WorldRes and Optims Announce Partnership

16 July 2002

Optims S.A. (Evry, France), the European leader in information technology solutions dedicated to the hospitality and tourism industries and WorldRes.com, a leading online hotel reservation network, signed an agreement to develop a seamless connection between the WorldRes hotel booking engine and Otedis, a subsidiary of Optims S.A., specialising in Internet hotel reservations.

“The partnership with WorldRes is strategic for Otedis” commented the Optims subsidiary” Managing Director, Pierre Matuchet. “New distribution channels will be available to our hotel customers, bringing more visibility and therefore more reservations”.

The WorldRes distribution network includes over 2,000 Web sites, leading Global Distribution Systems that reach over 450,000 travel agents and some of the most important online brands including PlacesToStay, Travelprice.com, AOL, Yahoo, Lycos, Freeserve (Wanadoo) and most recently Opodo - the new mega travel site created by nine European airlines.

In December 2001, Optims S.A. acquired HotelSwitch, an Internet start-up specialising in online hotel reservations. HotelSwitch was re-named Otedis (Optims Technology for Distribution) Today; Otedis has over 500 properties with real-time online reservation capabilities including one of the leading independent hotel companies, Chateaux & Hotels de France. This number continues to grow and with the addition of Agil Hotels (more than 500 properties), Otedis will shortly double its inventory to over 1,000 properties.

Richard Lewis, COO Europe for WorldRes.com commented : “WorldRes.com aims to provide consumers with the largest selection of independent hotels only available through our network. Optims has been extremely successful at introducing real-time reservations to this market and their unique supply of European independent and group properties will complement our offering in key markets”.

“Through the Internet, consumers are more and more willing to book properties in real-time, adds Antoine Medawar, CEO of Optims. Optims, as a provider of IT solutions for the Hospitality for more than twenty years, very well knows the needs of this industry. That`s why we developed efficient and easy to use reservation and distribution tools”.

With a single tool, the hotels using the Optims solution can offer their customers real-time bookings on their own web site as well as distribute their offer of rooms through worldwide distribution network, composed of many partners, including WorldRes.com.