Red Lion Hotels Sets Industry Standard With Launch of New Web Site
August 02 2005 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Red Lion Hotels Sets Industry Standard With Launch of New Web Site
Feature-Packed Site Gives Customers Unprecedented Set of Tools,
Plus a Special Bonus for Booking Online SPOKANE, Wash., Aug. 2
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Using the best-practices of its bigger
rivals as a spring-board, Red Lion Hotels has launched a totally
redesigned version of http://www.redlion.com/ that is filled with
an array of ground breaking features designed to give its customers
unequalled access to rates and information. Red Lion Hotels is
owned by WestCoast Hospitality Corporation (NYSE:WEH). Among the
site's many industry-leading tools and functions are reference
rates that give a guest an idea of costs even if the guest does not
know travel dates, the ability to compare Red Lion's rates against
rates on other travel sites, online access to a live reservation
agent, online redemption of the company's proprietary "Only4Me Web
Deals," and much more. Red Lion Hotels has over 60 properties in 11
western states and Canada. Its substantial investment in its web
site redesign is the latest in a series of chain-wide initiatives
that significantly enhance the guest experience through technology
upgrades, property renovations and improved service delivery. "We
spent a lot of time listening to our customers and looking at what
other companies have been doing on the Internet," commented Arthur
Coffey, President and Chief Executive Officer of WestCoast
Hospitality Corporation, the owner of the Red Lion brand, "From
that analysis, we've been able to design something that better
meets the evolving needs of the consumer and sets a new standard
for how hotel chains should present themselves online." To
introduce travelers to its new web site, Red Lion Hotels is
offering members of its GuestAwards program 7,500 bonus points for
the first reservation they make on the site between now and
September 30, 2005 for arrival dates through December 30, 2005.
Those who are not yet members of GuestAwards can enroll on the site
and immediately become eligible for the special offer. "We want our
guests to 'Stay Comfortable' and everything about the site is built
around ease of use and helping customers get all the information
they need at exactly the moment they need it," explained Barry
Hughes, Vice President, Marketing and Distribution. "Consumers
continue to shift their research and booking activities to the web
and our new site gives them a comprehensive toolset to make the
best and most informed decision possible -- all in one place." A
closer look at the site's most unique features includes: --
Reference Rates: Red Lion Hotels is the first chain to offer guests
a chance to see the rates for a hotel even when they don't enter
specific travel dates. By scanning the hotel's rates for the 14
days ahead of the current date, Red Lion Hotels automatically
returns a range of rates to give customers an initial idea of
costs. -- Rate Compare: Without leaving the site, guests can
immediately compare rates for the same room and travel dates on
other travel booking engines, including Travelocity, Expedia and
Orbitz. -- Talk to Us: With the click-to-call service powered by
eStara, consumers can initiate a web-based conversation from key
pages within the site with a Red Lion guest service agent, either
via telephone or an Internet connected PC. Calls are automatically
directed to the appropriate person or department based on the page
in which the inquiry is made including reservation agents, national
sales, and GuestAwards loyalty program service agents. -- Only4Me
Web Deals: The web site introduces Red Lion's proprietary automated
one-to-one marketing program that allows guests to redeem offers
generated specifically by the guest's interaction with the hotels
and the GuestAwards program. Each offer is assigned a unique
redemption code that, when input on the website, displays an offer
or range of offers unique to the requesting customer. The site also
invalidates the redemption code once used so marketing offers are
truly "one to one." -- GuestAwards: Members of Red Lion's loyalty
program can now redeem their points for free nights online, with
instant confirmations of their awards and automatic account updates
performed at the time of booking. The site also allows GuestAwards
redemption stays to be canceled online with the points
automatically being re-deposited in members' account. --
Destination Guides: Extensive city and area information has been
custom-created for every Red Lion hotel, which gives detailed
information on restaurants and attractions in the vicinity. Of
particular note is the depth of content offered in smaller cities
such as Pocatello, Idaho; Pendleton, Oregon; and Wenatchee,
Washington to help those traveling to locations that are not
typically featured in traditional travel guides and websites. --
Extensive Content: The web site features refreshed editorial
content and new photography and 360 degree virtual tour images that
showcase each hotel. -- Packaging: Through the World Wide Travel
Exchange, guests can now book air and car along with Red Lion hotel
rooms. Unique to redlion.com are multiple packaging paths that
enable customers to book travel with Red Lion's marketing partners.
At launch, customers can book Outrigger and OHANA hotel rooms and
air travel on Alaska and Horizon Airlines directly from the
redlion.com website. Additional marketing partners and
cross-marketing offers are expected to be added in the future. --
Tickets to Local Events: Through the company's ticketing affiliate,
TicketsWest ( http://www.ticketswest.com/ ), users of the site can
readily search for and book TicketsWest events that are taking
place in cities where Red Lion hotels are located. Through
cross-selling tools embedded in the Red Lion and TicketsWest
websites, context sensitive hotel offers are displayed to
TicketsWest customers and date sensitive events are displayed to
redlion.com customers. This added value increases the usefulness of
the sites to customers and competitively differentiates the sites.
"The quality of the online experience is a direct reflection of the
quality of our brand," said Coffey, "The new website reflects how
Red Lion cares for and values its guests." To take a closer look at
the new site, simply visit http://www.redlion.com/. About WestCoast
Hospitality Corporation WestCoast Hospitality Corporation is a
hospitality and leisure company primarily engaged in the ownership,
management, development and franchising of upper mid-scale, full
service hotels under its Red Lion(R) and WestCoast(R) brands. In
addition, through its entertainment division, which includes its
TicketsWest.com, Inc. subsidiary, it engages in event ticket
distribution and promotes and presents a variety of entertainment
productions. G&B Real Estate Services, its real estate
division, engages in traditional real estate-related services,
including developing, managing and brokering sales and leases of
commercial and multi-unit residential properties. This press
release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
federal securities law, including statements concerning plans,
objectives, goals, strategies, projections of future events or
performance and underlying assumptions (many of which are based, in
turn upon further assumptions). The forward-looking statements in
this press release are inherently subject to a variety of risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those expressed. Such risks and uncertainties include, among
others, matters discussed in the company's annual report on Form
10-K for the 2004 fiscal year and in other documents filed by the
company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Contact: Julie
Langenheim Title: Investor Relations Manager Phone: 509-777-6322
Internet: http://www.redlion.com/ http://www.westcoasthotels.com/
http://www.ticketswest.com/ http://www.g-b.com/ DATASOURCE:
WestCoast Hospitality Corporation CONTACT: Julie Langenheim,
Investor Relations Manager of WestCoast Hospitality Corporation,
+1-509-777-6322 Web site: http://www.redlion.com/ Web site:
http://www.ticketswest.com/ Web site: http://www.g-b.com/ Web site:
http://www.westcoasthotels.com/
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