Booking a hotel room is set to become a lot easier
following a business collaboration between two leading Irish software
companies and potentially over 1,000 hotels across Ireland and the UK.Over the next 18 months Avvio.com and Tierney’s Office Automation will
roll out new online technology offering clients greater control over
their hotel reservations through the provision of real time
accommodation rates and room availability updates.

Developed by Avvio, Ireland’s leading web-enabled hotel software
provider, ‘CONVERT 4.0’ will have a seamless interface with Tierney’s
existing ‘Hotellinx Suite’, a Property Management Solution installed
in hundreds of hotels worldwide.

Brian Reeves, Managing Director, Avvio.com predicts that the
integration between websites and property management systems will gain
increasing momentum as hotel operators - faced with rising costs and
increasing competition locally and internationally - are forced to
more dynamically promote their rooms stock online.

“Anyone visiting a hotel website that uses this new technology will be
able to view exactly what the hotel reservations staff see, in terms
of room rates and availability”, he explained.

“Online reservation systems have been the subject of criticism in the
past for advertising accommodation rates and rooms that may no longer
exist.  The new technology eliminates this problem and enables
customers to view real time rates, as and when the hotelier introduces
them.  The on-line booking engine incorporates existing hotel booking
systems to ensure incidences such as double-booked rooms and out of
date accommodation rates are a thing of the past”, Mr. Reeves added.

Andy Tierney of Tierney’s Office Automation, the industry leader in
hotel IT support, described the agreement with Avvio.com as a very
significant development for the Ennis-based company.

He continued, “This agreement is very significant for Tierney’s Office
Automation. Our customers want Web marketing solutions with a proven
and tested integration platform, and the partnership with Avvi.com
allows us to respond effectively to these needs. We have unique
knowledge about Property Management Systems and solutions and can now
bring added value to our customers by offering them efficient seamless
integration and powerful inter-application communication with
Avvio.com.”

“The CONVERT system is simple to use and goes far beyond simply
capturing reservations. It also produces the information and marketing
analysis which guides you towards improving your website conversions”, 
concluded Mr. Tierney.

Meanwhile, Avvio.com has announced plans for a major software drive
into international markets.

The international launch of Avvio Convert 4.0 will take place at the
World Travel Market in London next month (November 12-15th 2007), 
which will also see the showcasing of Avvio.com’s new affiliate
marketing software product, Avvio Connect.  The annual travel
exhibition brings the industry’s most prominent worldwide figures
together to negotiate new contracts, develop existing relationships
and set strategies for the future.

Mr. David Collins, Commercial Director, Avvio.com indicated that the
Avvio CONVERT system is expected to yield in excess of EUR€45million
in accommodation bookings for clients in 2007.

Describing the product, Mr. Collins said, “The goal of our primary
software offering is to grow sustainable direct business for hotels. 
It can be seamlessly integrated with a client’s website. The advantage
of Avvio Convert to hotels is that it sells more, costs less, and sits
intimately with a hotel’s long-term Internet strategy for developing
direct online business.”

Avvio.com began trading in February 2002 and currently employs 27
people at its offices in Mungret, County Limerick.

The firm delivers online results for over 30% of hotels in Ireland, 
including Ashford Castle, Dromoland Castle, Lynch Hotels, Flynn
Hotels, Moran Hotels, Hastings Hotels and the Carlton Hotels Group. 
80% of 5-star hotels in Ireland use the company’s online software.
——-