Thistle Hotels has just launched its new fully interactive Internet Web site complete with online reservation capability and personalisation software - a first for the UK hotel sector.

Designed and built by iXL, a leading strategic Internet services firm, the Web site at www.thistlehotels.com is easily navigable and informative. The new Web sites booking capabilities are powered by Pegasus Systems, which is providing the interface between the Thistle Web site and Thistles central reservation system. As a result, consumers are able to obtain real-time rates and availability and make secure online reservations with instant confirmations.

The Dynamo personalisation software, which is used to drive the site, allows Thistle to market to customers on a one-to-one basis and provide them with specific promotions and content based on their requirements and preferences.

Says David Boni, director of distribution, Thistle Hotels, “It is this personalisation - using the Internet to answer customers’ specific needs - that sets us apart from our UK competitors. The system collects and stores individual profile information, including guest history information from online movement and registration profiles, which is then used to create a personalised experience for each user.”

The new Web site, part of Thistle Hotels’ #10 million IT investment programme, compliments the ‘single image inventory’ environment already established throughout its portfolio of reservations systems.

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