Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur is the first hotel in Malaysia to introduce an integrated Facebook booking engine – http://facebook.com/grandmillenniumkl, which allows Facebook fans to book comfortably within the Facebook environment and the hotel is rewarding Facebook users with a special fans only rate.

Following Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur milestone on Facebook earlier this year, with over 30,000 fans in total on the hotels’ four Facebook pages, the property continues the push on the social network frontier with the introduction of this innovative booking tool through the industry’s leading global hospitality technology company, Sabre Hospitality Solutions.

The special feature on Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur fan page links directly to the hotel’s real-time reservations system, where Facebook fans will be able to check availability and instantly book the rooms of their choice. The application technology allows Facebook fans to book without leaving the Facebook environment.

Melvin Lim, General Manager of Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur said “many hotels in Kuala Lumpur or Malaysia also feature a ‘booking engine’, but what they are using is just a connection or link that leads the user away from Facebook and into a completely different environment. This can be daunting for some Facebook users that have become familiar with the social network environment.  What sets us apart is the Sabre Hospitality Solutions’ technology that allows users to book directly and safely without leaving the Facebook environment.”

In June 2011, Sabre Hospitality Solutions launched the “first of its kind” product suite to help hotels engage and convert guests through social media.  Paolo Torchio, vice president, E-marketing and Solutions Consulting for Sabre Hospitality Solutions said, “Our SocialConversion suite provides the most comprehensive social media optimization solution available in our industry.  Millennium & Copthorne International’s hotels are poised to take social media to the next level and we are happy to help them build loyalty, tap into new market segments, build buzz, and grow their businesses through online communities with SocialConversion.”

The move forms part of Millennium & Copthorne International’s evolving travel technology to engage travelers directly in one of the most important social networks in Malaysia and represents the first installation for Millennium & Copthorne Hotels with many to follow. At the end of 2011, the total Facebook users in Malaysia grew to over 12 million; growing at an average rate of 26% and over 70% Internet population penetration rate.

“Travelers today are becoming savvier on technology utilization and engaging on different platforms” Lim added. “We believe our technology capability will allow us to be in the frontier of engaging our customers, but also at the same time provide us a good e-commerce platform that provides a reward for their loyalty to our brand on one of the most popular social networks.”