| Dallas, Texas & Rome, Italy – October 12, 2005 - GenaRes Worldwide
Reservation ServicesSM Ltd., the hotel
industry’s newest and fastest growing representation and reservations
company, announced today that it signed a multi-year reservations processing
contract with Hotel Marketing Solutions s.r.l. (HMS), which is a hotel
representation and marketing company based in Rome, Italy.
All of HMS’s 130 hotel customers, which are three-, four-, and five-star
properties in Italy, are now using the GenaRes CRS platform for all of
their reservations processing, including reservations generated by travel
agents through the global distribution systems (GDS) and reservations generated
by travelers around the world through consumer-focused travel Web sites.
Also under the agreement, GenaRes is powering HMS’s consumer Web site,
Book Italy Hotels© (www.bookitalyhotels.com),
where travelers can view photos and property descriptions and book any
of HMS’ client hotels online by paying in their home currency via credit
card and receive an instant confirmation.
“Although switching reservations providers is a major undertaking, we
decided it would definitely be worth it to make the switch to GenaRes,”
said Guido D’Ugo, HMS’ managing partner. “Even though GenaRes is
a new company, we see their potential for growth, and likewise believe
they will help us grow. The GenaRes CRS is more stable than our previous
system, and we feel the GenaRes staff is more experienced in dealing with
international properties than our previous provider. We are so confident
in GenaRes’ services that we believe we can sign and bring on an additional
300 Italian properties over the next year or two.”
HMS’s hotel members are located in more than 20 cities throughout Italy.
As part of the change in reservations systems, HMS’s GDS chain code has
changed from “TA” to “GZ.” Sample HMS member hotels include the four-star
170-room Grande Hotel Elite in Bologna, the four-star Hotel Diana
in Rome, the four-star Hotel Athena in Siena, Tuscany, and the four-star
Hotel Ca del Campo in Venice.
Services that GenaRes is now providing HMS include:
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Full use of the GenaRes Web-based CRS with inventory management across
all distribution channels
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Reservations processing for BookItalyHotels.com
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Next-generation seamless connectivity to all GDSs
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Online training
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Representation on the GDSs via the chain code GZ
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Ongoing customization as needed
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Internet distribution to thousands of Web sites
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Revenue management
“We are pleased to announce the first of what we hope will be many European
contracts,” said GenaRes President Eugene Harris. “Europe’s highly
fragmented and primarily local independent market is in need of a new provider
like GenaRes that can provide GDS and online distribution of hotel inventory,
as well as simple-to-use Web-based technology tools for channel management
and optimization of occupancy and ADR (average daily rate). Working with
locally successful hotel representation organizations like Hotel Marketing
Solutions will help us penetrate Europe’s fragmented hotel market and take
advantage of this international opportunity.” According to industry
analyst PhoCusWright, less than 30 percent of three-star hotel rooms in
Europe are associated with major international hotel chains, and chain-branded
properties represent less than 20 percent of the total European hotel market.[*]
GenaRes’ system is the one of the few CRSs to be developed since 1999.
Built from the ground up by experienced industry veterans, the system uses
the latest technology and incorporates functionality that is most vital
for hoteliers of today, including next generation seamless connectivity
(Seamless 2), true sales distribution channel management, advanced yield
management capabilities, and customized reporting. GenaRes provides
its hotel customers with distribution via all the major GDSs, such as Sabre,
Galileo, Amadeus and Worldspan, and distribution to the thousands of Internet
sites around the world that are connected to the Pegasus Solutions Online
Distribution Network (Nasdaq: PEGS).
GenaRes (http://www.genares.com)
was formed last year by hotel industry veterans Michael G. Wilkins, Ricky
A. Wilkins and Eugene Harris, who were founders of the Dallas-based hotel
representation and reservations company Lexington Services Corp.
In addition to originally founding Lexington Services, the GenaRes founders
together have more than 30 years experience running a hotel company: Lexington
Hotel Suites and Inns, which at one point had 50 hotels in its portfolio.
“GenaRes is probably the only third party
representation service that was truly created by hoteliers for hoteliers,”
said GenaRes‘ Harris commented. “As former hoteliers, we understand the
day-to-day challenges that hotel operators face.” GenaRes’
other customers include Americas Best Value Inn, AAHOA (the Asian American
Hotel Owners Association), Korman Communities and hundreds of independent
properties.
About Hotel Marketing Solutions
 Hotel
Marketing Solutions s.r.l., (HMS) (www.hmsconnect.com)
based in Rome, Italy, provides leading-edge marketing and technology services
for the Italian hospitality market. HMS is the ideal solution for Italy-based
chains and independent properties who desire to benefit from access to
potential guests beyond their local Italian market, but may lack the international
brand recognition, marketing and distribution reach to attract travelers
from the U.S. and elsewhere. HMS currently represents more than 130
three-, four-, and five-star hotels located in more than 20 cities throughout
Italy, as well as operates the consumer travel site BookItalyHotels.com.
HMS was founded in 2001 by Ettore Alberini, former general manager and
consultant to many of Italy's most prominent hotels, and Guido D'Ugo, former
airline and travel executive.
About GenaRes
 Launched
in 2004 by former Lexington Services Corp. founders and executives, Dallas-based
GenaRes Worldwide Reservation ServicesSM Ltd (www.genares.com) is the hotel
industry’s newest hotel reservations and representation company.
As the first new central reservation system (CRS) to come to market since
1999, GenaRes’ GenaRaterSM Web-based CRS and related services are provided
on an ASP basis and are designed for properties ranging from small independents
to large chain hotels worldwide. Laying its claim as the lodging
industry’s only privately held reservations technology provider that was
created by hoteliers for hoteliers, GenaRes’ services include: seamless
GDS and Internet connectivity, a private-label Internet booking engine,
a Web-based CRS with two-way XML property management system interfaces,
and private-label voice reservations/call center services.
GenaRes is headquartered in the Dallas/Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine,
Texas, and has sales offices in Denver, San Diego, and Fort Lauderdale
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[*] “European Hotels: Managing Hospitality Distribution” August 2005,
PhoCusWright, Inc.
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