Spafinder.com “Click to Talk” Service, Powered by eStara, Boosts Spa Bookings by Connecting Spa-Goers to Spa Reservation Desks

Dallas, TX – September 30th, 2005 – Spa Finder, Inc., the global spa resource, is helping its spa network increase phone traffic and reservations booking through its innovative new “Click to Talk” service, powered by eStara (www.estara.com). The service enables the millions of spa consumers who research and book spa travel at Spa Finder (www.spafinder.com) to “click to talk” to a representative at a spa property they’re interested in visiting, and receive an immediate phone call connecting them to that spa’s reservation desk. An eStara-powered call tracking service also enables Spa Finder to directly track return on investment for their spa marketing partners.

“Jupiter Research found that over 55% of travel and hospitality web site visitors prefer to speak to someone before booking,” said Spa Finder, Inc. CEO Pete Ellis. “The Click to Talk service provides our web visitors with the booking process they prefer, while compelling them to follow through on their spa travel plans – immediately and directly – resulting in more business for our spa network – business that can be definitively attributed to our marketing programs. It’s a ‘win’ for everyone involved.”

According Click to Talk call tracking data, Spa Finder is currently driving nearly 5,000 calls per month to the network of resort, destination, urban, and medical spas the company represents. Customers utilizing Click to Talk, moreover, are completing purchases at roughly twice the rate of the average inbound caller from other channels. And what’s been good for Spa Finder’s spa partners has also been good for the company’s own e-commerce ventures. Since rolling out the service on the Spafinder.com Gifts and Products pages, order call volume has increased 18% with exceptionally strong conversion rates.

Spa Finder to Offer Click to Talk Service for Individual Spa Sites at ISPA Conference
At this week’s ISPA Conference & Expo in Dallas, Spa Finder, in conjunction with eStara, will offer spas an opportunity to implement the Click to Talk service on their own web sites to increase bookings and closely monitor their marketing ROI.

“As the leader in spa marketing, Spa Finder has a strong history of bringing best-of-breed technology to its online programs,” said eStara COO John Piescik. “eStara is excited to partner with Spa Finder in introducing our VoIP-enabled click to call and call tracking services to their global spa network. With these services, Spa Finder has recognized yet another opportunity to bring added value to their spa partners and demonstrate ROI.”

eStara’s hospitality and travel clients report an average 25%-35% conversion rate through Click to Talk (roughly double the industry average) as well as a 50-to-1 return on investment versus the cost of the service.

About Spa Finder, Inc.:
As the world's largest spa marketing and media company, Spa Finder reaches millions of health conscious consumers via its award-winning website, Spafinder.com. The company publishes Luxury SpaFinder Magazine, the trusted authority on luxury spas and associated lifestyles; The Spa Enthusiast®, a leading publication for active spa-goers; as well as its annual Spa Finder Worldwide Directory, the ultimate spa-goers’ resource. Spa Finder also operates the world's largest spa gift certificate and incentive programs as well as the Spa Distribution Network, the Internet's first online spa booking program.

About eStara:
eStara develops cross channel communications services for large enterprises, online directory and search engine partners that improve communication and collaboration, increase revenue, and enable clients to attract and retain more online customers. eStara’s Track the Call service provides a flexible, scalable call tracking and monitoring service that supports a variety of revenue models, including pay per call and subscription with the largest inventory of local numbers in the industry. eStara’s Push to Talk service is the most widely deployed "click to call" service in the world with over 3,000,000 users in 113 countries. The company serves more than 350 global enterprises across multiple industries including directory and on-line publishers and lead generation companies, financial services, retail, travel and hospitality, real estate and automotive. eStara’s suite of applications are developed using a VoIP technology platform delivered as a fully-hosted service to companies including Amazon.com’s A9 Yellow Pages, Verizon SuperPages, Dell Financial Services, Starwood, Hilton, Spa Finder, Continental Airlines and Esurance.com.


Spa Finder: please visit www.spafinder.com for a preview of Click to Talk.
eStara: please visit http://www.estara.com/spafinder for more information on click to call and call tracking technology.

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Media Contacts:
Spa Finder, Inc.
Betsy Isroelit, RBI Communications
323-960-1360 #17, betsy@rbicom.com

eStara
Candace Brosowsky, RMR & Associates
301-230-0045 #14, candace@rmr.com

Dan Obregon, eStara
703-648-8281, dan@estara.com