STAMFORD, CT -- 06/03/08 --
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 expensive
customization 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 mature
online 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 larger
properties 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 $70
per 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 independent
hotels 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
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