TravelCLICK Names Georgetown Inn eMarketer of the Year

Awards Ceremony Launches Industry’s First Viral Marketing Campaign for Hoteliers

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. October 14, 2008

CHICAGO, IL, January 29, 2008. Before an audience of a thousand hospitality industry leaders from around the world, LXR Hotels & Resorts' Georgetown Inn was named the 2007 eMarketer of the Year by TravelCLICK and the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI). The award was presented last night at the 51st Anniversary Adrian Awards Gala, held at the New York Marriott Marquis. Sponsored by TravelCLICK, the eMarketer of the Year honors hoteliers who exhibit excellence in hotel emarketing by generating and converting hotel online demand. Georgetown Inn was recognized for its strong online presence and ability to drive additional, incremental revenue direct to its hotel. During the gala, TravelCLICK also unveiled the industry's first viral campaign for hoteliers-an entertaining exchange among celebrity impersonators-designed to spread the message of hotel emarketing to the industry.

The 96-room Georgetown Inn (http://www.GeorgetownInn.com ), located in Washington, DC, implemented an integrated online strategy designed to drive demand and convert guests on the web. The approach included an informative website, a multipronged Internet marketing strategy, and a high-conversion web-booking engine.

Accepting the award for the Georgetown Inn were Richard Chambers, Senior Vice President of Marketing for LXR Resorts & Hotels and Jack Feuer, Blackstone eCommerce Advisor overseeing online strategy for LXR Hotels & Resorts. "We are thrilled to receive the honor of eMarketer of Year," said Chambers. "Georgetown Inn has found the right mix of strategy and technology that has evolved our online presence into a vital bookings channel that generates highly profitable and repeatable business for the hotel."

The Georgetown Inn has used online strategies to successfully drive dramatic incremental revenue direct to its hotel by dominating the local market through comprehensive SEO and pay-per-click campaigns. The hotel also attracted more reservations to its brand website through advertising placements with strategic partners such as Georgetowndc.com and TripAdvisor.com. By converting online shoppers at a higher rate with the superior merchandising capabilities of its web booking engine, the Georgetown Inn is generating over 60 percent more in direct web bookings. Direct website reservations now account for 28 percent of the hotel's total bookings.

"All of the entrants in this year's competition demonstrated a heightened understanding of the web's increasingly important role in hotel marketing," said Shane Ettestad, Vice President of Internet Marketing Solutions for TravelCLICK. "The eMarketer of the Year Awards illustrate that an integrated approach to online marketing -- from your hotel website to consumer review ratings - is a critical success factor in driving demand, gaining a competitive edge, and deriving higher net revenues. We salute our 2007 entrants and congratulate Georgetown Inn for its outstanding achievement."

In addition to naming the 2007 eMarketer of the Year, TravelCLICK recognized the following winners in regional and chain categories:

Asia/Pacific Region - Cosmopolitan Hotel Hong Kong, China;

Europe/Middle East/Africa Region - Grand Hotel Esplanade Berlin, Germany;

North America Region - Georgetown Inn Washington, DC; and

Chain Category - Joie de Vivre Hospitality (http://www.jdvhotels.com), San Francisco, CA.

The eMarketer of the Year Awards focus on hotel booking performance and growth driven by effective online marketing, including enhanced website design, organic and paid search strategy, online applications, as well as ratings on consumer review sites To learn what it takes to become a great hotel emarketer, visit www.longtail-yeah.com .