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Online Shoppers Influenced by Website User Experience: TravelCLICK Again Honored by Web Marketing Association for Best Web Interactive Application, Hotel and Lodging Industry |
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iStay web booking engine application helps Zeavola Resorts convert maximum revenue online |
It is commonly known that next to price, the top motivation of travel shoppers for using a particular website is user experience. Delivering a positive user experience that is not only highly interactive and informative but also visually compelling is critical to a hotel website's success. An effective shopping experience starts on the hotel's home page and carries users all the way through the booking process.
Recognizing its exceptional online booking experience, TravelCLICK(R) has won the Best Hotel and Lodging Interactive Application WebAward from the Web Marketing Association (WMA) for the third time. Part of the WMA's 2009 Internet Advertising Competition (IAC), the award recognizes TravelCLICK's iStay(R) web booking engine application for Zeavola Resort, a five-star luxury island beach resort in Thailand. It celebrates iStay's ability to create a dynamic online shopping experience for guests, merchandise the entire property and its rooms directly from the hotel website, and increase profitability for hotels through incremental revenue as it delivers up to 20% of the hotel's total bookings.
'As an innovative merchandising platform, the iStay web booking engine reinforces luxury-shopping behavior and the desires of our target market,' said Florian Hallermann, General Manager of Zeavola Resorts. 'To date, iStay has brought us increased booking values as shoppers build personalized stays. At the same time, it complements our hotel's philosophy of providing guests with an easy, carefree experience, from online to on-property. Shopping is easy, booking is easy-just like the personality of Zeavola. Easy.'
Managed by InVision Hospitality, Zeavola Resorts is the only luxury beach resort on Thailand's Phi Phi Island. Its blend of genuine Thai hospitality and modern comforts are unmatched on the island. Guests get a glimpse of the possibilities from the hotel's website, www.zeavola.com. After clicking 'Go' from the Book Now reservations area of the resort home page, visitors are launched into the iStay booking application. The user-friendly booking engine creates a fully interactive guest shopping experience by simultaneously displaying room rates and available rooms, along with rich photography and descriptions that clearly differentiate the Zeavola experience. Online shoppers can quickly click through date and room type options to see prices and room features without ever leaving the one interactive reservations screen. They can select upgrades such as a speed boat ride to the airport-or choose package offers like the 'Zdive' or 'Zpa' for a customized island experience.
The award-winning booking engine enables luxury resorts to showcase their unique amenities so that guests can create a custom-tailored experience. For example, Zeavola can highlight the difference between its lush Pool Villa and its romantic Beachfront suite through up to six photos per room type, illustrating style, views, and overall guest experience. Plus, iStay enables the resort to feature additional high-value services, such as Zeavola's Aromatherapy massage, that enhance the overall stay. Shoppers book with confidence, knowing that they can look forward to a luxury experience that is uniquely their own.
'This recognition shows that the user-friendly experience offered by iStay continues to attract online shoppers,' said Paul Southey, Vice President - Asia Pacific at TravelCLICK. 'Prospective guests can see what the property is really like through rich digital images, compare packages, or shop dates and room types all from the one interactive screen. Shoppers are prompted to upgrade selections as they build a unique stay experience-while bringing increased revenue to the hotel.'
The Web Marketing Association's annual IAC Awards honor excellence in online advertising and recognize the individuals and organizations responsible for the best in Internet marketing. The awards are the first and only industry-based advertising competition dedicated exclusively to online advertising. Entries are evaluated for creativity, innovation, impact, design, copywriting, and use of the medium. Along with the Best Web Interactive Application Award, TravelCLICK was honored also for its own business-to-business 'Profit from Genius' Integrated Campaign promoting its Internet Marketing Solutions.
The iStay booking engine is part of TravelCLICK's Distribution product suite that includes the iHotelier(R) Central Reservation System and ChannelDirect, a robust channel management solution. In addition to these proven ecommerce systems, TravelCLICK offers a range of demand drivers that enhance booking volume through all electronic channels.
About TravelCLICK Inc. (www.travelclick.net)
TravelCLICK, the leader in hotel ecommerce solutions, provides a continuous flow of high-value online bookings to hotels worldwide. A uniquely comprehensive one-stop solution, TravelCLICK offers market intelligence, distribution, electronic marketing, and media solutions delivered with personal attention and local market expertise. With revenue optimization experts in every global market, we help our clients make better business decisions, generate greater demand from the right mix of channels, convert more shoppers to high-value guests, and increase revenue and profitability. Serving the hospitality industry since 1999, TravelCLICK has more than 13,000 customers in 140 countries with offices in Barcelona, Chicago, Dubai, Houston, Phoenix, Melbourne, Shanghai, and Tokyo.
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Contact Information:
U.S. Headquarters
300 North Martingale
Suite 500
Schaumburg, IL 60173
USA
Tel: +847.969.0820
Toll Free: 1.866.674.4553
Fax: +847.969.0848
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TRAVELCLICK is the leading provider of solutions that help hotels and other travel industry suppliers maximize net revenue from electronic distribution channels. TRAVELCLICK's competitive benchmarking reports provide hotels with price and booking performance information unavailable through any other source. The company's exclusive electronic marketing networks allow hotels and other travel related suppliers to target promotional messages to specific travel agents, consumers, and group meeting planners when they are booking travel. The TRAVELCLICK Interactive division assists hotels with online strategies to increase consumer direct business. |
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