Hotel Technology Next Generation

Many hoteliers are improving their websites to attract online shoppers and make it easier for guests to book reservations. But when the improvements triple web traffic, bring in $1 million in sales, and make your website the highest ADR producer of any reservation channel, it is worth talking about. The success story belongs to the Galt House Hotel, the 1,290-room group convention property that holds the distinction of being Louisville’s premier place to stay during the Kentucky Derby.

“Our new site is successful because Cendyn understands the hotel business and online marketing," said Rita Stephenson-Reedy, corporate marketing director for the Al J. Schneider Company, which operates the Galt House Hotel. “It is clearly an effective combination."

The property selected Cendyn, an online sales and marketing company, to develop a new online strategy and website that incorporated eBooker™ , Cendyn’s booking engine. Since its launch in April 2010, the new site has delivered dramatic results and earned rave reviews, including:

Positive ROI in 6 months
Cendyn also created a fully mobile-optimized version of the Galt House site that received 30,000 visits since its launch and delivered a positive ROI in less than six months.

‘Raising revenue’
“The new site is doing a very good job of raising revenue," said Rita Stephenson-Reedy,. “A growing number of guests use Cendyn’s eBooker to make reservations on our website. Prior to Cendyn’s redesign, we were booking only 3.5 percent of business online. We now book more than 10 percent from our site and it is our highest ADR channel. This is very large for an independent hotel like the Galt House."

Real-time availability and effective SEO
Stephenson-Reedy attributes the site’s success to many Cendyn features that complement eBooker. “Cendyn was the only vendor who could provide real-time availability interface with our PMS, so rooms offered on our website are always current. Guests have confidence when they book online that the hotel will not be oversold." In addition, the site is netting enormous traffic from direct inquiries—a result of Cendyn’s continuously updated search engine optimization (SEO) services. “Cendyn works to ensure our site is search engine-optimized to attract the highest number of visitors any time of year, not just during the Kentucky Derby. We work with them to target visitors who are coming to town for concerts and seasonal events such as our upcoming KaLightoscope Christmas celebration. (See http://kalightoscope.com/xmas/kalightoscope.) As a result, direct traffic to our site is 33% of total visitors—a huge number. These customers are not being referred; they are searching for us and finding us very well."

“Visitors are drawn in by the graphics and ease of navigation," said Stephenson-Reedy. “They spend an average of 3.45 minutes on the site, 60 percent above our benchmark, and view an average of five pages." The new site also features an easily accessible ‘Submit RFP’ button that is a call to action for the meeting planners that make up 80 percent of the hotel’s business.

About Cendyn | Cendyn, based in Boca Raton, Florida, is a leader in increasing revenue opportunities for the hospitality and tourism industries by applying a managed services culture and approach to a single source of proven integrated sales and marketing solutions.

Established in 1996, Cendyn is a full-service interactive sales and marketing agency whose solutions are used by more than 9,000 hotel and travel destinations worldwide. The company is a solid resource of hospitality professionals who innovate solutions that include website marketing, website design, branding, search engine marketing and interactive products such as eProposal™, eConcierge™, eSurvey™, eInsight™, eContact™, eConnectivity™, eBooker™, and eMenus™. Clients include Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Family of Hotels, Marriott and other chains and independent properties. Cendyn, the recipient of prestigious awards for website design, innovation and marketing programs, extends its “Power of We" culture into the community through sponsorships of the YMCA, youth teams and community outreach; the Boca Helping Hands food bank; George Snow Scholarship Fund; Boca Raton Historical Society; Florence Fuller Childhood Development Centers, and community projects of the Junior League of Boca Raton. To learn how Cendyn’s products and services may broaden your revenue base, please visit our website www.cendyn.com. Let Cendyn show you how far an idea can go!

About Galt House Hotel | Galt House Hotel, The Heart of Louisville, is a 1,290 room hotel and one of the largest hotels in the Southeast, with 600 executive suites, 690 guest rooms, more than 50 meeting rooms and 124,000 square-feet of convention space. The hotel features a rooftop fitness center, Club 360°, with sweeping views of the skyline and waterfront, and the Conservatory, a three-story ‘Crystal Jewel’ that connects the hotel’s two towers. In all, the Galt House features seven restaurants and lounges including RIVUE, a revolving restaurant and lounge located 25 stories atop the hotel’s 25th floor and serving amazing, contemporary cuisine. For reservations, call 1-800-THE-GALT (843-4258), or visit .