Elite Meetings International and Preferred Hotel Group™ Launch PHG Meetings; Powered by SpeedRFP, Website is the First Total Online RFP Management System Linking Hotel Sales Managers, Global Sales Offices, Hotels, and Planners / April 2011

New York, NY – April xx, 2011 – Elite Meetings International (EMI) and Preferred Hotel Group™ (PHG) announced the launch of PHG Meetings (www.PHGMeetings.com), the first comprehensive online RFP management system that brings together corporate sales managers, Global Sales Offices (GSOs), property level sales professionals and meeting planners in one convenient location.

PHG Meetings creates a seamless 360-degree system that enables all potential meetings professionals involved in the booking process to interact quickly, efficiently and productively. This new, easy to use website uses EMI’s SpeedRFP™ RFP management system, and a search technology platform similar to the one that powers www.EliteMeetings.com.

EMI’s CEO Kelly Foy said, “This partnership with Preferred Hotel Group further validates SpeedRFP as a platform that can be adopted by any website, whether it’s for an individual hotel or a global chain.” He concluded, “By bringing buyers and suppliers together on to a single technology platform in what is often a complex process, we are furthering our mission to create an easy, efficient and seamless way to book meetings. We look forward to announcing similar partnerships and progress in the near future.”

The partnership fully integrates more than 600 Preferred Hotel Group member hotels with EMI’s SpeedRFP system, which has already been adopted by more than 3,800 meeting professionals worldwide. SpeedRFP users can now simply point their browsers to PHG Meetings and submit their saved RFPs to any of the participating Preferred Hotel Group members in just a few clicks.

SpeedRFP was launched in 2010 and, in addition to Preferred Hotel Group, is the primary online RFP system for Destination Hotels & Resorts, Dolce Hotels and Resorts, Hospes, as well as many notable independents such as The Broadmoor, Wynn Resorts Las Vegas, Palms Place Hotel and Spa, PGA National Resort & Spa, Talking Stick Resort, and many more.

Craig Jacobs, Senior Vice President, Group Sales, of Preferred Hotel Group, said, “We are excited to unveil PHG Meetings, which provides our clients with a fast, easy way to search for the best independent hotels in the world and for our hotels to benefit from the best web-based sales technology available.” He concluded, “Elite Meetings provided a first-rate solution to our global group sales management needs, and we are delighted to be partnering with them.”

What Makes PHG Meetings Unique

In addition to providing a search, refine and RFP tool for meeting professionals wanting to book groups with Preferred Hotel Group’s member hotels, the functionality built into PHG Meetings was designed with the company’s sales team in mind. It provides game-changing operational efficiencies for the company’s global sales team and for Preferred Hotel Group members currently utilizing Newmarket’s MeetingBroker sales and catering system, PHG Meetings will send RFP data directly into their systems, thus alleviating the need to rekey data.

PHG Meetings’ architecture and functionality is based on EliteMeetings.com, allowing users to search for properties by location, hotel name, number of guest rooms, meeting space, or amenities, with the system returning a narrowed number of meeting properties based on search criteria.

About Elite Meetings International

Based in Santa Barbara, Elite Meetings International (EMI) provides integrated solutions to enhance the performance of meeting and hospitality professionals. EMI supports this community through a combination of innovative technology, direct sales support, customized marketing programs and face-to-face business-building events. Additionally, www.EliteMeetings.com serves as a commission-free RFP-generating tool and a comprehensive vehicle for sourcing luxury, upper-upscale and upscale properties. EMI's innovations include FaceTimeTM Appointment Scheduler (www.FaceTimeScheduler.com) a sought after program for helping conference attendees identify synergies, manage appointments and make direct connections with one another; and SpeedRFPTM (www.SpeedRFP.com), a new time-saving product for creating, submitting, and managing RFPs online. For additional information, please visit www.EliteMeetings.com or call 805-730-1000.

For additional information on SpeedRFP, please visit www.SpeedRFP.com or call 805-879-4479.

About Preferred Hotel Group™
With more than 800 best-in-class hotels and resorts in 70 countries, Preferred Hotel Group™ represents six distinctive brands: Preferred Hotels® & Resorts, Preferred Boutique™, Summit Hotels & Resorts™, Sterling Hotels™, Historic Hotels of America® and Preferred Residences™, a membership-based exchange program for luxury shared ownership resorts. Preferred Hotel Group also offers I Prefer™, a complimentary global guest benefit program, and Preferred Golf™, a membership-based program that grants access to over 100 of the world’s most renowned golf resorts. For more information, visit us on the web at www.PreferredHotelGroup.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @iPrefer and @PHGGroupSales

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