News for the Hospitality Executive |
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Rich Media Tours for Motel 6 Locations . |
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DALLAS, Texas and TORONTO, Ontario (August 14th, 2008)� Accor North America, one of the nation�s largest owners and operators of economy lodging, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with VFM Interactive to provide rich media management and distribution services to its Motel 6 properties. As part of the agreement, VFM will distribute newly created online video tours for participating Motel 6 properties to partner travel and travel-related websites, including major online travel agencies, travel research sites, search and meta-search engines, portal, as well as major travel intermediaries such as the Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) and Pegasus. In addition, Accor North America will utilize VFM�s web-based digital media management platform, Vscape, to manage and distribute Motel 6 property photos to VFM�s extensive distribution network. �We have long been believers in the importance of rich media in marketing hotels online,� said Anne Lawrence, VP, Distribution Services for Accor North America. �Recently, we created rich media tours for many of our Motel 6 properties so we could more effectively showcase all of what our Motel 6 properties have to offer to online consumers. Given that VFM has long distributed rich media for our North American Sofitel and Novotel hotels, we knew that with their unmatched distribution reach they were the perfect partner to ensure that our Motel 6 message would also reach as many online consumers as possible.� �We are delighted to have been selected once again by Accor North America to help them market their properties more effectively across the Internet,� said Paolo Boni, president and CEO of VFM Interactive. �Numerous studies have now shown that rich visual content is the most effective tool to convey a hotel�s value proposition to online consumers. As a result, as the economy slows and consumers become more value conscious, having rich media widely distributed online is a very effective and economical way to drive more bookings and support higher ADR.� About VFM Interactive VFM Interactive is the leading end-to-end provider of online media production and distribution solutions for the hotel and travel industry. VFM helps hotel and travel companies enhance their online marketing through rich visual content including still images, videos, 360º virtual tours and Flash presentation. VFM�s Vscape® platform allows hotels to manage and distribute their rich media content on the industry�s largest and fastest-growing distribution network of more than 25,000 websites where consumers most often research and purchase travel products. This network includes online travel agencies, travel suppliers, search portals and Global Distribution Systems such as Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, TripAdvisor, American Airlines, Yahoo!, SideStep, Sabre Travel Network, Galileo and Worldspan. VFM�s Vscape media distribution platform is utilized by more than 35,000 hotels from dozens of major hotel chains and resorts from brands and management companies including Best Western, Choice, Crowne Plaza, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Interstate, La Quinta, Marriott, Outrigger, Radisson, Regent, Sheraton, Sol Meliá, W, Westin and Wyndham. For more information, visit www.vfmii.com. About Motel 6 Motel 6 offers the best price of any national chain at more than 900 company-owned and franchised locations throughout the United States and Canada. For 21 years Motel 6 has used the tagline, �We�ll leave the light on for you,� earning the chain the highest brand recognition in the economy lodging segment. Motel 6 was the first national pet friendly chain, welcoming pets since 1962. Standard amenities include free local phone calls, no long distance access charges, free morning coffee, data ports, Wi-Fi Internet access and cable channel line-up with premium channels including HBO, ESPN/ESPN2, and CNN. Most locations offer swimming pools and guest laundry facilities. For more information, visit www.motel6.com. About Accor North America Headquartered in Dallas (Carrollton), Texas, Accor North America operates more than 950 upscale and economy properties including nationwide economy leaders Studio 6 and Motel 6 and the upper-upscale Sofitel and upscale Novotel hotel locations in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit http://www.accor-na.com/. About Accor Worldwide Accor, the European leader and a major global
group in hotels, the global leader in services to corporate clients and
public institutions, operates in nearly 100 countries with 170,000 employees.
It offers to its clients over 40 years of expertise in its two core businesses:
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Contact:
Louise Meyer
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