|
NEW YORK CITY � May 21, 2009 - CARINO Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, a sales and information company dedicated to assisting luxury hotels, is pleased to announce the launch of its newly redesigned website, www.carinohotels.com <http://www.carinohotels.com>. Key changes made to the site include: a new look and feel which more accurately reflects the organization�s upscale portfolio and a focus on core business objectives; the ability for consumers to book rooms at member hotels directly from the site and track those bookings using the organization�s new GDS code; and the new CARINO Advertising and Marketing Solutions (CAMS) feature, providing one-stop shopping for hotel members looking for assistance in a variety of key marketing areas. CARINO has introduced these new features to the website in order to provide member properties with additional value and solidify the company�s new business direction, with emphasis on international growth and moving into the consumer marketplace. The website�s new booking engine provides a direct link to consumers, allowing anyone visiting the site to choose from a list of CARINO member properties worldwide, learn more about the hotels and then book a room. The booking engine is enhanced with Search Engine Optimization in order to improve the volume and quality of visitors coming to the site. Recently, CARINO Hotels and Resorts Worldwide acquired its own GDS code �UN� to allow members to track the source of all reservations, and this unique code will allow them to see which reservations are generated by the booking engine. The GDS code also opens up new opportunities for exposure and promotion of the properties as information is fed to major travel agency systems including Sabre, Amadeus/Apollo/Gallileo, and Worldspan that connect directly to more than 600,000 travel agencies worldwide. In turn, these systems power consumer travel websites such as Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia, among others. The addition of the GDS code, as well as the new booking engine on www.carinohotels.com allows CARINO Hotels and Resorts Worldwide members to reach both businesses and consumers concurrently for the very first time ever since the organization�s inception. A members-only section of the site includes access to the features of CARINO�s SalesConnect software, including corporate, leisure and group account information, as well as the all-new CARINO Advertising and Marketing Solutions (CAMS). The CAMS section on the site provides a unique opportunity for member hotels to maximize their marketing efforts, allowing them to virtually �cherry-pick� services on demand, made available by CARINO preferred vendors online. Once member hotels log into the site, they can click on links to choose from a menu of hotel marketing and advertising services provided by those vendors, including such things as: participation in cooperative advertising ventures; marketing support from travel management companies; public relations services; creation of their own Facebook page; reservations tracking systems; reputation management services; marketing databases and many others. In most cases, members have the option of literally ordering those marketing and advertising services from an online catalog immediately. �We are confident our new website, augmented with the launch of CARINO
Advertising and Marketing Solutions (CAMS) for our member hotels, will
provide a one-two punch in driving incremental revenue via the numerous
ecommerce channels available,� said Edward Socorro, Vice President, Advertising
& Marketing for CARINO Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. �Our booking
engine on www.carinohotels.com
is enhanced with Search Engine Optimization and social media links, all
targeted to work harmoniously together to penetrate and position our website
on search engines in the best possible light.�
The launch of www.carinohotels.com
is just one of a number of new growth initiatives for the organization
in 2009, including the addition of the GDS chain code, launch of a new
800 number and call center services for member properties, an organization
name change and overall re-branding effort. The organization was previously
known as the CARINO Collection and recently changed its name to CARINO
Hotels and Resorts Worldwide to more accurately reflect its global focus.
|
