News & Stories
New York. Data released by the Travel Industry Association of America and Shifflet & Associates show that last year, for the first time, more trips were booked online than by any other method. One-quarter of travelers who booked accommodation reservations did so online in 2005, up 9 percent from the year before. Hotel chain websites were used most often to make internet reservations, followed by other online booking services, such as online travel agencies.
Dallas. Technology Provider Pegasus Solutions, Inc. announced that the stockholders of the company voted to adopt the merger agreement providing for the acquisition of Pegasus by an entity currently controlled by Prides Capital Partners, LLC.
Chicago. Internet reservations at the central reservation offices of major hotel brands still grow. This shows that hotels are gaining control of their distribution channels.
New York. Donald Trump, the world's best known real estate mogul, just started a new venture in the travel industry. His new web site GoTrump.com is an agency that promises bargains on airfares and hotels, and includes vacation tips from the Donald himself.
Frankfurt/M. Distinguished as the authoritative voice on electronic distribution for the hotel industry, HEDNA, the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association will bring together a worldwide audience to explore today's most compelling distribution issues at the 2006 HEDNA Conference in May in Frankfurt, Germany.
London. Even on the web, globalisation is reaching its limits: In the future, the creators of hotels.com will explicitly address the demands of each country. Every four weeks another new national website will be released. This means that German customers will be able to find a German website where offers are customised to their travel behaviour. Furthermore, there is a new head of marketing for the German-speaking countries.
Atlanta. InterContinental Hotels Group implements a virtual concierge service, "eHost," for its Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts brand. "eHost " goes live this week in 14 U.S. Holiday Inn properties as part of the system's beta release.
Hong Kong. On the occasion of its fifth birthday, the IT-specialised consultancy of Pertlink, headquartered in Hong Kong, has published a useful checklist about hotel technology. The list points out numerous important details from the guests' perspective, details that often get lost in everyday hotel business. We recommend taking many of the listed aspects seriously!
Lausanne. The UK operator First Choice projects that online hotel sales in Europe will increase by about 50% from 2004 levels to exceed €6 billion in 2006, by which time they will make up 24% of all hotel sales in Europe and the US. For the time being, the great majority of hotel nights sold on web are in urban destinations. The resort hotels are still left out.
Lausanne. Should hoteliers prefer "dynamic packaging" to the "merchant model"? After 9/11 two-thirds of hotel bookings via the major travel websites were merchant sales. Fact is: the pressure on rates induced by web distribution remains high. The price of a room night booked through conventional travel agents was 31.2% higher than the average for room nights booked via the internet. The industry looses milllions and millions of Dollar per year due to increased internet transparency. A comparison of the models.