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Travel · head to head

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect vs Protel

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect logo

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

Travel

Browser based agent booking desktop on the Amadeus GDS

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Protel logo

Protel

Travel

German hotel property management system, now owned and sold by Planet

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amadeus Selling Platform Connect the desktop is inseparable from the Amadeus GDS agreement, so the software cannot be evaluated or bought on its own merits and switching means changing content supplier, incentive income and consultant training at once.; Protel the vendor is now a payments company, so the economics of a deal run through card processing rates as much as software fees, and a hotel with good existing acquiring terms may lose more on processing than it saves on licence.
  • They diverge on capability: Amadeus Selling Platform Connect covers Graphical PNR management, Protel covers Front desk and reservations.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amadeus Selling Platform Connect and Protel actually diverge.

Attributes where Amadeus Selling Platform Connect and Protel differ
AttributeAmadeus Selling Platform ConnectProtel
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, iOS, Android

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 Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

  • Graphical PNR management
  • Cryptic command line
  • Air availability and fare display
  • NDC content
  • Hotel and car booking
  • Ticketing and revalidation
  • Queues and office profiles
  • Smart Keys and scripting

Only in Protel

  • Front desk and reservations
  • Conference and banqueting
  • Cloud and on-premise editions
  • Integrated payments
  • Interface catalogue
  • Multi-property operation
  • Night audit and reporting
  • Tax-free shopping links

What people use each for

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

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

  • A travel management company servicing complex multi sector corporate itineraries that need manual reissue and split ticketingnot Protel
  • A consolidator issuing tickets on behalf of sub agents that needs shared queues and office profilesnot Protel
  • An airline city ticket office selling and reissuing tickets directly to walk in customersnot Protel
  • A leisure agency moving consultants off cryptic entries without losing access to the command line for complex faresnot Protel

Protel

  • A German or Austrian hotel needing fiscal and tax compliance handled natively rather than bolted onnot Amadeus Selling Platform Connect
  • A property with substantial conference and banqueting business that a rooms-only PMS cannot handlenot Amadeus Selling Platform Connect
  • An existing Protel on-premise site deciding whether to move to the cloud edition or change vendornot Amadeus Selling Platform Connect
  • A group wanting PMS and card acquiring from one supplier under a single contractnot Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

Where each one falls short

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

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

  • The desktop is inseparable from the Amadeus GDS agreement, so the software cannot be evaluated or bought on its own merits and switching means changing content supplier, incentive income and consultant training at once.
  • Segment incentive agreements carry minimum volume commitments, and agencies that shift traffic to direct airline NDC links or a second GDS can trigger shortfall clawbacks that dwarf any software saving.
  • The graphical layer does not cover every function, so experienced agents still drop into cryptic entries for reissues, complex fare builds and queue work, which keeps the training burden high for new hires.
  • NDC content sits alongside legacy EDIFACT content rather than replacing it, so agents face two ways of booking the same airline with different servicing rules, and post booking changes on NDC orders are more limited.
  • It is a per agent desktop with no meaningful self service layer, so corporates cannot let travellers book directly and agencies must staff every transaction, which caps productivity in low value leisure bookings.

Protel

  • The vendor is now a payments company, so the economics of a deal run through card processing rates as much as software fees, and a hotel with good existing acquiring terms may lose more on processing than it saves on licence.
  • The Protel name persists on the product but the corporate identity has moved to Planet, which makes contract, support and roadmap ownership harder to pin down than it looks from the product page.
  • Hotels on the older on-premise edition face a migration to cloud that is a re-implementation rather than an upgrade, with the data and interface work that implies.
  • Nothing about pricing is published, so a buyer cannot benchmark against Mews or Cloudbeds without a full sales process.
  • Strength is concentrated in German-speaking Europe and the Middle East; support depth and partner ecosystem are noticeably thinner in North America and Asia Pacific.

Pricing, plan by plan

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

On request
  • Selling Platform Connect$undefined/year
    • Bundled with an Amadeus GDS content and productivity agreement
    • Commercials are segment incentives and minimum annual segment volumes
    • Ticketing authority and IATA or accreditation requirements apply

Protel

On request
  • protel PMS by Planet$undefined/year
    • Quoted per property, no published rate card
    • Cloud and on-premise editions priced differently
    • Payment processing rates negotiated alongside the software

Which should you pick?

Choose Amadeus Selling Platform Connect if

  • You need graphical pnr management.
  • You also want cryptic command line.
Amadeus Selling Platform Connect review

Choose Protel if

  • You need front desk and reservations.
  • You work on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want conference and banqueting.
Protel review

Questions people ask

Is Amadeus Selling Platform Connect or Protel better?
Neither clearly leads. Amadeus Selling Platform Connect starts at On request and Protel at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amadeus Selling Platform Connect or Protel?
Amadeus Selling Platform Connect starts at On request and Protel at On request.
Does Amadeus Selling Platform Connect or Protel run on more platforms?
Amadeus Selling Platform Connect runs on Web. Protel runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
What is Amadeus Selling Platform Connect best used for?
Amadeus Selling Platform Connect is most often used for a travel management company servicing complex multi sector corporate itineraries that need manual reissue and split ticketing, a consolidator issuing tickets on behalf of sub agents that needs shared queues and office profiles, an airline city ticket office selling and reissuing tickets directly to walk in customers, a leisure agency moving consultants off cryptic entries without losing access to the command line for complex fares. Of those, a travel management company servicing complex multi sector corporate itineraries that need manual reissue and split ticketing and a consolidator issuing tickets on behalf of sub agents that needs shared queues and office profiles are not what Protel is typically brought in for.
What can Amadeus Selling Platform Connect do that Protel cannot?
Amadeus Selling Platform Connect covers Graphical PNR management, Cryptic command line, Air availability and fare display, NDC content. Protel covers Front desk and reservations, Conference and banqueting, Cloud and on-premise editions, Integrated payments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect: Can a corporate buy Selling Platform Connect directly?

Practically no. It is sold to accredited travel agencies and airline ticket offices as part of an Amadeus GDS agreement. Corporates buy a self booking tool such as Cytric or a TMC service instead.

Protel: Can you still buy Protel?

Yes. Planet acquired it in December 2021 and continues to sell it as protel PMS, though the corporate branding is Planet.

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect: Does it cost a per user licence fee?

Not usually. The commercial model is segment incentives paid to the agency against volume commitments, so the negotiation is about incentive rates and minimum segments, not seat price.

Protel: Why does the payments ownership matter?

Because the vendor earns on your card volume. Evaluate the processing rate alongside the software price rather than treating them as separate decisions.

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect: Does it support NDC?

Yes, airline NDC offers are retrieved through Amadeus Travel API and shown alongside EDIFACT content, but servicing rules for NDC orders differ and not every airline exposes the same change and refund functions.

Protel: Is the on-premise edition still supported?

It remains in the field with a large installed base, but new investment is directed at the cloud edition, so ask for an explicit support horizon in writing.

Protel: Where is Protel strongest?

German-speaking Europe and the Middle East, where its interface catalogue and fiscal compliance are deepest.

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