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via Hotel Information Systems� epitome Interface to Save Time and Money |
Reservations Booked Annually on Expedia BELLEVUE, Wash. � December 14, 2004 � Coast Casinos became the first hotel chain to install Expedia®�s direct connect interface into its Hotel Information Systems epitome for iSeries property management system (PMS). The technology streamlines the reservations process for more than 30,000 bookings made annually on Expedia across all four Coast Casinos properties in Las Vegas. Hotel Information Systems was the first third-party PMS vendor to develop and roll-out Expedia�s direct connect interface, which reduces booking transaction costs by providing a more efficient method to process reservations. Since August, all four Coast Casinos properties � The Orleans, the Gold Coast, the Suncoast, and the Barbary Coast � have benefited from automated notification for reservations booked through Expedia.com®. In the coming months, Coast Casinos will also add a notification system for Hotels.com� bookings. �The benefits of direct connect have been tremendous � not only have we seen immediate financial returns, but Expedia provides the technology at no cost and delivered a quick and seamless integration with our existing property management system,� said Kim Kane, corporate reservation manager at Coast Casinos. �The time savings alone are equivalent to one full-time employee, so we have been able to reallocate the much needed resources across the company. As our relationship with Expedia expands, we�re seeing increased value and reduced costs every step along the way.� In January, Hotel Information Systems announced it would link all three of its epitome PMS systems to Expedia�s direct connect technology, which streamlines the reservations process and automates the management of available rates and inventory. Hotels and resorts using epitome for Windows, Unix, or iSeries were offered access to Expedia�s direct connect technology through this existing arrangement. �Our property management system coupled with Expedia�s direct connect technology ensures prompt delivery of reservations for hotel operators through greater automation,� said Alan Young, chief marketing officer for Hotel Information Systems. �We are pleased that, with Expedia, we can provide our hotel customers with additional resources and tools to dramatically increase efficiency while also enabling greater flexibility.� �Our overarching goal with our direct connectivity is to deepen the value we provide to hotel partners by reducing their distribution costs and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction, which we�ve achieved in this case by working closely with Coast Casinos and Hotel Information Systems,� said Michael Reichartz, vice president of lodging of Expedia and Hotels.com. �Coast Casinos and other chains and independent properties are reaping the benefits of our direct connect technology to operate in a more cost-effective environment.� Earlier this year Expedia began the first phase of deploying direct connect technology with participating hotels, which automated the delivery of bookings, thereby reducing labor costs. The second phase of the deployment, now underway, will give hotel partners the ability to automatically push real-time availability, rates, and inventory information to Expedia, thus enabling two-way communications between the different systems. This phase will also save hotels significant time and money by eliminating the need for loading rates manually into an extranet system. Expedia�s direct connect technology was designed from the ground up to serve the unique needs of the hotel industry. About
Hotel Information Systems
About Coast Casinos
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