VFM Leonardo, the leader in online visual content distribution for hotels, has been selected by WORLDHOTELS, one of the leading global groups for individual and independent hotels as well as regional hotel brands, to manage and distribute its affiliate hotels' images to optimize its affiliate hotels' online merchandising with virtual tours and videos.

Online merchandising for hotels involves presenting a compelling visual story to travel shoppers throughout their hotel research and comparison process which involves many different websites. By adopting VFM Leonardo's VScape® Digital Asset Management System exclusively, WORLDHOTELS can easily manage and seamlessly distribute still images for its 500 affiliate properties worldwide to thousands of travel websites in the largest online visual content distribution network (VNetwork™).

WORLDHOTELS affiliate properties that want to take their merchandising to the next level using videos and virtual tours will use VFM Leonardo's VBrochure™ Online Merchandising System exclusively. VBrochure integrates seamlessly with VScape to provide hotels with a single platform that gets their rich media in front of in-market travel shoppers across the broadest number of electronic channels and websites in the VNetwork.

"We pride ourselves on our portfolio of unique affiliate hotels. As such, we need to ensure that the unique experience each hotel has to offer shines through to travel shoppers looking for hotels online", states Edward Perry, Senior Director of E-Commerce, WORLDHOTELS. "WORLDHOTELS recognizes the power of content in the overall success of its affiliated hotels and is proud to work with VFM Leonardo Inc. to achieve a higher level of customer awareness and greater overall conversion as a result. We are confident that the VFM Leonardo solution will enhance our distribution of content on worldhotels.com as well as enable us increased exposure on thousands of online distribution channels globally."

"VFM Leonardo is working with WORLDHOTELS to support their affiliate hotels in developing virtual tour and video content that highlights their unique stories and distributing that content to the electronic channels shoppers use to research, compare and buy travel online," states Paolo Boni, President and CEO, VFM Leonardo. "With our new partnership, WORLDHOTELS is supporting its properties to gain a competitive edge online."

WORLDHOTEL affiliate hotels can learn more about VBrochure by visiting .

About WORLDHOTELS | • WORLDHOTELS is an exclusive collection of the world's most unique independent hotels. Under the banner "Unique Hotels for Unique People", it now has almost 500 affiliate properties in more than 300 destinations and 70 countries worldwide. • For nearly 40 years, the company's mission has been to offer business and leisure travellers easy access to a wide range of accommodation options with a strong emphasis on hotels of character and distinction. • WORLDHOTELS' guests benefit from an extensive portfolio of partnerships, including frequent flyer programmes from 20 of the world's leading international airlines, including Air France/KLM, United Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa. • Through state-of-the-art distribution and technology and global marketing campaigns, WORLDHOTELS gives independent hotels the collective strength of a strong, global hotel brand whilst still allowing them to retain their strong individual character and unique identity.

For further information, visit . Photographic material is available in the news section of worldhotels.com or from [email protected].

About VFM Leonardo | VFM Leonardo is a technology leader in online visual content management and distribution systems. VFM Leonardo's VScape® and VBrochure™ products leverage the distribution capabilities of the VNetwork™, the most universally accepted and largest online visual content distribution network for the global travel industry including all four global distribution systems (GDSs), Pegasus and travel-related channels including online travel agencies, travel research and supplier web sites, search portals and major travel intermediaries. VFM Leonardo offers the hotel industry the most effective digital asset management and online merchandising systems available today and efficiently delivers over 1,000,000 visual images (photos, virtual tours and videos) to more than 30,000 travel channels and websites in the VNetwork including Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, Worldspan, Pegasus, Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, Tripadvisor, Yahoo! Travel, Kayak, Google and many more for 90,000 hotels worldwide. For more information about VFM Leonardo, visit . Follow us on Twitter at .