Red Lion Hotels Corp., of Spokane, says it has entered into an agreement with Sceptre Hospitality Resources, of Denver, to use that company’s WindsurferCRS system as its reservation platform, technology that it hopes will add more access to reservation, distribution, and reporting information, making it easier for customers to reserve rooms. 

Jason Thielbahr, vice president of distribution revenue, says Red Lion has begun the activation process and expects the company to transfer to the new system by the end of summer.

“We will have 53 hotels on the platform by the time we make the switch,” Thielbahr says.

He says Windsurfer will provide the company with better data and more integrated marketing opportunities, as well as more direct channels. 

“This new platform will allow us to connect with more customer requests and convert more inquiries to bookings, while optimizing our future opportunities with future guest inquiries,” he asserts. 

One of the features of WindsurferCRS is a save-for-later option on its website, enabling customers to build their itinerary, save it and book it at a later time, depending on availability. Another feature, call-to-continue, enables customers to book all the way up to the point of inputting a credit card, and then call a Red Lion operator to complete the transaction. 

Pam Scott, company spokeswoman, says another benefit to the system is that it will provide a direct connection to online travel sites such as Travelocity and Expedia.