NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions, announced that Golden Tulip Hospitality Group has signed to become a NAVTEQ Direct Access customer.

The deal provides that Golden Tulip Hospitality Group’s 230 properties in Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and North America receive pinpoint positioning on the NAVTEQ map, which is viewed approximately 100 million times each day. 

Because they change at a rapid pace, points of interest (POIs) are among the most volatile data elements in a map database. NAVTEQ Direct Access allows merchant locations to be included and properly positioned in the NAVTEQ map, even if those locations should grow in number or change. Direct Access POIs, represented by the merchants’ logos, are then distributed to NAVTEQ’s customers for use on navigation devices or other mapping applications. More than 80% of people using navigation systems say they prefer branded logos to generic icons, according to an internal NAVTEQ Study (2008).

“As NAVTEQ releases updated maps regularly, we can enable up-to-date access to our network of hotels, optimizing exposure to our guests,” comments Riko van Santen, senior vice president Distribution & ICT for Golden Tulip Hospitality Group. 

“Given that many consumers looking for a hotel are usually driving in an unfamiliar area, the NAVTEQ Direct Access programme can be of enormous potential benefit to both hotel chains and their guests,” said David Barker, sales director for EMEA, NAVTEQ.