February 11, 2006
Hollywood, Florida - Internet travel and hospitality content publisher, MetroGuide.com, Inc. (MetroGuide) has expanded its HotelGuide Network to include properties in more than 313 metropolitan areas worldwide, announced CEO Mark Metz.
"Our HotelGuide service was one of the first on the Internet to offer consumers both helpful information about hotels and the opportunity to make reservations on the spot," said Metz. In the almost ten years that HotelGuide has been online, MetroGuide has shifted its business model only twice. "in the mid 90's, we were focused on advertising," explained Metz. "But it didn't seem then that the market was ready so we shifted to a transaction model, partnering with respected hotel consolidators."
That model worked well from the late 1990's through the beginning of 2000, but as the promise of the Internet became increasingly clear, MetroGuide's advertising model became increasingly viable, and made more sense both visitors to the travel research site to and travel-related companies. MetroGuide now deploys contextual advertising across its family of websites, promoting the websites of the world's most respected hotel companies.
Capturing the long-tail, so that Internet visitors will find what they are looking for, calls for a tremendous amount of rich, helpful content," said Metz. "Our content team, based entirely in the U.S., never stops adding, updating, and revising our content listings." Having deployed over 300 metropolitan areas, MetroGuide has one of the largest hotel databases on the Internet, with in excess of 61,000 listings.
With brands like DiningGuide, EventGuide, and RetailGuide, we have a lot of great verticals to maintain and we continue to deploy new content every day," said Metz. "I'm confident that 2007 will mark our coming out as a formidable national brand."
MetroGuide, located at http://metroguide.com, is among the largest Internet hospitality and local search sites, featuring among its premier sites, AttractionGuide.com, CarRentalGuide.com, DiningGuide.com, EventGuide.com, FareGuide.com, LodgingGuide.com, NightGuide.com, RetailGuide.com and VenueGuide.com.
Incorporated in 1996 and privately held, MetroGuide's network of websites attracts more than two million unique visitors monthly to its quarter-million-plus pages of hospitality-related e-commerce sites.
Having financed its venture entirely through internal sales growth and with no outside capital, MetroGuide today maintains a proprietary database of more than 90,000 restaurants and 50,000 lodging establishments. MetroGuide also stands at the forefront of the battle to combat digital copyright piracy, with multiple court awards.
MetroGuide is a member of the Greater Hollywood (Florida) Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), BBB Online, IATA, the Florida Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association. For more information contact Scott Rogers (954) 981-5850.