Hospitality eBusiness Strategies (HeBS), one of the industry’s leading full-service Internet marketing services and strategies consulting firms for the hospitality and travel verticals, announced the receipt of three esteemed Interactive Media Awards.

Presented by the Interactive Media Council (IMC), these awards recognize some of the highest standards of excellence in Web site design, development and usability, and honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement. The IMC awarded HeBS the Best in Class award for The Allison Inn & Spa in Willamette Valley in Oregon, and awarded the company Outstanding Achievement for Hotel Indigo New York City-Chelsea and the Bulfinch Hotel in Boston. The judges for the IMA are renowned professionals and members of the IMC, a profit organization committed to elevating the standards of excellence on the Internet. Judges evaluate Web sites based on five criteria: design, content, feature functionality, usability and standards compliance. Applicants must demonstrate superiority to the competition in each of the criterion to win an IMA. 

Best in Class Winner:

• The Allison Inn & Spa – Travel/Tourism

Outstanding Achievement Winners:

• The Bulfinch Hotel – Hotel/Resort
• Hotel Indigo New York City-Chelsea – Hotel/Resort

“In 2010, it is essential that a hotel Web site excels not just in design but in usability, search engine optimization, Web 2.0 interactivity, and most importantly, booker-friendliness,” said Max Starkov, chief e-business strategist of HeBS. “These Interactive Media Awards are further validation that a comprehensive approach to hotel Internet marketing and direct online distribution—which includes award-winning Web site design—is necessary for success. HeBS is honored to share these IMAs with its clients, and will continue to ensure that their Web sites are the most productive and efficient revenue-generating channel for their hotels in 2010 and beyond.”
 
The Best in Class award, the highest honor awarded by the IMA, recognizes the very best in Web site planning, execution and overall professionalism. To receive this prestigious award, a Web site must successfully survive IMA’s rigorous judging process, earning high scores in each of the judging criteria including design, content, feature functionality and usability. Only a small percentage of IMA competition applicants are awarded the Best in Class award.

Hospitality eBusiness Strategies (HeBS), one of the industry’s leading Internet marketing strategy consulting firms for the hospitality vertical, is based in New York City. HeBS has pioneered many best practices in hotel Internet marketing and direct online distribution. The firm specializes in helping hoteliers build their direct Internet marketing and distribution strategy, boost the hotel Internet marketing presence, establish interactive relationships with their customers, and significantly increase direct online bookings and ROIs. A diverse client portfolio of over 500 top tier hotel brands, luxury and boutique hotel companies, hotel management and representation companies, franchisees and independents, resorts and casinos and CVBs has sought and successfully taken advantage of the firm hospitality Internet marketing expertise.

The Interactive Media Awards (IMA) competition is open to individuals and organizations involved in designing, developing, managing, supporting and promoting Web sites. Nominations are accepted from around the world from Web design firms, advertising agencies and corporate marketing departments, as well as individual Web designers and graphic artists, among others. Created by the Interactive Media Council, Inc. (IMC), a nonprofit organization of leading Web designers, developers, programmers, advertisers and other Web-related professionals, the competition is designed to elevate the standards of excellence on the Internet and offer winners a boost in marketing and exposure.