Utell Promotes Travel to Six South American Countries with Destino Mercosur Promotion

Special Hotel Rates in 17 Exotic Cities in South America Available Exclusively Through Utell’s Member Properties

South America never looked better as Utell introduces its yearly promotion, Destino Mercosur, with tremendous savings on hotel accommodations in six South American countries from September 1, 2001 through July 31, 2002. Utell, a Pegasus Solutions Company (Nasdaq: PEGS), is the hotel industry’s largest third-party marketing and reservations provider.

Last year’s Destino Mercosur promotion, which ran from August 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001, resulted in more than 18,000 room nights with an average daily rate of approximately USD 103.00, generating approximately USD 1.8 million in revenue for participating hotels.

Destino Mercosur, which is named for the regional customs union Mercosur in South America, offers special rates at hotels in 17 cities in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. The promotion features discounts of up to 55 percent on 50 hotels and resorts in some of the world’s most beautiful cites like Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago, Chile. Travelers will be able to visit the sandy beaches of Brazil, explore ancient civilizations in the Andes Mountains, raft the Amazon River and tango in Buenos Aires.

One of the best deals is the modern Balmoral Plaza Hotel in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, which cut its room rate to USD 67.00. Other special rates can be found at the famed Excelsior Copacabana Hotel, right on Rio’s Copacabana beach, where the price of a room has been lowered to USD 144.00, and at Hotel Colon in Buenos Aires, which has reduced the price of guest rooms to USD 115.00. Under Utell Selections, all three hotels are classified in the superior Utell Selection.

Participating hotels are offering various value-added amenities available through the promotion including free breakfast, welcome drinks, business center, fitness center, late checkout and free parking.

According to Kelvin Seah, senior vice president – Asia Pacific of Utell, the special promotion allows business and leisure travelers to discover the natural beauty and exciting culture of South America without spending a fortune.

“Utell’s Destino Mercosur promotion enhances the travel experience to South America by providing such an extensive and varied group of hotels at reasonable rates.”

Destino Mercosur is one of several marketing and promotional programs available to Utell member hotels. In addition, Utell offers Great Rate Summer, which offers discounts of up to 67 percent on over 475 properties around the world from July through Labor Day weekend.

Utell also recently introduced a marketing program called Utell Selections, a new hotel classification system that segments Utell’s 6,400 member properties into well-defined categories to assist travel agents in finding the perfect hotels for clients. Utell Selections segments hotels into three core categories (luxury, superior and value), and four niche categories (style, resort, apartment or airport).

The Destino Mercosur promotion rates are fully commissionable and available seven days a week. Agents can book the promotion through Utell’s voice reservation centers handling calls from more than 40 countries, the four major global distribution systems via the SRP “DESTIN”.