Sidestep add 370 La Quinta properties

SideStep, Inc. (www.sidestep.com), the traveler's search engine, today announced a marketing partnership with Dallas-base hotelier, La Quinta. Through this partnership, SideStep will drive consumers directly to La Quinta's Web site, www.LQ.com, to book travel.

SideStep customers will now have access to hotel rooms from more than 370 La Quinta properties. Offering comfortable rooms at affordable prices, La Quinta sweetens the deal for guests with such creature comforts as complimentary breakfast, dataport phones with free local calls and 25" televisions with expanded cable, movies-on-demand and Nintendo(R) game systems (at most locations).

"Our partnership with SideStep gives La Quinta's search engine marketing efforts a new level of focus," said Sandy Heilman, La Quinta's vice president -- electronic distribution and marketing. "As the traveler's search engine, this highly targeted marketing venue connects us with consumers actively looking for excellent hotel values. And by driving these travelers to the La Quinta Web site, SideStep not only helps us to further develop our most cost-efficient sales channel, it also enables us to forge direct relationships between customers and our brand."

"SideStep is focused on helping our travel provider partners promote their brands via direct interaction with consumers," said Don Smith, SideStep's vice president, hotels. "Search engine marketing is enabling hoteliers like La Quinta to reach out to customers directly, and SideStep is proving to be a key driver of this important industry trend."

SideStep was named Silicon Valley's third fastest growing private company in October, 2003, by PricewaterhouseCoopers and The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.

Dallas-based La Quinta Corporation (LQI), a limited-service lodging company, owns, operates or franchises more than 370 La Quinta Inns and La Quinta Inn & Suites in 33 states. For more information about La Quinta, please visit its website at www.LQ.com.