DENVER�(July 29, 2002) Santa Fe Accommodations, a New Mexico-based hotel ownership and management company, is now reaping the benefits of a change it made in its reservations-distribution provider. Within the first six months of working with Denver-based Sceptre Hospitality Resources, the company booked more than $1,000,000 in business -- twice its earning for the same period last year.

"We were not getting the bookings we should have with our previous provider," said Tara Levine, director of sales and marketing at Santa Fe Accommodations. "We knew that there had to be a company out there that could work with us to secure more business. Sceptre gave us the booking performance we needed."

Operating more than 500 guestrooms at nine properties, all of which are independents, required a more consistent marketing plan and a higher image on the Internet. Levine said Sceptre stepped forward with assistance. The company provides Web-based global-distribution system representation, private-label voice reservations and consulting services under the SWAN Inc. umbrella.

Mark Ozawa, Sceptre�s Vice President, said his company's philosophy of service and working closely with clients has been a differentiating asset from the beginning. It was the type of business sense that swung Santa Fe Sceptre's way.

"We have an innate understanding of the competitiveness of the U.S. lodging industry," Ozawa said. "We know what moves markets and we clearly understand the many issues that affect travel trends and patterns. One of our areas of expertise is in helping our clients understand the lodging consumer, whether it is the business traveler or the leisure traveler."

Levine said Santa Fe was concluding the contract with its previous provider, so she went shopping.

�I began looking around, speaking to all the GDS outlets and I found that it was cost prohibitive for a company our size to go direct," she said. "We needed a third-party provider, and Sceptre clearly was the strongest choice.

"As a consumer, I use the Internet to book my own reservations. I had a strong sense of what is going on in the world of on-line travel reservations, and it told me that we were not getting what we could from that venue,� she added. �Sceptre helped us change that."

Ozawa said the exposure offered and the fees charged by Sceptre makes it an ideal choice for hotels companies and single properties that want to increase their bookings.

For Levine, the switch to Sceptre meant she was better able to manage the rates advertised and prevent the blocking out of price points.

Communication is key

"Sceptre�s philosophy of giving one-to-one service to their clients is one of the many reasons we made the switch," Levine said. "They communicate with us far more than what others can do, even vendors of different products and services."

Levine said the marketing opportunities offered by Sceptre and its expert consultative services make the relationship even more valuable to Santa Fe.

"Mark Ozawa and his entire team are very accessible," she said. "They are direct, honest and have superior pricing. Our Internet bookings are way up and we could not be happier."

Since 1987, Sceptre Hospitality Resources has been helping small chains and independent hotels and resorts increase their sales and profits through GDS representation, private label voice reservations and consulting services. Sceptre gives independent hotels the electronic-distribution power previously reserved for branded or franchised hotels, with state of the art reservation technology and a strong commitment to customer service and support. 

Headquartered in Denver, Sceptre is a key component of SWAN Inc., a global provider of business solutions for hotels, backed by strong customer service levels. SWAN�s core competencies include a comprehensive collection of hospitality services, including: hotel management, reservation distribution, on-line insurance and risk management and purchasing.