Room Key Partners with ICE Portal to Enhance Visual Content across Site

DALLAS & HOLLYWOOD, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Room Key, the experience-tailored hotel search engine created by six of the world's leading hotel companies, is joining forces with ICE Portal, the travel industry's foremost visual content manager and distributor.

The partnership will connect Room Key to ICE Portal's Visual-ICE® API content management system, a unique cloud-based platform that collects, manages and distributes high resolution visuals – including photos, videos and 360-degree tours – of more than 40,000 hotels and resorts worldwide.

Through the collaboration, Room Key partner hoteliers and brand content managers will be able to upload, categorize and tag high resolution visuals for distribution on the site. Similarly, Room Key can access ICE Portal's significant database of visuals at any time to boost hotels' image offerings for prospective guests.

"We are eager to launch this exciting collaboration with ICE Portal," said Colin Steele, Chief Technology Officer of Room Key. "By utilizing their extensive library of stunning visuals, we will be able to more effectively serve our hotel partners as well as travelers across the globe. Not only will we be able to better showcase our properties' amenities, but we will also be able to provide our guests with high-quality, engaging and informative visuals of our hotel partners."

New research is shedding light on the impact hotels' visuals have on prospective customers. A recent study by the Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) at Cornell University found that online images appear to be "hugely influential" throughout the hotel booking process. The first-of-its-kind study utilized eye tracking methods to find that consumers fixate most on pictures, rather than descriptions of the hotel or its offerings.

"We're thrilled to be working with Room Key. The integration with Room Key will allow our hotels to improve and better control their presentation on a critical sales channel," says Nick Blasi, Director of Operations at ICE Portal. "We look forward to a long lasting, mutually beneficial partnership."

About Room Key®

Room Key is an experience-tailored hotel search engine created by six of the world's leading hotel companies. The personalized service enables travelers to quickly and easily review value for their stay – based on specific attributes and preferences most important to individual guests – and book directly with more than 100 leading hotel brands in 159 countries around the world. With a continued focus on providing consumers the best, personalized value for their trip, Room Key also allows travelers to review properties based on the pricing and benefits associated with their respective hotel frequent guest programs – something that cannot be done on any other online travel booking site.

Room Key was founded in 2012 by Choice Hotels International CHH, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation H, InterContinental Hotels Group IHG, Marriott International, Inc. MAR and Wyndham Hotel Group, part of the Wyndham Worldwide Corporation WYN, or their respective affiliates. For more information about Room Key, visit www.Roomkey.com.

About ICE Portal®

ICE Portal is a technology and marketing company that helps travel suppliers manage, curate and deliver their visuals to 1000s of online travel and travel related websites – including major OTAs, GDSs, Pegasus, Search Engines & Local Directories, and Social Networks. To find out how ICE Portal can work for you or to learn more about our company please visit www.ICEPortal.com.