Softwr

Travel · head to head

IDeaS vs Travelport Smartpoint

IDeaS logo

IDeaS

Travel

Enterprise revenue management for hotels and casinos, owned by SAS

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Travelport Smartpoint logo

Travelport Smartpoint

Travel

Travelport GDS booking desktop for travel agents, now on version 12

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: IDeaS nothing about pricing is published, and industry estimates put independent group deployments in the range of one and a half to three and a half thousand US dollars per month, so a buyer cannot even scope a budget without a sales cycle.; Travelport Smartpoint travelport retires older Smartpoint versions on its own schedule, and agencies that do not track release notes can lose sign-on access to Travelport+ or Apollo with little warning.
  • They diverge on capability: IDeaS covers Segment-level forecasting, Travelport Smartpoint covers Graphical and cryptic modes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IDeaS and Travelport Smartpoint actually diverge.

Attributes where IDeaS and Travelport Smartpoint differ
AttributeIDeaSTravelport Smartpoint
PlatformsWebWindows, Web

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Travel).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in IDeaS

  • Segment-level forecasting
  • Group displacement analysis
  • Length of stay controls
  • Room type optimisation
  • Total revenue view
  • Two-way system integration
  • Portfolio management
  • Automated pricing decisions

Only in Travelport Smartpoint

  • Graphical and cryptic modes
  • Multi-GDS content
  • Smartpoint Cloud
  • Automation scripting
  • Marketplace distribution
  • Queue and PNR management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

IDeaS

  • A casino resort deciding whether a convention group displaces more transient revenue than it producesnot Travelport Smartpoint
  • A hotel group standardising forecasting method across dozens of propertiesnot Travelport Smartpoint
  • A city hotel with complex corporate, wholesale and transient segmentation that simple tools cannot separatenot Travelport Smartpoint
  • A resort optimising length-of-stay controls around peak arrival patterns rather than pricing flatnot Travelport Smartpoint

Travelport Smartpoint

  • A retail agency already on a Travelport segment agreement needing the current supported desktop versionnot IDeaS
  • A TMC running mixed cryptic and graphical booking teams on one workspacenot IDeaS
  • An agency migrating from an older Smartpoint build after Travelport retired 8.1 to 9.1not IDeaS
  • A consolidator wanting Apollo, Galileo or Worldspan content behind a single agent interfacenot IDeaS

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

IDeaS

  • Nothing about pricing is published, and industry estimates put independent group deployments in the range of one and a half to three and a half thousand US dollars per month, so a buyer cannot even scope a budget without a sales cycle.
  • Contracts are typically multi-year, which locks a property into the platform through a period when its own strategy or ownership may change.
  • Implementation is long and depends on clean historical segmented data; properties whose PMS has inconsistent segment coding spend months on data hygiene before the forecast is usable.
  • It expects a revenue manager to interpret and override it, so a property without that skill will either follow bad recommendations or stop looking at them.
  • The interface and workflow reflect enterprise heritage rather than modern design, and casual users find it dense compared with the simpler tools aimed at independents.

Travelport Smartpoint

  • Travelport retires older Smartpoint versions on its own schedule, and agencies that do not track release notes can lose sign-on access to Travelport+ or Apollo with little warning.
  • Pricing is never published and is folded into a segment incentive agreement, so two agencies of similar size can be paying materially different effective rates with no way to compare.
  • Cryptic command knowledge is still needed for a meaningful share of servicing tasks, so a newly hired agent takes months to reach full productivity.
  • It is a Windows-weighted desktop product, and agencies wanting fully remote or Mac-based teams need Smartpoint Cloud or virtual desktop infrastructure to compensate.
  • Switching to Sabre or Amadeus means retraining staff on a different command language and renegotiating a separate incentive deal, which locks agencies into their existing GDS relationship longer than pure product quality would justify.

Pricing, plan by plan

IDeaS

On request
  • IDeaS G3 RMS$undefined/year
    • Quoted per property and per portfolio
    • No published rate card at any tier
    • Contracts commonly multi-year

Travelport Smartpoint

On request
  • Travelport Smartpoint$undefined/year
    • Usually bundled into a GDS segment agreement
    • Distribution and version entitlement managed per country via the Marketplace
    • Segment incentive payments to the agency

Which should you pick?

Choose IDeaS if

  • You need segment-level forecasting.
  • You also want group displacement analysis.
IDeaS review

Choose Travelport Smartpoint if

  • You need graphical and cryptic modes.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want multi-gds content.
Travelport Smartpoint review

Questions people ask

Is IDeaS or Travelport Smartpoint better?
Neither clearly leads. IDeaS starts at On request and Travelport Smartpoint at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IDeaS or Travelport Smartpoint?
IDeaS starts at On request and Travelport Smartpoint at On request.
Does IDeaS or Travelport Smartpoint run on more platforms?
IDeaS runs on Web. Travelport Smartpoint runs on Windows, Web.
What is IDeaS best used for?
IDeaS is most often used for a casino resort deciding whether a convention group displaces more transient revenue than it produces, a hotel group standardising forecasting method across dozens of properties, a city hotel with complex corporate, wholesale and transient segmentation that simple tools cannot separate, a resort optimising length-of-stay controls around peak arrival patterns rather than pricing flat. Of those, a casino resort deciding whether a convention group displaces more transient revenue than it produces and a hotel group standardising forecasting method across dozens of properties are not what Travelport Smartpoint is typically brought in for.
What can IDeaS do that Travelport Smartpoint cannot?
IDeaS covers Segment-level forecasting, Group displacement analysis, Length of stay controls, Room type optimisation. Travelport Smartpoint covers Graphical and cryptic modes, Multi-GDS content, Smartpoint Cloud, Automation scripting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

IDeaS: What does IDeaS cost?

It is not published. Independent group deployments are commonly discussed in the range of one and a half to three and a half thousand US dollars per property per month, but every deal is quoted.

Travelport Smartpoint: Do we pay a separate licence fee for Smartpoint?

Usually not directly. It is typically bundled into a GDS segment agreement in which Travelport pays incentives per booked segment.

IDeaS: Who owns IDeaS?

SAS Institute. The forecasting engine draws directly on the parent company analytics platform, which is the substantive reason for the product depth.

Travelport Smartpoint: What happened to older Smartpoint versions?

Travelport retired versions 8.1 through 9.1 as of 30 April 2026; agencies must be on Smartpoint 12.0 to keep signing on to Travelport+ or Apollo.

IDeaS: Is it suitable for a single independent hotel?

Rarely. Without a revenue manager and clean segmented history, a small property gets more from RoomPriceGenie or PriceLabs at a fraction of the cost and effort.

Travelport Smartpoint: Is there a browser version?

Yes, Smartpoint Cloud runs in a browser for agents without a managed Windows desktop.

IDeaS: Does it handle group business?

Yes, group displacement analysis is one of its defining capabilities and a main reason casino and convention hotels choose it.

Share

Related pages

More on IDeaS

More on Travelport Smartpoint

Keep looking

Other head to heads