STAMFORD, CT, Jun 03 (MARKET WIRE) --
GuestCentric Systems (www.guestcentric.com), the premier Software as a Service
(SaaS) provider for
the independent hotel industry, announced today the launch of the first
easy-to-use
online marketing and distribution platform for independent hotels. Based on
GuestCentric's patent-pending InstantHotel technology, hotel managers can now
have a
complete website up and running in less than one hour, complete with new
offerings and promotions. With GuestCentric's platform, independent hotels
are now for the first time able to provide the rich online and offline
experience that demanding guests expect without entering time-consuming and
expensivecustomization projects.
Bridging the Independent Hotel Gap
Hotels are under pressure to leverage the Internet as a distribution and
marketing channel with customers. While large, high-end hotel chains have
large budgets and strong brand recognition for global distribution, non-chain
mid-market and smaller, independent hotels are left stranded on how to
manage this new reality of more demanding guests without the resources or
budgets for new software suites or expensive custom development. Recent studies
have indicated that the lackluster adoption of online distribution by
independents has been driven from a fear of online cancellations and not being
able to deal with floods of email, lack of trust in guest's information
coming over the Internet, and reconciling online and offline reservations.
"Things are about to get tougher. Sobering economic conditions and a
matureonline market are forcing independent hotel managers to rethink their
products
and distribution strategies," said Pedro Colaco, President and CEO of
GuestCentric Systems. "To remain independent, hotel managers must adopt new,
more intelligent tools that enable them to focus on their core business and
differentiate through products instead of being tied down by technology that
served them well in the past but is not fit for today's market conditions."
Create a High-End Website in Less Than 45 Minutes
-- First hotel-focused website builder -- The GuestCentric platform
provides the first hotel-focused website builder. It creates an attractive
property display using the result of hundreds of hours of intense usability
testing with demanding guests. As a result, sites created with the
GuestCentric platform include interaction elements like flash banners,
Google maps, weather forecasts, and other public web services.
-- Patent-pending InstantHotel technology -- Combining automatic content
creation with the comfort of automatic spell checking, text formatting, and
other helpers, GuestCentric's unique InstantHotel technology avoids the
need for external programmers or designers. Hotel managers can now have a
new website, booking and pricing up and running in less than 45 minutes.
Automate the Booking Process
-- Next-generation booking engine -- Based on the latest Ajax technology,
GuestCentric's breakthrough booking engine provides unparalleled speed and
convenience for guests willing to book online. The shopping experience is
uniquely interactive, allowing key features like deal shopping or one-click
checkout for returning guests.
-- Easily push promotions and special offers -- Due to the tight
integration between the different components in the platform, the
GuestCentric booking engine automatically highlights special offers,
packages or special events to encourage upgrades and filling up rooms in
dates where occupancy is lowest.
-- Eliminate double-bookings, reduce bogus reservations -- GuestCentric
lifts the barriers currently faced by independent hotels pressured by
minimal resources and staff. Guest information is verified and room
availability is checked in real-time before confirming the booking.
GuestCentric eliminates double-bookings, reduces bogus reservations, and
improves the experience for returning guests by providing automated
validation of guest information, real-time availability and pricing
information and customizable e-mail confirmations.
Leverage Online Marketing to Engage Customers and Fill Up Rooms
-- Reinforces guest relationships -- The GuestCentric platform
automatically recognizes returning guests, reinforcing the customer
intimacy that guests experience at independent hotels. The GuestCentric
platform automatically creates guest profiles and records guest usage
patterns and preferences for hotel managers to quickly identify the most
profitable guests and target them for special offers, promotions or loyalty
programs.
-- Leverage e-mail communications -- Templates for automatic responses
like reservation confirmations can easily be customized to carry additional
messages to drive the hotel's brand to the guest.
"GuestCentric's innovative online customer engagement platform is
going to revolutionize the way independent properties do business," said
Joao Neto, Online Marketing Director at Memmo Hotels. "We can now compete with
largerproperties by using a more efficient platform. It's like guerrilla
marketing." For
more information about the service, visit www.guestcentric.com/tour-the-service.
Pricing and Availability
The GuestCentric service is immediately available and pricing starts at
$70per month. Additional pricing information and details on signing up for a
free one-month trial are available on www.guestcentric.com/pricing.
About GuestCentric
GuestCentric Systems develops and markets web services that revolutionize
the way
independenthotels work. GuestCentric has built a Software-as-a-Service platform
that
allows independent hotels to develop long-standing relationships with guests,
improve online revenues and lower expenses associated with online distribution.
Through the use of Web 2.0 technologies, GuestCentric provides easy-to-use tools
at
reasonable prices that up until now were only available for hotels with big
budgets. For more information about GuestCentric, visit www.guestcentric.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Dana Harris
Red Javelin Communications, Inc.
+1 (978) 440-8392
Email Contact
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