations and is selected by a user from said plurality of options, and wherein a third party can adjust availability and price of said plurality of options in accordance with inventory levels of said at least one suboption.

114. The server system of claim 113, wherein said server system is coupled to a remote server via a communications device, and said display is a user interface accessible via a communication network.

115. The server system of claim 113, wherein said server system sorts said plurality of options according to price and displays said sorted plurality of options to said user, with a single price for each of said options.

116. The server system of claim 113, further comprising one of a facsimile, electronic mail, pager, voicemail and hard copy confirmation sent to said user and indicative of a final purchase of said final option.

117. The server system of claim 113, further comprising:

payment information provided from said user to said server system and indicative of a purchase request for said final option;

one of approval and a denial of said final option generated by said server system in response to said payment information;

an invoice received in said server system from said third party, said invoice initiating a transfer of funds from said client escrow account to said third party.

118. The server system of claim 117, said payment information step comprising at least one of payment account, billing address, company name, telephone contact information and electronic mail address data received by said server system from said user.

119. The server system of claim 113, further comprising a discount code received in said server system form said user and indicative of a user discount criteria

120. The server system of claim 113, further comprising said server transmitting to said user interface one of textual information, a location indicator and rating information for said at least one suboption stored in said server system.

121. The server system of claim 113, wherein said third party comprises a vendor that sells said at least one suboption via said server system.

122. The server system of claim 121, said one suboption comprising one of hotel rooms, vehicle rentals, air transportation, travel tours and items.

123. The server system of claim 113, further comprising a third-party central reservation system coupled to said server system and receiving said at least one suboption.

124. The server system of claim 123, wherein said third-party external reservation system components comprises an airline reservation.

125. The server system of claim 113, wherein one of said user, a travel agent and said third party accesses a plurality of said final options generated by said server system.

126. The server system of claim 125, wherein said confirmation is sent to one of said third party and a travel agent, and fixer comprising a plurality of said confirmations generated by said server system during a predetermined time interval.

127. The server system of claim 125, wherein said predetermined time interval comprises a daily interval.

128. The server system of claim 113, wherein said plurality of components comprises lodging accommodations, surface transportation options, air transportation accommodations and reservation options.

129. The server system of claim 128, wherein said parameter for said air transportation accommodations comprises at least one of desired travel dates, desired travel times, desired airlines and desired flight requests, wherein:

said parameter for said surface transportation options comprises at least one of desired vehicle type, desired vehicle rental price and desired vehicle rental company;

said parameter for said lodging accommodations comprises at least one of specific room type, hotel classification, and hotel chain; and

said parameter for said reservation options comprises at least one of surface tours, travel insurance, luggage, clothing, video entertainment, audio entertainment and food products.

130. A user interface for selecting an option, having a first screen that comprises:

a first object comprising at least one field for a user to enter information corresponding to an itinerary;

a second object comprising a plurality of components indicative of corresponding travel options, each of said components having at least one parameter that receives parameter information from a user, and each of said travel options having a plurality of sequential destinations; and

an activation object that transmits said information entered by said user in said first and second objects to a processor that monitors and determines availability of a suboption corresponding to one of said plurality of components, said processor generating a plurality of options in accordance with an inventory level of each of said plurality of components.

131. The user interface of claim 130, wherein said user interface communicates with the remote server via a communications device and displays data received from the remote server.

132. The user interface of claim 130, wherein said user interface transfers said parameter information to a server and displays a final option from said plurality of options, for said plurality of destinations.

133. The user interface of claim 132, wherein said user interface receives object information from, and transmits user-entered information to, a server.

134. The user interface of claim 130, further comprising a second screen for said user interface to display said plurality of options in a sorted order.

135. The user interface of claim 130, further comprising a second screen comprising:

a third object that receives and displays payment information provided by said user to said processor provided by a server in response in a user selection of one of said plurality of options; and

a fourth object that displays one of an approval and a denial said user'"'"'s selection in response to said payment information.

136. The user interface of claim 135, said third object comprising at least one field for said payment information comprising payment account information, billing address, company name, telephone contact information and electronic mail address.

137. The user interface of claim 130, wherein said plurality of components in said second object comprises at least one of lodging accommodations, surface transportation options, air transportation accommodations, and reservation options.

138. The user interface of claim 137, wherein said parameter information for said air transportation accommodations comprises a field for at least one of desired travel dates, desired travel times, desired airlines and desired flight requests, wherein:

said parameter information for said surface transportation options comprises a field for at least one of desired vehicle type, desired vehicle rental price and desired vehicle rental company;

said parameter information for said lodging accommodations comprises a field for at least one of specific room type, hotel classification, and hotel chain; and

said parameter information for said reservation options comprises a field for at least one of surface tours, travel insurance, luggage, clothing, video entertainment, audio entertainment and food products.

139. The user interface of claim 130, further comprising a second display comprising an object that allows a user to match at least one first suboption from a first selected option with at least one second suboption from a second selected option to generate a third selected option.

140. A method for updating inventory information, comprising:

directly accessing a data storage medium having said inventory information;

selecting one of a plurality of inventory review options;

reviewing one of a plurality of properties in a plurality of destinations in accordance with said selecting step;

selecting one of a plurality of update options; and

updating inventory information in said storage medium in response to said one of said plurality of update options, wherein a third party can access said data storage medium by a client system.

141. The method of claim 140, further comprising accessing said storage medium via a communication network and viewing said inventory information on the communication network with a user interface.

142. The method of claim 140, further comprising displaying said inventory information in a calendar on a user interface.

143. The method of claim 140, said third party comprising a vendor confirming and changing availability of one of said plurality of properties in response to a user purchase.

144. The method of claim 143, comprising said vendor selling said one suboption of said plurality of properties comprising a hotel room, a vehicle rental, air transportation, a travel tour and a travel product/service.

145. The method of claim 140, further comprising sending a confirmation comprising one of a facsimile, electronic mail, pager, voicemail and hard copy.

146. The method of claim 145, further comprising providing to said third party a plurality of said confirmations generated during a predetermined interval, third party receives said plurality of confirmations on a daily interval.

147. The method of claim 140, further comprising storing a user request to purchase inventory in said data storage medium for a prescribed time interval.

148. The method of claim 140, further comprising:

accessing a server from an external reservation system in said updating step; and

updating an airline reservation in said server from said external reservation system.

149. The method of claim 140, further comprising one of said user, a travel agent and said third party monitoring inventory information of said plurality of properties.

150. The method of claim 140, further comprising blocking availability of inventory for a prescribed date range by using said user interface to transmit a message to said data storage medium to block said availability.

151. The method of claim 140, further comprising adjusting price levels for at least one portion of said inventory in response to an input from said third party.