| October 2, 2001 - The loss of meeting business and last minute cancellations
from wary travelers has left hotels empty and aggressively chasing after
new customers in other fields and markets. With 35% of the
traveling public are likely to cancel their domestic leisure trips due
to recent events*, hotel managers are turning to specialty markets to put
heads in beds.
Recognizing the opportunity, The Kimpton Group has partnered with ID90.com
to take advantage of the lucrative airline employee travel market listing
all 34 of its North American properties on ID90.com. ID90.com, is
the largest online travel resource for interliners (airline employees)
worldwide. Promoted internally from major airlines around the globe,
ID90.com currently serves the employees of 57 different international airlines
offering the largest collection of interline discounts.
Simply put, ID90.com encourages hotels and travel-related companies such as bars, clubs, car rentals, and cruises to offer special �space available� discounts for airline personnel. As a result, these hotels and vacation-supported businesses increase their revenues and bookings during low/off-peak seasons and/or last minute cancellations. As stated by Tristan Schukraft, Managing Director of ID90.com, �Airline employees travel frequently and for free, often last minute, bringing along friends, and then return to work and offer travel advice to the traveling public. And contrary to popular belief airline employees earn good incomes, pilots for example make upwards of $250,000 a year.� To show a commitment to this unique market, Kimpton listed all 34 properties in North America. �ID90.com provides the perfect platform to reach the targeted population in a very efficient manner� said Jimmy Suh. �This penetration should allow us to better fill our hotels in periods that we are forecasting low occupancy; moreover, the exclusive segmented pricing does not compromise our brand and rate integrity.� Kimpton isn�t the only hotel group who feels the travel market has great prospects, in fact ID90.com has an impressive client list including many well-respected hotel groups. In a recent article posted on the web portal, Hotel News Network, Omni Hotels is mentioned as dedicated to strengthening relationships with the travel industry market. �We are looking to not only expand our opportunities in this market, but build solid relationships throughout the industry,� said Tom Chevins, Omni Hotels Vice President of Sales and Distribution. ID90.com represents a unique marketing opportunity and allows hotels to reach a large, untapped market of more than 10 million travelers worldwide. ID90.com does not have any preset guidelines or requirements for the discounts that hotels offer, and they do not charge monthly fees nor do they take commissions. Instead, the company charges a one-time and very reasonable fee of $199 per year, per listing which gives hotels a customized webpage, active web links and more. �With just one reservation hotels have recovered their investment and the goal is not just to get hotels one reservation, but many,� said Tristan Schukraft. ID90.com provides a great opportunity for hotels to increase occupancy and revenues. �ID90.com does not negate Brand Management efforts, but enhances it,� said Jimmy Suh. ID90.com is located in Los Angeles, CA. For further questions, please contact Michelle Douglass, Director of Public Relations via e-mail at [email protected] or telephone at (818) 597-2510 or (888) 895-2510. The web address is www.id90.com.
* Survey taken on September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington D.C. by Yesawich, Pepperdine and Brown. Contact:
|
