12.11.2008 par admin.

By James P. Miller | Tribune staff reporter

4:36 PM CST, November 10, 2008

A onetime accounting charge gave Orbitz Worldwide Inc. a substantial third-quarter loss Monday, and the Chicago online travel site operator also disclosed plans to cut its workforce by 10 percent.

Orbitz’ revenue rose 8.6 percent, to $240 million from $221 million, in the Sept. 30 quarter. But the travel company reported a net loss of $287 million, or $3.44 a diluted share, compared with a much smaller loss in last year’s quarter of $31 million, or 38 cents a share.

The difference was a $297 million “impairment” charge the company recorded to write down the value of goodwill and other intangible items on its books. Such non-cash charges, though required under accounting regulations when industry conditions are in decline, aren’t considered to be particularly important in terms of a corporation’s operating situation.

Excluding the impairment charge and other onetime items, Orbitz said, the company’s earnings before income tax, depreciation and amortization were unchanged from $43 million a year earlier.

The company’s efforts to bolster growth “succeeded and resulted in good growth in net revenue,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Steven Barnhart, “and we would have earned a net profit for the quarter before the impairment charge.”

Orbitz’ businesses “performed solidly” in the latest quarter despite capacity reductions by U.S. airlines, he continued. Over the last several weeks, however, “the economic and industry outlook for the fourth quarter has deteriorated markedly,” Barnhart continued.

In response to the declining conditions, Orbitz said it expects to reduce its U.S workforce by about 10 percent by year-end. The company didn’t say how many jobs it will eliminate; in a regulatory filing this year, Orbitz said that as of Dec. 31 2007 it had about 1,590 full-time employees, “more than half” of whom are based in the U.S. with the remainder largely in Australia and Britain.

Source : chicagotribune.com

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2.9.2008 par admin.

Orbitz.com announced the winners of its first annual Orbitz Best In Stay Awards, recognizing more than 100 top-rated hotels based on reviews by the guests themselves.

“With more than 160,000 hotel reviews, Orbitz offers travelers the relevant information they need to find the hotel that is right for them,” said Tom Russell, Group Vice President of Brand Marketing for Orbitz Worldwide. “With our Best In Stay awards, we are harnessing this guest feedback to recognize and celebrate the hotels that provide the best customer experience, according to the travelers who have stayed there.”

Orbitz Best In Stay winners were selected based on the overall numeric score they received by Orbitz customers. Reviews and scores for each hotel are collected only from Orbitz customers who have booked and stayed at the hotel. Reviewers are asked to rate a variety of hotel attributes on a scale of 1 to 5, including amenities, maintenance, hotel staff, room comfort, location, and value. The “overall score” is an average of all reviewer scores submitted.

Making Orbitz Best In Stay winners even more relevant for travelers, awards are given in four categories based on the type of traveler who submitted reviews—families, couples, leisure vacationers and business travelers.

The following hotels are a sample of the 2008 Orbitz Best In Stay winners in some of the most popular travel destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Caribbean. Awards were given to hotels in the following destinations: New York, Boston, San Francisco, Miami / Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico, Toronto and Montreal.

New York:
Best In Stay Family Hotel: Eastgate Tower Hotel, 3-Star
Best In Stay Couples Hotel: Millennium Hilton, 4-Star
Best In Stay Leisure Hotel: New York Marriott Marquis, 3-Star
Best In Stay Business Hotel: Affinia Manhattan, 3-Star

Las Vegas:
Best In Stay Family Hotel: MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, 4-Star
Best In Stay Couples Hotel: Wynn Las Vegas, 5-Star
Best In Stay Leisure Hotel: The Grandview at Las Vegas, 4-Star
Best In Stay Business Hotel: The Signature at MGM Grand, 5-Star

Orlando:
Best In Stay Family Hotel: Runaway Beach Club Resort, 4-Star
Best In Stay Couples Hotel: Hilton at Walt Disney World Resort, 4-Star
Best In Stay Leisure Hotel: Caribe Cove Resort, 4-Star
Best In Stay Business Hotel: Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center,
5-Star

Chicago:
Best In Stay Family Hotel: Amalfi Hotel, 4-Star
Best In Stay Couples Hotel: The Westin Michigan Avenue, 4-Star
Best In Stay Leisure Hotel: Hotel Monaco, 4-Star
Best In Stay Business Hotel: The Talbott Hotel, 4-Star

Hawaii:
Best In Stay Family Hotel: Turtle Bay Resort, 4-Star
Best In Stay Couples Hotel: The Westin Maui Resort and Spa, 4-Star
Best In Stay Leisure Hotel: Outrigger Maui Eldorado, 3-Star
Best In Stay Business Hotel: The Wyland Waikiki, 4-Star

Introduced in 2005, the Orbitz hotel review process lets travelers take advantage of the first-hand knowledge of more than 160,000 authentic hotel customer reviews solicited only from Orbitz travelers who have actually booked and stayed at the hotel. The hotel reviews can be sorted based on the type of traveler to find the right hotel that fits travelers’ specific needs: business travelers, leisure vacationers, couples and families.

Related Link: Orbitz Best in Stay

Source : hotelmarketing.com

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9.8.2008 par admin.

Orbitz narrows 2nd-quarter loss as bookings rise, particularly in the international market

CHICAGO (AP) — Online travel company Orbitz Worldwide Inc. said Wednesday that it narrowed its loss in the second quarter as bookings rose.The company posted a loss of $5 million, or 6 cents per share, compared with a loss of $32 million in the same period last year, before new shares were issued.

Revenue increased to $231 million from $229 million.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial, on average, forecast a loss of 3 cents per share on sales of $266.7 million.

Orbitz said bookings rose 4 percent to $3 billion. Bookings from international operations increased 41 percent to $476 million, while domestic bookings fell 1 percent to $2.6 billion.

Air net revenue was $90 million, down 13 percent from $103 million last year because of a decline in domestic volume.

Non-air and other net revenue, which consists of hotel, car, dynamic packaging, advertising and insurance revenue, was $141 million, up 12 percent from $126 million in the year-ago period.

“We continue to focus on shifting our business mix away from air,” said Chief Executive Steven Barnhart in a statement.

Management said in a conference call that leisure air travel within the United States accounts for 21 percent of its net revenue, a figure that the company continues to shrink as the airline industry suffers due to a sluggish economy. In the first quarter, leisure travel in the United States accounted for 25 percent of total revenue.

Orbitz shares lost 15 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $5.60 in afternoon trading.

Source : Yahoo Finance

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30.7.2008 par admin.

With industry data showing continued increases for both average domestic airfare and the average daily rate for hotels, Orbitz for Business unveiled a ranking of the top business travel markets in which these costs have demonstrated price fluctuations.

Record costs for jet fuel and a soft economy have forced many airlines, business travelers and corporate travel programs to explore and implement aggressive cost-cutting measures in 2008. With industry data showing continued increases for both average domestic airfare and the average daily rate for hotels, Orbitz for Business today unveiled a ranking of the top business travel markets in which these costs have demonstrated price fluctuations, including increases and decreases in business traveler spending.

Average Air Transactions

Orbitz for Business used year-to-date client bookings to determine this newest trend in traveler spending. For example, based on Orbitz for Business transactions, the market that has seen the greatest percentage increase dollar-wise in average airfare is Columbus, Ohio; while Salt Lake City, Utah, tops the list of cities on a percentage basis that have seen their average airfare decrease in 2008.

Top 10 Business Travel Markets Where Average Cost For Air Travel Has Increased or Decreased

Increased
1.  Columbus, OH
2.  Toronto, Canada
3.  New York City (all airports)
4.  Houston, Texas
5.  Newark, N.J. 
6.  Minneapolis, Minn.  .
7.  Indianapolis, Ind. 
8.  Detroit, Mich.  .
9.  Richmond, Va. 
10.  Cleveland, OH

Decreased
1.  Salt Lake City, UT
2.  Los Angeles, Calif.
3.  London, England
4.  San Antonio, Texas
5.  St. Louis, MO
6.  Atlanta, GA
7.  Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
8.  Seattle, Wash
9.  San Jose, Calif.
10.  Portland, Ore.

Based on percentage increases and decreases for 2008 Orbitz for Business bookings that included a minimum of 1,000 air transactions per market.

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics shows the average domestic airfare increased 4.5 percent through the first quarter of 2008. Additionally, Consumer Price Index data lists the average domestic airfare increasing an additional 4.5 percent in June alone, its largest monthly increase since March 2000. In contrast, the average air transaction among Orbitz for Business’ customers has increased less than two percent (1.55%) thus far (through July 23) in 2008 over the same time period last year.

Average Daily Rates—Hotel

According to Smith Travel Research, a leading provider of data and information in the hospitality industry, the average daily rate for hotels in the U.S. is up five percent in 2008. But while some may be paying more for lodging, Orbitz for Business hotel bookings also reflect percentage decreases in spending (measured by average daily rate) in a number of top markets, including New York City, Boston, San Francisco and Dallas.

Top 10 Business Travel Markets Where Average Daily Hotel Rate Spending Has Increased or Decreased

Increased
1.  Pittsburgh, Pa. 
2.  Sacramento, Calif. 
3.  Toronto, Canada
4.  Charlotte, N.C. 
5.  Minneapolis, Minn. 
6.  St. Louis, MO. 
7.  Orlando, Fla. 
8.  Tampa, Fla. 
9.  Columbus, OH
10. Washington, D.C. 

Decreased
1.  Dallas, Texas
2.  Las Vegas, Nev.
3.  San Diego, Calif.
4.  Phoenix, Ariz.
5.  New Orleans, La.
6.  Cleveland, OH
7.  Baltimore, MD.
8.  San Francisco, Calif.
9.  New York City
10. Boston, Mass.

Based on percentage increases and decreases for 2008 Orbitz for Business bookings that included a minimum of 1,000 hotel room nights per market

A recent Orbitz for Business and Business Traveler Magazine survey found that more than two-thirds (68%) of travelers say they are now staying at less-expensive/lower star-rated hotels as a means to save money.

“It’s interesting that in some key markets where customers are spending more on airfare their hotel spend is down, with New York City serving as a prime example,” said Dean Sivley, COO and senior vice president, Orbitz for Business. “Some spending increases are inevitable in our current travel climate, however we’ve been very proactive in integrating cost saving products and initiatives to help our customers best manage their travel programs.”

Source : hotelmarketing.com

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25.7.2008 par admin.

European online travel company ebookers has re-launched its Belgian website (http://www.ebookers.be) on its global technology platform.

The Belgian site is the first on Orbitz Worldwide’s global platform where users can search for travel in a non-English language.

Like past platform migrations in the UK and Ireland, the re-launch of ebookers’ new Belgian website is expected to triple the number of hotels accessible to customers.

Additionally, authentic hotel user reviews of thousands of properties and additional information about traveler destinations, including more hotel photos and maps, also have been added to the Belgian ebookers site.

Additional ebookers.be functionality now includes dynamic packaging features, improved content which supports the Belgian website’s natural search ranking, easier filtering of travel search results, improved features and promotional pages for offers and deals, “My Trips” and “My Accounts” sections that allow customers to view current and previous trips and transatlantic multi-city flight search enabling customers to book more complex flight itineraries, including up to four flights segments, which can arrive and depart from different airports.

Orbitz Worldwide’s global technology platform, built in 2007, makes it easier for travelers to book any combination of flight and hotel choices when planning their own holiday. The multi-language, multi-currency backend information technology has the ability to power multiple websites that operate in different locations, increasing maintenance efficiencies, common inventory access and speed to market with new innovations.

The platform will eventually power all 13 ebookers websites in Europe and also Orbitz Worldwide’s properties in North America.

Source : eyefortravel.com

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21.7.2008 par admin.

HotelClub est un leader mondial de la réservation hôtelière en ligne jusqu’à 12 mois à l’avance. Il fournit ses services de réservation en ligne pour plus de 25 000 hôtels dans 2200 villes dans plus de 104 pays du monde entier.

HotelClub vous propose une grille de tarifs très compétitive grâce à notre importante capacité d’achat avec jusqu’à 60% de réduction. HotelClub a conclu des accords avec de grandes chaînes hôtelières et des milliers d’hôtels à travers le monde entier pour répondre aux demandes des voyageurs et ce, à des tarifs très compétitifs et avec des normes éthiques élevées. HotelClub offre un vaste de choix de chambres d’hôtel dans plus de 104 pays. Nous proposons une variété d’hôtels allant d’une étoile au cinq étoiles dans tous les styles : station balnéaire, appartement tout équipé, motels à petit budget et grandes chaînes hôtelières.

HotelClub est en mesure de répondre aux besoins variés et aux exigences de ses clients dans le monde entier grâce à l’efficacité de son site Internet.

http://www.hotelclub.net/hotel.reservations/

 Source : sitedesmarques.com

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15.7.2008 par admin.

Orbitz.com and UK sister brand ebookers.com have inked a deal with Microsoft to be its online travel agency for its travel portal on both sides of the Pond.

The sites will power all of MSN’s travel services including air, hotel, package holiday, cruise and car rental.

The July 1 launch means that UK MSN customers can use ebooker’s Price Guarantee which refunds the difference if they find a cheaper fare elsewhere. US customers will use Orbitz’ Price Assurance service which refunds the difference if another Orbitz customer books the same flight for less. They can also use the OrbitzTLC which contacts customers by email, text and phone when there is a status update on their itineraries.

CEO and president of Orbitz Worldwide Steve Barnhart said: “Our partnership with MSN will provide additional visibility and traffic to both Orbitz.com and ebookers.com, strengthening growth in both the United States and the United Kingdom. As one of the largest internet destinations in the world, MSN represents another significant win for growing our co-branded distribution.”

By Dinah Hatch

Source : travelmole.com

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11.7.2008 par admin.

Orbitz.com and its affiliated online travel brand ebookers.com in the United Kingdom have signed a multi-year deal with Microsoft to serve as the online travel agency for MSN.com’s travel portal in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively.

Orbitz.com and ebookers.com will power all of MSN Travel’s offerings, including air, hotel, vacation package, cruise and car rental bookings.

Following the July 1st launch, MSN Travel customers in the United States will benefit from Orbitz.com’s unique new “Price Assurance” service, which refunds the difference in airfare for travelers in the event another Orbitz customer books the same flight itinerary for a lower price. MSN customers in the United States will also benefit from OrbitzTLC, an innovative service that proactively alerts customers with information about their trip via email, phone or text message.

MSN Travel customers in the UK will benefit from ebookers.com’s Price Guarantee, which refunds the difference if the customer finds a better price. MSN users in the United Kingdom will also benefit from a fantastic range of worldwide hotels with up to 60% off.

Microsoft also plans to integrate more content from its newly-acquired Live Search Farecast travel search engine within the MSN Travel site as well.

“Our partnership with MSN will provide additional visibility and traffic to both Orbitz.com and ebookers.com, strengthening growth in both the United States and the United Kingdom,” said Steve Barnhart, CEO and president of Orbitz Worldwide. “As one of the largest Internet destinations in the world, MSN represents another significant win for growing our co-branded distribution.”

Orbitz Worldwide’s co-branded and private label business powers travel bookings for a number of airline, hotel and general interest websites.

“Orbitz provides an excellent online experience for its customers and has unique customer-focused services,” stated John Russell, senior channel manager of MSN Travel at Microsoft Corp. “Microsoft is committed to delivering innovative features that help our MSN Travel customers make smarter decisions, and the integration of Orbitz’s technology is another step toward fulfilling that commitment.”

Source : hotelmarketing.com

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11.7.2008 par admin.

Orbitz for Business plans to expand its international booking platform to non-English speaking European markets in 2009 and is on schedule for its planned November launch of a U.K. point-of-sale, according to COO and senior vice president Dean Sivley.

Meanwhile, this month the travel management company will consolidate the former Travelport for Business with Orbitz for Business creating more flexible travel policy configuration for its customers.

Orbitz for Business will not actively sell to non-English speaking local markets. While Orbitz for Business now uses Galileo and Worldspan as its global distribution system providers, Sivley said the international launch could call for further diversification of its GDS portfolio. “The one we have to reserve judgment on is Amadeus in a few markets in Europe, but right now there are no plans to do that,” he said.

Source : hotelmarketing.com

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6.6.2008 par admin.

Malgré une légère progression, de 3 p.c., de son chiffre d’affaires, à 219 millions de dollars, le groupe américain Orbitz, maison-mère d’Ebookers, RatesToGo et Hotelclub, a enregistré sur le premier trimestre une perte nette de 15 millions de dollars, contre 10 millions un an auparavant. Consolation : les opérations internationales ont contribué à hauteur de 51 millions de dollars au CA global, soit une croissance de 11 p.c. sur la même période. [TNI]

Source : Voyages & Technologies

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