Greater Miami CVB Partners with Booking.com

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) has partnered with Booking.com to provide consumers with one-stop shopping when they visit MiamiandBeaches.com, with Booking.com serving as the GMVC’s booking engine.

The GMVC Web site will have access to Booking.com’s 24 million user reviews and ratings, real-time hotel availability and best price guarantee.

“Booking.com also emphasizes continual testing and optimization of their Web site,” said William D. Talbert, III, president and CEO of the GMCVB. “We believe this will ensure that our Miami and Beaches booking tool is continually enhanced to deliver great customer experience, which will be optimized to drive optimal booking conversion.”

Talbert believes the partnership will help grow demand for Miami and the Beaches while also assisting the GMCVB in measuring some of the impact of its marketing activities related to driving hotel stays.

“From a consumer experience perspective, Booking.com offers a streamlined booking experience in 52 languages, with 24/7 customer service in each of those languages,” said Talbert. “With over 50 percent of Miami and the Beaches visitors coming from outside the U.S., strong international capabilities are a very high priority.”

Internationally, Brazil is the top global market followed by Canada. “We believe the partnership will help grow demand for Miami and Beaches, and importantly, assist the GMCVB in measuring some of the impact of our marketing activities in driving hotel stays,” said Talbert. Talbert said the GMCVB welcomes more visitors from the Northeast than any other market domestically.

To date, business to the destination is thriving. “The first six months proved to be record-breaking for revenue per available room (RevPAR) in Greater Miami and the Beaches,” said Talbert. “Second-quarter room rate and RevPAR in the destination were both record-breaking figures as well.”

Last year, Greater Miami and the Beaches had a record-breaking year, with 14 million overnight visitors and hotel rates that climbed to a record 77.9 percent occupancy.

Source: Travel Pulse