MCLEAN, VA – In conjunction with its mission to increase awareness and understanding of emerging trends, The HSMAI Travel Internet Special Interest Group, in partnership with TIG Global, have released a new white paper titled, Effective Web Design. The paper explores significant topics in contemporary website design and offers tips on how hospitality organizations can parlay these lessons into increased sales and effective marketing outreach.

“With such a heavy consumer reliance on hospitality brands’ websites, effective web design should be viewed as a critical part of all sales and marketing programs,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CAE, president and CEO of HSMAI. “The Effective Website Design white paper offers an expert perspective for hospitality marketers to create their own effective web design.”

“Price-conscious travel shoppers are increasingly comparing hospitality websites and visiting social media sites to validate their decisions. This drives hotel website conversion rates down,” said Paul Peddrick, SVP digital strategy at TIG Global. “Therefore, it is more critical than ever to optimize your website design to keep the consumer on your site and convert the sale on your booking engine.”

Key highlights from the white paper suggest that web content should be organized in a hierarchical manner through color and typography to give greatest emphasis to a site’s most significant content and features. Additionally, it is important that websites are designed to reach global travelers in a superior manner through culturally-appropriate themes, colors, features and content.

The Effective Web Design white paper is the fifth white paper in a series sponsored by TIG Global, a subsidiary of MICROS Systems, Inc., and published by the HSMAI Foundation. It is a compilation of ideas and feedback from the HSMAI Travel Internet Marketing SIG Advisory Board. Copies of the white paper are available at .

A corresponding webinar will be held on Thursday, August 26th to expand on the topics in the paper. The interactive format will be lead by a group of hospitality industry experts and allow for audience feedback and questions. Visit the HSMAI website to register for the webinar ().

About HSMAI and HSMAI Foundation

HSMAI is the hospitality industry source for knowledge, community, and recognition for leaders committed to professional development, sales growth, revenue optimization, marketing, and branding. With a strong focus on education, HSMAI has become the industry champion in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry, and bringing together customers and members at annual events, including HSMAI's Affordable Meetings®. Founded in 1927, HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprising more than 7,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. Established in 1983 to serve as the research and educational arm of HSMAI, the HSMAI Foundation's mission is to expand and enhance the educational opportunities available to hospitality sales and marketing executives and to increase the amount of in-depth research conducted on behalf of the profession. For more information on HSMAI or the Foundation, contact the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, Va. 22102; (703) 506-3280; fax (703) 506-3266, or visit www.hsmai.org or .

About TIG Global

TIG Global, a subsidiary of MICROS Systems, Inc., is dedicated to assisting the travel industry with exceeding their online marketing goals and specializes in hotel Internet marketing and destination Internet marketing. Serving an extensive portfolio of clients worldwide, TIG Global combines its industry knowledge and e-business expertise to help clients maximize the online channel. TIG Global offers multi-language websites, a vast network of internationally based strategic linking partners, email and pay-per-click marketing campaigns tailored to all international markets, custom social media solutions, and websites optimized for major search engines around the world.

Bo Morris
Edelman for HSMAI
407-377-6867
HSMAI

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