.tradershotels

Status:	Proposed
Registry Provider:	Verisign
Type:	Brand TLD
More information:

.tradershotels is a Brand TLD being proposed in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant is Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited.

Application Details

The following is excerpted from the applicant's response to question #18:

"THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW RESTRICTED .TRADERSHOTELS gTLD IS TO BENEFIT INTERNET USERS BY ENSURING INCREASED TRUST AND CONFIDENCE THROUGH THE ELIMINATION OF USER CONFUSION AND ASSURANCE OF BRAND AUTHENTICITY.

The new .tradershotels gTLD will operate as a restricted registry, in which Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited (Shangri-La International) can create and control domain spaces within .tradershotels that promote its Traders Hotels brand. In this regard, .tradershotels will be used by Shangri-La International to provide information, services and resources regarding Traders Hotels to consumers in a way that promotes trust, confidence and convenience..tradershotels will provide an authoritative Internet space for Shangri-La International, its affiliates and partners that are associated with the Traders Hotels brand. Second and third level domains can then be utilised for localised booking services and for communication and marketing purposes, with Internet users assured of brand authenticity.

Traders Hotels are a brand of hotels owned, operated and⁄or managed by Shangri-La International. Shangri-La International opened the first Traders Hotel in 1989 and currently operates 13 Traders Hotels in 8 countries across Asia and the Middle East. This is expected to expand to 9 countries in the near future. Shangri-La International, trading as Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, is a global group that owns, operates and⁄or manages five-star hotels and resorts across the world. Shangri-La International, established in 1984, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Asia Limited (Shangri-La Asia). Shangri-La Asia, listed on the Hong Kong and Singapore Stock Exchanges and traded as American Depositary Receipts (ADR) in the US, had 2010 revenue of nearly USD1.6 billion and a market capitalisation of approximately USD42 billion. Shangri-La Asia has over 33,000 employees and around 30,000 guest rooms across its suite of hotels. The Traders Hotels brand offers a vibrant yet professional environment which caters to more value-conscious, savvy business travellers. In this regard, consumer trust, continuous innovation and protection of the Traders Hotels brand are paramount considerations in all its activities. The .tradershotels gTLD will promote the Traders Hotels brand and maintain Shangri-La International’s strong online presence. These objectives will be further complemented by Shangri-La International’s applications for “tradershotels” in Chinese Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) in both traditional and simplified characters."