Mandalay Resort Group, a leading owner and operator of world-class entertainment destinations, said room reservations made directly over its Web sites grew by more than 25% in the first half of fiscal year 2003.

A review of e-commerce at Mandalay Resort Group -- identified last year by Internet Week as one of the top e-business companies in the United States -- found that 104,765 reservations were booked directly through Mandalay Resort Group Web sites in the first two quarters of fiscal 2003, which ended July 31. This represents a 25.4% increase over the 83,542 reservations made online in the same two quarters a year earlier.

Visitors to MBG property Web sites also advanced. In the first two quarters ended July 31, Mandalay Resort Group counted almost 10 million Web site visitors, compared to just over 7 million in the corresponding period last year, a 34% increase.

The quarterly increases reflect a trend seen in year-to-year figures as well. Visitors to company Web sites grew to 16.2 million in fiscal year 2002, which ended January 31, from 9.8 million a year earlier.

John Marz, senior vice president of Mandalay Marketing and Events, attributed the increases to an aggressive program of strategic improvements designed to make the sites easier to use and more beneficial to customers. He added that permission-based e-mail marketing and other online marketing efforts are successfully attracting customers to the comprehensive sites. "Our strategy is to maintain industry leadership in e-commerce," Marz said.

Marz said Mandalay Resort Group's e-commerce capability extends beyond direct online room reservations. The company tracks the number of room reservations made by visitors who view hotel/casino sites but decide to book over the telephone, using phone numbers listed only on the sites. In the first half of the fiscal year, the company estimates that 215,382 reservations were made over telephone numbers listed only on Web sites compared to 123,180 in the comparable period a year earlier, a 75% increase.

"The results indicate our e-commerce initiatives are working, as are other elements of our overall computer-based strategies for growing our business," said Glenn Schaeffer, president of Mandalay Resort Group. "The online services give us valuable customer feedback, which allow us to develop stronger customer relationships," he said. For example, one result of the online success is the creation of a valuable database of visitors who want to be contacted via e-mail.

Last year, Internet Week recognized Mandalay Resort Group as one of only seven travel-related companies among the top 100 e-business companies. Of the seven, only Mandalay Resort Group and two other hospitality companies made the list: Hilton Hotels and Marriott International. No other Las Vegas company was listed.