Travelocity rolled out an alert system to
tip off clients to issues like closed hotel swimming pools and
airports with extensive delays.
The online agency,
which marked a decade in business this month, kicked off the
program in January, but began publicizing it Feb. 28.
From mid-January to
mid-February, Travelocity e-mailed more than 1,000 customers before
their trips to advise them of temporary pool closings, the agency
said.
Travelocity
spokesman Joel Frey noted that these communications were not e-mail
blasts, but individual e-mails to consumers with reservations at
the affected properties.
As part of the
initiative, Travelocity also e-mailed more than 1,700 consumers to
inform them that renovations at Los Cabos Airport might require
them to allow extra time.
Orbitz, of course,
pioneered care alerts in 2003, informing passengers via e-mail,
cell phone or a personal digital assistant about gate changes and
flight delays.
Imitation is the
highest form of flattery, said Cendant Consumer Travel Americas
spokesman Brian Hoyt, adding that Orbitz alerts reach millions of
customers.
To contact
reporter Dennis Schaal, send e-mail to [email protected].