FastBooking integrates social media analysis tools into its online business solution for hoteliers with FastBooking Social Media

Paris—February 22, 2010—FastBooking and Circos are joining forces in a strategic partnership that adds cutting-edge brand analytics and social media management tools to the FastBooking portfolio of online business solutions for hoteliers. FastBooking Social Media, powered by FastBooking and Brand Karma, is the first step in the roll-out of the FastBooking’s comprehensive UGC*- and web-analytics strategy. Through this partnership, FastBooking becomes the only company in Europe to offer a full suite of online marketing and social media analytic solutions to individual hotels and hotel chains. Both FastBooking and Circos are leaders in the hotel technology industry. FastBooking provides advanced Internet booking systems and e-marketing services to increase hotel website bookings, while Circos provides customized monitoring and analysis of brand data from social media so that hotel owners can make superior business decisions.

According to a recent study by The Nielsen Company, social media acts as an information filter and accounts for 18% of online content discovery. “Hotels now need to manage their online brand perception which is heavily influenced by what consumers see or read on sites like TripAdvisor ®, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr®,” notes Jean Robberecht, FastBooking Vice President Marketing, Strategic Accounts.

With the integration of Circos’ Brand Karma software in FastBooking Social Media, FastBooking will enable hoteliers to track what is being said about their hotel across influential social media websites. Powered by sophisticated analysis of user-generated content, the software reports brand insights in easy-to-understand graphs and charts, and links the hotel’s social media to actual business metrics like bookings, satisfaction and loyalty.

“Monitoring and analysis of social media and online perceptions are just the first step of the larger strategy,” says Jean Robberecht.

“Social media can be a hotel’s best friend or worst enemy,” says Morris Sim, Co-Founder and CEO of Circos. “Brand Karma makes it easy for hoteliers to grasp the business impact of these conversations and turns social media into a competitive asset, which fits perfectly with FastBooking’s services.”

A clear picture of a hotel’s image in social media

Hoteliers adopting FastBooking Social Media will be able to use this online dashboard to work with the online brand perception and obtain operational business benefits.

* Evaluate online brand perception

Track perception relative to competitors

Respond immediately to negative posts before they spread

Improve the bottom line through positive buzz in social media

* Operational business benefits

Measure strengths, weakness and differences with objectivity

Work with stakeholders to improve weak operational areas

Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty

FastBooking Social Media services will be available in March 2010.