Hotel Online Special Report
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WorldRes Partners with AOL UK and LineOne -  
Increases European Traffic for Participating Hotels
 
SAN MATEO, CA, Nov. 11 - WorldRes, Inc.�, the Internet-based hotel reservation network, has recently launched new partnerships with America Online (AOL) UK and LineOne, the two largest Internet service and online content providers in the United Kingdom. Through these partnerships, hotels using the WorldRes system are now capable of receiving direct, real-time reservations from the over 600,000 combined subscribers of the AOL UK and LineOne services. WorldRes' Places To Stay service will be the featured accommodation reservations provider for both services.

These partnerships make WorldRes by far the dominant provider of hotel reservations to Britain's fast-growing online population, which is an important source of business for hotels in North America and around the world.

Eric Christensen, WorldRes Chairman and President of WorldRes Europe, says this is the next logical step toward WorldRes' implementation of a new Internet-based global distribution network for hotels, bed & breakfasts, hotels and resorts-but one that is very different from the legacy distribution systems of the past. "Our network is free to join, and is designed to take full advantage of the Internet's incredible graphical and interactive capabilities. We're also targeting online consumers, which is the fastest growing market for hotel reservations. Every hotel owner should want to tap into European online consumers - this market is growing almost twice as fast as the North American market, plus these are upscale travelers, booking longer stays farther in advance. Our European bookings are averaging almost double the revenue of our bookings from within North America. Since we only make money when we bring our hotels incremental revenue, we're obviously very motivated to build up our distribution network overseas."

WorldRes adds these two new important European partners to a growing network of demand partners that includes other major portals, travel web sites, destinations, online guides and activity sites. Only recently, WorldRes added both Yahoo! and AOL UK to its demand partnerships in North America. WorldRes is the fastest growing reservation system in the world, having grown to serve more than 3,000 properties in less than two years. Many of these properties also use WorldRes' technology to take real-time online bookings from their own property or hotel company web site at reduced rates. More than 7,000 properties are under contract to join the system, including some of the world's largest hotel companies, which will be linking directly into the WorldRes system.

Any accommodation provider can take advantage of these new sources of business simply by enrolling in the WorldRes system for free at http://www.worldres.com. Properties use WorldRes' unique Web-based software to create and update their own online brochures, complete with photographs. Properties maintain current rates and inventory, and have complete control over all their information through an easy-to-use, password-protected, Web-based interface that can be accessed at any time. Properties receive an instant confirmation either online or via fax, avoiding the time-consuming process of responding to requests by phone, fax or e-mail. WorldRes charges accommodation providers only 7-10% of booked revenue for reservations resulting in actual stays. Properties can also post special offers on the WorldRes system to drive additional traffic during off-peak times. Special offers are featured prominently on AOL UK and LineOne, and are an ideal way for properties to attract online consumers for discounted short breaks - some properties are generating thousands of pounds in incremental bookings through a single offer.

AOL UK has made WorldRes' consumer booking service, Places To Stay, the primary reservation service on the Accommodations page in AOL UK's Travel Channel, one of the most popular areas within AOL UK. "As with all elements of our service, the AOL UK Travel Channel is driven by member demand," remarked Caroline Chapple, senior producer, AOL UK Travel Channel. "We are constantly looking for opportunities which improve the member experience and provide them with an easier, more convenient way of performing the same tasks as in the offline world. Hotel booking is a prime example of this. Using WorldRes, our 500,000 UK members can source and book hotels throughout the world, completing all transactions online. This fits into the Travel Channel strategy of providing a comprehensive and fully transactional service for all aspects of business and leisure travel. AOL UK always partners with market leaders and successful niche specialists and places great emphasis on ease of use, speed and quality of service. WorldRes was able to meet these criteria, and given its commitment to further expanding its global coverage, enables us to view this as a long-term partnership."

LineOne (http://www.lineone.net) currently provides their 100,000 subscribers with a link to Places To Stay through their Shopping and Travel sections. Neal McLeave, Commercial Manager at LineOne, describes why his service chose to work with WorldRes: "Our members want more than just chain hotels. WorldRes helps our subscribers find and book allkinds of properties, including upscale resorts, city hotels and B&Bs. In addition, we're very excited about WorldRes' ability to bring our subscribers special offers that can be posted on the system. We want our subscribers to find the best properties and the best prices, and WorldRes delivers both."

About America Online
America Online operates two worldwide Internet online services: AOL Interactive Services, with more than 13 million members; and CompuServe, with more than two million members. AOL UK is part of a joint venture established in March 1995 by America Online Inc and Bertelsmann AG, Europe's largest media group, to bring innovative interactive services to the European market. With revenues of approximately $13 billion, Bertelsmann AG is a global group of companies in book, magazine and newspaper publishing and distribution, music and entertainment, radio, television, video, printing and manufacturing. Among its best-known enterprises are RCA and Arista Records, the Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Book Club Associates and Gruner & Jahr. The joint venture AOL Bertelsmann Europe is with its two brands AOL and CompuServe the leading pan-European Internet Online service with more than 2 million members. 

About LineOne
LineOne, the UK's content-rich, mass market Internet service, is a joint venture between News International, British Telecom and United News & Media. LineOne provides the fast and easy way for consumers to access the information and entertainment they want, when they want it. Easy and intuitive to use, LineOne offers subscribers 24-hour news, sport, entertainment, education and shopping. Online editions of The Sun, The Times, The News of the World, The Sunday Times, regularly updated Sky News and Sky Sport, and content from leading third party companies, make LineOne the first comprehensive British online provider. LineOne also provides fast access to the Internet, including email. 

About WorldRes
WorldRes, Inc. (http://www.worldres.com), founded in 1995 and based in San Mateo, Calif., provides Internet sales and marketing services to lodging properties worldwide, as well as online hotel booking capability to travel and destination web sites, convention and visitor bureaus, tourism authorities, online city guides, call centers and travel agents. 

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Contact:
Eric Christensen
WorldRes Europe
0171 917 9508
[email protected]
Elizabeth Ripley
WorldRes US
(650) 372-1700
[email protected]
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Also See:
Top European Hotel Companies Select WorldRes Internet Booking System / Aug 1997 
WorldRes Provides Match.Com with Online Hotel Reservations / Jan 1998 
Choice Hotels International Chooses Worldres for Online Distribution / May 1998 

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