Wyndham Worldwide Hotels Becomes First Chain to Join StarCite Accreditation Program for Suppliers
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Wyndham Worldwide Hotels Becomes First Chain to Join StarCite Accreditation Program for Suppliers
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Category: Worldwide
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2011-03-04
New StarCite Program Helps Hotels Highlight Their Focus on Group Business
Wyndham Worldwide Hotels today launched a new program that will enable Wyndham properties to increase their relevance and work on a more collaborative basis with corporate meeting planners using StarCite.
Wyndham is participating in the new StarCite Accreditation Program, which is designed to ensure that sales managers are fully trained on the StarCite system and properties are committed to driving quick response times. Through these commitments, properties become more relevant to planners using StarCite. With a dedicated Accreditation icon, properties can distinguish themselves within the $3 Billion StarCite Online Marketplace. Wyndham Worldwide Hotels has announced that it will be the first chain to participate by signing key properties onto the new program.
“By becoming the first hotel chain to become StarCite Accredited, Wyndham Worldwide Hotels is clearly making a commitment to the corporate meeting planner,” said David O’Donohoe, Senior Vice President of Global Supplier Sales and Operations, StarCite. “Meeting planners using StarCite are looking for quick and thorough responses to RFPs when planning meetings. We aim to create a frictionless marketplace for planners to get the information they need as quickly and easily as possible, and our Accreditation program is a major step in helping us do that. This is all about ensuring that the online channel is increasingly efficient and working well for buyers and suppliers alike.”
“Meeting planners need clarity and responsiveness from suppliers, which is why we believe accreditation is so important for us and for the industry overall,” said Bill Scanlon, SVP Sales and Marketing, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. “We are focused on working constructively with meeting planners to meet their needs and help them deliver great experiences for attendees. This news underscores our commitment to the group business market.”
Suppliers that earn their accreditation from StarCite will be identified with an icon in the StarCite Online Marketplace so they can be easily recognized by meeting planners. Accredited suppliers will have shown their commitment to group business by adhering to the program’s rigorous requirements, which include:
Guaranteed response to eRFPs within 36 hours
Staff training and certification in eRFP response preparation
Monitoring eRFP responsiveness through tracking and measurement
Up-to-date, comprehensive content within all property listings
About Wyndham Hotel Group
Wyndham Hotel Group, part of the Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE:WYN) family of companies, is the world’s largest hotel company with approximately 7,210 hotels and 612,700 rooms in 65 countries under the hotel brands: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Ramada®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Wingate by Wyndham®, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Microtel Inns & Suites®, Hawthorn Suites® by Wyndham, TRYP® by Wyndham, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® and Knights Inn®. In addition, the company has a license agreement to franchise the Planet Hollywood Hotels®, Dream® and Night® brands and provide management services internationally.
All hotels are independently owned and operated excluding certain Wyndham and international Ramada hotels which are managed by Wyndham Hotel Management, Inc., one of its affiliates or through a joint-venture partner. Wyndham Hotel Group is based in Parsippany, N.J.
About StarCite, Inc.
StarCite, Inc. provides a technology platform that makes meetings and event planning, booking and management easier and more cost-effective for corporations, hotels, venues and meetings suppliers worldwide. StarCite delivers visibility, cost savings and control over meetings spending for businesses and enhanced revenue opportunities for suppliers. Through Web-based, on-demand technology, StarCite automates and supports every key element of the meetings planning and procurement process: planning, budgeting, buying, attendance, payment, and results measurement. Using StarCite’s proprietary online marketplace, meetings buyers can connect and conduct business with over 93,000 hotels, venues, destinations and suppliers globally. StarCite is based in Philadelphia, PA and worldwide. Its equity holders include ICG (NASDAQ: ICGE), TPG Growth, Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), and TL Ventures.
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