Hilton Hotels Corp. said today it expects to rake in over $2.5 billion in web-generated revenue for 2006, as bookings through its proprietary web sites have accelerated at a 30-percent, year-over-year clip since 2002 when the company produced $709 million off web site sales. Further, in this year's third quarter, web bookings have increased 39 percent over the same period last year. The numbers suggest that Hilton's Websites, as opposed to third-party booking sites, are now capturing more bookings. Website bookings currently represent 17.2 percent of Hilton's overall distribution of bookings, compared with 9.1 percent in 2002. Conversely, third-party sites remained flat at 3 percent of reservations, accounting now for 15 percent of the company's Internet business. "The Hilton Family of Hotels has made numerous enhancements to its Websites, making it more convenient for guests to find the right hotel accommodations and services," said Bala Subramanian, Hilton's senior vice president, distribution and brand integration. "These enhancements will enable our company to continue increasing the percentage of Website bookings across all its brands."
