Discount hotel web site

Spokane-based Magnuson Co. has launched a Web site that offers discount rates at independent hotels and resorts in the Northwest.

The site - www.mtmtravel.com - lists a dozen properties in the Seattle, Portland, Boise and Vancouver, British Columbia, markets. Company principal Thomas Magnuson said he hopes to add more cities, including Spokane and Missoula, soon.

"We are seeing a new breed of Internet-powered `turbo-consumers' who are increasingly indifferent to brands," Magnuson said. "Their buying choices differentiate hotels primarily by location, quality, amenities and room rate."

He said the Web site offers the ability to book reservations online with exclusive access to MTM Internet-only rates.

For independent hotel owners, MTM Hotel Network offers an alternative to hotel franchises that charge hotel owners substantial royalty fees, Magnuson said. MTM Hotel Network is commission-driven, with fees predominantly based on a percentage of reservations delivered through its worldwide reservations system.

Network affiliates maintain the right to market and develop their own brand names.

Magnuson described his company as a strategic marketing and branding firm. Clients have included Best Western International and WestCoast Hotels.

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