BY CATHERINE TSAI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- Cyber-savvy travelers to Northern Kentucky are mouse clicks away from hotel information and discounts offered on a newly updated Web page from the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau.
By clicking on icons at http://www.staynky.com, users can now book and confirm hotel reservations instantly through their computers. They can also join the free Roadtrip Travel Club to receive e-mail every week about offers on available hotel rooms for the coming weekend.
"It's a good way to match up customers with the people providing the product," said Jeff Waddle, a public relations consultant for the bureau.
The Web site also offers coupons that can be printed out and redeemed at attractions like the Cincinnati Art Museum and major hotels like Holiday Inn. By next week, the bureau plans to offer coupons for restaurants, too, Mr. Waddle said.
Barbara Dozier, the bureau's vice president of sales and marketing, said the Web page went up Wednesday morning.
The site's users can save on admission to some of Cincinnati's sites, but they can book rooms only for hotels in northern Kentucky. "What we try to do is get them to stay on our side of the river," Ms. Dozier said.
The changes resulted from a decision made last year in response to market research.
"One thing we learned is that the decision to come here is made at the last minute," Ms. Dozier said, "and people are using the Internet more and more to make travel plans."
According to the research, visitors wanted to come, but hated planning.
"We figured we could make that very simple by looking at a Web site," Ms. Dozier said.
The Web site should help reduce vacancies in area hotels during slow times because of the discounts and the Roadtrip Travel Club's e-mail notices of available hotel rooms, Ms. Dozier said.
