A family of Arizona online travel guides has re-launched its Prescott, Arizona travel website with a brand new look, along with a vision for what’s to come for its portfolio of popular websites in Northern Arizona. Prescott.com is a full-service, even better-looking online Prescott, Arizona travel guide from Southwest Media Communications that offers visitors a one-stop portal to Prescott tourism-oriented and real estate-related businesses’ websites — such as hotels and bed & breakfasts, tour companies, restaurants and golf & lifestyle communities.
Southwest Media Communications owner and president Ted Taylor has spent the last year developing all the company’s established online Arizona travel guides – known as the Travel Sites to Be Seen – including sedona.net, thecanyon.com, and flagstaff.com. The re-launch of prescott.com is the first installment of a complete overhaul of not only each sites’ appearance but also enhanced programming and visitor-friendly functionality.
“Prescott is a terrific Arizona destination,” he said. “Our websites receive over 5 million visitors a year; mostly people planning a trip to Sedona, the Grand Canyon and other cities like Prescott and Phoenix. What’s more, we’re seeing a good number of the millions of baby boomers turning 60 this year are looking to buy second homes, particularly in Prescott, and we wanted to help them and all the visitors find what they’re looking for within our family of websites.”
Taylor’s not alone. Prescott has often been named one of America’s “Best Places to Retire.”1 And visitors will be glad to know that in March 2006, the National Trust for Historic Preservation honored Prescott on its annual list of a “Dozen Distinctive Destinations,” appealing to tourists’ taste for historic places
Prescott.com features several services that are unique to booking Arizona travel online and that reflect the vast appeal of the Prescott area:
- “Editor’s Picks” A special feature where prescott.com will highlight specific hotels, bed & breakfasts, things to do and real estate that are the best the area has to offer.
- “Special Offers” This section features hotel, resort and lodging discounts savvy Internet users have come to expect. But unlike other travel portals, prescott.com also offers special deals on services, dining, shopping and more.
- “11th Hour Getaways” Locals and visitors alike will love 11th Hour Getaways section, dedicated to finding discounts, coupons and last-minute travel deals from hotels and motels in Arizona, including Scottsdale-Phoenix, Sedona and the Grand Canyon.
- “Real Estate & Relocation” Visitors can find real estate and relocation information; even apply for a job in the Prescott area via Prescott.com’s relationship with careerbuilder.com.
- “Locals Only” Prescott residents will be able to find and share the best-kept-secret spot for everything from Girls Night Out to Sunday Brunch, from 2-for-1 Margaritas to farmers’ markets. And the best part? The secrets are revealed for visitors so they, too, can get insider deals on all things Prescott.
Prescott.com is free for visitors to use, browse and book their travel. The website is neatly organized and easy to navigate, allowing visitors to find businesses in specific subcategories under the aforementioned lodging, activities and real estate categories as well as restaurants, shopping – even plan a Prescott wedding.
“Our past success with sedona.net and thecanyon.com and the other sites helped us decide what categories and subcategories a visitor might look for,” Taylor said. “But we can always add new subcategories if there is enough demand. We know that this marketplace is always changing and we want to adapt along with it.”
Visitors to prescott.com can browse businesses, see up to three large pictures per listing, and peruse ample text describing the product or service. Visitors are encouraged to click through to the businesses’ websites for additional information with plenty of user-friendly hyperlinks. Of course no travel site would be complete without Special Offers, and visitors to prescott.com will not be disappointed. Not only will one find Special Offers, you can also check out the 11th Hour Getaways to book last-minute deals on romantic weekends for two, spontaneous family getaways or individual adventure trips.
Do you want to receive updates on special offers, deals, coupons and news about Prescott, Scottsdale-Phoenix, Sedona, the Grand Canyon and more? Sign up for Southwest Media Communications e-newsletters for periodic updates on stories, interests and subscriber-only savings offers.
If you’re wondering how much it costs to get to Phoenix from your home city, there’s no need to leave prescott.com to browse dozens of airline sites. Take advantage of prescott.com’s booking engine to reserve your air, hotel and rental car in one step.
Up next for Southwest Media Communications is the re-launch of the similarly redesigned sedona.net, thecanyon.com, and flagstaff.com. The design will be based on the current look of prescott.com and scottsdale-phoenix.net, giving the existing sites additional functionality, streamlined navigation and increased search engine appeal. The redesigned sites are scheduled to be launched in the second quarter of 2006.
Southwest Media Communications is based in Cave Creek, Arizona. For more information, contact by email at info@southwestmedia.net.
REFERENCES: Author/Contributors: Lesley Alderman, Date/Issue: March 15, 1994, Edition: Money Guide Retire Young With All The Money You Need
Author: Richard Fox, Copyright: July 2000, Title: America’s 100 Best Places to Retire
