One-to-one marketing: Accor uses web to strengthen its travel trade links

The hotel group tasked Thai agency Webstudio-1.com with developing the site, which provides detailed information Accor's hotels, resorts and services in the region. Users can search by location or by map for all Accor hotels, and can also access up-to-date information on each hotel.

The site - accortrade.info - will evolve through local language translations, said Accor senior vice president of sales and marketing, Ray Stone. "Later we will also provide a facility enabling our key distribution partners to download images direct from their site," said Stone.

Stone stressed the launch would not see Accor overlook its established distribution channels. "In an age when the distribution focus of some hotel companies in our industry appears to be almost exclusively on direct internet sales, Accor is committed to a more balanced approach," he said.