Starwood Hotels & Resorts launched
StarwoodPro.com, a trade-only Web site providing search-and-book
capabilities for the company's nine brands.
Chris Austin,
Starwood's vice president of global customer partnerships, leisure
and luxury sales, said Starwood had previously been inconsistent,
as agent booking sites varied by brand.
Going forward, the
group is taking a comprehensive approach to its dealings with the
trade, he said, and that will include other elements, too: an
education and development curriculum in the first quarter of 2008;
a new rewards program for bringing in incremental revenue,
second-quarter 2008; and a new commission settlement program,
second-quarter 2008.
Austin said the Web
site, to be operational in seven languages by October, is designed
to make it easy to fetch detailed information about any property,
find the company's promotional offers and efficiently match clients
to the right accommodations.
He said Starwood
recognizes that the majority of agencies book in the GDSs and, in
its rewards program, will count bookings regardless of whether they
are made in GDSs or at StarwoodPro.com. He said rates on the Web
site "mirror rates in the GDSs."
He also said Starwood
had no intention of requiring agents to take its educational
program in order to retain 10% pay, but that there will be some
kind of reward or positive reinforcement for taking the
courses.
To contact reporter
Nadine Godwin, send e-mail to [email protected].