Amateo has developed a Guest Relationship Optimisation system which enables hotels to study who their customers are and analyse their buying habits.

It allows hotels to devise customised marketing campaigns to target specific groups while giving them the ability to forecast business patterns.

Choice Hotels, which signed a £3 million contract, Shire Hotels and JurysDoyle Hotels have all agreed deals to take the technology with other groups now in talks.

Amateo chief executive officer Matthew Maxwell said the industry needs to improve its customer relations - particularly in the current climate.

"Indicators are that foreign markets for hotels is going to reduce considerably over the coming months," he said.

"Attracting and retaining guests from the domestic market is going to become vitally important to hotel groups who wish to maintain current levels of growth."

In particular, he singled out London which has suffered from the downturn in US and foot & mouth.

"Discounting will raise occupancy levels to an extent but will not produce sufficient revenue to survive in the long term," he said.

Published in Travel Weekly, 12 November 2001

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