GUESTCENTRIC-POWERED HOTEL AIKEN INCREASES DIRECT ONLINE BOOKINGS BY 200% IN 30 DAYS
Reading Time: 3 minutesDuring Economic Downturn, Independent Hotel Leverages Hotel Software-as-a Service to Enable Quick and Affordable Online Booking and Marketing
Stamford, Connecticut – November 10, 2008 – Looking to optimize their online presence and to increase direct revenue, Hotel Aiken (www.hotelaiken.com), an independent 64-room hotel located in South Carolina, has created a new website and booking platform using GuestCentric’s online service. This newly revamped site will allow Hotel Aiken to offer customers online real-time availability and pricing, exclusive hotel discounts, and an overall fluid shopping experience.
Despite the economic downturn hotels are facing, Hotel Aiken managed to improve their online revenue with this hotel software. Within two weeks of the introduction of their booking engine, their online bookings had increased by 200%. By the end of the 30-day free trial and with GuestCentric guidance, Hotel Aiken was able to create a very successful online marketing campaign that increased the number of visitors to the website by 560% and be ranked first in Google organic search.
“At Hotel Aiken, we want to be able to offer our guests an unforgettable online experience by providing them with a user-friendly website and a secure and easy-to-use booking engine to speed up the reservation process and most importantly receive instant confirmation of their reservation,” said Lindsey Wise, Sales Coordinator and Customer Care Director of Hotel Aiken. “GuestCentric really understood the challenges that independent hotels like us face and made the entire process easy for us. Now we can keep the hotel’s website looking fresh by updating content at anytime from anywhere.”
About the GuestCentric Service
The GuestCentric online service provides smaller independent hotel managers with an affordable yet powerful online marketing and distribution tool to drive more bookings using the Internet channel. Previously only available for hotels with big budgets through expensive and time consuming custom development, GuestCentric is leveling the playing field for these smaller hotel players by offering a sophisticated online user experience at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions. Using only a web browser, its one-screen interface makes it possible for smaller hoteliers to:
- Easily create a new impact website with the hotel branding where managers can always keep the site fresh by updating content at anytime from anywhere and create online promotions in minutes.
- Utilize a best-in-class online booking engine on one screen to simplify and speed up the booking process.
- Integrate GuestCentric’s reservation software platform to manage online and offline reservations to avoid double bookings.
- Keep track of the website performance in one place using the service’s online marketing performance tools and interactive dashboard.
About Hotel Aiken
Located in the heart of South Carolina’s historic downtown Aiken, Hotel Aiken is the perfect place for both leisure and business travelers alike, described as Aiken’s truly “Grand Hotel.” Originally built in 1898, the Aiken hotel has gone through a series of major and continuous renovations since 2001, with the accent on retaining the historical feel of this landmark building whilst providing all the modern amenities one would expect from a contemporary hotel. The main bar, The Polo Tavern, is one of downtown Aiken’s most popular watering holes. The Tiki Tavern, located on the back patio, has been awarded the title of “Best New Bar” in Aiken.
About GuestCentric
Headquartered in Stamford, CT with offices in UK and Portugal, GuestCentric Systems (http://blog.guestcentric.com) is a hospitality software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider that helps independent hotels revolutionize the way independent hotel operators are able to compete for customers with larger players in the travel industry. Its online marketing and booking platform offers a simple and cost-effective way for hoteliers to create a professional web display of the hotel property, integrate direct booking and online marketing capabilities to increase online bookings, lower expenses and develop long-standing relationships with guests.
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Dana Harris
Red Javelin Communications, Inc.
+1 (978) 440-8392
dana@redjavelin.com
