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In Aftermath of WTC Tragedy
HOTRES.com Turns to Senior Travelers
Stamford, Conn.—October 2, 2001 -- With the number of visitors to New York dwindling after the attack on the World Trade Center, HOTRES.com, a site that offers travelers planning a trip to New York City a straightforward way to make reservations at a wide variety of quality hotels, is attempting to stir up business by reaching out to people over the age of 55. It has made it easier for seniors—statistically one of the largest segments of recreational travelers—to find accommodations in New York by redesigning its site, making its use simpler for older people and other users who may be unfamiliar with how to complete online transactions. “We realized we have to do our part to lure visitors back to New York City,” said Kerrin Behrend, president of HOTRES.com. “Many of our customers are older people who may be new to the Internet, so we have made our reservation process as simple to use as possible.” According to the Travel Industry Association of America, more Americans over the age of 55 than ever before are spending their increased leisure time traveling. And recent research by Grandparentworld.com shows that mature Americans spend 47 percent more time online than the average for any other age group. Behrend said these factors have contributed to an explosion in the number of seniors using the Internet to make their travel arrangements. HOTRES.com is designed so that travelers to New York City can easily find and reserve hotel rooms—often at discounted rates. More than 90 hotels, located throughout Manhattan and at the three New York City airports, can be booked through HOTRES. Among the more than 90 hotels offered by HOTRES.com are the Wellington, Grand Hyatt, Hiltons, Holiday Inns, Pennsylvania, Marriotts, Milford Plaza, Novotel, Radisson, Sheratons, Waldorf Astoria and the Plaza. They are categorized as Moderate (two stars), First Class (three stars), Superior (four stars) and Deluxe (five stars). All offer single, double (one double or one queen size bed) or twin (two beds) accommodations. There are no minimums and with each reservation customers may book up to three rooms for up to 14 nights. Designed for ease of use, the Web site enables travelers unfamiliar with New York to view a map that shows where each of the offered hotels is located. One mouse click provides detailed information about a hotel’s accommodations and services. Travel writers at both The New York Times and The Boston Globe commented favorably on HOTRES.com’s user-friendly interface and deemed it one of the best Web sites for finding bargains in New York City. Making reservations at HOTRES.com is a simple process. Users choose a hotel, or category of hotel and enter their arrival date and length of stay. HOTRES.com will respond immediately with availability and pricing, and offer a number of available alternatives. After a selection is made, HOTRES.com confirms all the details and requests a credit card for billing. The user can print a confirmation page with a hotel voucher to present at check in. A similar page is sent to the user’s e-mail address. Reservations are guaranteed for the night of arrival. Reservations are confirmed against a guaranteed block of rooms. As a result, during busy periods HOTRES.com users can often get a confirmed reservation when the hotel itself is advising travel agents and the public that it is sold out.
For more information, please visit www.HOTRES.com.
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