TravelCLICK Names Georgetown Inn the 2007 eMarketer of the Year
Awards Ceremony Launches Industry's First Viral Marketing Campaign for
Hoteliers
CHICAGO, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Before an audience of a thousand
hospitality industry leaders from around the world, LXR Hotels & Resorts'
Georgetown Inn was named the 2007 eMarketer of the Year by TravelCLICK and
the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI). The
award was presented last night at the 51st Anniversary Adrian Awards Gala,
held at the New York Marriott Marquis. Sponsored by TravelCLICK, the
eMarketer of the Year honors hoteliers who exhibit excellence in hotel
emarketing by generating and converting hotel online demand. Georgetown Inn
was recognized for its strong online presence and ability to drive
additional, incremental revenue direct to its hotel. During the gala,
TravelCLICK also unveiled the industry's first viral campaign for hoteliers
-- an entertaining exchange among celebrity impersonators -- designed to
spread the message of hotel emarketing to the industry. The campaign is
posted at http://www.longtail-yeah.com .
The 96-room Georgetown Inn (http://www.GeorgetownInn.com ), located in
Washington, DC, implemented an integrated online strategy designed to drive
demand and convert guests on the web. The approach included an informative
website, a multipronged Internet marketing strategy, and a high-conversion
web-booking engine.
Accepting the award for the Georgetown Inn were Richard Chambers,
Senior Vice President of Marketing for LXR Resorts & Hotels and Jack Feuer,
Blackstone eCommerce Advisor overseeing online strategy for LXR Hotels &
Resorts. "We are thrilled to receive the honor of eMarketer of Year," said
Chambers. "Georgetown Inn has found the right mix of strategy and
technology that has evolved our online presence into a vital bookings
channel that generates highly profitable and repeatable business for the
hotel."
The Georgetown Inn has used online strategies to successfully drive
dramatic incremental revenue direct to its hotel by dominating the local
market through comprehensive SEO and pay-per-click campaigns. The hotel
also attracted more reservations to its brand website through advertising
placements with strategic partners such as Georgetowndc.com and
TripAdvisor.com. By converting online shoppers at a higher rate with the
superior merchandising capabilities of its web booking engine, the
Georgetown Inn is generating over 60 percent more in direct web bookings.
Direct website reservations now account for 28 percent of the hotel's total
bookings.
"All of the entrants in this year's competition demonstrated a
heightened understanding of the web's increasingly important role in hotel
marketing," said Shane Ettestad, Vice President of Internet Marketing
Solutions for TravelCLICK. "The eMarketer of the Year Awards illustrate
that an integrated approach to online marketing -- from your hotel website
to consumer review ratings -- is a critical success factor in driving
demand, gaining a competitive edge, and deriving higher net revenues. We
salute our 2007 entrants and congratulate Georgetown Inn for its
outstanding achievement."
In addition to naming the 2007 eMarketer of the Year, TravelCLICK
recognized the following winners in regional and chain categories:
-- Asia/Pacific Region -- Cosmopolitan Hotel Hong Kong
(http://www.cosmopolitanhotel.com.hk), China;
-- Europe/Middle East/Africa Region -- Grand Hotel Esplanade Berlin
(http://www.esplanade.de), Germany;
-- North America Region -- Georgetown Inn (http://www.GeorgetownInn.com ),
Washington, DC; and
-- Chain Category -- Joie de Vivre Hospitality (http://www.jdvhotels.com),
San Francisco, CA.
The eMarketer of the Year Awards focus on hotel booking performance and
growth driven by effective online marketing, including enhanced website
design, organic and paid search strategy, online applications, as well as
ratings on consumer review sites
To learn what it takes to become a great hotel emarketer, visit
http://www.longtail-yeah.com .
About TravelCLICK
TravelCLICK (http://www.travelclick.net) is the leading provider of
emarketing solutions that help hotels sell rooms smarter and drive
long-term profitability. TravelCLICK helps hotels maximize asset ROI by
combining innovative market analysis and proven industry best practices
with advanced technology to develop and implement high-return strategies.
The company offers a full set of solutions, including reservations and
distribution management, market intelligence-based decision support, and
marketing services. Serving the hospitality industry since 1999 and
headquartered in the Chicago area, TravelCLICK has more than 12,000
customers in 140 countries.
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