New Orleans | Hotel Booking Solutions today announced it has attained Gold Certified status in the Microsoft Partner Program with a competency in ISV/Software Solutions recognizing Hotel Booking Solution’s expertise and total impact in the technology marketplace. As a Gold Certified partner, Hotel Booking Solutions has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and proven ability to meet customers’ needs. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners receive a rich set of benefits, including access, training and support, giving them a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

“We are extremely pleased to have attained Gold Certified status in the Microsoft Partner Program,” said Stephen Burke, VP of Business Development for Hotel Booking Solutions. This allows us to clearly promote our expertise and relationship with Microsoft to our customers and demonstrates to the industry at large the commitment that HBS has to continuing to deliver best-in-breed channel management solutions to the hospitality industry.”

“Customers are looking for partner companies that can bridge the gap between their business demands and technology capabilities. They need to trust in someone that can act as an expert adviser for their long-term strategic technology plans. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners, which have certified expertise and direct training and support from Microsoft, can build a positive customer experience with our technologies,” said Allison Watson, vice president of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group at Microsoft Corp. “Today, Microsoft recognizes Hotel Booking Solutions as a new Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for demonstrating its expertise in providing customer satisfaction with Microsoft products and technology.”

"HBS is very pleased to be recognized as a Microsoft Gold Partner,” said Michael Heinze, Chief Technology Officer of Hotel Booking Solutions. In providing a business critical application for our customers that is based on Microsoft products, we see this relationship as essential to our growth, both as a company and, indeed, as a technology innovator. Achieving this distinction will serve to further affirm our commitment to our customers and partners of delivering only the highest quality solutions.”

As one of the requirements for attaining Gold Certified Status, Hotel Booking Solutions had to declare a Microsoft Competency. Microsoft Competencies are designed to help differentiate a partner’s capabilities with specific Microsoft technologies to customers looking for a particular type of solution. Each competency has a unique set of requirements and benefits, formulated to accurately represent the specific skills and services that partners bring to the technology industry. The Microsoft ISV/Software Solutions Competency recognizes the skill and focus partners bring to a particular solution set. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners that have obtained this competency have a successful record of developing and marketing packed software based on Microsoft technologies.

“Solutions Competencies are an important way for Microsoft to better enable ISVs to meet customer needs,” said Sanjay Parthasarathy, corporate vice president of the Platform Strategy & Partner Group at Microsoft. “They allow ISVs to keep and win customers with their deep knowledge of solutions-based Microsoft platform technologies. Microsoft has a long history of working closely with ISV partners to help deliver compelling solutions and applications to our mutual customers, and the Solutions Competencies are an important step in continuing to enhance vital relationships with ISVs worldwide.”

The Microsoft Partner Program was launched in December 2003 and represents Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to the success of partners worldwide. The program offers a single, integrated partnering framework that recognizes partner expertise, rewards the total impact that partners have in the technology marketplace, and delivers more value to help partners’ businesses be successful.