Hilton has launched a series of microsites designed for specific customer segments - from wedding planners to Olympics sports organizations - in an effort to entice online bookings, writes ClickZ. Some 15 percent of Hilton's bookings are now made through its websites, which are also resulting in HHonors loyalty program customer signups, according to Bala Subramanian, senior VP of distribution and brand integration for Hilton Hotels. Agency.com designed and developed the front end of the new sites; Hilton handled the back-end technology.

For example, government employees and military travelers can access a sub-domain on Hilton.com - gov.hilton.com - replicated across Hilton's brands, including doubletree.com, embassysuites.com, and hamptoninn.com. The government site is customized to display government rates and sector-specific travel resources.

Hilton's online bookings are approaching the $2 billion revenue mark, having grown 30 percent from 2004 to 2005. "Anything that people book online costs a third of what it costs if they call us, and it costs one tenth of what it costs if they come through an intermediary," Subramanian is quoted as saying.