CALGARY, Alberta—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Nov. 17, 2003—

An affiliate of VIP International Corporation (“VIP”), a channel marketing provider committed to being `the number one producer of reservations per client` for hotels, car rental companies and regional airlines, today announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dallas-based, Lexington Services, one of the largest providers of reservations and centrally hosted technology services to hotels worldwide, for US $7.75 million. The move propels VIP to the top tier of the channel marketing industry; the company will maintain offices near Dallas, Texas. The transaction is expected to close before year-end.
A combined client base of 4,600 properties for the two companies makes VIP the second largest reservation channel sales provider globally. VIP`s President, Kelly Blake, said, “Our acquisition of Lexington will give us two of the strongest reservation providers in the industry. The combination of Lexington`s leading edge technologies plus its exceptional customer base, and VIP`s focus on customer service and support, will drive higher reservation volume and greater revenue for hotel customers of both VIP and Lexington.” VIP intends to add 19 revenue managers in Texas, and will introduce its customer service and revenue management model to Lexington`s properties. Lexington represents nearly 2,900 hotels globally encompassing 28 brands in 81 countries.
Shawn Heaton, President of Lexington Services, said, “We are looking forward to joining forces with VIP. We especially look forward to bringing their proven ability to increase hotel reservations to Lexington`s hotel clients.”
The agreement to acquire Lexington comes on the heels of VIP International`s partnerships with TravelWeb and WorldRes to increase bookings and lower fees for its clients. The May 2003 VIP International-TravelWeb agreement allows independent hotels and chains to manage discounted rooms through central reservation systems with zero transaction fees. In September 2003 VIP International and WorldRes partnered to provide client hotels with greater Internet reach and flexibility without incurring distribution costs added by other companies. VIP International has experienced strong growth in the past two years through its focus on client revenue generation. In 2002, VIP International`s aggressive approach to Internet distribution resulted in more than a 100% increase in Internet bookings. Growth has also come through the creation of a world-class, 100-seat call center.
About Lexington Services
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Lexington Services (www.lexres.com) is one of the largest providers of reservations and centrally hosted technology services to hotels in North America. Lexington capitalizes on the power of the travel agent global distribution systems (GDS), Internet travel portals, marketing alliances and its own call center strengths to manage and process hotel reservations electronically. Lexington has corporate offices in Dallas/Las Colinas, Miami, Reno, and London, and has development representative offices in Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic, Israel, Turkey, North Africa, and the Middle East.
About VIP International Corporation
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VIP International (www.vipintcorp.com) is a channel marketing organization that drives revenue for hoteliers, car rental owners and regional airlines through a multi-channel reservation sales center, the adoption of leading-edge technology, and partnerships with clients to provide ongoing education. Founded in 1979, the privately held Calgary, Alberta-based firm pursues a mission of being “The number one producer of bookings per client.” This is accomplished through mastering the electronic channel marketing environment, developing and implementing strategies for each client`s unique position, and educating customers about how to optimize participation in the changing electronic marketplace. The company is a central distribution point to every viable Internet web site, and to all of the major global distribution systems including Sabre, Galileo, Pegasus, WorldRes, Amadeus, and Worldspan. VIP International has business development offices in Denver, Colorado; Kansas City, Kansas; Toronto, Ontario; London, United Kingdom; Sao Palo, Brazil; and Hong Kong.

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