Internet dialogue. According to the Trend Barometer and Hospitality Monitor of American Express the hotel sector cannot do without the World Wide Web for customer contacts. Websites are no longer mere presentation media for hotels but rather serve for brand communication and customer loyalty purposes. The online availability check for hotel rooms is practically standard nowadays and offered by 59 % of the surveyed 300 hotel and restaurant managers. According to the survey, online booking tools are on the rise – used by 21 % one year ago and now up to 51 % in this year´s survey. www.aexp.com