In the past 12 months - the funds were allocated to distribution infrastructure & resources and e-commerce, to deliver e-initiatives including this technologically advanced online platform for the benefit of its customers.

Pan Pacific launched its enhanced website today which will make travel planning faster, easier and more convenient for its customers, resulting in stronger brand loyalty and value.

Analysts have forecasted that hotel online reservations will reach US$15 billion, an increase from 7% to 16% by 2007. This bodes well for Pan Pacific as the website enhancement will help capture a bigger share of brand direct online booking, potentially increasing its year on year growth for this distribution channel. The group achieved a 35% year-on-year growth for its brand direct online booking in 2006.

"The new panpacific.com is a reflection of our commitment to our customers and a response to their needs. The user-friendly website will greatly improve the customer's online experience as that supports their expectations of continued high quality service from the Pan Pacific brand. Visitors to the enhanced website will appreciate better functionalities and navigation and a more refreshing and contemporary look and feel. Overall, they will enjoy a more pleasurable online experience," states Kevin Croley, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts.

The website was redeveloped over a period of nine months following detailed research into customer needs and preferences. Guests logging on to panpacific.com can choose their language of choice, be it English or Japanese, to browse and book Pan Pacific hotels and can enjoy the following:

• More efficient site navigation for ease of locating information
• Aesthetically improved interface that matches Pan Pacific's luxury status
• Dynamic content that is updated frequently eg. latest promotions and room rates in real time
• Enhanced user-friendly functionalities and page layout
• Speedy booking process in just three easy steps
• Review a summary of total cost of stay for multiple stays
• Room type comparison, which makes room selection easier
• Best Rate Guarantee ensures customers the lowest rates publicly available on the Internet
• View/modify a reservation anywhere, anytime
• Preferences by Pan Pacific allows guests to design and personalise their hotel stay
• Store personal profile so that guests do not need to provide personal information each time they make a reservation
• Protection on customers' security and privacy

The enhanced website will also enable the hotels to deliver value to their customers. The new website functionalities will allow Pan Pacific and its hotels to have better content management so that information can be customised to suit individual customers. This also means that Pan Pacific can plan more effective marketing campaigns, integrating electronic marketing initiatives to maximise its online presence and reach out to more customers. With the website, Pan Pacific has harnessed the latest in technology to improve its customer relationship management and centralize and roll out programmes more efficiently.

The enhanced website is part of the Group's e-commerce strategy in developing a robust and scalable system with improved online marketing, reservations and CRM capabilities. The website follows the successful launch of its online Best Rate Guarantee policy and eDirect by Pan Pacific, which have received positive customer feedback. The new website is also part of Pan Pacific's new distribution system ensuring that all channels are integrated on a single platform for efficiency in the reservation process and allowing customers to have access to real time information on room availability.

"We have leveraged cutting-edge technology to lay the foundation for increase in customer engagement including a more dynamic reward and recognition programme. In the next phase, customers can look forward to more interactive functionalities on the website to facilitate their hotel reservation and to create a more personalised experience. e-commerce will remain a priority for us as we continue to roll out new e-initiatives to empower our customers," added Croley.