EDITOR| This is good. I think you will see more of this. Social networks are important, influential and fast. What will be required though is management, tact and over-coming social norms, something similar to what the MLM companies had to scale. If anyone is from IHG, please send me the link to your 'customized' booking page!
editor@hospemag.com
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IHG brought on what potentially is the largest hotels sales force ever. Almost overnight, IHG introduced an innovative "Friends and Family" programme that harnesses its over 330,000 staff strength to promote hotel bookings to their social networks.
The new global IHG Friends and Family programme provides hotel rooms at over 4,150 hotels worldwide at attractive rates for friends and family of IHG colleagues around the world. Everyone who works in an owned, managed or franchised hotel or in an IHG corporate office is eligible to participate in this programme. IHG's brands include InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.
After registering through IHG's intranet, all staff will receive an email with a unique web link to a special personal hotel booking webpage. Staff can forward the web link to their friends and family, who then click the link to go to this personal web page and book their stays at exclusive rates. Staff will enjoy special rates for any reservation made between now and 31st May 2009 for bookings made up to one year in advance of stay. They can even see the discount they are getting. Terms and conditions apply.
"We are seeing tremendous excitement and results for this programme which leverages our scale. We've always been proud of our brands and we can now share the passion we have for our brands and offer attractive hotel rates to our social circles," said Gary Rosen, senior vice president Sales and Marketing, IHG Asia Pacific.
source| http://ehotelier.com