Hawaii firm launches online hotel multilingual reservations system in Korean, Japanese and English

HONOLULU, HAWAII (August 12, 2008) – PRTech, a sister company of Honolulu-based PacRim Marketing Group, Inc., has developed and launched MyRez 2.0, a multilingual reservations booking system, availabl

HONOLULU, HAWAII (August 12, 2008) – PRTech, a sister company of Honolulu-based PacRim Marketing Group, Inc., has developed and launched MyRez 2.0, a multilingual reservations booking system, available in Japanese-English and in Korean-English now, in traditional and simplified Chinese-English, within the next six months, and in other languages following that.

MyRez 2.0โ€”part of the next-generation of online software solutions aimed at helping businesses use the Internet to increase online revenue and reduce costs, has been shown to significantly shorten booking times, while effectively translating consumer requests in Korean or Japanese into English for hotel staff, and then back into Korean or Japanese for the consumer. The system also has the ability to handle spa reservations and, potentially, bookings for other activities.

“We chose to offer MyRez 2.0 with Asian language capabilities first, based on growth opportunities in the independent traveler markets where Internet use for travel and online bookings have had dramatic growth in the past few years,” said Dave Erdman, PacRim Marketing Group president and CEO. “Hawaii is the perfect market in which to introduce this new product, due to its multilingual needs and culture and the volume of customers from Japan and Asia who now do their own travel bookings and scheduling. We named the product MyRez, recognizing that individuals like researching and planning their own trips the way they like โ€” โ€˜my vacation, my way, in my language, on my time -24/7โ€™.โ€

As of August 1, MyRez 2.0 was in place for several Hawaii hotels. Hotels using MyRez 2.0 can upload their own photos, logos, rates, and information on discounts and room categories, creating a dynamic and tailored booking page that fits into their website design and allows seamless transition between English and Korean or Japanese.

“The simple one-page booking system, with minimum load time and intuitive interface, shortens booking times and is extremely user-friendly for hotel operators and revenue managers,” said Brian Newman, sales manager at PRTech. “Our goals in developing MyRez 2.0 were to make booking easier and more personalized for both consumers and hotel staffs, and I have no doubt that we have been successful in doing that.”

In addition, PRTech staff can work with hotel staffs to provide translation and one-on-one service for Korean and Japanese consumers with special requests submitted through MyRez 2.0’s Online Concierge Service. PRTech’s multilingual travel industry professionals then coordinate responses between the Korean or Japanese consumer and the Hawaii-based property.

Although MyRez 2.0 is based on PRTech’s successful Japanese-English reservations booking system, JpRes, the new system, is not a simple upgrade but an entire re-design, from the ground up, according to Erdman. โ€œInitially developed for Turtle Bay Resort and Mandara Spa, our JpRes system has resulted in nearly $12 million in online Japanese and Korean booking revenue and generated over 40,000 room nights for our hotel clients since its 2002 launch. JpRes clients have been anticipating this next generation system which increases business from Asian markets through the Internet.โ€

The new MyRez 2.0 multilingual reservations system was developed based on client input and with the support of Act 221 that enabled PRTech to dedicate resources to its research and development for the past two years. PRTech developers collaborated with clients and their marketing staffs to bring the next generation of online multilingual reservations systems to market. MyRez 2.0 was developed in Hawaii without any outsourcing to other countries, venture capital, or investment outside the company or parent company.

“We have high expectations for its success in meeting our clients’ needs,” Erdman said. “Based on the success of JpRes, which produced on average more than $300,000 a month in on-line bookings in 2007, we expect MyRez 2.0 to increase these numbers significantly even in a challenging market environment due to its breadth of language capabilities and user-friendly components.”

About PRTech, a sister company of PacRim Marketing Group, Inc.

Incorporated as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in December 2003, PRTech, LLC is an information technology solutions and services firm committed to bringing multilingual, marketing solutions to clients expanding business in the Pacific Rim region. Based in Hawaii, PRTech’s multilingual e-solutions professionals develop software and web based solutions that meet 21st century international business needs, using multicultural platforms and advanced technologies. PRTech developed the multilingual reservation booking systems, JpRes and MyRez. PRTech’s clientele consists of U.S. and international organizations from various industries: travel and tourism, retail, entertainment, real estate, financial services, high tech, and government organizations. For more information, go to www.PRTech.com

About PacRim Marketing Group, Inc.

PacRim Marketing Group, Inc. is an international marketing firm helping clients achieve marketing success in the Pacific Rim. Since opening its Honolulu office in 1990, PacRim has expanded to a group of related companies – PRTech and PacRim Marketing Tokyo KK – employing more than 35 marketing and PR professionals in Hawaii, the US Mainland, and the Pacific Rim. PacRim Marketing Group and its related companies offer integrated marketing solutions using the latest technologies, as well as traditional public relations and marketing services. PacRim Marketing Group owns Hawaii No Arukikata www.hawaii-arukikata.com , the largest commercial website about Hawaii in Japanese, which receives 2.8 million views per month, and now the Korean web portal: www.myhawaii.kr . PacRim also is a partner in the Official Hawaii Podcast, a weekly, 20-minute audio show recorded in Japanese and downloadable on computers, cell phones, and other digital palm devices for free at www.hawaii-podcast.jp , and has interest in multiple new media ventures. For more information, go to www.pacrimmarketing.com .

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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