Hotel groups deny they're missing web opportunities

Hotel groups have refuted suggestions that they're pouring resources into Web sites without knowing enough about the potential customers they're attempting to attract.

A year-long survey by on-line customer intelligence service WebProbe found that businesses had precise information about Web site hit rates but knew little about the habits and preferences of those using the sites.

"Web sites are more than just glorified shop windows," said a spokesman for WebProbe. "If hoteliers knew more about their visitors, they'd be able to redesign their sites to help them build stronger relationships with them."

But Geoffrey Breeze, vice-president of marketing and alliance development at Hilton International, dismissed WebProbe's claims.

"Hotels have far more information about their guests than they can actually use," said Breeze. "They know their guests' names and addresses, what they eat, what they drink, the phone numbers they call, how often they use a dry cleaning service - that's much more detail than most businesses have about their clients."

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels launched a new Web site several months ago, and regards the site as a valuable marketing tool.

A spokesman agreed it was important to find about more about people visiting the site, but added that many surfers would not want to fill in detailed on-line questionnaires.