On The Road: Check Out BOOK DIRECT!

VISITPHILLY.COM ENHANCES ITS HOTEL SEARCH ENGINE

New Search Engine Enables Visitors To Book Directly On Hotel Sites, Secure Best Rate &
Use Loyalty Points

Photo by Jeff Fusco for GPTMC

PHILADELPHIA, May 9, 2013 – The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) today announced a new hotel search engine for visitphilly.com: BookDirect. A product of JackRabbit Systems, the search engine:

• Gives consumers the opportunity to compare and shop for rates as always, but enables them to book accommodations on their preferred hotel’s website. That means they can secure the best available rate and build or use loyalty points.
• Makes it easier for visitors to find the hotel that best suits their needs thanks to a new map view and search results that are filtered by amenity, location, price and property. 

“Experience tells us that consumers prefer to book accommodations on hotel sites directly, and BookDirect enables them to do that,” said Meryl Levitz, president and CEO of GPTMC. “Plus, with really great search filters, BookDirect can help our visitors find exactly the right hotel for them.”

The search engine launches on visitphilly.com in two phases. Beginning on May 9, visitors to the site will find new search widgets, a new search result page and details about the popular Philly Overnight Hotel Package^®. Phase two, which is scheduled to launch later this summer, will include more hotel packages, mobile search and countryside hotels. 

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside^® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit visitphilly.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at

(800) 537-7676.

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