Over the past few years, hubX
“The Center of Reservation Innovation”, has quietly moved into a commanding position in the
eCommerce world of booking engines, websites and connecting disparate
property systems with online sales channels.  Though other vendors have
tried to offer similar capabilities, most new businesses have dwindled due
to lacking profits. And established companies find that their business or
technology platforms are unable to deliver comparable solutions.

hubX has recently added some impressive names to its
client list in a very short time.  In the past year alone, the company has
added Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Ocean Properties, Historic Hotels of
America, Leading Hotels of the World, and such classic independent
properties as The Cloister at Sea Island; Mohonk Mountain House, Hotel
Monteleone, and the Hotel DuPont. Adding these clients to an already
impressive roster, which includes Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and Xanterra
Parks & Resorts, enables hubX to provide services to lodging organizations
with over 55,000 rooms.  The secret to hubX`s success is voiced clearly by
their clients, “They did what they said they`d do; and it works!” said
Mandarin Oriental, while Rosewood Hotels and Resorts touts: “They`re the
best kept secret in hospitality.”

At the same time hubX has been gaining market praise for their capabilities,
they have partnered with industry leaders for complementary services,
including Interactive Sites (winner of the Hotel Sales & Hospitality
Association International Golden Clicks Best of Show) for dynamic website
design and Virtual-Agent Services (winner of the Gold Best-in-Class 2002
RealMarket Users Choice Award for Contact Center Tools) for call center
management.

On-line Travel - The Stakes have Never Been higher.

Travel is one of the largest categories of online sales, so it`s critical
that lodging organizations make their online presence known and effective
for customers and partners.  Forrester Research notes that 29.1 million
American households have booked travel online and expects that by 2007, $49
billion in online travel sales will be at stake.

Not surprisingly, hoteliers say that improving the functionality of their
website(s) and sales channels is a top priority.  Clients view hubX as the
key to delivering on this promise because they provide the critical
technology between each hotel and the web-surfing guest and/or online sales
agent.

When powered by hubX, a client`s online presence gets complete connectivity
between their Property Management System (PMS) and the hotel`s own web site,
Central Reservation Systems (CRS), Global Distribution Systems (GDS), and
Internet Distribution Systems (IDS) they use to conduct business.  Not only
does the platform give hoteliers single-image inventory and centralized
management of their channels via the hubX “Channel Dashboard”, but
reservations are transferred automatically back into the PMS without any
manual intervention.  These capabilities are nirvana for most hoteliers
allowing them to “sell the right room at the right price”, all the while
increasing customer retention and value.

Making Hotel Websites More Effective

Just as important as channel connectivity and the reduced costs hubX
provides, the hubX platform delivers an incredible level of functionality
for the property(s) own web site.  Web site bookings are the lowest-cost
source of any reservation and are therefore the preferred channel to
generate business. When hotels see the volume of their web site reservations
increase at a rate of 400 or 500%, as Historic Hotels of America recently
did, those cost efficiencies are invaluable.

What makes the web site guest a satisfied and repeat customer is what they
encounter when visiting any hotel`s website.  The unique capabilities of the
hubX booking engine enable the property`s amenities, products, room
availability and rates to be easily understood and booked.  It also gives
the hotel an interactive platform for promoting and processing special
packages, spa, restaurant golf course, and additional entertainment options
the guest may choose.  One of the websites powered by the hubX booking
engine (created with design partner Interactive Sites)  - RosewoodHotels.com
—was recently recognized by The New York Times Travel section as one of
the “web sites that glitter. a style-conscious Internet site.”  HubX is
currently working on the next phase of the Rosewood Hotels site that will
enable the 13-resort international group to provide dynamic pricing and
promotional offers to repeat guests as they log in.

Know Your Customers and They`ll Return the Favor

In a departure from traditional static presentations, hubX`s advanced
booking engine allows properties to present their complete offering on one
reservation page while tailoring that page to individual guest needs and
preferences.  Whether the guest is a new customer, a returning guest, or
frequent traveler, the hubX engine dynamically serves up highly relevant
rates and value-added cross-sell opportunities (spa, golf, dining, etc.)
specific to each guest.  This a stark departure from the typical, limited
website approach of “one size fits all”.

In addition to providing a more personalized experience for guests, hubX
gives hoteliers the advantage of being able to build on both dynamic pricing
strategies for a specific timeframe and their knowledge of their customers. 
They can cross-sell based on guest history and build stronger relationships
through online reservations connectivity - all elements that are not
available from generic and discount third-party reservations websites. 
Behind the scenes, the booking engine provides user-friendly, real-time
content management so that hoteliers can quickly and effectively maintain
the products and services they are offering on web site and other online
channels.

What`s Next?

“In spite of the doomsayers, profitability and eCommerce are not mutually
exclusive goals,” commented Mike Murray, President of hubX.  “As hubX
continues to develop solutions that are one step ahead of consumer demand we
will continue to put our clients on the profitable and leading edge of
success. Our objective will always be to deliver on what we promise and
measuring our accomplishments by the success of our clients.”

Related stories on ITN:

(07/01/2002) HubX Partnership with Virtual-Agent Services

(22/10/2002) HubX Technology Powers Mohonk Mountain House Website

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