Press Release

Global Hotel Leader Carlson Hotels Worldwide Names Medallia "Global Supplier of the Year"

Silicon Valley Company Cited for Customer Feedback Tracking

Menlo Park, CA - July 18, 2007 - Carlson Hotels Worldwide, a global leader in the hotel industry, recently announced that it had named Medallia, Inc., the world’s leading provider of on-demand enterprise feedback solutions, as its “Global Supplier of the Year” for 2006.

The award was presented by Jay Witzel, president and CEO of Carlson Hotels Worldwide and CEO of Regent, at the company’s global business conference in Paris.  He singled out Medallia for its key contribution to three “definitive building blocks” of Carlson’s reputation as a global company:  innovation, people management and product quality and services.

“Great brands must be supported by outstanding suppliers,” Witzel said, “that help us maintain a competitive edge.  Medallia was instrumental in developing and executing a guest feedback capture system that provided us with a new analysis and solutions tool that was on time and on budget.”

According to Witzel, “the list of all the things that Medallia has achieved for us is long.”  As part of its selection criteria, Carlson cited Medallia’s impact across the Carlson hotel organization – at the company, brand, franchise, and customer levels.

“We are honored to receive this award, especially from a company of Carlson Hotels’ caliber,” said Medallia CEO Borge Hald, who noted that “Carlson truly places its customers first.

“We are also gratified that Carlson’s intention is to implement Medallia globally,” said Hald.  “It validates that we are one of the few vendors to offer true global enterprise platforms for feedback management.”

Witzel noted that while Carlson Hotels’ traditional comment card program generated only a two percent response rate, Medallia’s on-line solution drove response rates up to the 35-40 percent range.

“Thousands of our customers have replied that the immediate response they received as a result of the Medallia system was unexpected and that they will now definitely return again due to the concern showed by the hotel,” said Scott Meyer, vice president of Brand Measurement & Performance at Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

Carlson Hotels Worldwide is one of the major operating groups of Carlson, a global leader in providing corporate solutions and consumer services in the marketing, travel and hospitality industries.  Other names among the Carlson family of brands and services are: Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, Carlson Marketing, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Results Travel, Cruise Holidays, T.G.I. Friday’s and Pick Up Stix restaurants.  The company has been recognized by both Fortune and Working Mother magazines as one of the "100 best places to work for in America.”