Independent Hoteliers Require their Own Distinct Understanding of the Online Marketing Process / Miriam Allenson / September 2004 Ilan Blum analyses Isis Design Group's work with independents:

This area - independent, small businesses - is one of TT's biggest strengths...

Blum says that Isis Design Group is one of the few online marketing companies working in the hospitality industry that provides services in all three areas. Isis does not charge for the marketing efforts they expend for their hotel clients. Nor do they charge for website design, or for the construction and management of the booking engine. Instead Isis charges commission, a fraction of that charged by the intermediaries on each reservation made at the website. “We have a vested interest in our hotel clients being successful, because when they are, we are. We only make money when they do.” Isis currently manages the online booking process for well over 3,000 hotel rooms in New York City...

while most booking engines are passive, Blum has devised methodologies for booking engines he builds for clients that are pro-active. “Many companies are in the business of providing booking engines. But that’s it. They do nothing to help the hotelier figure out how to insure that once the prospective guest is on the site that they will actually make a reservation.”

Blum continues. “The Isis booking engine allows a reservations manager to look at the website and know how many people are on site, even what page they’re on at any given time. We can tell when a customer exits the site, and again which page they’re on. If they exit without making a reservation, maybe there’s something about that page that needs changing. We are always considering the effect of the website’s components.”

Blum sites an example. “Suppose a hotel is running a Columbus Day special. If the manager sees that 200 people have looked at it and only five have booked, then that means there’s something wrong with the package. The red flag being raised, the manager has time to look at the rate to see if it’s too high and then has the ability to change it.”

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