Over the past two decades, the hotel industry has embraced the value of branding as an essential component of an ongoing marketing strategy. The success of hotel branding can be correlated with the quality and consistency it brings to the guests and the long-term value it brings to the hotel owners. The most notable brands in the hotel industry, such as the Holiday Inn Express, Marriott and Best Western, owe much of their success to the tangibility that branding creates. Yet, the first step to a quality experience for a guest lies within the booking process.
It’s no secret that e-booking has emerged over the past decade as the primary method of reserving a room at even the best hotels. E-booking (booking over the internet) provides a simple solution to reservations and provides many marketing benefits. When we think of e-booking, names like Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz come to mind. However there are many smaller booking engines that have proven to be rather impressive. Sometimes, so impressive, these smaller e-booking systems get acquired by the ‘Pricelines’ of the world for huge sums… often times mega amounts of dollars.
However, not to often do you find both. A hotel branding company which offers its flags at an extremely affordable rate while delivering to property owners an online hotel booking engine system presumably so powerful that even those hotels in more obscure parts of the world have seen 27% increase in profitability since using the reservation system. This has been the case with those hotel properties entrusting their bookings and/or branding to a little known company, Oriens Travel & Hotel Management Corporation (Stock Ticker: OTHM) – operator of the HotelPURE brand.
Oriens, the operator of both an emerging international brand and a powerful online booking engine technology, believes the future of the hospitality industry lies within the evolution of online brand awareness and e-booking. With locations in Central America, Canada and the United States, Oriens aims to increase reservations through its proprietary online booking and payment system. OTHM’s system was designed to increase bottom line profits while reducing third party commissions. In addition, the HotelPURE brand implements a suite of low cost but effective branding and marketing solutions that increase a hotel’s exposure. This suite includes property management system solutions, distribution channels, travel agents and high conversion rate websites.
In conclusion, all hotel brands, despite their size, must have a unique relationship with both its guests and operators; clearly expressed through the strength of the brand and the effectiveness of the booking process.
