Good news for travel agents!  According to The Consumer Internet Barometer survey, the number of consumers researching their travel plans online versus those actually booking online is growing two to one.  Also, while people are booking airfare online, they are not booking lodging nearly as often.  Hotel booking remains a great area for revenue potential for travel agents.  Adding to the opportunity is the advantage of our Net Rates in even more key destination cities.

As summer heats up this August, we’re looking ahead to fall vacation breaks in scenic, cooler climates.  Our latest Net Rates discoveries spotlighted in this issue are in Vancouver and Boston.  We are happy to announce that the Net Rate bookings on the CCRA portal have been on the rise, and so have the average booking commissions.  Read it to believe it in our latest list of Net Rate booking stars who are earning higher commissions and getting paid faster.  Are you next?  Give the easy Net Rate calculator, covered in this issue’s Portal booking tips, a try.  Share your success stories with us by sending an email to service@ccrainternational.com.  You’re also welcome to send your questions; we’re here to help.

"CCRA is a win win for me and my valued Clients," says Paul McNeill from Travel Planners International in Fairfax, VA. "With the Net Rates, my clients can get a great pre-paid rate including taxes, and I get the guaranteed commission."   

Now there are even more Net Rates available in key destination cities worldwide. If you haven't tried searching for Net Rates recently, take a fresh look. Here are some of the successful Net Rate bookings made in July, in hotels worldwide.

• Greg Carr from Coral Sands booked in Milwaukee, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Chicago and S.F.
• Jennifer Tormey from Trips Travel booked in Charlotte, Orlando, and Nashville
• Don Connor from Simply Cruises booked in Mestre and Barcelona
•  Heather Trumble from Tickets and Tours booked in Rome and Los Angeles 
• Ruth Daniel from Admiral of the Fleet Cruise & Tour Center booked in Zurich
•  Helen Vacca from Vacation Bound booked in Los Angeles 
• Paul McNeill from Travel Planners International has booked in Toronto, so far. 

Congratulations to all the agents who are maximizing commissions or offering competitive prices with CCRA Net Rates.  Where have you booked lately?  We love to share your success stories, so please feel welcome to send a note anytime to: newsletters@ccrainternational.com

According to WHLA Survey results, the hottest hotel room amenity last year was wireless Internet, beating out other previously top rated amenities such as flat screen TVs or luxury bedding.  In 2006, 82% of hotels offered wireless Internet in guest rooms, compared to just 35% in 2004.   In 2007, you can now find even more free wireless Internet throughout the hotel public spaces including lobbies, meeting rooms, or restaurants.

Leading the way in wireless access is Marriott International. Marriott introduced free Wi-Fi hotels throughout five of their brands in the U.S. and Canada – Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites.  That's more than 1,500 free Wi-FI hotspots.  Marriott first responded to guests' demand for high-speed and Wi-Fi Internet access three years ago with free in-room access. Now, guests at these five Marriott brands can access free Wi-Fi in their properties’ public areas.

Marriott chains offer their best rates through either the GDS or the CCRAtravel.com Booking Portal, without requiring a CCRA rate code. By booking Marriott hotels in the CCRAtravel.com portal, all agents including CLIA agents can receive full commission. 

For more on the availability of free high-speed and Wi-Fi Internet access at international, nation and regional hotel chains, visit www.wiredfreespot.com.

Empire Landmark Hotel -Vancouver
Empire Landmark is the tallest hotel in Vancouver giving all guests unobstructed views from their private balconies of the shopping and business districts.  Located on Robson Street, this 42-story hotel is one km (a half-mile) from Stanley Park an ideal location ideal for all visitors.  Empire Landmark has everything you need just a step outside the door- including shopping, international restaurants, attractions and sidewalk cafes. It is no wonder why the hotel is famed for shopping and dining.  Enjoy the Pacific Northwest cuisine in the Cloud 9 Revolving Restaurant on the 42nd floor and C9 Live Lounge featuring cool jazz nightly and tapas. The Spice Gallery Eatery and Sundeck is on street level enhancing the flavor of the city, allowing you to enjoy the east meets west theme.  All 358 guestrooms include coffeemakers, dial-up or high-speed Internet access, and walk-out balconies with city, harbor, or mountain views.  The Empire Landmark Hotel is ideal for guests who are looking to get the most out of their trip to Vancouver!
  September Net Rates from: $114 

The Hotel Wolcott is one of New York City's best kept hotel bargain secrets.  Centrally located on 31st Street, just 3 blocks down 5th Avenue from the Empire State Building, the Wolcott offers a great alternative to Manhattan's high priced hotels.  Some hotels may charge you more than the Wolcott and give you less room amenities.  The Hotel Wolcott gives you the best value, the right balance for your money.  All rooms feature amenities you would expect from a higher priced hotel.

Each sleeping room has a clock radio, in room safe, telephone with voice mail and data port, color TV with pay movies, WebTV Internet access, Nintendo games, iron and ironing boards. There is even free coffee and muffins every morning. The Wolcott is the ideal NYC discount hotel for vacationers.

The Wolcott is located in the center of Manhattan, within walking distance to Broadway's theater district, Javits Convention Center, Penn Station Railroad Station, Rockefeller Center, Madison Square Garden, Macy's department stores, Circle Line Boat Cruise,   Toy district, Garments district, United Nations, Gift district, and 5th Avenue shopping. Everything that makes New York famous!

Because public transportation is 2 blocks away, you are a short train or bus ride to other sites in New York City, Soho, Chelsea, Wall Street, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall Street, South Street Seaport, Silicon Alley, and the many museums along 5th Avenue.

Utell Hotels and Resorts welcomed these new member hotels in July 2007.  As a Hotel Partner, Utell offers the CCRA rate, through your GDS or in the CCRA Booking Portal.  To locate these  and all Utell Hotels & Resorts member hotels, look for the UI chain code on your GDS.  Be sure to book the CCRA rate for the best value by selecting CCRA in Amadeus, Sabre and Worldspan or CCRA in Galileo.

Shanghai, China-Broadway Mansions Hotel - 260 Rooms
Broadway Mansions Hotel was built in 1934 by a British merchant. It has a long history of over 70 years. The hotel offers luxurious, comfortable and spacious guest rooms, characterized by classicism as well as vintage style decoration. High speed Internet access is available in every guest room. Located at the interception of the Huang Pu River and Suzhou River, the hotel is sitting at the Northern tip with spectacular views of the surrounding areas.

Shanghai, China-Hengshan Hotel - 254 Rooms
The Hengshan Hotel was set up in 1934 and newly renovated in 2006, with typical European architecture. Located in the commercial area as well as the busiest transportation area of southwest Shanghai. The hotel is near the large green land of Shanghai Xuhui district and Shanghai Hengshan Park. The rooms are large and comfortable with high speed network. The hotel is equipped with a sauna, chess and card rooms, gymnasium, beauty salon, shopping centre, business centre, foreign language bookstore and more.

Yancheng, China-Yidu Jinling Grand Hotel - 346 Rooms
Yidu Jinling Grand Hotel Yancheng is next to Yancheng’s Municipal Government building, near Yancheng Expressway which provides easy interstate access to both Shanghai and Nanjing. Located near seaside Yancheng, this location is known for its natural beauty, especially the unique water scenery nearby. Luxury restaurants, a fitness center and other recreational facilities make this hotel the best choice for business and pleasure trips.

Tokyo, Japan-Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku - 624 Rooms
Just three minutes’ walk from Shinjuku Station, this hotel offers fine Japanese hospitality and comfortable accommodation. High Speed Internet Access is available in all guest rooms. It is convenient to shopping and entertainment areas, but located in a quieter part of the Shinjuku urban hub. Rooms are efficiently designed, with little wasted space.

3 ways to set your commission mark-up:

1. Enter a % amount.

2. Enter a dollar amount for desired commission.

3. Change the final sell rate to the total amount your
client will be billed.

When it comes to promoting your website or internet business, you have two main alternatives: advertising and publicity.  Advertising is something you create, pay for and control.  Publicity is something someone else writes or says about you.  For example, if a friend gives you a rave review of a product because he bought it and loves it (publicity), it will carry more weight than if it came through a commercial or a paid spokesperson (advertising). 

In their interesting book: "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding: How to Build a Product or Service into a World-Class Brand," Al and Laura Ries write about the Law of Publicity.  The authors point out that you build a brand with publicity and then maintain it with advertising.

Here are six ways you can generate good publicity for your website or internet business:

Mario Sanchez is a Miami based freelance writer who focuses on Internet marketing and web design topics.  He publishes The Internet Digest, http://www.theinternetdigest.net, a growing collection of web design and Internet marketing articles, tips and resources.  You can freely reprint his weekly articles in your website, ezine, or ebook.

Once lost in the glitter of the dot com era, both online and offline marketers are rediscovering the value of the simple postcard. Here's why.

If you were a contestant on Jeopardy and the answer was "Postcards," what would the question be?  How about:  "What is one of the most incredibly effective, yet under-utilized methods for driving qualified buyers to your business or website?" Many businesses think postcards are a little old-fashioned in this era of Internet Marketing. However, online marketers are discovering that using email lists as an effective form of marketing is fading fast due to the unfortunate avalanche of SPAM (unsolicited commercial email)!

Consumers are now more stringently filtering out the ever-growing glut of SPAM.  But, unfortunately the software developed to assist in SPAM control is not terribly accurate and a large amount of legitimate communications between a business and its customer base is unintentionally blocked by filters. 

Even if the e-mail does get through, it is often lost among the other 200 or so e-mails in the receiver's inbox and may get bulk deleted.  As a result, e-mail is no longer a reliable method of maintaining contact and building a customer relationship.

Yet, most small businesses do not have large budgets to conduct full-fledged direct marketing campaigns.  The humble postcard comes to the rescue!  The humble postcard can serve both online and offline businesses well, driving traffic to both brick-and-mortar stores and commercial websites.

Most people sort their mail over a wastebasket, dropping the junk mail directly into the wastebasket unopened.  But the postcard is already open!  It is small and easily read at a glance, so the likelihood of the message getting through is increased greatly.  At the same time, the production and mailing cost remain more economical than a direct mail piece sent in an envelope at a higher postage rate.

Postcard advertising and postcard marketing are back in vogue. Marketing postcards can be sent to customers as personalized postcards for any number of occasions, including holidays, birthdays, special events, or special offers.  The simple postcard economically helps keep businesses in touch with their customer base and develop that all important relationship between the business and the customer. Promotional postcards are making a comeback in every small or large business marketer's bag of tricks!

George Dodge is owner of  Postcard Marketing Campaigns a resource site where you can discover how to create winning postcard marketing campaigns for building your business on a budget.