New Technology Simplifies Travel Planning by Offering One-Stop Reservations System for Golfers.

September 02, 2005 (PRLEAP.COM) Travel News
Orlando, Fla., - Marriott Golf, the world’s largest resort golf management company, today introduced a first-of-its-kind golf resort reservation system, “Rounds & Rooms,” designed to simplify travel planning by allowing golfers to simultaneously book tee times and hotel rooms at 19 golf properties featuring 29 leading golf courses worldwide.

Now available at Marriott Golf, http://www.seaviewmarriott.com/golf/golf.asp, golfers can select a participating golf resort and book their tee times and hotel rooms instantly online. The new service marks the first time a collection of leading golf resort properties, based throughout the world, have come together to offer a one-stop booking solution that includes both tee times and lodging. Marriott Golf, the golf management organization of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR), is offering this service in collaboration with GolfHero, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based global technology leader in the golf travel industry, and EZLinks, operator of the world’s largest network for golf reservations.

“Through the GolfHero technology, Marriott Golf is able to bring our portfolio of leading golf resorts together to provide golfers a simple method for booking their golf vacation,” said Ed Utz, director of marketing for Marriott Golf. “Golfers have always been forced to find a resort, book a lodging package and then call for tee times. Now, we provide an entire system for reserving a complete golf vacation online, with a choice of 29 premier golf courses.”

The participating golf resorts include: Camelback Golf Club (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Cattails at MeadowView (Kingsport, Tenn.) Doral Golf Resort (Miami, Fla.), The Frog Golf Club (Villa Rica, Ga.), Griffin Gate Golf Resort (Lexington, Ky.), Hawk’s Landing Golf Club, Grande Pines Golf Club and The Faldo Golf Institute (Orlando, Fla), The Rookery at Marco (Naples, Fla.), Mirage City Golf Club (Cairo, Egypt), Rancho Las Palmas Golf Club (Rancho Mirage, Calif.), Renaissance PineIsle Golf Resort (Lake Lanier Island, Ga.), Royal St. Kitts Golf Club (Basseterre, St. Kitts), Seaview Golf Resort (Galloway, NJ), Stone Mountain Golf Club (Stone Mountain, Ga.), Desert Springs Golf Resort and Shadow Ridge Golf Club (Palm Desert, Calif.), Westfields Golf Club (Clifton, Va.) and Wildfire Golf Club (Phoenix, Ariz.). Marriott Golf currently manages a portfolio of 45 properties, including 60 golf courses, and expects participation in the Rounds & Rooms program to increase substantially by the end of 2005.

“We are very excited about this partnership with the world’s leading golf resort management company,” said Roy Staten, founder of GolfHero. “Given Marriott’s collection of golf resorts, this reservation service will set the standard for booking golf vacations online.”

“Marriott Golf has been an important partner to EZLinks since 1997, and we are always excited to help them find new, innovative ways to increase service and value for their loyal customers,” said Andy Weeks, CEO of EZLinks.

About Marriott Golf (http://www.seaviewmarriott.com/golf/golf.asp)

Marriott Golf currently manages 60 golf courses at 45 facilities in 13 countries, offering more than 1,000 holes of championship golf. Marriott has been managing golf operations since 1970 and is currently the largest resort golf operator in the United States. Marriott provides golf management and consulting services to a variety of operational environments, including resort, private club, daily fee, golf school and franchises.

About GolfHero (http://www.golfhero.com/)

GolfHero is the first totally online packaging solution for the golf travel industry. GolfHero is a division of TravelHero, well known within the travel industry as one of the top ten online travel portals in North America, with offices in Scottsdale, Ariz.

About EZLinks (http://www.ezlinks.com/)

Founded in 1995, EZLinks Golf, Inc. operates the world’s largest network for golf reservations, as well as the highest volume tee time call center in the industry. EZLinks provides tee sheet management software, 24-hour live-operator reservations support, customizable web booking tools, database marketing applications, integrated point-of-sale services, and a regional association handicap system to over 900 golf facilities, hotels and travel companies worldwide.