Utell Delivers More than Four Million Room Nights in 2010

[HD video below] Utell Hotels & Resorts rounded out its 80th year in 2010 with more than 820 new hotels, helping deliver more than four million room nights to its member hotels. The company also reported positive results for many of its member hotels with growth trends in hotel revenue and room nights sold (RNS) that are expected to continue throughout 2011.

Many Utell member hotels within the portfolio experienced significant revenue and RNS increases year-over-year in key locations. Utell hotels in the Americas saw increases in revenue and bookings as high as +81% and +66% respectively, while hotels in Asia Pacific grew revenue and bookings as high as +99% and +55% respectively. The European market also had hotels realize gains in revenue of +67% and bookings of +71%.

“Our hotels are positioned to be booked over other hotels based on our proven sales and marketing campaigns, and unrivaled industry preferred relationships,” said Ric Leutwyler, president of Utell Hotels & Resorts. “In 2010, the top three travel management companies alone saw year-on-year growth levels of up to 26% with Utell. Additionally, our travel agency and consortia relationships, coupled with distribution to the online travel agencies powered by Pegasus Solutions, give our member hotels great ability and significant competitive advantage in growing their room nights and revenue.”

Utell further expanded sales and marketing opportunities for its member hotels in 2010 through an agreement giving 2,500 of its independent hotels access to priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price, Priceline Merchant and Priceline Vacation Package services. In addition, Utell expanded Utell Mobile, located at mobile.utell.com, increasing the mobile site’s offering from 150 to 2,000 hotels. The mobile site was also enhanced to improve the user interface for several smartphones, including iPhone, BlackBerry and Android, while still remaining accessible for traditional web-enabled mobile phones. Member hotels also reaped the benefits of web services, in particular social media management through eBuzz Connect to monitor and manage online reputation while also marketing through social media channels (see video below). As a result, hotels such as Warwick International Hotels and Brazil’s Maksoud Plaza Hotel, for example, have seen valuable growth in their business in 2010 harnessing mobile and social media solutions with Utell, powered by Pegasus.

“We have an 80-year track record that evidences our effectiveness in selling and marketing hotels,” added Leutwyler. “However, it’s important that we continue to evolve with the market with new tools and services that keep our hotels preferred and relevant to their buying public. Today, that means making sure hotels are equipped to sell appropriately through the online travel agencies, mobile devices and social media channels, all areas where we enhanced our Utell services in 2010.”

Chosen by more than 6,000 hotels in more than 130 countries, Utell welcomed a selection of notable independent and group properties in 2010. In the Middle East, Dan Hotels added the Dan Tel Aviv, which joined 10 other Dan Hotels already with Utell, while Evergreen Hotels in ASPAC added the Evergreen Laurel Taipei to its two other properties in the Utell portfolio. Following the sale of two Starwood properties in New York to St Giles, Utell also added those hotels, the St Giles Hotel – The Tuscany and St Giles Hotel – The Court, to the portfolio.

A key region for growth was EMEA, which added fashionable and historic properties throughout the continent, including Dublin’s Morgan Hotel and the Selenza Madrid. In Italy, Utell expanded with Lake Como’s CastaDiva Resort, the Villa Condulmer in Treviso and the Hotel Due Torri in Verona. In the U.S. Utell added new family destinations like two Harrison Group Resorts on the Maryland Shore; two scenic Monterey Peninsula Hotels in California; Ocean Palms Beach Resort in Carlsbad, Calif.; Stamford Suites in Connecticut; Bluegrass Extended Day in Kentucky; and a Linchris Hotel Corporation property in the heart of the Vermont Green Mountains.

At the ITB Asia in Singapore last year ASIA Travel Tips.com asked Mr. Ric Leutwyler, president of Utell Hotels & Resorts, about social media and what role Utell and Pegasus Solutions can play in assisting member hotels in this often complicated new realm. Watch the HD video below.

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