Business Editors/Travel Writers/High-Tech Writers
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2003
Known for its innovative and creative use of technology, iHotelier, a division of Webvertising, Inc., has announced the launch of its latest offering to the hospitality industry - the Advanced OneScreen Multi-property Booking Engine. This latest version of iHotelier's proprietary booking system allows hotel chains, groups, and destination sites to sell multiple properties from just one interactive page on their Web site, thus enhancing the user experience.
The new user interface was recently launched at www.bluegreenrentals.com, the Web site for the rentals division of Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE:BXG). Bluegreen(R) wanted to reduce the steps required to find and book a hotel room online at one of their properties. Also, they wanted to significantly enhance the user experience when searching for alternate properties at a particular destination. Many times a user would leave the BluegreenRentals.com site without making a reservation and unaware of the many other properties in the area for which Bluegreen Vacation Rentals(TM) carries inventory.
According to Lani Liber, Bluegreen's Vice President of Resort Services, "We feel this new search and reservations system will help to significantly improve our conversion ratio. By presenting the user with alternative properties, if what they have selected is not available, we can replicate the cross selling style used in our call center and deliver it to our users on the web. In combination with the OneScreen calendar that clearly shows what is available from that which is not, we feel that we will be able to convert visitors to sales much more quickly and frequently."
iHotelier customized its OneScreen user interface by adding a filtering layer. Users now begin by filtering the list of approximately 150 hotels either geographically or by activity. Once a hotel is selected, users enter the familiar OneScreen environment to complete their reservation. The multi-property OneScreen presents the user with alternate properties in the area. The information is dynamically provided to the buyer according to the search path followed. Visitors to Bluegreenrentals.com can now find and book a hotel room in 6 fewer screens than it used to take with the HTML version of the application. The interface is more intuitive, and the experience is much better for the user. Webvertising, the parent company of iHotelier, has pioneered the use of this type of Rich Internet Application to solve complex usability challenges.
"We not only offer completely integrated solutions to ease inventory management, our technology is also designed to maximize revenues through direct distribution. That's why the OneScreen booking engine has received so much recognition and has been embraced by the industry. There is no doubt in my mind that this new version will add even more value to our clients' operations," said Dayang Dai, Webvertising's Director of Technology.
About iHotelier:
http://www.ihotelier.com
iHotelier, a hotel representation company, offers a suite of electronic distribution solutions for the hospitality industry that includes the patent-pending OneScreen user interface, customized Web-based CRS, GDS connectivity, online reservation management, private-label voice services, Internet marketing, and PMS interfaces. iHotelier can help clients in all segments of the hospitality industry, from high-end independent properties to hotel management corporations to destination marketing companies and CVB's. A division of Webvertising Inc., iHotelier strives to provide the hospitality industry with the perfect blend of exceptional customer care and smart application development. Webvertising is an award-winning firm developing for the Web since 1994.
About Bluegreen Corporation:
http://www.bluegreenonline.com
Bluegreen Corporation is an innovator and leader in the marketing and sales of timeshare resorts with a solid infrastructure consisting of 100,000 owner households. From its origins as a land development company 30 years ago, Bluegreen(R) has evolved to focus on satisfying the American desire for colorful places to live and play. By 1999, Bluegreen(R) ranked as one of the world's top-10 timeshare resort developers and operators. In recognition of the company's success, Fortune magazine named Bluegreen(R) one of the year's 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the U.S.
As a public company (NYSE: BXG), Bluegreen Corporation has earned a name throughout the land, golf, and vacation ownership industries for quality, integrity, and innovation.
Bluegreen is a registered trademark and Bluegreen Vacation Rentals is a trademark of Bluegreen Corporation.
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