Hotel & Travel Index, the industry`s leading print and online hotel information source for travel professionals, today announced that Hotels.com (NASDAQ: ROOM), the leading specialized provider of discount lodging worldwide, is now the exclusive value lodging provider for Hotel & Travel Index Online.
Through the three-year agreement Hotel & Travel Index online
now offers travel professionals the ability to book thousands of hotel and vacation rental properties in over 200 markets worldwide. Hotel & Travel Index identifies discounted lodging properties in print and online with an eye-catching `Book It` icon. The new site also offers instant confirmation for reservations and commission to travel agents with an IATA number. Travel professionals may now also book via an exclusive toll free number.

“This alliance opens up a new distribution channel for Hotels.com. Approximately 180,000 travel agents in the U.S. alone, who currently book over $16 billion in hotel rooms annually, will now have easy access to Hotel.com`s value properties,” stated Bob Diener
, president of Hotels.com. “We are pleased to partner with Hotel & Travel Index.  Hotel & Travel Index is the most widely used print and online information source for hotel information by travel professionals, and the partnership will be heavily promoted by other Northstar publications.

In September 2001, Hotel & Travel Index successfully launched Hotel & Travel index online (www.htihotelink.com
), with detailed information on over 79,000 hotels, plus the related data that travel professionals need to book hotel rooms (destination information, custom mapping with driving directions, photos, airport diagrams, restaurant listings, special booking incentives - like `Hot Specials!` currency conversion, weather and more). “We have seen a steady pace of increased visitors since our launch,” states Steve Bailey, CTC, Publisher.  “and, with the addition of Hotels.com to www.htihotelink.com, we are providing travel agents the ability to offer price competitive rooms, as well as access to room inventory that may not have been available.” He added.

(18/07/2001) Hotel & Travel Index online @ htihotelink.com

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