Orbitz Uses Golf Tie-in To Boost Anniversary

By Mike Beirne

CHICAGO -- "Build it and They Will Putt" may be the downfall of summer office productivity as Orbitz celebrates the 5th anniversary of its OrbitzGames.com Web site.

Through Aug. 7, consumers can design their own mini-golf hole, which other OrbitzGames members can play and rate based on difficulty, creativity and likeability. Players can design multiple holes to increase their chances of winning airfare for two to anywhere in the U.S., as well as a new driver.

A winning course design is chosen every week and then combined with other picks to make up a final 18-hole golf course that will be available on OrbitzGames.com. Visitors who play and vote also gain entry into a sweepstakes to win a golf vacation to Hawaii and a custom set of clubs from Golfsmith.

The online travel agency has been using Web games to connect with consumers since "Sink the Putt" debuted as a pop-under during 2002. It was the first of 65 online games that were bunched in OrbitzGames.com starting last September. That site has attracted more than 330,000 registered players and 16 million visits, and more than 1.3 million visitors have sent a "tell-a-friend" message to recruit others to play the games.

"Booking travel today has become a game, and we want people to know that Orbitz is the way to win that game," Randy Wagner, CMO of Orbitz and CheapTickets.com, said in a statement.