Hotel Online  Special Report

   
Thayer Interactive Group Selected By Quorum Hotels And Resorts To Provide Full-Service Internet Marketing

Unique Service Generating an Average of $1 Million
in Incremental Revenue per Hotel

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 2, 2003�Thayer Interactive Group (TIG), a unique, hospitality online marketing firm, announced today an Internet marketing partnership with Quorum Hotels and Resorts, a Dallas-based independent hotel management company.  Under the agreement, TIG will provide full-service Internet marketing to assets of Quorum�s portfolio, which consists of luxury and first-class hotel properties valued at more than $800 million. 

�After evaluating the available Internet marketing providers, we determined that TIG has a proven track record and offers the most comprehensive program to maximize our online revenue and advance our market share,� said Jean Hungerford, Quorum vice president of marketing and rooms operations.  �We are proud to work with Thayer Interactive to launch an aggressive direct-to-consumer online marketing program for properties in our portfolio. We believe that the Internet offers a vital opportunity to increase our yield indices at lower acquisition costs � especially in this difficult economy.�

TIG offers the industry�s first and only comprehensive suite of online marketing services designed to administer all aspects of individually managed hotel websites; bypass excessive fees charged by third-party travel sites; and maximize Internet revenue with minimal effort required at the property level.  According to the agreement, TIG will provide each participating Quorum hotel with a customized, five-part program� in effect becoming the property�s Internet marketing director �for a flat fee.  The company�s full-service offering includes website development and content management; search engine optimization and pay-per-click marketing; strategic link marketing and online advertising; statistical reporting and analysis; and proactive client support.  All five elements share a basic underlying objective: to deliver the travel consumer directly to individually managed property websites, which allows hotel clients to maintain control of pricing and circumvent excessive third-party fees. 

�The Internet is hospitality�s fastest-growing distribution channel, and the only channel experiencing meaningful growth in the industry today,� said Philip W. Schneck III, TIG president.  �Analysts predict that online bookings will grow to represent 20 percent of reservations within the next two years.  Yet, despite this surge in demand, the Internet�s potential as an effective hotel marketing tool has barely been tapped.  Many hotels hand over a substantial portion of their inventory to third-party intermediaries, which can absorb as much as 25 percent of room margins.  Our research shows that hotels that fail to develop and maintain an effective online presence through direct-to-consumer Internet marketing could be losing as much as $1 million per year in incremental bookings.�

TIG has a proven Internet model that produces an average of $750,000 to $1.5 million in incremental revenue, depending on the market.  The firm works with hotels that range in size and type from 100-room mid-priced properties to 1,350-room luxury hotels.  Its program continues to produce strong results for leisure and transient markets, urban and suburban locations, resorts and convention properties, and branded and non-branded hotels. 

�By essentially taking the place of an in-house Internet sales manager, our program allows a hotel to focus its attention on core business and tap into our proven business model and our �24/7, 365� commitment to customer service,� said Frederic W. Malek, TIG chief executive officer.  �As a result, our clients are experiencing some of the highest delivered ROIs in the industry.  By combining the experience of professionals in three distinct fields � hospitality, advertising and Internet technology � we ensure a successful online marketing program tailored to each hotel�s specific needs and goals.  To date, TIG has never lost a client.� 

TIG�s staff combines more than 100 years of lodging experience with more than 30 years of marketing and online advertising expertise.  Its management team includes previous hotel operations officers, Fortune-500 agency account managers, search engine pioneers and a former technology-company chief executive. 

Based in Washington, D.C., Thayer Interactive Group (TIG) is a full-service Internet marketing firm designed to maximize online revenue and minimize effort for its hotel clients.  The company�s clientele ranges from branded and franchised hotels such as Hilton, Marriott, Six Continents and Starwood properties, to family-owned, independent hotels.  TIG is the preferred provider of localized, web-based marketing for more than 150 Doubletree hotels worldwide, as well as the Doubletree national brand. 

 

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Contact:

Nicole Petrowicz
Thayer Interactive
Ph: 202-745-6960
http://www.thayerinteractive.com


 
Also See: Thayer Interactive Group Taps Industry Veteran To Head Sales And Marketing Efforts / March 2003


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