Run! Hotels.com Gets 'Xtreme' During the Running of the Bulls

Hotels.com thrill-seeker demonstrates efficiency and ease of mobile booking app

TORONTO, Aug. 16, 2012 /CNW/ - Hotels.com®, the world's leading hotel booking website, today unveiled its teaser video for the Xtreme Booking 2 campaign, which features stuntman Andy Bell using the company's mobile booking app while dodging thousands of runners and out-maneuvering two thousand pound bulls during the annual Running of the Bulls.

Known as an FMX rider and member of NITRO Circus, Bell booked his hotel in Pamplona, Spain through the Hotels.com app while racing to stay ahead of the stampede to demonstrate the ease and quickness of the app before arriving at Gran Hotel La Perla.

"The crazy thing is when they release the bulls, you are a hundred yards from them. The canon goes off and you see the people running towards you. My body and my mind are saying run, but I want to be right in front of the horns, I want to be there," said stuntman, Andy Bell. "It was a big challenge trying to get the best run in possible while being on the horns of the bulls plus navigating through the crazy crowd of people, all while booking the hotel on the Hotels.com app. But it worked! In a two hundred yard sprint, with ten two thousand pound animals, I booked a hotel room! Got the confirmation, mission accomplished!"

With consumers increasingly using mobile apps to book travel from the road, the rising demand for simple mobile apps prompted Hotels.com to launch the second version of the campaign. The marketing campaign includes display ads and social media activation, as well as a new interactive game that will launch next week and will be available on the Hotels.com mobile landing page and via the Hotels.com Facebook page. Users help guide a virtual avatar as he races to stay ahead of the bulls while navigating obstacles on the streets of Pamplona to the hotel. Users are then invited to share the video, share their score or challenge friends via Facebook.

The Xtreme Booking 2 campaign arrives on the coattails of the newly released iPad 2.0 application. The latest app, with high resolution graphics and a Spanish language option, features personalized homepage information based on where a user is in their travel planning, daily deals and a Welcome Rewards™, the Hotels.com loyalty program, summary page. Users can access past and future reservations, even when offline and browse special offers, including exclusive mobile deals and over 20,000 last minute deals. The mobile GPS functionality allows the app to find the closest hotels with the best deals, based on a user's current location. The updated iPad app enhances the Hotels.com mobile booking app portfolio which includes iPhone and Android, and is available for more than 76 sites in 67 countries.

"We are focused on meeting this increased demand for mobile traveller bookings through an improved mobile booking experience," said Victor Owens, vice president and general manager, Hotels.com North America. "That's why we updated our iPad app and embarked on a fun, bold marketing initiative to promote our mobile booking platforms. This campaign really showcases the streamlined functionality, and simple user-friendly interface of the Hotels.com mobile app."

This is an extension of the Hotels.com Xtreme Booking 1 campaign. Last year, extreme athlete and stuntman, JT Holmes, booked a hotel room while flying over 115 miles per hour in a 15,000-foot skydive freefall before landing on the Lake Tahoe beach of the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino.

For the full video view of Bell's daring run with the bulls while booking a hotel, visit http://youtu.be/u_czMNuwp2I. All Xtreme Booking 2 assets are available on our press room at http://press.hotels.com/en-ca/.

Visit hotels.com, call 1-800-2-hotels, use our mobile apps, or book with a friend through our Facebook app Hotels WithMe. For tailored hotel deals and updates on the latest seasonal sales, sign up for our Deals Facebook app.

About Hotels.com®

Hotels.com (also known in Canada as Hotels.ca) is a leading online accommodation booking website with almost 155,000 properties around the world, ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favourites and bed & breakfasts, together with all the information needed to book the perfect stay. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry, negotiating the best rates for its customers, and offers frequent sales, special deals and promotions. There are more than 6.5 million guest reviews on the site from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure customers can make an informed choice when booking. Through its industry-leading loyalty program Welcome Rewards™, customers can earn a free night for every 10 nights stayed at more than 65,000 hotels. Under its Price Match Guarantee, if a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will refund the difference. Travellers can book online or by contacting one of the multilingual call centres. Special apps for mobile phones and tablets can also be downloaded at www.hotels.com/deals/mobile_app/  enabling customers to book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals. Hotels.com publishes an award-winning twice-yearly review of international hotel room price trends called the Hotels.com Hotel Price Index™, which is now produced in 31 individual country editions, with North American data available at http://www.hotel-price-index.com. Follow Hotels.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/hotelsdotcomca, on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/hotelsdotcomca and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/hotelsdotcom. Hotels.com is part of Expedia, Inc., the largest online travel company in the world with an extensive portfolio that includes some of the world's best-known brands.

Hotels.com, Finding You The Perfect Place, Welcome Rewards and the Hotels.com logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. © 2012 Hotels.com, LP. All rights reserved

Video with caption: "Xtreme Booking 2 - Running with the Bulls". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20120816_C7466_VIDEO_EN_16930.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20120816_C7466_PHOTO_EN_16930.jpg&clientName=Hotels%2Ecom&caption=Xtreme%20Booking%202%20%2D%20Running%20with%20the%20Bulls&title=HOTELS%2ECOM%20%2D%20Run%21%20Hotels%2Ecom%20Gets%20%27Xtreme%27%20During%20the%20Running%20of%20the%20Bulls&headline=Run%21%20Hotels%2Ecom%20Gets%20%27Xtreme%27%20During%20the%20Running%20of%20the%20Bulls

Image with caption: "Andy Bell uses the Hotels.com mobile booking app while running from two thousand pound bulls (CNW Group/Hotels.com)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120816_C7466_PHOTO_EN_16926.jpg

Image with caption: "Stuntman Andy Bell dodges a bull during the annual Running of the Bulls in Pamplona (CNW Group/Hotels.com)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120816_C7466_PHOTO_EN_16927.jpg

SOURCE: Hotels.com

For further information:

Press contacts: 

Lauren Wasley
energi PR for hotels.com
Phone: [phone] ext. 19
Email: [e-mail]

Taylor L. Cole, APR   
hotels.com North America
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]