SOUTHLAKE, Texas & TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 12, 2006–GetThere(R), the world’s leading online corporate travel reservation technology, is implementing rich media from VFM Interactive to enhance the hotel shopping process for business travelers. The agreement to deploy VFM’s technology this quarter complements GetThere’s ongoing initiatives to deliver more information to travelers at the point of purchase, highlighted by the integration of the consumer-friendly Travelocity(R) hotel database last year. VFM Interactive is the leading end-to-end provider of rich media management, production and distribution for the hotel industry.
Corporate travelers booking online via GetThere will gain access to VFM’s photos, videos and virtual tours from more than 10,000 participating properties when they click on specific hotels to view images and specific information on amenities and local attractions. VFM’s hotel media distribution network, already with significant reach in the leisure market, now touches the majority of Fortune 500 corporate travel intranets. GetThere’s booking engine, used by 62 percent of the Fortune 200, accounted for $6.3 billion in corporate travel in 2005.
GetThere will showcase VFM’s rich hotel content in Booth # 1644 at next week’s National Business Travel Association convention in Chicago.
“In order to drive hotel policy compliance by business travelers, it’s critical to deliver superior imagery and content in the shopping process,” said Suzanne Neufang, vice president of product marketing for GetThere. “VFM’s high-quality digital media shows travelers multiple aspects of a hotel, enhancing their comfort level with the property and their overall booking experience. Corporate travel managers benefit as well, with better-informed travelers more likely to book at company-preferred hotels.”
“PhoCusWright tells us that business travel is now the fastest-growing segment of online travel, so that is clearly the place we plan to be,” said Paolo Boni, president and CEO of VFM. “Our agreement with a market leader like GetThere certainly underscores this commitment. VFM is delighted to help facilitate more educated hotel booking choices by the thousands of business travelers using the GetThere online booking system.”
About GetThere
GetThere is the leading global online corporate travel reservation technology, surpassing $6.3 billion in gross travel bookings in 2005. An established innovator in the global travel arena, GetThere enables global corporations and government agencies to provide a convenient way for employees to book travel and plan meetings online while significantly reducing costs. GetThere’s advanced technology works with all major global distribution systems (GDS) and all travel management companies. More than 3,000 corporations, including a majority of Fortune 200 companies that have online booking sites, use GetThere. More information is available at www.getthere.com.
Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG) is a world leader in travel commerce, retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
About VFM Interactive
VFM Interactive is the leading end-to-end provider of rich media management, production and distribution for the hotel and travel industry. VFM helps travel companies maximize their brand penetration online through the power of rich media marketing that includes still images, rich media videos, 360-degree virtual tours and Flash productions. VFM offers its clients access to the largest and fastest-growing distribution network of more than 20,000 distribution points where consumers are most often researching and purchasing travel products. These distributors include online travel agencies, travel suppliers, search portals, and GDSs such as Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, TripAdvisor, American Airlines, Yahoo!, SideStep, and Worldspan. VFM’s clients include more than 10,000 hotels and resorts from brands and management companies such as Best Western, Choice, Crowne Plaza, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Interstate, La Quinta, Le Meridien, Marriott, MGM, Outrigger, Radisson, Regent, Sheraton, W, Westin, and Wyndham. To learn more, visit www.vfmii.com.
CONTACT: VOLLMER
Mary Kate Smither, 972-488-4790
marykate@vollmerpr.com
or
GetThere
Michael Brophy, 214-356-4326
michael.brophy@getthere.com
or
VFM Interactive
Carl J. Mascarenhas, 416-263-5640
carl.mascarenhas@vfmii.com
SOURCE: GetThere
