| June
17, 2011 - At the Asian American Hotel Owners Association
(AAHOA) 2011 Annual
Convention this week in Las Vegas, AAHOA and InnLink announced their
launch of
an initiative to create a customized portal solution, similar to an
online
travel agency (OTA), to facilitate online booking of rooms in almost
100,000
properties across the United States. The new online reservation
system will include both AAHOA member and non-member properties and
will be
accessible to anyone with Internet access.
Development and beta testing is underway and the portal is expected to
go live later this year. The portal is being designed with certain features to improve and expedite the guest booking experience including customizable property search criteria and a check-out “shopping cart” to allow the booking of multiple hotel stays under a single guest portfolio. The AAHOA portal is believed to be the first U.S.-based online distribution platform capable of utilizing this technology. The portal will provide hoteliers with the ability to gain more control over the online reservation process that is currently governed in large part by existing OTAs. Hoteliers will be given access to more comprehensive customer data pre-stay, providing for preemptive customer communication and up-sell opportunities. “Developing an online portal that would truly benefit the hoteliers was one of AAHOA’s top objectives for the past year,” stated ChandraKant “C.K.” Patel, Chairman of AAHOA. “Considering that our members own 40 percent of the hotels in the country, it seemed only logical for AAHOA to develop a portal that would allow us to control that inventory of rooms.” Said Kris Intress, CEO and President of InnLink, “We are proud to have been selected by AAHOA for this initiative and are excited to introduce our unique portal solution to the U.S. market. Our portal product can help chains, CVBs, DMOs, and trade organizations book multi-property stays, enhance the hotel access to customer data and ultimately provide a better guest booking experience.” About AAHOA The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) is THE voice of owners in the hospitality industry. Founded in 1989, AAHOA is now one of the fastest-growing organizations in the industry, with more than 10,000 members owning more than 20,000 hotels that total $128 billion in property value. AAHOA members employ 578,600 full- and part-time workers with a $9.4 billion payroll. AAHOA Officers include Chairman ChandraKant “C.K.” Patel, CHO; Vice Chairman Hemant D. “Henry” Patel; Treasurer Alkesh R. “Al” Patel, CHO; Secretary Mehul B. “Mike” Patel, CHA; and President Fred Schwartz, each of whom works closely with a 33-member Board of Directors to provide direction for the association. AAHOA is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of its members by inspiring excellence through programs and initiatives in advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, member benefits, and community involvement. For more information, visit www.aahoa.com. About InnLink, LLC  Since 1991, InnLink has provided voice,
internet booking engine, GDS
connectivity, account management services to thousands of independent
and chain
properties. InnLink takes prides their ability to provide its
properties
outstanding customer service and cutting-edge CRS technology that
includes
mobile and social media functionality. InnLink
provides reservation services for hotels and hotel companies utilizing
two
brands, InnLink CRS, for mid-tier limited service properties, and
InnVite CRS,
for upper scale full service properties. To learn more about InnLink’s products and services visit www.innlink.com or contact Pam Walrond, Director, Marketing at 615-264-8087 or [email protected]. |