New personalised and dynamic ebrochures launched as part of its strategy, to increase online business to 25% over the next three years as more customers move online to shop and buy hotel products.
Global travel trends show that one in two people currently use the web to make a purchase decision and that the travel industry is the largest sector with 34% share globally. In the US alone, online channels will generate 60% of gross travel bookings by 2008. It is also predicted that the number of reservations made via hotel brand websites will continue to increase by over 60% by 2008. [Research statistics by PhoCusWright Inc.]
Mike Ashton, SVP, Marketing, Hilton International comments: "The hotel industry is experiencing a phenomenal growth in online reservations. Our Hilton branded websites are key sales and marketing tools offering the best choice for customers with unrivalled, real time information, latest offers and best rates guaranteed. Hilton receives 3,000 bookings per day on its websites with over 4 million visits a month. Delivering bespoke and dynamic online Ebrochures is an important step in our strategy to increase online bookings and to deliver innovative tools for our customers. In the first trial month 300,000 pages of personalised Ebrochure content have been researched."
The Ebrochures, which replace the printed Hilton Worldwide Directory, are available on nine Hilton and Scandic branded websites in seven languages and provide current and comprehensive information for over 400 Hilton and 130 Scandic hotels. When using broadband, 10 pages of colour content can be delivered per second and a 20-page Ebrochure can be created in 2.5 seconds.
Customers can tailor an Ebrochure with single or multiple hotel information, select their preferred layout from a choice of three formats and can email, download or print an Ebrochure. Advanced search facilities provide detailed findings based on specific criteria such as city centre hotels in Germany that have wireless Internet access. The Ebrochures also provide hyperlinked content pages, ‘Find Out More' links and ‘Book Now' functions that take guests to Hilton's online booking process.
The three types of Ebrochure formats available include a Directory Listing which provides a brief description, amenities and location map; a Quick Reference Guide offering one page of information on hotel amenities, local attractions and directions and; a Complete Hotel Brochure which gives two pages of comprehensive individual hotel information with leisure & business facilities, local attractions and travel details.
Over the next three years, replacing the Hilton Worldwide Directory with the global Ebrochures will provide savings of over Ł1 million in production costs for over 900,000 brochures. It will also enable a reduction in printing of 162 million pages and in distribution of 283 tons.
Managed and hosted for Hilton by ReportLab, the personalised Ebrochures are created by innovative and dynamic technology. A web application offers search pages that use this technology to pass requests to ReportLab's layout engine. The engine calculates the positions of all elements, arranges page layout and directly delivers the Ebrochure to the consumer.
