Hotel Net Marketing recently introduced Check-Rate to an audience thirsting for an online product that assisted revenue managers in tracking real-time competitor rate listings.
While subscription sales have been brisk, improvements to this innovative product continue. Denise Roberts, president of Hotel Net Marketing, announced today that three new program enhancements will be premiered at the HITEC show in Florida this month. The three improvements to Check-Rate include: a) a rate alert that informs subscribers when competitors change a rate by $5.00 or more, b) the addition of ten major hotel brand sites to the 25 travel sites already offered for reporting, and c) a new ability to check multiple-night stay rates for competitors.
Since the product launch in mid-March, Hotel Net Marketing has received 25-40 hotelier inquiries for more information or contracts each day. In addition to the dozens of clients that have already begun using Check-Rate, five major hotel chains are using Check-Rate in select markets with plans to rollout the product on a global basis in the coming months.
Rodger MacDonald, vice president of strategic sales for Destination Hotels, has already signed on their entire portfolio. “We have endorsed the use of the Check-Rate program for our properties,” said MacDonald. “It is one of those tools that comes along and enhances the ability of a property to evaluate their positioning in rapidly changing markets. Electronic distribution is a critical element for us and Check-Rate has allowed us to gain a level of comfort and validation on our strategies,” he added.
“We are quite pleased with the response we`ve received to date, and even happier to hear positive comments once hotels have begun utilizing this product,” said Denise Roberts, president of Hotel Net Marketing.
Check-Rate quickly searches up to ten U.S.-based travel sites and five competitor hotel listings during a seven-day outlook. With Check-Rate, a subscribing hotel`s revenue manager has continuous access to an easy-to-read online report which posts “real-time” rate information for their chosen competitive set on the travel sites they select. The resulting reports can then be printed or electronically filed for future reference.
Ian Schrager Hotels corporate director of revenue management, Tom Buoy, has signed on with Check-Rate company-wide. He said, “Real-time data is critical to proactive pricing, and the Check-Rate product radically transforms the data collection process. This will enhance decision making and ultimately speed to value.”
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