Thistle Hotels realized early the possibilities of the web and has since worked to maximize profit and exposure of its properties over the past five years.

The company first addressed how it would generate online sales by forming strong partnerships with online booking engines.

RateTiger suites have been used across Thistle Hotel properties since 2003. The hotel chain used only RT Allocator until 2006 when it decided to upgrade to RTChannelManager in order to gain access to RTShopper functions.

Daniela Cagorovic, Area Revenue Manager, updates online rates and inventory for the Thistle Barbican which sells rooms across Expedia, Lasminute.com, and Wotif among others. Thistle Hotels, although part of the Thistle Group, independently set their own price points, which are dependent on location and local competition.

In 2003 Thistle Hotels installed its first technology product allowing them to benchmark competitor rates with RTShopper. In 2004 the chain wanted to allocate inventory and rates across its multiple distribution channels much quicker and efficient; Thistle Hotels invested in RTAllocator in 56 of its properties and increased total business by 130% in the first year.

Last year Thistle Hotels decided to upgrade their management suite to RTChannelManager, this gave the chain two products integrated into a single application to view the market in real-time and update rates accordingly.

Cagorovic uses RateTiger as a guiding tool to suggest and implement rates for the hotel. "I am able to understand our position in the market at any given time in just a few clicks, where I receive a comprehensive overview of the market in a matter of seconds," says Cagorovic. "Being able to see competitor price points I can make an immediate assessment and come to a decision on rates much quicker."

"In an increasingly globalised hotel market we use RateTiger to shape our local rate strategy," continues Cagorovic. RateTiger is also an ideal marketing tool for further exposure. The hotel recognises the trend of online travel bookings and is ensuring it is people orientated.

Furthermore, RateTiger helps Thistle Barbican meet inventory commitments made with online booking websites. This is beneficial to the hotel because it optimises exposure.