Oakwood Debuts Live Online Booking for Corporate Housing & Serviced Apartments

Business Wire, March 26, 2003

Business Editors/Travel Writers/Real Estate Writers

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2003

Checking into a fabulous furnished apartment around the world is now as easy as booking a hotel room. Extended stay lodging giant Oakwood Worldwide has unveiled an internet portal (www.travel.oakwood.com) that allows immediate, live booking into its global portfolio of corporate housing and serviced apartments (the latter name is used to describe the product in Europe and Asia). Oakwood's apartments are fully-furnished suites that include beautifully decorated bedroom, living room and dining areas; full-sized gourmet kitchens; snazzy home electronics and maid service too. Ideal for extended stay business or leisure travelers, Oakwood's properties range from resort estates in Miami, Los Angeles and Bangkok to hip urban pads in New York, Boston, Chicago, London, Seoul and Tokyo. Oakwood's serviced apartments are an incredible value -- typically much larger than comparable hotel rooms, but offered at lower costs.

"Booking serviced apartments used to be a more time-consuming process than booking hotels," says Todd Larsen, Oakwood's vice president of interactive sales and development. "But now, customers can get immediate confirmation for their Oakwood stay on the Internet, 24 hours a day. This is unique in the corporate housing industry."

CALLING ALL TRAVEL AGENTS

In addition to web-savvy travelers, Larsen believes a major audience for the speedy new www.travel.oakwood.com will be travel agents. The portal welcomes accredited travel agents and tracks commissions for them. Oakwood pays travel agent commissions of 10%, capped at $350.

In business since 1960, Oakwood's courting of travel agents began in earnest in 1998, when it was the first serviced apartment provider to list on the GDS through SABRE. Oakwood has since added a presence on Worldspan, Galileo/Apollo and Amadeus, as well as hundreds of Internet travel sites (including Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz). Oakwood now lists over 250 properties through those systems, with locations throughout the U.S., U.K., and Asia.

"Oakwood has by far the largest selection of serviced apartments on the GDS, and our own 24-hour reservation help desk (reachable by 866.263.6613 or travel@oakwood.com)," adds Larsen.

In addition to the aforementioned cities, some of Oakwood's other popular destinations include Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Manila, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Jose, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Virginia/Washington, DC.

ABOUT OAKWOOD WORLDWIDE

Los Angeles-based, privately-held Oakwood Worldwide is the leading global provider of corporate housing and serviced apartments, with locations throughout the U.S., U.K. and Asia. Oakwood's award-winning lodging features a rich standard of personal service, guest comfort and apartment quality and reliability.

In addition to its live booking portal at www.travel.oakwood.com, the firm maintains its corporate web site at www.oakwood.com.