WORLDHOTELS has launched the fifth generation of its Internet homepage.
The new and consider-ably faster booking engine offers users the facility to create a personal profile, which is automatically fed to the reservation form when the guest wants to make a booking. Furthermore, users receive a list of all previous bookings and cancellations. To eliminate the risk of double bookings, the system now also includes a newly integrated security field which warns when identical reservation requests have been made.
By registering on the homepage, guests can make use of the benefits offered by the new E-Mail Club and obtain information - based upon their own preferences - about the latest offers and news. Amongst the various distribution channels used by SRS-WORLDHOTELS in the world wide web, the company`s own homepage is responsible for generating the largest number of bookings via the internet. In 2000, this comprised more than 62 per cent of the internet business. Werner Meyer, Vice President Marketing for the hotel co-operation says: “Based upon our highly developed booking technology, the electronic hotel directory is in the process of becoming an interactive medium, which directs our guests quickly and easily to the hotel of their choice.”
More additional feature include, a banner on the homepage points to the latest specials on offer at SRS-WORLDHOTELS. On average, about one third of all SRS-WORLDHOTELS` properties offer internet users special internet rates on a regular basis, which means that some of the hotels offer prices that are up to 30 per cent cheaper for online bookings. Resorts & Spa Hotels are indicated with a special icon in the hotel listing, which visitors to the site can easily identify.
In the “Press Room” , users can access all media communiqués released during the past few months. The section entitled “About Us” provides detailed information about the SRS-WORLDHOTELS orga-nization, from its `Corporate Profile`, through `How to become a member`, to the corporate mission statement.
The number of hits to the homepage is constantly on the increase: in February the page was opened 725.091 times, in March 831.281 times and in April 1.387.594. In April, 921.134 of the accesses were the result of targeted hits on the hotel info page. In 2000, SRS-WORLDHOTELS achieved an average room rate of 160 US Dollars per internet booking. From January to December 2000, almost 6 per cent of the company`s total number of bookings were generated via the internet.
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