Contract to display real time rates and availability of Rotana Hotels on Google Maps and Google Places signed during ITB Berlin.

Rotana today signed the Google agreement of Trust International becoming the first hotel management company in the Middle East & Africa to engage the new cost-effective, efficient Google program that drives bookings to the hotel's own website. 

The contract, signed today at this year´s ITB conference in Berlin, will allow Rotana to display their real time rates and availability in relevant search listings on Google Maps and on related Google Place pages as a pay-per-click advertising module connected with the Rotana booking engine, which is powered by Trust International.

"The response by hoteliers to the program that we jointly developed with Google has been outstanding," said Richard Wiegmann (left), Trust International managing director.  "Since announcing the beta in February, every single hotelier we've presented it to has jumped at the unprecedented opportunity this provides to them.  Marketing-savvy hoteliers such as Rotana recognize how the Google program can provide a new channel for added exposure and give them a competitive advantage as they vie for bookings."

Google's brand new service allows users to simply enter their desired arrival and departure dates in Google Maps to find the best prices and check availability in real time. The yourVoyager system enables the hotels to display the pricing information of their own website next to the prices of advertisers, such as online travel agencies, and drive potential bookers directly to the hotel's own booking engine.  The service is available now on Google Maps and Google Place pages on many of Google's domains in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

"We are glad to be the first hotel group in our region and one of the first in the world to offer this great new functionality to our hotels together with Trust International," said Omer Kaddouri (right), Chief Operating Officer for Rotana. "This valuable tool makes the perfect addition to our solution that we have in place with Trust and will drive more revenue via the website of our hotel group."

Rotana became a Trust International CRS distribution customer in October 2010 and implemented the hotels in the yourVoyager CRS in record time. Since then, the Rotana properties are using the yourVoyager CRS as their hub for all reservation and distribution activities, including the Internet booking engine (IBE), and experienced great results during these first months.

"We use technology to push our business boundaries, to ensure innovation and efficiency across all our hotels in order to maximize their exposure, drive bookings and deliver bottom line results. As a technology adopter, it is vital that we use it and the Internet to its best advantage, and that Rotana is accurately showcased as a growing international brand representing the region hospitality at its best," concluded Kaddouri.

About Rotana
Rotana currently manages a portfolio of over 70 properties throughout the Middle East and Africa with an aggressive expansion plan in place. Rotana has chosen to acknowledge how precious time is by making all time spent in their range of hotels ‘Treasured Time'. This means Rotana has pledged to understand and meet the individual needs of all guests. In so doing, Rotana has evolved its product brands to include, Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Centro Hotels by Rotana, Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts by Rotana and Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana. Treasured Time. The Rotana promise to you.

Further information on any Rotana property, its brands or reservations can be obtained by visiting www.rotana.com or by contacting one of the regional sales offices.

For further information about this press release or any of Rotana's properties and brands, please contact:

Amal Harb, Corporate Vice President - Marketing
Rotana Hotel Management Corporation Ltd
P.O. Box 43500 Abu Dhabi U.A.E , T: 00 971 (0) 2 6444412, F: 00 971 (0) 2 6444413
amal.harb@rotana.com