

TSINFO.TXT. Documentation for TRAVEL SEARCH
Last edited Sept 14, 1993


========
OVERVIEW
========

TRAVEL SEARCH is a large, comprehensive database of hotels, resorts & 
inns in the United States.  It also gives information about airports, 
tourist attractions, business addresses and more.  We believe you will find
that TRAVEL SEARCH offers more breadth of listings, more criteria, and 
greater selection flexibility than any other hotel database available 
anywhere.

There are thousands of listings in the TRAVEL SEARCH database.  They provide 
descriptions, addresses, direct phone numbers, toll free phone numbers, 
amenities and services, distances between lodging locations and airports, 
etc, just like other lodging databases.

You can search for lodging using all the categories on-line lodging 
databases use, such as city name, hotel name, price or airport location.  

You can use geographic criteria other databases do not offer: a 
section of a city, an entire state, a region of several adjacent states, 
or an area that is not defined by city or state boundaries.  

You can select listings using all-suite hotels, inns, dude ranches and 
waterfront locations; proximity to businesses, tourist attractions and 
"high profile" hotels; amenities such as golf, tennis, skiing and fitness; 
antiques, historic surroundings, and more.  

And, you can search for these criteria in a great number of combinations.  
You can modify them without restarting your search string or retyping your 
input.  

You will not need to remember menu sequences or key in complicated 
commands to use this detailed database.  Because of our new, flexible 
selection screen, selections can be made using only two keys:  TAB & 
ENTER.  Our new method combines detailed precision with maximum 
flexibility and ease.  It is enjoyable to use.

When you have made your selections from the database you can view 
descriptions in either brief or detailed formats. And you can print the 
descriptions in either brief or detailed formats.


==========================================
COMPARING THIS 2-STATE VERSION AND REGIONS
==========================================

What you have now is a 2-State version of the database.  It contains the
same programing and selection critieria as all TRAVEL SEARCH databases and 
426 listing from Connecticut and Massachusetts. This "demo" is our way 
of introducing you to TRAVEL SEARCH. If you like what you see here and have 
need for lodging information in other parts of th U.S., you can license any 
of the TRAVEL SEARCH Regions for $20 each.  Nine regions are available:

   Mid-Atlantic States: Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylsvania, New
                        Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, 
                        Washington D.C.
   Midwest:             Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, 
                        Wisconsin
   Northeast:           Connecticut, Massachusettes, Maine, New
                        Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode
                        Island, Vermont
   Plains States:       Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska,
                        North Dakota, South Dakota
   Rockies:             Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming,
                        Idaho
   South:               Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, 
                        Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennesse
   Southeast:           North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida
   Southwest:           Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
   West Cost:           California, Oregon, Washington

Regions are displayed in color.  Regions contain an average of 1,500+ lodging 
listings.  Directions for ordering TRAVEL SEARCH Regions are given at the end of this
documenation and in a separate file named ORDER.TXT.


=====================
MINIMUM CONFIGURATION
=====================

TRAVEL SEARCH runs on IBM PC or compatible computers with 640K memory, 
DOS v3.1 or later, one high density diskette drive, and 3-5 Meg hard drive 
space. (The actual amount of hard disk space needed varies by Region.)  The 
speed of the database is most satisfactory on computers with 286 or faster 
processors.


============
INSTALLATION
============

There are 11 TRAVEL SEARCH files for this "demo":
        INSTALL.DAT
        IDX.ZIP
        PKUNZIP.EXE
        INSTALL.EXE
        ENDINST.BAT
        DBFS.ZIP
        DISK.ID
        RTIME.ZIP
        TSINFO.TXT
        INSTALL.TXT
        ORDER.TXT
These TRAVEL SEARCH files need to be copied onto either a 5.25, 1.2 Meg or a 
3.5, 1.44 Meg diskette in order to use the installation program that is 
provided.

When you have created a diskette, put it into a diskette drive of your PC 
computer (usually A or B). Display the prompt for that drive (e.g., A:> or 
B:>). Type INSTALL and press ENTER. Directions for automated installation 
will appear on your screen.  You will select a hard drive (usually C) and 
say "yes" when asked if files can be modified.  (If you do not want an 
automatic installation, say "no" and the set files=40 and buffers=30 yourself. ) 

After installing the database, remove the diskette.  If your CONFIG.SYS file 
has been modified, reboot your computer.

A directory named TSDIR will have been created. It will contain approximately  
50 files.


====================
TO USE TRAVEL SEARCH
====================

At the directory prompt, type TSTRAVELand press ENTER. A welcome screen will 
appear. Press ENTER.  The next screen will be the Selection Screen.  Seven 
Selection Categories are given in the following order:

     Start of Travel:
     Location:
     Lodging Type:
     Lodging Name:
     Amenities:
     Rates:
     Action:

One choice will be displayed next to the first Selection Category. For 
instance:
     Start of Travel:  January-March

Only two keys are required to make a selection from a Category: press 
ENTER to select the choice that is displayed (for example, January-March) 
or tab to display other choices.  When your choice appears, press ENTER to 
make a selection.  The cursor will move down the screen to the next 
Selection Category.

There are two optional key patterns. Use SHIFT+TAB to display choices in the 
reverse order.  Use UP-ARROW to move the cursor up the screen so you can 
change a choice.  

Occasionally you will be given the option to type letters to start a 
proper name. The symbol, [     ] indicates a Typing Field.

All Selection Categories except Action allow a choice called "Disregard".  
Choose Disregard to avoid making a choice from a particular category.  
Disregard is useful when the choices are irrelevant or unimportant to you.

Directions always appear on the screen.



=======
TO EXIT
=======

At any time, you may press either ESCAPE or ENTER, ESCAPE to exit.  Or, when 
you have finished making your selections, choose "Quit and Return to DOS" from 
the Action line of the Selection Screen.  



==================
SELECTION CRITERIA
==================

A list of the choices that comprise the first division of the TRAVEL 
SEARCH database appears below. 


START OF TRAVEL:

January-March; April-June; July-September; October-December


LOCATION:

Within a City; Within a State; Within a Region; Within a Geographic Area; 
Near an Airport; Near a Business; Near a Major Hotel; Near a Tourist 
Attraction


LODGING TYPE:

Hotel or Motel; Suite Hotel; Inn or Country Lodge; Waterfront Location; 
Dude Ranch; Health Resort or Spa; Tennis Resort; Golf Resort; Ski Resort; 
Beach Resort; Fishing Resort; Social Activities Resort


LODGING NAME:

There are 13,000+ listings with one or more names in the 48-state version.  
The number or names in the Regional versions varies.


AMENITIES:

Indoor Swimming; Outdoor Swimming; Indoor Tennis ; Outdoor Tennis; 
Exercise Equipment; Indoor Track; Racquet Ball; Fitness Teacher; Sauna; 
Golf; On the Beach; Boating Nearby; Golf Nearby; Tennis Nearby; Skiing 
Nearby; Fishing Nearby; Antiques Featured; Historic Building; Historic 
Community


RATES (for 1 or 2 people):

Economy, Luxury, $30 or less, $25-$50, $40-$70, $60-$90, $80-$150, $140-
$200, $180 and up



=========================================================
TIPS FOR USING THIS NEW, MORE FLEXIBLE, SELECTION SCREEN:
=========================================================

PICKING A LOCATION   If you are selecting something readily available, 
such as a mid-priced hotel, start with a small geographic area such as a 
city name.  If you are selecting something unusual, such as a Dude Ranch, 
start with a large area such as a Region or State. 


TYPING FIELDS   If you are looking for something by name and know how to 
spell it, type most or all of the name in the Typing Field.  It will 
usually be displayed first when you press ENTER.  If you are not certain 
how to spell what you are looking for, type only the first letter and 
ENTER.  All names starting with that letter will be displayed in 
alphabetical order. TAB until the name you want is displayed.  Then press 
ENTER.  If you leave a typing field blank and ENTER, all names from A-Z 
will appear alphabetically.  


DISPLAYING CHOICES IN REVERSE ORDER   If you have tabbed past your choice 
or if it will appear near the end of an alphabetical list, it is more 
efficient to display the list in reverse order.  Use SHIFT+TAB


THE STATUS WINDOW   The Status Window provides several kinds of useful 
information.  It always gives all necessary directions.  If a list of 
choices is short, it displays the list.  If a list is too long to fit in 
the Status Window, it tells you how many choices there are;  they will be 
displayed as you TAB.  The Status Window also tells you how many listings 
are in the group you have selected.  If the number is large, add criteria 
to make it shorter. If there are too few, you can UP-ARROW and remove some 
criteria. 


DISREGARD   Leave out categories that are not important in your selection 
by choosing Disregard. For example, you can Disregard at Location and make 
your primary selection using Lodging Type or Lodging Name. You can 
Disregard at Amenities and all listings selected to that point will be 
available when you consider Rates.


RATES  Every listing can be selected from at least one rate range. Some 
listings can be selected from more than one rate range and from the 
categories named Economy or Luxury.  The actual price of lodging often 
varies more than published rates suggest.  Therefore, price information 
supplied here should be seen as a guide for making selections and 
properties are to be contacted directly for exact rates.  Always ask about 
special packages and/or week-end, business or membership (e.g., Triple A) 
discounts when requesting price quotes.


ALWAYS A "HIT"  TRAVEL SEARCH only displays names of selections that are 
available in the database after taking into account the criteria you have 
already selected.  For instance, if you choose Wyoming at Location and 
then look through the list at Lodging Type, you will not find Waterfront 
listed because there are no waterfront properties listed in Wyoming.  If 
you want a choice and it does not appear, change a category that occurs 
above it on the screen.  For example, use the UP-ARROW key to go up the 
screen and choose a larger or different Location.



========================================
SAMPLE SEARCHES & THE SYSTEM'S DIVERSITY
========================================

Lodging databases such as those offered on-line by airline reservation 
companies, typically search by city or airport name, hotel name, price and 
amenities.  TRAVEL SEARCH does such standard search patterns with ease, 
and without the requirements that criteria be used in a specific order or 
that the correct spelling of the proper names be supplied by the user.  

In addition, TRAVEL SEARCH has many more selection criteria and is much 
more flexible than other lodging databases.  The examples that appear 
below illustrate some of the more flexible features of the system.  (When 
numbers of items available are given, they refer to the 48-state version 
of the database.  Numbers in the Regions will vary.)


EXAMPLE #1   You remember a small family hotel with antiques and a fine 
ambiance near the downtown area in a city you last visited some time ago  
-- a good change of pace from the standard hotel.  You don't remember the 
name.  You'd like to find it.

Lodging is grouped into a number of categories, including Inns.  You also 
might find antiques listed as an Amenity.

Select your city at Location and look at Lodging Type to see if Inn or 
Country Lodge appears.  If so, select that category.  Then select 
Disregard at Lodging Name.  All names of inns in that city will be 
displayed.  Look through the list of names to see if you recognize the one 
you want.  If you do not find inns in your city, select Disregard at 
Lodging Type and look for Antiques at Amenities.  If the property is 
listed in the database as a hotel rather than as an inn, you will be able 
to identify it using this strategy if it is listed.


EXAMPLE #2   The hotel where the convention is being held is booked (or 
too expensive).  You need a place to stay.  Not something across town, but 
near where the meetings are being held.

TRAVEL SEARCH identifies more than 1,900 "high profile" hotels.  They are 
hotels that host conventions and are often among the most expensive 
accommodations in an area.  Lodgings that are very close to these Major 
Hotels have been identified and can be selected as the closest 
alternatives to the Major Hotel.

Select Near a Major Hotel at Location.  Look for the name of the 
convention hotel.  If it is there, select it.  From 1 to 10 nearby 
listings will be given.  In some cases, TRAVEL SEARCH will give 
distinguishing details such as "In the same block as the Major Hotel."


EXAMPLE #3   You prefer economy priced chains when you travel.  The 
problem is locating economy priced lodging before you drive past them on 
your way to the advertised, up-scale hotel where you've made a 
reservation.

TRAVEL SEARCH gives rates by price, as most databases do.  It also assigns 
some listings to a price category named Economy.  Economy is relative to 
other prices in the area.  For example, an $80 room might be Economy in 
New York City but not in other places.  There are 26 chains and many 
independent listings in TRAVEL SEARCH with the Economy designation.

To find the most economical listings, select Within a City or some other 
appropriate geographic area at Location and then select either the lowest 
rate that is displayed for that location or Economy.  


EXAMPLE #4   You have not seen much of the area of the country you will be 
driving through.  You'd like some assistance choosing tourist attractions 
that are on your route.

TRAVEL SEARCH lists more than 1,300 tourist attractions in the U.S.  They 
were chosen from information provided by state tourism offices in response 
to inquiries for lists of the most popular attractions in each state.

Choose Near a Tourist Attraction at Location and select a State.  At the 
Typing Field that prompts you to spell part of a tourist attraction name, 
press ENTER to leave the field blank.  All of the tourist attractions 
listed in that state will be presented in alphabetical order.  You can TAB 
through them, select ones that interest you by the name of the attraction 
or the name of the towns in which they are located.  Lodging near your 
selections will be identified.


EXAMPLE # 5   You would like to stay in a Resort where there are a variety 
of activities.  Maybe golf, tennis, and racquetball. 

There are two ways to find activities using TRAVEL SEARCH.  They can be 
listed either as Amenities or as Resorts.  Resorts typically have a pro-
shop and a professional staff providing instruction. A Resort always has a 
higher level of service associated with the activity than an Amenity.  One 
Resort category can by selected at Lodging Type.  As many as three 
amenities can be selected.

Pick a geographic area that is suitable.  See if there is an appropriate 
Resort at Lodging Type.  If so, select the resort category and select 
other activities of interest at Amenities.  If not, select  Disregard at 
Lodging Type and look for Amenities such as Golf and Tennis.  You can 
select up to three amenities.  If racquetball is available, it will also 
be listed as an amenity.  If you are looking for a very unusual 
combination and are not restricted as to location, you can Disregard 
Location and find all listings in the country of a particular Resort type.


EXAMPLE #6   You're calling on a client with corporate offices in an 
industrial park outside the city.  You'll be on a tight driving schedule 
and want lodging as close as possible to the client's office.

There are approximately 5,000 businesses listed by name and addresss in 
TRAVEL SEARCH.  Each business listing is connected to from 1 to 10 
lodgings that are closer to the business than any others in the database.  
Also, in TRAVEL SEARCH, listings that are in suburban towns can be 
selected using either the name of the town or the name of the large city 
with which it is associated.

Select Near a Business at Location to look for your business by name. If 
it is listed, you can either disregard all  the other criteria  and see 
all the listings connected to it, or limit your selection further by 
adding price or amenities.  If the business is not listed, select Within a 
City at Location and use the name of the large city.  You may be able to 
recognize the name of the small town in which the industrial park is 
located if listings for that town are among the group.     



===================
INFORMATION SOURCES
===================

TRAVEL SEARCH information comes from Federal, state and local information 
sources, descriptions published by properties and telephone communications 
with properties.  Some information is originated by TRAVEL SEARCH for use 
in this database. 

Every effort has been made to provide complete and accurate information. 
However, information should always be verified before making decisions of 
where to stay.  TRAVEL SEARCH assumes no responsibility for omissions or 
errors and does not specifically recommend listings in the database.  

The TRAVEL SEARCH database is under continuous revision. Suggestions are 
welcome.  Please bring any errors to our attention.


===========
LIMITATIONS
===========

THIS SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION ARE OFFERED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES 
AS TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER 
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED.  BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE 
ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS 
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED.  THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK 
OF USING THE PROGRAM.  ANY LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY 
TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE.


=========
COPYRIGHT
=========

Copyright laws apply to these programs and to these data.  A patent also 
protects the user interface of the Selection Screen.  Do not copy the 
database or the information contained in the database for commercial 
advantage or financial gain without written permission from the owners.  
Do not alter any of the program files or combine them with other programs 
without authorization from the owners.


=========================================
OBTAINING COPIES OF TRAVEL SEARCH REGIONS
=========================================

When ordering Regions for installation on IBM PC or compatable computers 
we need the following:

1.  Name:
2.  Business Name, if applicable
2.  Street Address or P.O. Box
3.  City, State, Zip
4.  Voice phone number
5.  Other ways to contact you -- an e-mail ID for CompuServe, 
    a BBS or some other on-line system, if available. 
6.  Source of any version of TRAVEL SEARCH you now have. 
    By source, we mean where did you get your copy of 
    TRAVEL SEARCH?
7   Size of diskettes:  Can you use 3 1/2", 1.44M diskettes?
    (If not, what size?)
8.  A check or money for the product you are ordering.  (New York
    residents add State and Local sales tax.)

For your convenience, an Order Form appears below and can be printed from
the file, ORDER.TXT. 

Name:          _________________________________________

Business Name: _________________________________________

Street or P.O. Box: ____________________________________

City, State, Zip: ______________________________________

Voice Phone: (_____) ______-___________

On-line "Address": _____________________________________
   (CompuServe, etc)
Date of current version, if any: _______________________

Did you learn of TRAVEL SEARCH on (name of BBS)?  Yes  NO

If no, where? __________________________________________

Can you use 3.5", 1.44M  diskettes?  Yes  No  

   If not, what size? __________________________________


Select Regions.  Each Region costs $20.00 US currency.  
There is a $4.00 postage and handling charge for each order.

Mid-Atlantic States: DE, DC, MD, PA, NJ, VA, WV $______
Midwest: IL, IN, MI, OH, WI                      ______
Northeast: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT        ______
Plains States: IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD        ______
Rockies: CO, MT, NV, UT, WY, ID                  ______
South: AL, AR. GA. KY. LA. MS, TN                ______
Southeast: NC, SC, FL                            ______
Southwest: AZ, NM, OK, TX                        ______
West Cost: CA, OR, WA                            ______

Postage and handling                            $  4.00
NY State residence, add state & local sales tax   _____

Total amount U.S. currency enclosed:            $______


Send orders to:   TRAVEL SEARCH, Dept. 3
                  P.O. Box 949
                  Nyack,  NY 10960  USA


QUESTIONS & SUPPORT:
    CompuServe: 73150,3214
    Voice: (914) 358-1159
    RIME: messages to Nancy Cochran at ->ROCKLAND

Copyright (C) 1992-1993. TRAVEL SEARCH. All rights reserved.
