NH Hotel : launches an innovative online instant booking and payment system for meeting and event rooms

• NH remains strategically committing to embracing emerging technology as a means to setting itself apart, adding this online tool to its 'NH MEETINGS: inspire.create.enjoy' proposition for the meetings and events segment
• Thanks to the Instant Booking Tool, which can be reached at http://meetings.nh-hotels.com/, clients can instantly obtain event and guest room prices and availability for groups, as well as booking and paying for them online
• During the initial pilot tests, the tool was deployed with great success in Germany. Now the Company is beginning to roll it out for group bookings in NH hotels all over the world

NH Hotel Group has unveiled its global Instant Booking Tool, the first tool that allows booking and paying for meeting and event facilities and rooms online and on the spot. Based on a market-leading bookings technology solution, this is the first tool to offer this functionality in the hotel sector in Europe.

Available 24x7, the Instant Booking Tool can be used to book as many as two rooms for meetings or events with capacity for 50 people apiece[1] along with rooms for groups of between nine and 20 guests by means of an intuitive and user-friendly process. The tool also enables users to add technology equipment and catering services, to look up prices and specifications and even to compare the price quotes for a list of hotels; they can also choose between secure online payment on the spot or at a later stage.

Once they have completed their bookings, clients will receive a confirmation e-mail itemising at the services purchased, followed by a call from the hotel staff if necessary to the put the finishing touches on the event, so that Company will retain its hallmark personal touch.

Rufino Pérez Fernández, NH Hotel Group's Chief Operations Officer and Global Transformation Leader, said that 'thanks to the Instant Booking Tool for the meetings and events segment, we are expanding the facilities we offer our professional clients when organising their events. In addition to our traditional booking channels, our clients can now use this innovative solution to book and pay for their events in less than five minutes, while our team of experts will remain on hand to make sure that their event at NH is a memorable experience'.

By adding this pioneering solution to its NH MEETINGS proposition for the meetings and events segment, NH is taking its strategic commitment to innovation and the use of emerging technology as a means of differentiating itself and adding value for its clients to a new level.

The tool, which can be reached at http://meetings.nh-hotels.com/, has been tested with excellent results during an initial pilot phase in Germany. Now it can be used by clients all around the world to request prices and availability for meeting and event rooms in real time and to book and pay for them instantly as desired.

'NH MEETINGS: inspire.create.enjoy.'

NH MEETINGS is NH Hotel Group's value proposition for the meetings and events segment and is articulated around the desires and needs of its clients. Framed by the 'NH MEETINGS: inspire.create.enjoy.' concept and offered uniformly in all of the Group's markets, it constitutes a solid and comprehensive value proposition that translates into unique events created and executed professionally and passionately with a view generating memorable experiences.

The key components of the NH MEETINGS proposition are: the Ambassador Service, Specialist Advisory Service, Personalised Professional Response, Eco-Friendly Meetings, High Tech Made Easy, free and user-friendly Wi-Fi and Tempting Breaks (a unique, varied and customisable gastronomic offering). All under the philosophy that anything is possible, an approach to client and guest relations that NH has dubbed, 'Always Yes!' In a nutshell, the idea is for the client to imagine its meeting or event and for NH Hotel Group to make it happen by offering qualified support throughout the entire event management process, including technical and professional assistance on the ground to ensure flawless execution and meeting rooms that are equipped and ready in advance of the big day.

All these elements combined, now enhanced by the Instant Booking Tool, comprise NH Hotel Group's compelling proposition in the meetings and events segment, which represents around 25% of the Group's revenue and is playing a strategic role in consolidating the company's global footprint.

[1] For bookings requiring meeting rooms that can hold more than 50 people, NH Hotel Group's clients can continue to use the traditional channels.

About NH Hotel Group

NH Hotel Group is a world-leading urban hotel operator and a consolidated multinational player. It operates close to 400 hotels and almost 60,000 rooms in 31 markets across Europe, the Americas and Africa, including top city destinations such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bogota, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Munich, New York, Rome and Vienna.