Facility reservation device, privilege granting method, and privilege granting program

Abstract

To provide a facility information providing device, a facility information providing method and a facility information providing program for motivating a user to make more reservations for facilities.SOLUTION: In a communication system S, a system control unit of a reservation server that executes processing related to a predetermined reservation site acquires the number of times of use of a facility in the past based on a reservation by any user who can use a reservation service that grants a privilege to a person who has reserved the facility when the facility is used, determines an up-privilege ratio applied to the user for the privilege granted to the user, determines an up-privilege ratio that increases according to the number of times of use, and transmits, to a terminal, display information for displaying up-privilege ratio information indicating the up-privilege ratio.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for providing information relating to a reservable facility. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, reservation systems that allow users to make reservations for facilities have been known. It is also known that among such reservation systems, there exist reservation systems that provide points, coupons, or other benefits to users who make reservations for facilities. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that, in a hotel reservation system, points are provided to a registered member who has applied for a hotel reservation when the reservation is fulfilled. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-260326 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] While it may be possible to encourage users to make more reservations at facilities by offering rewards to users who make reservations, it is difficult to encourage users to make more reservations simply by offering points on the condition that a reservation is fulfilled.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and one example of its objective is to provide a facility information providing device, a facility information providing method, and a facility information providing program that can motivate users to make more reservations for facilities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device comprising: a usage count acquisition means for acquiring the number of past usages of a facility based on reservations made by any user who can use a reservation service that grants a benefit to the person who makes a reservation for the facility when the facility is used; a determination means for determining an increased benefit rate to be applied to the user for the benefit to be granted to the user, the increased benefit rate increasing according to the acquired number of usages; and a transmission means for transmitting display information to the terminal device that displays increased benefit rate information indicating the determined increased benefit rate on the screen of the user's terminal device, wherein the value of the benefit increases according to the determined increased benefit rate.

[0007] According to this aspect, the number of past facility usages based on reservations made by any user is obtained. The facility usages counted as the number of usages may be usages based on the content of the user's reservation. An increased reward rate is determined according to this number of usages. For example, the more the number of usages, the higher the increased reward rate. When display information is transmitted to the user's terminal device, increased reward rate information indicating the determined increased reward rate is displayed on the terminal device. This allows the user to recognize the increased reward rate. When the user uses the facility based on a reservation made by the user, a reward is granted to the user. The value of the granted reward increases according to the increased reward rate. Therefore, the more times the facility has been used in the past, the higher the value of the reward. This can motivate the user to make more facility reservations.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device in which, when a participating facility that is participating in a program in which the value of the benefit is increased is used, the value of the benefit granted to a person who makes a reservation at the participating facility increases according to the increased benefit rate, and further comprising: participation / absence information acquisition means for acquiring participation / absence information for each of a plurality of facilities indicating whether the facility is a participating facility or not; and priority determination means for determining a priority of each of the plurality of facilities based on the acquired participation / absence information, the priority being set to be higher when the facility is a participating facility than when the facility is not a participating facility; and the transmission means for transmitting display information that displays facility information of at least one of the plurality of facilities together with the increased benefit rate information on the screen, and displaying the facility information of the at least one facility in an order of the plurality of facilities according to the determined priority.

[0009] According to this aspect, the multiple facilities may include participating facilities that participate in a program that increases the value of a benefit. It is possible to identify whether each of the multiple facilities is a participating facility from the participation information. Priorities of the multiple facilities are determined. If a certain facility is a participating facility, a higher priority is determined for that facility than if the facility were not a participating facility. Facility information for at least one of the multiple facilities is then displayed on the terminal device. Facility information for at least one facility is displayed along with increased benefit rate information in an order according to the priority of each of the multiple facilities. Therefore, the higher the priority of a facility, the more preferentially the facility information for that facility is displayed. The value of a benefit granted when a user uses a participating facility based on a reservation made by the user at that participating facility increases in accordance with the increased benefit rate. This makes it easier for the user to select a facility that offers a more advantageous value for the user to acquire. Furthermore, facilities that are more advantageous to the user are more likely to be selected by the user. This allows facilities to be encouraged to participate in programs that increase the value of benefits.

[0010] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device further comprising: an acceptance means for accepting a reservation for a facility specified by the user from among the at least one facility for which facility information is displayed based on the transmitted display information in response to a request from the terminal device; and an awarding means for, if the facility for which the accepted reservation is made is a participating facility, awarding the user a benefit of a value determined based on the determined increased benefit rate, and, if the facility for which the accepted reservation is made is not a participating facility, awarding the user a benefit of a value determined not based on the determined increased benefit rate.

[0011] According to this aspect, a reservation is accepted from a user specifying one of the facilities whose facility information is displayed on the screen of a terminal device. For example, when the reserved facility is used based on the reservation, a benefit is granted to the user. Here, if the reserved facility is a participating facility, the value of the benefit is determined based on the increased benefit rate. Therefore, the value of the benefit granted increases according to the increased benefit rate. If the reserved facility is not a participating facility, the value of the benefit is determined not based on the increased benefit rate. Therefore, the value of the benefit granted does not increase according to the increased benefit rate. Therefore, by reserving a participating facility, the user has a better advantage in terms of the value of the benefit that can be obtained. This can encourage users to make reservations at participating facilities.

[0012] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device in which, when a participating facility that is participating in a program in which the value of the benefit is increased is used, the value of the benefit granted to the person who made a reservation at the participating facility increases according to the increased benefit rate, and when facility information for at least one facility is displayed on the screen, the device further comprises a participation information acquisition means for acquiring participation information indicating whether the at least one facility is a participating facility, the transmission means transmits the display information that displays the facility information on the screen together with the increased benefit rate information, and when the acquired participation information indicates that the at least one facility is a participating facility, the displayed facility information includes participation information indicating that the at least one facility is a participating facility.

[0013] According to this aspect, facility information for at least one facility is displayed on a user's terminal device along with increased benefit rate information. At least one facility may participate in a program that increases the value of benefits. Whether or not the facility is a participating facility can be identified from the participation information. If at least one facility is a participating facility, the facility information for that facility includes participation information. The participation information indicates that the facility is a participating facility. The value of the benefit granted when the participating facility is used based on a user's reservation at the participating facility increases according to the increased benefit rate. This allows the user to recognize that the facility is a participating facility that is advantageous to the user in terms of the value of the benefit granted.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device characterized in that the determination means determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user to be a high increased bonus rate that is higher than the increased bonus rate corresponding to the acquired number of uses and corresponds to a number of uses greater than the acquired number of uses, provided that the user has viewed information about the participating facility through the reservation service within a specified period in the past and has not made a reservation for the participating facility within the specified period.

[0015] According to this aspect, the increased bonus rate applied to a user who has viewed information about a participating facility through a reservation service within a specified period in the past but has not made a reservation at the participating facility within the specified period is determined to be a high increased bonus rate. This high increased bonus rate is higher than the increased bonus rate corresponding to the actual number of times the facility is used. Furthermore, in order for this high increased bonus rate to be determined, the user must actually use the facility more than the actual number of times. Since the value of the bonus increases according to the high increased bonus rate, the value of the bonus granted to the user can be further increased. Since the user has viewed information about the participating facility, it is possible that the user is interested in the participating facility. Users who have not yet made a reservation at a participating facility but may be interested in the facility can be allowed to experience the benefits of making more facility reservations. This can encourage users to make reservations at participating facilities.

[0016] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device further comprising a history acquisition means for acquiring a facility reservation history for the user, the history indicating the scheduled date of use of the reserved facility, and the number of uses acquisition means for acquiring, as the number of uses, the number of reservations for which the scheduled date of use has passed, among the reservations indicated by the acquired history.

[0017] According to this aspect, a facility reservation history for a user is acquired. This history indicates the dates on which the facility is scheduled to be used. The number of reservations for which the scheduled date of use of the facility has passed is acquired as the number of times the facility has been used. Therefore, even without receiving notification from the facility, it is possible to identify the use of the facility and acquire the number of times the facility has been used.

[0018] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device characterized in that the acquired history further indicates whether or not a reservation has been canceled, and the usage count acquiring means acquires, as the usage count, the number of reservations that have not been canceled among reservations whose scheduled usage date has passed.

[0019] According to this aspect, the number of reservations that were not canceled is excluded from the number of times the facility was used, so that the appropriate number of times the facility was used can be obtained.

[0020] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device characterized in that the acquired history further indicates whether there have been any no-shows for the reserved facility, and the usage count acquiring means acquires, as the usage count, the number of reservations for which there have been no no-shows among the reservations for which the scheduled usage date has passed.

[0021] According to this aspect, the number of reservations for which there was a no-show at the reserved facility is excluded from the number of times the facility was used, so that an appropriate number of times the facility was used can be obtained.

[0022] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device characterized in that, if the user has previously used two or more facilities as a reservation holder, the number of times of use obtained corresponds to the total number of times each of the two or more facilities has been used.

[0023] According to this aspect, if two or more facilities have been used in the past, the number of visits is obtained by adding up the number of visits to each of the two or more facilities, and therefore the bonus rate can be determined based on the total number of visits.

[0024] Another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device characterized in that the determination means determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user when the user satisfies specified conditions to be a high increased bonus rate that is higher than the increased bonus rate corresponding to the number of uses acquired, and that is a high increased bonus rate corresponding to a number of uses greater than the number of uses acquired.

[0025] According to this aspect, the increased bonus rate applied to a user who satisfies a predetermined condition is determined to be a high increased bonus rate. This high increased bonus rate is higher than the increased bonus rate corresponding to the actual number of times the facility is used. Furthermore, in order to determine this high increased bonus rate, more use of the facility than the actual number of times is required. Since the value of the bonus increases according to the high increased bonus rate, the value of the bonus granted to a user who satisfies the predetermined condition can be further increased. This allows the user to experience the benefits that can be obtained by making more facility reservations. This can motivate the user to make more facility reservations.

[0026] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device characterized in that the target persons for whom the increased bonus rate is increased are designated in advance by the operator of the reservation service, and the specified conditions include the user being included in the target persons.

[0027] According to this aspect, the operator of the reservation service can specify users who will experience the benefits of making more reservations for facilities.

[0028] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device characterized in that the specified conditions include the user having viewed information provided through the reservation service within a specified period in the past, and the user not having made a reservation for a facility within the specified period.

[0029] According to this aspect, the value of the benefit given to a user who has viewed information provided through the reservation service within a predetermined period in the past but has not made a reservation for a facility within the predetermined period is further increased. Since this user has viewed information provided through the reservation service, there is a possibility that this user is interested in reserving a facility. Therefore, users who have not yet reserved a facility but may be interested in it can be allowed to experience the benefits that can be obtained by making more facility reservations. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of users who make facility reservations.

[0030] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device characterized in that the facilities available for reservation include participating facilities that are taking part in a program that increases the value of the benefits and non-participating facilities that are not taking part in the program, and the specified conditions include the user viewing information about the participating facility within the specified period and the user not making a reservation for the participating facility within the specified period.

[0031] According to this aspect, users who have not yet booked a participating facility in a program that increases the value of rewards but who may be interested in the participating facility can experience the benefits that can be obtained by making more reservations at the facility, thereby encouraging users to make reservations at the participating facility.

[0032] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device characterized in that the facilities available for reservation include facilities located in each of a plurality of regions, and the specified conditions include the user viewing information about a facility located in a specified region among the plurality of regions within the specified period, and the user not having made a reservation for a facility located in the specified region within the specified period.

[0033] According to this aspect, users who have not yet booked a facility in the specified area but who may be interested in the facility can experience the benefits of making more facility reservations, thereby encouraging users to make reservations for the facility in the specified area.

[0034] Another aspect of the present invention is a facility information providing device characterized in that, when the user satisfies the specified conditions, the determination means determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user during a specified increase period in which the increased bonus rate is increased to the high increased bonus rate, and after the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user during the increase period has been determined to be the high increased bonus rate, if the increase period ends in the previous period, the determination means determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user to an increased bonus rate corresponding to the acquired number of uses, but if the increased bonus rate corresponding to the acquired number of uses is lower than the high increased bonus rate, the determination means extends the increase period and determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user to the high increased bonus rate.

[0035] According to this aspect, an increase period is set for a user who satisfies specified conditions. The increase period is a period during which the increase bonus rate is increased. For a user who satisfies the specified conditions, the increase bonus rate applied during the increase period is determined to be a high increase bonus rate. Thereafter, if the increase period ends in the previous period, the increase bonus rate applied to the user is determined to be an increase bonus rate based on the number of times the facility is used. However, if the increase bonus rate based on the number of times the facility is used is lower than the high increase bonus rate, the increase period is extended. Therefore, the increase bonus rate applied to the user during the extended increase period is determined to be the high increase bonus rate. Therefore, a user who has experienced the benefits of making more facility reservations can be given more time to make more facility reservations.

[0036] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information provision method executed by a computer, comprising: a usage count acquisition step for acquiring the number of past facility usages based on reservations made by any user who can use a reservation service that grants a benefit to the person who makes a reservation for the facility when the facility is used; a determination step for determining an increased benefit rate to be applied to the user for the benefit to be granted to the user, wherein the increased benefit rate increases according to the acquired usage count; and a transmission step for transmitting display information to the terminal device that displays increased benefit rate information indicating the determined increased benefit rate on the screen of the user's terminal device, wherein the value of the benefit increases according to the determined increased benefit rate.

[0037] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a facility information provision program that causes a computer to function as: a usage count acquisition means for acquiring the number of past facility usages based on reservations made by any user who can use a reservation service that grants a benefit to the person who makes a reservation for the facility when the facility is used; a determination means for determining an increased benefit rate to be applied to the user for the benefit to be granted to the user, the increased benefit rate increasing according to the acquired number of usages; and a transmission means for transmitting display information to the terminal device that displays increased benefit rate information indicating the determined increased benefit rate on the screen of the user's terminal device, wherein the value of the benefit increases according to the determined increased benefit rate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0038] According to the present invention, it is possible to give users an incentive to make more reservations at facilities. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a communication system S according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]1A is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the program level, the range of the number of stays, the up-point multiplier, and the minimum value of the awarded point multiplier, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of how the up-point multiplier is determined. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a reservation server 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a database of the reservation server 1. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the database of the point management server 2. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a system control unit 11 in the reservation server 1. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a top page of a reservation site. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 shows an example of a bonus program window. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a point breakdown window. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a search result page. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a specific facility page. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a number-of-nights calculation process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in one embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a search process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in one embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a program level information addition process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in one embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of facility page transmission processing in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in one embodiment. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a reservation acceptance process in a system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in an embodiment. [Figure 17]10 is a flowchart showing an example of a point-granting process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in an embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in an invitee list. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of determining an up-point magnification. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a bonus program window displayed to a user who satisfies a special level-up condition. [Figure 21] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a program level information addition process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in one embodiment. [Figure 22] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a reservation acceptance process in a system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in an embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a number-of-stays DB 14c. [Figure 24] An example of determining the up-point magnification is shown below. [Figure 25] An example of setting a special level-up condition is shown below. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a bonus program window displayed to a user who satisfies a special level-up condition. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a number-of-nights calculation process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in one embodiment. [Figure 28] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a program level information addition process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in one embodiment. [Figure 29] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a reservation acceptance process in a system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in an embodiment. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a number-of-stays DB 14c. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of determining an up-point magnification. [Figure 32]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a bonus program window displayed to a user who satisfies a special level-up condition. [Figure 33] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a number-of-nights calculation process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] [1. First embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. A reservation service according to at least one embodiment may be a service that enables reservations for available facilities. Examples of facilities that can be reserved include accommodation facilities, beauty salons, sports facilities such as golf courses, and conference rooms. In the following, a case where the facility that can be reserved is an accommodation facility will be described.

[0041] [1-1. Communication System Configuration] First, the configuration and functional overview of a communication system S according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a communication system S according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the communication system S may be configured to include a reservation server 1, a point management server 2, a plurality of facility terminals 3, and a plurality of user terminals 4. The reservation server 1, the point management server 2, each facility terminal 3, and each user terminal 4 are connected to a network NW. The network NW is constructed, for example, by the Internet, a dedicated communication line (for example, a CATV (Community Antenna Television) line), a mobile communication network (including base stations, etc.), a gateway, etc.

[0042] The reservation server 1 may be a server device that executes processing related to a predetermined reservation site. The reservation site may be a website that provides a reservation service that enables reservations for accommodations. For example, reservations for accommodations in Japan may be possible. Furthermore, reservations for accommodations overseas may also be possible in addition to accommodations in Japan. In response to a request from the user terminal 4, the reservation server 1 may transmit content such as web pages within the reservation site to the user terminal 4, search for accommodations, and accept reservations for accommodations.

[0043] Furthermore, the reservation server 1 may perform processing to grant a benefit to the user who made the reservation when an accommodation facility is used according to a confirmed reservation. Using an accommodation facility may, for example, mean staying at the accommodation facility. Using an accommodation facility according to a confirmed reservation is also referred to as fulfilling the reservation. The person fulfilling the reservation may be the person who made the reservation for the accommodation facility, or may be a person different from the person who made the reservation. For example, the person who makes the reservation may reserve the accommodation facility on behalf of someone who wants to use the accommodation facility. Examples of benefits granted to the person who makes the reservation include points in a point program, discount coupons for products or services, free vouchers, electronic money, digital content, etc.

[0044] The following description will be given assuming that the reward is points from a point program. A point program may be a service that awards points to a user that are a predetermined percentage of the purchase price of a product or service transaction at a physical store or online, and allows the user to use the points to purchase the product or service. The exchange rate between points and money is predetermined. For example, one point may be equivalent to one yen. The reservation server 1 may also award points to a user who makes a reservation, equivalent to a predetermined percentage of the usage fee for the reserved facility. The usage fee for the accommodation facility may be, for example, the accommodation fee. The percentage of points awarded to a user relative to the usage fee is referred to as the point award rate. The fee used to calculate the number of points awarded may be, for example, the price excluding consumption tax or the price including consumption tax. The points awarded to a user who makes a reservation may include regular points. Regular points may be the minimum number of points awarded to a user who is eligible for the reservation service, regardless of the conditions under which the user reserves and uses the facility. The ratio of regular points to the accommodation fee is referred to as the regular point award rate. The regular point award rate may be predetermined. There is no particular limitation on the value of the regular point award rate. In the following, we will explain the case where the normal point award rate is 1 percent. The point multiplier may be used to indicate how many more points are actually awarded than normal points, or how much higher the actual point award rate is compared to the normal point award rate. The point multiplier indicates how many times the points awarded are normal points. Therefore, the point multiplier for normal points is 1x. As mentioned above, assume that the normal point award rate is 1 percent. In this case, a point multiplier of 1x is equivalent to a point award rate of 1 percent. Furthermore, a point multiplier of 3x is equivalent to a point award rate of 3%. Hereinafter, the number of times the points awarded are normal points will be referred to as the awarded point multiplier.

[0045] The point management server 2 may be a server device that manages points held by each user in the point program described above. Users who can use the reservation service may also use the point program. The reservation server 1 may grant points to the person who makes the reservation by making a request to the point management server 2.

[0046] Each facility terminal 3 may be a terminal device used by an employee or the like of an accommodation facility that can be reserved through the reservation service. For example, the facility terminal 3 may be installed in an accommodation facility located in Japan. Examples of the facility terminal 3 include a personal computer and a tablet computer. By using the facility terminal 3, the employee or the like can register information about the accommodation facility with the reservation service.

[0047] Each user terminal 4 may be a terminal device owned by a user who can use the reservation service and the point program. Examples of the user terminal 4 include personal computers, smartphones, portable information terminals such as tablet computers, mobile phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and set-top boxes. A web browser may be installed on each user terminal 4. A reservation app may be installed on all user terminals 4 or on specific types of user terminals 4. The reservation app may be an application that enables users to use the reservation service. The user terminal 4 may receive and display a web page of a reservation site according to the web browser or reservation app.

[0048] [1-2. Bonus Program] Next, the bonus program will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The bonus program may be a program that increases the point award rate for a user based on the number of past stays at an accommodation facility based on a reservation made by the user of the reservation service. For example, the degree to which the value of the points awarded increases varies depending on the number of stays. The number of stays at an accommodation facility may be the number of stays. The value of the points is indicated by the number of points. The greater the number of points, the higher the value of the points. An increase in the point award rate may correspond to an increase or rise in the point award rate. Here, the point award rate awarded for a stay at an accommodation facility that participates in the bonus program may be increased only when a user books an accommodation facility that can be booked through the reservation service. An accommodation facility that participates in the bonus program is referred to as a participating facility. An accommodation facility that does not participate in the bonus program is referred to as a non-participating facility. The bonus program may be applied to accommodation facilities located in Japan, for example. For example, the number of stays may be calculated only for accommodation facilities located in Japan. Furthermore, only accommodation facilities located in Japan may be eligible to participate in the bonus program.

[0049] The increase in the number of points awarded or the point award rate may be indicated by an increased point rate. The increased point rate may be expressed as a multiplier or percentage of the difference between the number of points before the increase and the number of points after the increase. Examples of increased point rates include an increased point multiplier and an increased point award rate. The increased point multiplier may indicate how many times the difference between the number of points before the increase and the number of points after the increase corresponds to the normal number of points. The increased point multiplier may also indicate the difference between the value of the awarded point multiplier before the increase and the value of the awarded point multiplier after the increase. As mentioned above, assume that 1 point is equivalent to 1 yen and the normal point award rate is 1 percent. For example, assume that the number of points awarded for a room rate of 10,000 yen increases by 2,000 points. In this case, the points awarded increase by 2 percent relative to the room rate. Therefore, the increased point multiplier is 2 times. The increased point award rate may be expressed as a percentage of the room rate, representing the difference between the number of points before the increase and the number of points after the increase. The increased point award rate may also indicate the difference between the value of the point award rate before the increase and the value of the point award rate after the increase. Hereinafter, the increased point multiplier will be referred to as the increased point rate.

[0050] The number of past stays based on a user's reservations may correspond to the number of reservations made by the user that were fulfilled by using an accommodation facility. As mentioned above, the person fulfilling the reservation, i.e., the person staying at the reserved accommodation facility, may or may not include the person making the reservation. The stays counted as the number of stays may be limited to stays made within a specified period or length of time in the past. This period is referred to as the stay count period. Examples of the length of the stay count period include six months, one year, and two years. Hereinafter, the number of stays within the past year will be counted. Regardless of the number of days of stay, one reservation may correspond to one stay. Furthermore, regardless of the number of rooms reserved, one reservation may correspond to one stay.

[0051] The up point multiplier applied to each user may be updated for each period in the repeated period. Examples of the length of this period include one month, three months, six months, etc. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the up point multiplier is updated every month. For example, if the up point multiplier is updated every month, the up point multiplier may be updated every month. Alternatively, the up point multiplier may be updated on a specific day within the month.

[0052] In the bonus program, an up-point multiplier may be determined according to the number of nights stayed, and a program level corresponding to each up-point multiplier may be determined. The more nights stayed, the higher the program level. The higher the program level, the higher the up-point multiplier. The total number of program levels is not particularly limited. For example, three or more program levels may be defined. Alternatively, two program levels may be defined. The up-point multiplier may increase stepwise as the number of nights stayed increases. Figure 2(a) is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between program level, number of nights stayed, up-point multiplier, and minimum value of awarded point multiplier. For example, as shown in Figure 2(a), five levels from level 0 to level 4 may be presented. A user who has stayed two or fewer nights is assigned a program level of 0. The up-point multiplier for program level 0 is 0x. In other words, the awarded point multiplier for a user at program level 0 is not increased. A user who has stayed three or more nights but not more than four nights is assigned a program level of 1. The up-point multiplier for program level 1 is 0.5x. A user who has stayed five or more nights but not more than six nights is assigned a program level of 2. The up point multiplier for program level 2 is 1x. Users who have stayed at a hotel 7 or more times but not more than 9 times are at program level 3. The up point multiplier for program level 3 is 1.5x. Users who have stayed at a hotel 10 or more times are at program level 4. The up point multiplier for program level 4 is 2.5x. The minimum point multiplier awarded to users who make reservations at facilities participating in the bonus program is the sum of the regular point multiplier of 1x and the up point multiplier. Therefore, the minimum point multipliers corresponding to program levels 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, are 1x, 1.5x, 2.0x, 2.5x, and 3.5x.

[0053] FIG. 2(b) illustrates an example of how the bonus point multiplier is determined. For example, the bonus point multiplier is updated on the 4th of each month. For a certain user, a bonus point multiplier is determined for the period from April 4, 2024, to May 3, 2024. In this case, the number of stays over the course of a year, for example, from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2023, may be counted. During that year, six stays were made for reservations made by the user. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the user's program level is 2, and the bonus point multiplier is 1x. In other words, if a user makes a reservation at a facility participating in the bonus program, the points awarded to the user will be increased by an amount equivalent to 1x the regular points. For example, if the reserved accommodation is a non-participating facility, the bonus point multiplier is 3x. In this case, if the reserved accommodation is a participating facility, the bonus point multiplier is 4x.

[0054] The final awarded point multiplier may be determined solely by the bonus program (the number of previous stays and whether the reserved accommodation is a participating facility in the bonus program), or may be influenced by conditions other than the bonus program. For example, the awarded point multiplier may be increased depending on the user's usage of a certain service. For example, the awarded point multiplier may be increased if the user is a member of a payment service using a predetermined payment method. Examples of payment methods include credit cards, debit cards, and electronic money. For example, the awarded point multiplier may be increased if the user uses a reservation app. For example, the awarded point multiplier may be increased if the accommodation reserved by the user belongs to a predetermined category. For example, the awarded point multiplier may be increased depending on the user's rank as a member of a point program or the like. This rank may be determined based on at least one of the number of points the user has earned through a point program over a predetermined period of time and the number of times the user has earned points. The higher the rank, the higher the awarded point multiplier.

[0055] Each accommodation facility can choose whether or not to participate in the bonus program. Here, only accommodation facilities that meet predetermined conditions may be eligible to participate in the bonus program. For example, only accommodation facilities whose evaluations from users who have used the accommodation facility are equal to or greater than a predetermined value may be eligible to participate. Also, for example, only accommodation facilities whose number of reservations within a predetermined period of time in the past is equal to or greater than a predetermined value may be eligible to participate. Also, for example, only accommodation facilities whose click-through rate, conversion rate, or the like is equal to or greater than a predetermined value may be eligible to participate.

[0056] [1-3. Reservation Server Configuration] Next, the configuration of the reservation server 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the reservation server 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the reservation server 1 includes a system control unit 11, a system bus 12, an input / output interface 13, a storage unit 14, and a communication unit 15. The system control unit 11 and the input / output interface 13 are connected via the system bus 12.

[0057] The system control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11c, and the like.

[0058] The input / output interface 13 performs interface processing between the storage unit 14 and the communication unit 15 and the system control unit 11 .

[0059] The storage unit 14 is configured with, for example, a hard disk drive, etc. The storage unit 14 may store databases such as a facility DB 14a, a program level DB 14b, a number of stays DB 14c, a browsing history DB 14d, and a reservation DB 14e. "DB" is an abbreviation for database.

[0060] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the database of the reservation server 1. The facility DB 14a may store accommodation facility information for each accommodation facility. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the facility DB 14a may store the following accommodation facility information in association with one another: a facility ID, a facility name, an address, bonus program participation information, and a fee rate. The facility ID may be identification information for identifying the accommodation facility. The bonus program participation information may indicate whether the accommodation facility is a participating facility in the bonus program. The fee rate may be valid when the bonus program participation information indicates that the accommodation facility is a participating facility. When a reservation is made for an accommodation facility participating in a bonus program, the accommodation facility may be required to pay a participation fee to the operator of the reservation service. The fee rate indicates the ratio of the participation fee to the accommodation fee. Participating facilities may be able to freely select the fee rate. The higher the fee rate, the higher the quality of preferential treatment the participating facility may receive from the reservation service.

[0061] The program level DB 14b may store level information related to each program level of the bonus program. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the program level DB 14b may store level information such as a level value, a number of nights stay range, and an up-point multiplier, all of which are associated with one another. The level value may be a value indicating the program level. The number of nights stay range may indicate the number of nights stay range as a reservation holder for a user to whom that program level is assigned. The up-point multiplier is applied to a user to whom that program level is assigned. For example, the level information may be stored as shown in FIG. 2(a).

[0062] The number of nights DB 14c may store, for each user, number of nights information regarding the number of nights stayed in the past based on reservations made by that user. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the number of nights DB 14c may store, as number of nights information, a user ID, number of nights stayed, a level value, an up-point multiplier, and the like, in association with one another. The user ID may be identification information for identifying a user. The number of nights stayed indicates the number of times a stay was made in the past based on reservations made by that user. The level value indicates the program level corresponding to the number of nights stayed. The up-point multiplier corresponds to the number of nights stayed.

[0063] The browsing history DB 14d may store a browsing log indicating the user's browsing of web pages each time a web page within the booking site is viewed. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the browsing history DB 14d may store the browsing date and time, a viewer ID, a viewed page URL (Uniform Resource Locator), and the like, in association with one another, as the browsing log. The browsing date and time may indicate the date and time when the web page was viewed. The viewer ID may be the user ID of the user who viewed the web page. The viewed page URL may be the URL of the viewed web page. The type of web page may be identified from the URL of each web page. Furthermore, it may be identified which accommodation the web page relates to from the URL of each accommodation's web page. For example, the URL may include the facility ID of the accommodation.

[0064] The reservation DB 14e may store reservation information regarding accommodation reservations each time a reservation is accepted. The reservation DB 14e may correspond to a reservation history for accommodations. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the reservation DB 14e may store the following reservation information in association with one another: a reservation number, reservation date and time, reservation user ID, level value, bonus point multiplier, reserved facility ID, plan ID, bonus program participation status information, rate, accommodation price, awarded point multiplier, number of awarded points, check-in date, check-out date, number of guests, guest list, cancellation flag, and no-show flag. The reservation number may be a number identifying the reservation. The reservation date and time may indicate the date and time the reservation was accepted. The reservation user ID may be the user ID of the person who made the reservation. The level value may indicate the program level applied to the person who made the reservation at the time of the reservation. The bonus point multiplier may indicate the bonus point multiplier applied to the person who made the reservation at the time of the reservation. The reserved facility ID may be the facility ID of the reserved accommodation. The plan ID may be identification information identifying the reserved plan. The plan may correspond to the content of services provided by the accommodation facility to the guest. The bonus program participation information may indicate whether the reserved accommodation facility was a participating facility in the bonus program at the time of the reservation. The rate may be a commission rate paid by the accommodation facility as a participation fee for the bonus program. The accommodation fee may indicate the amount of fee paid by the guest to the accommodation facility for using the accommodation facility. The awarded point multiplier may indicate how many times the points awarded to the guest who made the reservation are compared to the regular points. The number of awarded points may indicate the number of points awarded to the guest who made the reservation, calculated based on the accommodation fee and the awarded point multiplier. The check-in date may indicate the planned start date of use of the accommodation facility. The check-out date may indicate the planned end date of use of the accommodation facility. The guest list may be a list of names of people who plan to stay at the accommodation facility. The cancellation flag may indicate whether the reservation has been canceled. The reservation may be able to be canceled upon request from the guest.Furthermore, a reservation may be able to be canceled in response to a request from the reserved accommodation facility. Upon receiving a cancellation request from the user terminal 4 or the facility terminal 3, the reservation server 1 may change the cancellation flag to indicate that the reservation has been canceled. The no-show flag may indicate whether or not there has been a no-show for the reservation. A no-show may indicate that the reservation was not fulfilled without being canceled. For example, if a prospective guest does not show up at the accommodation facility by the check-in date or check-out date, the accommodation facility may register a no-show on the reservation site. Upon receiving a request from the facility terminal 3, the reservation server 1 may change the no-show flag to indicate that there has been a no-show.

[0065] Various databases related to each accommodation facility may also be stored in the storage unit 14. For example, the storage unit 14 may store a database of detailed information about the accommodation facility, a database related to plans, a database related to each room, a database related to reservation status, and a database related to user ratings and reviews of the accommodation facility.

[0066] Furthermore, the storage unit 14 may store an HTML document of a facility page for each accommodation facility in association with the URL of the HTML document. The facility page may be a web page that lists information about a specific accommodation facility. There may be multiple types of web pages as facility pages. Examples of facility pages include a facility introduction page, a plan list page, a room list page, an image page, a map page, and a review page. The facility introduction page is a web page that includes information introducing the accommodation facility. The plan page is a web page that includes a list of plans. The room list page is a web page that includes a list of rooms. The image page is a web page that includes still images or videos showing the exterior and interior of the accommodation facility. The map page is a web page that includes a map to help users get to the accommodation facility. The review page is a web page that includes reviews from users who have used the accommodation facility.

[0067] Furthermore, the storage unit 14 may store various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS (Database Management System), a server program, etc. The server program is a program that causes the system control unit 11 to execute processing related to the reservation site. The server program may be obtained from another device via the network NW, for example, or may be recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, optical disk, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0068] The communication unit 15 is configured by, for example, a network interface card, etc. The communication unit 15 connects to the point management server 2, the facility terminal 3, the user terminal 4, etc. via the network NW, and controls the communication state with the connected devices.

[0069] [1-4. Configuration of the point management server] Next, the configuration of the point management server 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the database of the point management server 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the point management server 2 may store a point DB 21 as a storage means. The point DB 21 may store points held by each user of the point program. For example, the point DB 21 may store a user ID and the number of available points, etc., in association with each other. The number of available points may indicate the number of points held by a user identified by a user ID.

[0070] [1-5. Functional overview of the system control unit of the reservation server] Next, a functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the reservation server 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6 to Fig. 11. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the system control unit 11 in the reservation server 1. As shown in Fig. 6, the system control unit 11 may function as a usage count acquisition unit 1101, an up-benefit rate determination unit 1102, an information transmission unit 1103, a participation information acquisition unit 1104, a priority determination unit 1105, a reservation acceptance unit 1106, a benefit granting unit 1107, and the like, by the CPU 11a reading and executing various program codes included in the server program.

[0071] The number-of-uses acquiring unit 1101 may acquire the number of past stays at an accommodation facility based on reservations made by any user who is eligible to use the reservation service. Acquiring the number of uses may involve acquiring the number of stays from the number-of-uses DB 14c. Alternatively, acquiring the number of uses may involve calculating or counting the number of stays. For example, the number-of-uses acquiring unit 1101 may calculate the number of stays based on the reservation DB 14e. The number of stays acquiring unit 1101 may calculate the number of stays based on the date on which the reserved accommodation facility is scheduled to be used. The scheduled date of use may be indicated by, for example, at least one of the check-in date and the check-out date. For example, the number of use times acquiring unit 1101 may acquire, as the number of stays, the number of reservations for which the scheduled use date has passed. The check-in date and the check-out date are usually different dates. Therefore, when the type of facility reserved is an accommodation facility, the accommodation facility is usually used for multiple consecutive days. Therefore, the number of use times acquiring unit 1101 may acquire, for example, the number of reservations for which the check-out date has passed as the number of stays.

[0072] The number of stays may be determined by the number of stays recorded within a predetermined stay count period. For example, the number of stays may be determined by the number of reservations whose check-out date falls within the stay count period.

[0073] The number of uses acquisition unit 1101 may acquire, as the number of stays, the number of reservations that have not been canceled among reservations whose check-out date has passed. Whether or not a reservation has been canceled is indicated by a reservation flag included in the reservation information. The number of uses acquisition unit 1101 may also acquire, as the number of stays, the number of reservations that have not resulted in no-shows among reservations whose check-out date has passed. Whether or not a no-show has occurred is indicated by a no-show flag included in the reservation information.

[0074] The number-of-uses acquiring unit 1101 may acquire the number of stays only for reservations where the accommodation fee is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, such as 5,000 yen, 10,000 yen, or 20,000 yen.

[0075] The timing for acquiring the number of nights stayed is not particularly limited. For example, the use count acquiring unit 1101 may acquire the number of nights stayed for the user using the user terminal 4 every time a web page request is received from the user terminal 4. Alternatively, if the program level of each user is updated every period, the use count acquiring unit 1101 may acquire the number of nights stayed for each user every period.

[0076] When the number of stays is calculated based on the reservation DB 14e, the number of stays obtaining unit 1101 may store the number of stays in the number of stays DB 14c.

[0077] The increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine an increased reward rate for a reward to be granted to a user whose number of nights stayed is acquired by the usage count acquisition unit 1101. The value of the granted reward may be higher by the increased reward rate than the value of the reward if the number of nights stayed is not taken into consideration. The increased reward rate may be information indicating, for example, the value of the reward before the increase and the value of the reward after the increase, expressed as a multiplier or ratio. For example, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine an increased point multiplier as the increased reward rate. The increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine an increased point multiplier that increases according to the number of nights stayed acquired by the usage count acquisition unit 1101. For example, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the increased number of nights stayed may increase the increased point multiplier. The increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine the increased point multiplier based on the number of nights stayed and the program level DB 14b. The increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine a program level in addition to or instead of determining the increased point multiplier. Each program level is associated with an increased point multiplier. Therefore, determining the program level may be equivalent to determining the uppoint multiplier.

[0078] The increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine an increased reward rate for each period in the repeated period. Each period may be separated by the day on which the increased point multiplier is updated. For example, if the increased point multiplier is updated on the fourth day of each month, one period is from the fourth day of one month to the third day of the next month. For example, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine the increased reward rate to be applied to a certain user in the current period based on the number of stays prior to the current period. The current period may be a period including today, or a period to which the increased reward rate determined for that user applies.

[0079] The information sending unit 1103 may send reservation service display information to the user terminal 4. The reservation service display information may be information that displays information about the reservation service on the screen of the user terminal 4. For example, the reservation service display information may be information that displays a web page within a reservation site. The reservation service display information may be, for example, an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) document. Alternatively, the reservation service display information may include information that is to be displayed on the user terminal 4. Alternatively, the reservation service display information may be information that instructs the user terminal 4 to display information.

[0080] The information transmitting unit 1103 may transmit, to the user terminal 4, as an example of the reservation service display information, reservation service display information that displays increased bonus rate information indicating the increased bonus rate determined by the increased bonus rate determining unit 1102. The increased bonus rate information may be, for example, information that directly indicates an increased point multiplier, or information that indirectly indicates an increased point multiplier. An example of information that indirectly indicates an increased point multiplier is a program level. As shown in FIG. 2(a), a specific program level is associated with a specific increased point multiplier. Therefore, it is possible to identify the increased point multiplier from the program level.

[0081] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a top page of a reservation site. The top page may be a web page corresponding to the entrance of the reservation site. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the top page 100 may include program level information 110, applied point multiplier information 120, potential up-point multiplier information 130, and a search pane 140. The program level information 110 may be information indicating the program level applied to the user viewing the top page 100. The program level information 110 may correspond to, for example, up-benefit rate information that indirectly indicates the up-point multiplier. The program level information 110 may be included in all web pages of the reservation site or in specific types of web pages. For example, the program level information 110 may be displayed in or near the header of the web page. The applied point multiplier information 120 may indicate the awarded point multiplier that will be applied to the user if the user makes a reservation at a facility participating in a bonus program. The potential up-point multiplier information 130 may indicate, although not currently applied to the user, how much the awarded point multiplier that will be applied to the user will increase if the user fulfills certain conditions. The applied point multiplier information 120 and the potential up-point multiplier information 130 may be included, for example, on certain types of web pages on a reservation site. The search pane 140 may be an area where a user inputs search criteria for accommodations. The reservation server 1 can search for accommodations that meet the search criteria input in the search pane 140. Examples of search criteria that can be input include the area where the accommodation is located, check-in date, check-out date, number of rooms, number of guests, etc. In addition, facilities participating in a bonus program may be input as one of the search criteria.

[0082] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a bonus program window. In FIG. 8, elements identical to those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The bonus program window may be a pop-up window displayed on the screen of the user terminal 4 when the user selects program level information 110 included in the top page 100 or another web page. The bonus program window may display information about the user viewing the window regarding the bonus program. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the bonus program window 200 may include program level information 110, number of nights stayed information 210, up-point multiplier information 220, and an indicator image 230. The number of nights stayed information 210 may indicate the number of nights the user has stayed in the past as a reservation holder. The up-point multiplier information 220 may indicate the up-point multiplier currently applied to the user. The indicator image 230 may be an image visually indicating the program level, up-point multiplier, and number of nights stayed.

[0083] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a point breakdown window. The point breakdown window may be a pop-up window displayed on the screen of the user terminal 4 when the user selects the applied point multiplier information 120 or the potential increased point multiplier information 130 included on the top page 100 or another web page. The point breakdown window may also be a window displaying a breakdown of the awarded point multiplier. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the point breakdown window 300 may include an applied point multiplier breakdown display area 310 and a potential increased point multiplier breakdown display area 320. The applied point multiplier breakdown display area 310 may display a breakdown of the awarded point multiplier applied to the user when the user makes a reservation at a facility participating in a bonus program. For example, the applied point multiplier breakdown display area 310 may include a normal point multiplier 312 and an increased point multiplier 313. The potential increased point multiplier breakdown display area 320 may display a breakdown of the increased awarded point multiplier that is not currently applied to the user but will be applied to the user if the user fulfills certain conditions.

[0084] The participation information acquisition unit 1104 may acquire bonus program participation information for at least one accommodation facility. For example, the participation information acquisition unit 1104 may acquire bonus program participation information associated with the facility ID of the accommodation facility from the facility DB 14a. The accommodation facility from which the bonus program participation information is acquired may be specified in response to a request from the user terminal 4. For example, the accommodation facility from which the bonus program participation information is acquired may be an accommodation facility whose information is posted on a web page requested by the user terminal 4 or an accommodation facility that is included in the list of accommodation facilities whose information is posted on a web page requested by the user terminal 4.

[0085] The participation information acquisition unit 1104 may acquire, for example, bonus program participation information for each of a plurality of accommodation facilities. In this case, examples of the plurality of accommodation facilities include accommodation facilities that satisfy the search conditions input by the user, accommodation facilities that belong to a predetermined category, and accommodation facilities whose information is predetermined to be posted on a web page requested by the user terminal 4.

[0086] When the participation information acquisition unit 1104 acquires bonus program participation information for each of a plurality of accommodations, the priority determination unit 1105 may determine a priority for each of the plurality of accommodations based on the acquired bonus program participation information. The determined priority may be, for example, a display priority when the user terminal 4 displays information about the accommodations. The higher the priority, the higher the display priority of the accommodation's information. For example, the higher the priority, the higher the position of the accommodation's information on a webpage. Also, for example, the higher the priority, the higher the probability that the accommodation's information will be displayed on the user terminal 4. Examples of priority include a display order and a display score. The display order indicates the order in which a particular accommodation is displayed among a plurality of accommodations. The higher the display order, the higher the priority. The display score indicates the priority. For example, if the display score of a first accommodation is higher than the display score of a second accommodation, the display order of the first accommodation will be higher than the display order of the second accommodation. In other words, the information about the first accommodation will be displayed with priority over the information about the second accommodation. The priority determination unit 1105 may determine the display score based on a plurality of pieces of information including, for example, information on whether or not a user has participated in a bonus program. Examples of information for determining the display score include information on whether or not a user has participated in a bonus program, the participation fee rate for the bonus program, click-through rate, conversion rate, advertising cost, user ratings, sales per reservation in a predetermined period in the past, etc.

[0087] The priority determination unit 1105 may set a higher priority for an accommodation facility when the accommodation facility is a participating facility in a bonus program than for an accommodation facility when the accommodation facility is not a participating facility in the bonus program, thereby increasing the possibility that information about facilities participating in the bonus program will be displayed with priority over information about facilities not participating in the bonus program.

[0088] When the display order is determined directly based on the bonus program participation information, the priority determination unit 1105 may give the display order of facilities participating in the bonus program a higher rank than the display order of facilities not participating in the bonus program. This will inevitably result in the display of information about facilities participating in the bonus program being given priority. When there are multiple facilities participating in the bonus program, the priority determination unit 1105 may determine the display order of these participating facilities based on some condition or randomly. For example, the priority determination unit 1105 may give a higher display order to participating facilities with a higher bonus program participation fee rate.

[0089] When determining the display score, the priority determination unit 1105 may assign a higher display score to a facility participating in a bonus program than the display score it would have if the facility were a participating facility. For example, the priority determination unit 1105 may calculate the display score using a predetermined formula that uses multiple pieces of information, including the facility's participation in the bonus program, as variables. The priority determination unit 1105 may determine the display order of each of multiple accommodations so that the display order increases in descending order of the determined display score. Because the display score is affected by information other than information on whether the facility is participating in the bonus program, the display order of a participating facility may not necessarily be higher than the display order of a non-participating facility. However, the display order of the participating facility may be higher than if the facility were a non-participating facility. Furthermore, the priority determination unit 1105 may assign a higher display score the higher the participation fee rate for the bonus program.

[0090] When multiple accommodations are identified in response to a request from the user terminal 4 and the priority determination unit 1105 determines their priorities, the information transmission unit 1103 may transmit reservation service display information for displaying information about at least one of the multiple accommodations on the screen of the user terminal 4 along with the program level information 110. In this case, the information transmission unit 1103 may display facility information about at least one of the multiple accommodations in accordance with the order of the multiple facilities determined based on the determined priorities. The order of the multiple facilities is based on the display order. When the priority is a display score, the display order may be determined based on the display score, as described above. The information transmission unit 1103 may generate the reservation service display information so that, for example, information about accommodations with higher display orders is displayed higher on the webpage. For example, a specific webpage may have a predetermined upper limit on the number of accommodations that can display information. In this case, the information transmission unit 1103 may generate the reservation service display information so that, among the multiple accommodations, the information about only the accommodations with the highest display order through the upper limit is included on the webpage.

[0091] When the information transmitting unit 1103 displays information about facilities participating in the bonus program on the user terminal 4, the information transmitting unit 1103 may generate reservation service display information so that participation information indicating that the facility is a participating facility is included in the information about the facility. This allows the user to recognize accommodation facilities that offer an increased point multiplier.

[0092] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a search result page. The search result page may be a webpage displaying search results for accommodations. For example, when a user requests a search by entering search criteria on the top page 100 or another webpage, the user terminal 4 may display the search result page. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the search result page 400 may include program level information 110 and multiple pieces of search result information. Each piece of search result information is information about one of the searched accommodations. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the search result page 400 may include search result information 410-1, 410-2, and 410-3. Each piece of search result information may include, for example, the name of the accommodation, an image of the accommodation, a summary of the accommodation, the room type, user ratings, whether breakfast is included, whether dinner is included, the accommodation fee, and the number of points awarded to the reservation holder. Furthermore, search result information for facilities participating in a bonus program may include a bonus program participation icon 411. The bonus program participation icon 411 is an example of participation information. The words "Bonus Program Eligible" are displayed within the bonus program participation icon 411. Search result information 410-1, 410-2, and 410-3 are information about Hotel A, Hotel B, and Hotel C, respectively. Hotels A and B are both participating in the bonus program. Therefore, each of search result information 410-1 and 410-2 includes a bonus program participation icon 411. Hotel C is a non-participating facility. Therefore, search result information 410-3 does not include the bonus program participation icon 411. Furthermore, search result information 410-1 and 410-2 are displayed above search result information 410-3. Each search result information may include a hyperlink, button, icon, etc. that can be operated to display the facility page of the accommodation facility corresponding to the search result information. Furthermore, each search result information may include a button that allows the user to proceed with the reservation procedure for the accommodation facility corresponding to the search result information.

[0093] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a specific facility page. In FIG. 11, the same elements as in FIG. 10 are assigned the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 11, the facility page 500 may include program level information 110. Furthermore, if the accommodation facility corresponding to the facility page 500 is a participating facility in a bonus program, the facility page 500 may further include a bonus program participation icon 411. Furthermore, the facility page 500 may include information about the accommodation facility, and information corresponding to the type of the facility page 500. The facility page 500 shown in FIG. 11 is a facility introduction page. Even if the facility page 500 is another web page, the program level information 110 and the bonus program participation icon 411 may be displayed in a similar manner.

[0094] In response to a request from the user terminal 4, the reservation reception unit 1106 may accept a reservation for a facility specified by the user from at least one of a plurality of accommodation facilities identified in response to a request from the user terminal 4, the information of which is displayed on the user terminal 4 based on the reservation service display information transmitted by the information transmission unit 1103. For example, the reservation reception unit 1106 may be capable of performing an operation for proceeding to a reservation procedure on the search result page 400 or the facility page 500. In response to an operation for the reservation procedure, the reservation reception unit 1106 may transmit an information input page to the user terminal 4. The information input page may be a web page for the user to input information required for reserving the accommodation facility. Examples of the input information include the name of the guest, a contact phone number, a check-in time, and a payment method for the accommodation fee. When the user inputs the information and performs an operation to confirm the reservation, the reservation reception unit 1106 generates reservation information and stores the reservation information in the reservation DB 14e. This allows the reservation to be accepted. At this time, the reservation reception unit 1106 may determine an award point multiplier and a number of award points to be applied to the user. For example, the reservation reception unit 1106 may calculate the awarded point multiplier by adding a multiplier corresponding to the user's service usage status to the normal point multiplier. In this case, the reservation reception unit 1106 may determine whether the reserved accommodation is a participating facility based on the bonus program participation information of the accommodation. If the accommodation is a participating facility, the reservation reception unit 1106 may add the increased point multiplier determined for the user by the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 to the awarded point multiplier. If the accommodation is a non-participating facility, the reservation reception unit 1106 may not add the increased point multiplier to the awarded point multiplier. The reservation reception unit 1106 may calculate the number of awarded points by multiplying the accommodation fee by a point award rate equivalent to the increased point multiplier. Thus, if the reserved accommodation is a participating facility, the reservation reception unit 1106 may determine the number of awarded points based on the increased point multiplier. Determining the number of awarded points based on the increased point multiplier may be equivalent to determining the number of awarded points taking into account the number of times the user has stayed at the facility.Furthermore, if the reserved accommodation facility is a non-participating facility, the reservation reception unit 1106 may determine the number of points to be awarded without based on the point increase multiplier. Determining the number of points to be awarded without based on the point increase multiplier may be equivalent to determining the number of points to be awarded without taking into account the number of times the user has stayed at the facility. The reservation reception unit 1106 may generate reservation information that includes at least the number of points to be awarded, out of the point increase multiplier and the number of points to be awarded. The reservation reception unit 1106 may also generate reservation information that includes a cancellation flag indicating that the reservation has not been canceled and a no-show flag indicating that there has been no no-show.

[0095] When a reservation accepted by the reservation accepting unit 1106 is fulfilled, the reward granting unit 1107 may grant points as a reward to the user who made the reservation. For example, the reward granting unit 1107 may grant points a predetermined number of days after the check-out date. When the accommodation facility that is the subject of the accepted reservation is a participating facility in a bonus program, the reward granting unit 1107 may grant to the user who made the reservation a reward of a value determined based on the increased reward rate determined by the increased reward rate determining unit 1102. Furthermore, when the accommodation facility is not a participating facility in the bonus program, the reward granting unit 1107 may grant to the user who made the reservation a reward of a value determined without based on the increased reward rate. As described above, when the reservation accepting unit 1106 calculates the number of reward points, the reward granting unit 1107 may grant the number of reward points included in the reservation information to the person who made the reservation. The reward granting unit 1107 may request the point management server 2 to grant points to the person who made the reservation. For example, the reward granting unit 1107 may send a point addition request to the point management server 2. The point addition request may include the user ID of the reservation user and the number of granted points. The point management server 2 may update the number of available points by adding the number of granted points included in the point addition request to the number of available points stored in the point DB 21 in association with the user ID included in the point addition request.

[0096] [1-6. Operation of communication systems] Next, the operation of the communication system S will be described with reference to Figures 12 to 17. The order of processing is not limited to the order shown in Figures 12 to 17. Furthermore, at least one of the steps shown in Figures 12 to 17 may not be executed. The system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 may execute the processing shown in Figures 12 to 17 in accordance with various program codes related to the server program.

[0097] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the number of nights stay calculation process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. For example, the system control unit 11 may execute the number of nights stay calculation process for each user on the day each month when the up-point multiplier is updated.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 12, the use count acquisition unit 1101 searches the reservation DB 14e for reservation information including a combination of the user ID of a user for whom the number of nights is to be calculated and a check-out date within the past year up to the previous month (step S101). At this time, the use count acquisition unit 1101 may search only for reservation information including an accommodation fee equal to or higher than a predetermined amount. Next, the use count acquisition unit 1101 excludes reservation information corresponding to canceled reservations from the searched reservation information for the calculation of the number of nights based on a cancellation flag included in the reservation information (step S102). Next, the use count acquisition unit 1101 excludes reservation information corresponding to no-show reservations from the reservation information narrowed down to be the reservation information for which the number of nights is to be calculated in step S102 based on a no-show flag included in the reservation information (step S103). Next, the use count acquisition unit 1101 counts the number of reservation information narrowed down to be the reservation information for which the number of nights is to be calculated in step S103 as the number of nights (step S104). Next, the up-benefit rate determination unit 1102 acquires the level value and up-point multiplier corresponding to the number of nights stayed from the program level DB 14b (step S105). Next, the usage count acquisition unit 1101 updates the number of nights stayed, the level value, and the up-point multiplier stored in the number of nights stayed DB 14c in association with the user ID of the target user to the number of nights stayed, the level value, and the up-point multiplier acquired in steps S104 and S105 (step S106). When step S106 is completed, the number of nights stayed calculation process ends.

[0099] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of search processing in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. FIG. 13 shows an example of processing when the display order is directly determined based on bonus program participation information. For example, a user of a user terminal 4 displaying a web page of a reservation site inputs search conditions for accommodation facilities to the web page. The user then performs an operation to request a search. The user terminal 4, upon detecting this operation, transmits a search request to the reservation server 1. The search request may include, for example, the user ID of the person requesting the search and the input search conditions. The system control unit 11 may execute search processing in response to receiving the search conditions.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 13, the information transmitting unit 1103 searches for accommodations that satisfy the search criteria based on the search criteria included in the search request, the facility DB 14a, and other databases related to accommodations (step S201). Next, the participation information acquiring unit 1104 acquires, for each of the searched accommodations, bonus program participation information including the facility ID of the accommodation from the facility DB 14a (step S202). Next, the priority determining unit 1105 determines the display order of each of the searched accommodations. At this time, the priority determining unit 1105 ranks the display order of facilities participating in the bonus program higher than the display order of facilities not participating in the bonus program based on the bonus program participation information (step S203). Next, the information transmitting unit 1103 acquires an HTML document template for the search result page from the storage unit 14 (step S204).

[0101] Next, the information transmitting unit 1103 sets the display rank N to 1 (step S205). Next, the information transmitting unit 1103 generates tag information for the search result information of facility N (step S206). Facility N is an accommodation facility ranked Nth in the display rank. The tag information for specific information is, for example, information for displaying the specific information on a web page, and may be information written in HTML or a predetermined script. The tag information for the search result information may include, for example, the facility name of facility N, the URL of an image of facility N, the URL of a facility page for facility N, and other information about facility N. Next, the information transmitting unit 1103 determines whether facility N is a participating facility based on the bonus program participation information of facility N (step S207). If facility N is a participating facility (step S207: YES), the information transmitting unit 1103 adds the URL of a bonus program participation icon 411 to the tag information for the search result information (step S208). As a result, the bonus program participation icon 411 is displayed in the search result information. If facility N is a non-participating facility (step S207: NO), or after step S208, the information transmitting unit 1103 adds tag information of the search result information of facility N to the HTML document of the search result page (step S209). At this time, the information transmitting unit 1103 adds the search result information so that it is displayed at the Nth position on the search result page.

[0102] Next, the information transmitting unit 1103 determines whether the display order N is less than the upper limit of the number of accommodation facilities that can be displayed on one search result page (step S210). If the display order N is less than the upper limit (step S210: YES), the information transmitting unit 1103 adds 1 to the display order N (step S211), and the process proceeds to step S206. If the display order N matches the upper limit (step S210: NO), the information transmitting unit 1103 executes a program level information addition process (step S212).

[0103] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the program level information addition process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14, the up-reward rate determination unit 1102 acquires, from the number-of-stays DB 14c, a level value associated with the user ID of the user of the user terminal 4 displaying the web page based on the HTML document being generated (step S301). Next, the information transmission unit 1103 generates tag information including the acquired level value as tag information for the program level information 110. Then, the information transmission unit 1103 adds this tag information to the HTML document being generated (step S302). As a result, program level information indicating the program level using the acquired level value is displayed as the program level information 110. When step S302 ends, the program level information addition process ends.

[0104] 13, when the program level information addition process is completed, the information transmission unit 1103 transmits the HTML document of the search result page completed by adding the tag information of the program level information 110 to the user terminal 4 (step S213). When step S213 is completed, the search process ends.

[0105] 15 is a flowchart showing an example of facility page transmission processing in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. For example, when the user terminal 4 is displaying a web page of a reservation site, the user of the user terminal 4 performs an operation to display a facility page of one of the accommodation facilities. The user terminal 4 detects this operation and transmits a facility page request to the reservation server 1. The facility page request may include the user ID of the user who performed the operation to display the facility page and the URL of the facility page to be displayed. The system control unit 11 may execute the facility page transmission processing in response to receiving the facility page request.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 15, the information transmitting unit 1103 obtains from the storage unit 14 the HTML document of the facility page associated with the URL included in the facility page request (step S401). Next, the participation information obtaining unit 1104 obtains, from the facility DB 14a, bonus program participation information associated with the facility ID of the accommodation facility identified from the URL (step S402). Next, the information transmitting unit 1103 determines whether the accommodation facility is a participating facility based on the bonus program participation information (step S403). If the accommodation facility is a participating facility (step S403: YES), the information transmitting unit 1103 adds the URL of a bonus program participation icon 411 to the HTML document of the facility page (step S404). As a result, the bonus program participation icon 411 is displayed on the facility page. If the accommodation facility is a non-participating facility (step S403: NO), or after step S404, the information transmitting unit 1103 executes a program level information addition process (step S405). As a result, the tag information of the program level information 110 is added to the HTML document of the facility page. Next, the information sending unit 1103 sends the HTML document of the facility page to the user terminal 4 (step S406). When step S406 ends, the facility page sending process ends.

[0107] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a reservation acceptance process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. For example, the user terminal 4 displays the search result page 400 or the facility page 500. At this time, the user performs an operation to proceed with the reservation procedure for one of the accommodations shown on the search result page 400 or the accommodation corresponding to the facility page 500. In response to this operation, the user terminal 4 displays an information input page. The user performs an operation to input necessary information and confirm the reservation. Upon detecting this operation, the user terminal 4 transmits a reservation acceptance request to the reservation server 1. The reservation acceptance request may include, for example, the user ID of the user making the reservation and the facility ID of the accommodation to be reserved. The reservation acceptance request may also include information specified in advance by the user, such as the plan, number of rooms, check-in date, check-out date, and number of guests. In response to receiving the reservation acceptance request, the system control unit 11 may execute the reservation acceptance process.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 16, the reservation acceptance unit 1106 sets the awarded point multiplier to 1 (step S501). Next, the participation information acquisition unit 1104 acquires bonus program participation information associated with the facility ID of the accommodation facility to be reserved from the facility DB 14a (step S502). Next, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether the accommodation facility to be reserved is a participating facility based on the bonus program participation information (step S503). If the accommodation facility is a participating facility (step S503: YES), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 acquires the increased point multiplier associated with the user ID of the person making the reservation from the number-of-stays DB 14c (step S504). Next, the reservation acceptance unit 1106 updates the awarded point multiplier by adding the increased point multiplier to the awarded point multiplier (step S505).

[0109] After step S505, or if the accommodation facility being reserved is a non-participating facility (step S503: NO), the reservation reception unit 1106 increases the point multiplier based on the reservation user's usage of the service (step S506). Next, the reservation reception unit 1106 calculates the accommodation fee based on the reserved plan, check-in date, check-out date, number of rooms, and number of guests (step S507). Next, the reservation reception unit 1106 calculates the number of points to be awarded by multiplying the accommodation fee by the point award rate corresponding to the point multiplier (step S508). If a point multiplier of 1 corresponds to a point award rate of 1 percent, the point award rate can be calculated by dividing the point multiplier by 100.

[0110] Next, the reservation reception unit 1106 generates reservation information and stores this reservation information in the reservation DB 14e (step S509). The generated reservation information may include, for example, the user ID of the person making the reservation and the facility ID of the accommodation facility being reserved as the reservation user ID and the reservation facility ID, respectively. The reservation information may also include the current date and time as the reservation date and time. The reservation information may also include the accommodation fee, the point multiplier, the number of points awarded, the check-in date, and the check-out date. The reservation information may also include a cancellation flag indicating that the reservation has not been canceled, and a no-show flag indicating that there has been no no-show. When step S509 is completed, the reservation reception process ends.

[0111] 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the point giving process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. For example, the system control unit 11 may execute the point giving process at a predetermined time every day.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 17, the reward granting unit 1107 searches the reservation DB 14e for reservation information including a check-out date that indicates a date a predetermined number of days before today (step S601). Next, the reward granting unit 1107 excludes reservation information corresponding to canceled reservations from the searched reservation information from the point granting targets based on the cancellation flag included in the reservation information (step S602). Next, the reward granting unit 1107 excludes reservation information corresponding to no-show reservations from the reservation information narrowed down as the point granting targets in step S602 based on the no-show flag included in the reservation information from the point granting targets (step S603). Next, the reward granting unit 1107 selects one of the reservation information that was finally selected as the point granting target in step S603 (step S604). Next, the reward granting unit 1107 adds the number of granted points included in the selected reservation information to the number of available points of the reserver identified by the reserver ID included in the selected reservation information (step S605). For example, the benefit granting unit 1107 sends a point addition request including the reservation user ID and the number of points to be granted to the point management server 2. As a result, points are granted to the reservation user. Next, it is determined whether all of the reservation information that was ultimately the subject of point granting has been selected (step S606). If at least one reservation information has not been selected (step S606: NO), the process proceeds to step S604. In step S604, the benefit granting unit 1107 selects one of the reservation information that has not yet been selected among the reservation information that was ultimately the subject of point granting. If all of the reservation information has been selected (step S606), the point granting process ends.

[0113] As described above, according to this embodiment, the reservation server 1 may acquire the number of past stays at an accommodation facility based on a reservation made by a user. The reservation server 1 may also determine an up-point multiplier to be applied to the user. At this time, the reservation server 1 may determine an up-point multiplier that increases according to the number of stays. The reservation server 1 may also transmit reservation service display information to the user terminal 4 of the user, which displays program level information indicating the determined up-point multiplier. In this case, the user can be made aware of the up-point multiplier. When an accommodation facility is used based on the user's reservation of the accommodation facility, points are awarded to the user. The value of the awarded points increases according to the up-point multiplier. Therefore, the more past stays at an accommodation facility, the higher the value of the points. This can motivate the user to make more reservations for accommodation facilities.

[0114] Here, the reservation server 1 may acquire bonus program participation information for each of the multiple accommodations. Furthermore, the reservation server 1 may determine the priority of each of the multiple accommodations based on the bonus program participation information. In this case, the reservation server 1 may assign a higher priority to participating accommodations than to non-participating accommodations. Furthermore, the reservation server 1 may transmit reservation service display information that displays information about at least one of the multiple accommodations along with program level information. In this case, the reservation server 1 may display information about at least one of the multiple accommodations in an order based on the determined priority. In this case, the higher the priority of an accommodation, the more prioritized the facility information of that accommodation is displayed. When a user reserves a participating facility, the value of points awarded when that participating facility is used increases according to an up-point multiplier. This allows users to more easily select accommodations with more advantageous points. Being advantageous to users may mean a higher ratio of points earned by the user to the accommodation fee paid, i.e., a higher point award rate. Furthermore, accommodations that are more advantageous to users are more likely to be selected by users. This will encourage accommodations to participate in programs that increase the value of points.

[0115] At this time, the reservation server 1 may accept a reservation for an accommodation facility specified by the user from among at least one accommodation facility whose information is displayed based on the reservation service display information, in response to a request from the user terminal 4. Furthermore, if the accommodation facility that is the subject of the reservation is a participating facility, the reservation server 1 may award the user points of a value determined based on the determined up point multiplier. Furthermore, if the accommodation facility that is the subject of the accepted reservation is not a participating facility, the reservation server 1 may award the user points of a value determined not based on the determined up point multiplier. In this case, by reserving a participating facility, the user will have a better advantage in terms of the value of the points that they can earn. Therefore, users can be encouraged to make reservations at participating facilities.

[0116] Furthermore, when the reservation server 1 displays information about at least one accommodation facility, it may acquire bonus program participation information for that at least one accommodation facility. Furthermore, the reservation server 1 may transmit reservation service display information that displays information about that accommodation facility together with program level information. Furthermore, when the bonus program participation information indicates that at least one accommodation facility is a participating facility, the reservation server 1 may include participation information indicating that the accommodation facility is a participating facility in the displayed information. In this case, the user can recognize that the accommodation facility is a participating facility that is advantageous to the user in terms of the value of the points awarded.

[0117] The reservation server 1 may also acquire reservation information corresponding to the user's reservation history at accommodation facilities. The reservation server 1 may also acquire, as the number of nights stayed, the number of reservations for which the check-out date has passed among the reservations indicated by the reservation information. In this case, it is possible to identify the use of accommodation facilities and acquire the number of nights stayed without receiving notification from the accommodation facilities.

[0118] Here, the reservation server 1 may acquire the number of reservations that were not canceled among reservations whose check-out date has passed as the number of nights. Alternatively, the reservation server 1 may acquire the number of reservations that were not no-shows among reservations whose check-out date has passed as the number of nights. In these cases, an appropriate number of nights can be acquired.

[0119] Furthermore, if the user has previously booked two or more accommodations, the reservation server 1 may acquire the total number of stays at each of the two or more accommodations. In this case, the bonus point multiplier can be determined based on the total number of stays.

[0120] [2. Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 18 to 22. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be the same as the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the up-point multiplier applied to users who can use the reservation service and who meet certain special level-up conditions is higher than the up-point multiplier based on the number of nights stayed. Therefore, when a user who meets the special level-up conditions makes a reservation at a facility participating in the bonus program, the number of points awarded will be higher than if the user did not meet the special level-up conditions.

[0121] The special level-up of the program level occurs when the up point multiplier applied to a user who meets the special level-up conditions is increased from the normal up point multiplier based on the number of nights stayed. As mentioned above, the up point multiplier and the program level are related. The higher the up point multiplier, the higher the program level. The normal level-up occurs when the number of nights stayed increases. The special level-up occurs regardless of the number of nights stayed.

[0122] The special level-up condition is not particularly limited. For example, the operator of the reservation system may be able to specify the target person whose program level will be specially upgraded. For example, the operator may specify a user and invite the specified user to a special level-up of the program level. For example, the operator or the reservation server 1 may send a message inviting the special level-up to the invitee of the special level-up by email, instant message, or push notification via the reservation app. In this case, the special level-up condition for the user may include the user being included among the invitees specified by the operator. The user being included among the invitees may be, for example, a necessary condition or a sufficient condition for the special level-up.

[0123] An invitee list may be stored in the storage unit 14 of the reservation server 1. The invitee list may be information indicating invitees designated by the operator. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the invitee list. As shown in FIG. 18, the invitee list may include one or more user IDs. Each user ID may indicate an invitee. The operator of the reservation service can add or delete invitees by editing the invitee list. Note that the information indicating the invitees may be a database rather than a list.

[0124] When a user satisfies the special level-up condition, the up-benefit rate determination unit 1102 may determine the up-point multiplier applied to the user to be a high up-point multiplier higher than the normal up-point multiplier corresponding to the number of nights stayed acquired by the number-of-uses acquisition unit 1101. The up-benefit rate determination unit 1102 may determine that the user satisfies the special level-up condition when the user is included in the invitees designated by the operator. The determined high up-point multiplier may be an up-point multiplier corresponding to a number of nights stayed that is greater than the number of nights stayed acquired by the number-of-uses acquisition unit 1101. In other words, the high up-point multiplier may be an up-point multiplier corresponding to a program level higher than the original program level. For example, the high up-point multiplier may be the largest up-point multiplier among multiple up-point multipliers corresponding to each of multiple program levels, or may be another up-point multiplier. For example, the up-benefit rate determination unit 1102 may determine the program level applied to the user to be a program level that is a predetermined value higher than the program level corresponding to the actual number of nights stayed acquired by the number-of-uses acquisition unit 1101. The increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may then determine the increased point multiplier to be applied to the user to be the increased point multiplier corresponding to the determined program level. If the increased point multiplier based on the number of nights stayed is already equal to or greater than the high increased point multiplier, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may not increase the increased point multiplier to be applied to the user. In other words, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may not increase the program level of the user.

[0125] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of how an up-point multiplier is determined. As shown in FIG. 19, users U1 and U2 can use the reservation service. User U1 has stayed at a hotel six times in the past. Therefore, according to the example shown in FIG. 2(a), user U1's program level is level 2 and the up-point multiplier is 1. The invitee list includes user U1's user ID. Therefore, user U1's program level is specially upgraded. For example, user U1's program level is raised to level 4, the maximum level. Furthermore, user U1's up-point multiplier is raised to 2.5. On the other hand, user U2 has stayed at a hotel five times in the past. Therefore, user U2's program level is level 2 and the up-point multiplier is 1. The invitee list does not include user U2's user ID. Therefore, user U2's program level is not raised, and neither is the up-point multiplier.

[0126] When the information transmitting unit 1103 displays the program level information 110 on the user terminal 4 of a user whose applied up point multiplier has been increased from the normal up point multiplier by the up bonus rate determining unit 1102, the information transmitting unit 1103 may display the program level information 110 indicating the increased up point multiplier.

[0127] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a bonus program window displayed to a user who meets the special level-up conditions. In FIG. 20, the same elements as those in FIG. 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 20, the bonus program window 200 may include level-up information 250 in addition to program level information 110, number-of-nights information 210, up-point multiplier information 220, and indicator image 230. The level-up information 250 may indicate that the program level is being upgraded. For example, the level-up information 250 may display information such as "Leveling up with special invitation." The program level information 110 may indicate the program level after the level-up. The up-point multiplier information 220 may indicate the up-point multiplier after the level-up. The indicator image 230 may visually indicate the program level after the level-up and the up-point multiplier after the level-up.

[0128] When the bonus awarding unit 1107 awards points to a user whose applicable up point multiplier has been increased from the normal up point multiplier by the up bonus rate determination unit 1102 based on the user making a reservation at a facility participating in a bonus program, the bonus awarding unit 1107 may award points of a value determined based on the increased up point multiplier.

[0129] FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of a program level information addition process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. In FIG. 21, the same processes as those in FIG. 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The process example shown in FIG. 21 is an example in which a user's program level is maximized by a special level upgrade. As shown in FIG. 21, the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether the user ID of the user of the user terminal 4 displaying a web page based on the HTML document being generated is included in the invitee list (step S321). If the user ID is not included in the invitee list (step S321: NO), the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 obtains a level value associated with the user ID from the number-of-stays DB 14c (step S301). If the user ID is included in the invitee list (step S321: YES), the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 obtains the maximum level value, 4, from the program level DB 14b (step S322). After step S301 or step S322, the process proceeds to step S302. In step S302, the information transmitting unit 1103 generates tag information of the program level information 110 and adds this tag information to the HTML document being generated (step S302). At this time, the information transmitting unit 1103 adds tag information including the level value acquired in step S301 or S322 to the HTML document. When step S302 ends, the program level information adding process ends.

[0130] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of a reservation acceptance process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. In FIG. 22, the same processes as those in FIG. 16 are assigned the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 22, steps S501 to S503 are first executed. If the accommodation facility to be reserved is a participating facility (step S503: YES), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether the user ID of the person making the reservation is included in the invitee list (step S521). If the user ID is not included in the invitee list (step S521: NO), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 obtains the increased point multiplier associated with the user ID of the person making the reservation from the number-of-stays DB 14c (step S504). If the user ID is included in the invitee list (step S521: YES), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 obtains the maximum increased point multiplier, 2.5, from the program level DB 14b. After step S504 or step S522, the process proceeds to step S505. In step S505, the reservation receiving unit 1106 updates the awarded point multiplier by adding the increased point multiplier acquired in step S504 or S522 to the awarded point multiplier. Then, steps S506 to S509 are executed.

[0131] As described above, according to this embodiment, when a user satisfies the special level-up condition, the reservation server 1 may determine the up point multiplier applied to the user to be a high up point multiplier higher than the up point multiplier corresponding to the number of nights stayed, i.e., a high up point multiplier corresponding to a number of nights greater than the number of nights stayed. In this case, to determine this high up point multiplier, the user would normally need to stay at the accommodation facility more than the actual number of nights stayed. Since the value of points increases according to the high up point multiplier, the value of points awarded to users who satisfy the special level-up condition can be further increased. This allows users to experience the benefits of making more accommodation reservations. This can motivate users to make more accommodation reservations.

[0132] If the user is an invitee designated by the operator of the reservation service, the reservation server 1 may determine the increase point multiplier to be applied to the user to be a high increase point multiplier. In this case, the operator of the reservation service can designate users who will experience the benefits of making more reservations for accommodations.

[0133] 3. Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 23 to 29. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be the same as the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the up point multiplier applied to a user who meets the special level-up condition is also higher than the up point multiplier according to the number of nights stayed.

[0134] The period during which the program level is specially upgraded may or may not be set in advance by the operator of the reservation service or the reservation server 1. This period is referred to as the level-up period. The program level of users who meet the special level-up conditions may be specially upgraded only during the level-up period. A level-up period common to all users may be set. The level-up period common to all users may also be considered a campaign period for promoting the bonus program. Alternatively, a level-up period may be set for each user. The level-up period may be set in units of a period separated by, for example, an upgrade point multiplier or a day on which the program level is updated. For example, the level-up period may be set in months. The length of the level-up period may be predetermined, for example. There is no particular limitation on the length of the level-up period.

[0135] The special level-up condition may include, for example, being included among the invitees designated by the operator of the reservation service, as described above. The invitee's program level may be upgraded only during a level-up period. Alternatively, the special level-up condition may include a user viewing information provided through the reservation service within a predetermined period in the past and not having booked an accommodation during that period. For example, a user viewing information provided through the reservation service within a predetermined period in the past and not having booked an accommodation during that period may be a necessary or sufficient condition for a special level-up. Viewing information provided through the reservation service indicates that the user may be interested in the reservation service or accommodation. A user who meets this special level-up condition may be interested in the reservation service or accommodation, even if they have not booked an accommodation. By allowing such users to experience a special program level upgrade, the number of users using the reservation service to book accommodations can be increased. The reservation server 1 may send a message inviting users who meet the special level-up condition to a special level-up via, for example, email, instant message, or push notification via the reservation app.

[0136] The program level of a user may be specially increased only once, or a user whose program level has been specially increased in the past may have their program level specially increased again.

[0137] FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the number-of-nights DB 14c. As illustrated in FIG. 23, the number-of-nights DB 14c may store, as number-of-nights information, a user ID, number of nights, a level value, and an up-point multiplier, as well as level-up status information associated with the user ID. The level-up status information may indicate a special level-up status of a program level of a user identified by the user ID. For example, the level-up status information may be set to any one of “not level-up,” “level-up in progress,” and “level-up completed.” “Not level-up” indicates that a special level-up is not currently applied and has not been applied in the past. “Level-up in progress” indicates that a special level-up is currently applied. “Level-up completed” indicates that a special level-up is not currently applied and has been applied in the past. The initial value of the level-up status information is “not level-up.” If a level-up period is set for each user, the number-of-nights DB 14c may further store information indicating the level-up period. The storage unit 14 may also store separately information indicating a level-up period that is commonly applied to all users.

[0138] The bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine that a user satisfies the special level-up condition if the user viewed information provided through the reservation service within a predetermined past determination period and did not book an accommodation during that determination period. The determination period may be the same as or different from the stay count period. The determination period and the stay count period may partially overlap. Hereinafter, the determination period will be considered to be the same as the stay count period. The information provided through the reservation service may include, for example, a webpage within a reservation site. Whether or not a webpage has been viewed can be determined based on the browsing history DB 14d. If the user satisfies the special level-up condition, the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine the bonus point multiplier applied to the user to be a value higher than the normal bonus point multiplier corresponding to the number of stays acquired by the usage count acquisition unit 1101. Setting the level-up status information stored in the stay count DB 14c to "level up" may be equivalent to determining the applied bonus point multiplier to be a value higher than the normal bonus point multiplier corresponding to the number of stays.

[0139] FIG. 24 shows an example of how to determine an up-point multiplier. For example, the up-point multiplier is updated on the 4th of each month. For example, as shown in FIG. 24, a period from April 4, 2024 to July 3, 2024 is set as a common level-up period for all users. For example, when determining the up-point multiplier to be applied from April 4, 2024 to May 3, 2024, the reservation server 1 may determine whether information has been viewed and whether reservations have been made for the one-year period from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023. A certain user browses the webpage of a reservation site during this period. However, this user has not booked any accommodation during this period. Therefore, during this level-up period, the user's program level may be raised to level 4, and the up-point multiplier may be raised to 2.5 times.

[0140] When determining whether a user satisfies the special level-up condition, the bonus rate determination unit 1102 may or may not take into account the type of information viewed by the user. It may also or may not take into account the type of accommodation facility that the user did not reserve. Figure 25 shows examples of setting special level-up conditions. Four examples are shown in Figure 25. Example 1 indicates that if a user is viewing a web page within a reservation site and has not reserved any of the accommodation facilities (domestic accommodation facilities) that are available for reservation through the reservation service, the user satisfies the special level-up condition. Here, the viewed web page may be any web page.

[0141] In Example 2, if a user is viewing a facility page that includes information about an accommodation facility (domestic accommodation facility) and has not booked any available accommodation facility through the reservation service, the user satisfies the special level-up condition. Here, the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine that the special level-up condition is met only if the user has not booked any of the available accommodation facilities. Alternatively, the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine that the special level-up condition is met if the user has not booked any of the accommodation facilities whose facility page the user viewed.

[0142] In Example 3, if a user is viewing a facility page containing information about a facility participating in a bonus program and has not made a reservation at any of the participating facilities in the bonus program, the user satisfies the special level-up condition. Here, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine that the special level-up condition is met only if the user has not made a reservation at any of the participating facilities. Alternatively, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine that the special level-up condition is met if the user has not made a reservation at any of the participating facilities whose facility page the user viewed.

[0143] In Example 4, if a user is viewing a facility page containing information about accommodations in a predetermined area and has not yet booked any accommodations in the predetermined area, the user satisfies the special level-up condition. In this case, the predetermined area may be a portion of the area covering all accommodations available for reservation through the reservation service. The area covering accommodations available for reservation through the reservation service may be, for example, Japan. This area may include multiple regions. Each of these multiple regions may have accommodations available for reservation. Examples of predetermined areas include regions, prefectures, cities, wards, towns, and villages. Here, the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine that the special level-up condition is met only if the user has not booked any accommodations in the predetermined area. Alternatively, the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine that the special level-up condition is met if the user has not booked any accommodations in the predetermined area that are among the accommodations whose facility pages the user has viewed.

[0144] When a user meets the special level-up conditions, the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine the bonus point multiplier applied to the user during the level-up period to be a predetermined bonus point multiplier higher than the bonus point multiplier based on the number of nights stayed. For example, assume that a common level-up period is set for all users. When a user meets the special level-up conditions and the current period is included in the level-up period, the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 may determine the bonus point multiplier applied to the user for the current period to be a high bonus point multiplier. When the current period is not included in the level-up period, the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 may not upgrade the user's program level even if the user meets the special level-up conditions. Also, for example, assume that a level-up period is set for each user. When a user meets the special level-up conditions, the bonus reward rate determination unit 1102 may set a level-up period for the user that includes the current period.

[0145] After the up point multiplier applied to a user during a level-up period has been determined to be a high up point multiplier, when the level-up period ends, the up point multiplier applied to the user may be determined to be an up point multiplier corresponding to the number of times of use. In other words, the special level-up ends when the level-up period ends. For example, when the level-up period ends in the previous period, the up benefit rate determination unit 1102 may determine the up point multiplier applied to the user in the current period to be an up point multiplier corresponding to the number of times of use.

[0146] When a user's program level is being upgraded, the upgrade reward rate determination unit 1102 may continue upgrading the user's program level until the end of the level-up period even if the user no longer satisfies the special level-up condition during the level-up period. Alternatively, the upgrade reward rate determination unit 1102 may end the level-up when the user no longer satisfies the special level-up condition.

[0147] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a bonus program window displayed to a user who meets the special level-up conditions. In FIG. 26, the same elements as those in FIG. 20 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 26, the bonus program window 200 may include level-up information 260 in addition to the program level information 110, number-of-nights information 210, up-point multiplier information 220, and indicator image 230. The level-up information 260 may indicate that the program level is being upgraded and the end date of the level-up period. For example, the level-up information 260 may display information such as "Level-up in progress for a limited trial period" or "Until July 3, 2024."

[0148] Fig. 27 is a flowchart showing an example of the number of nights stay calculation process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. In Fig. 27, the same processes as in Fig. 12 are assigned the same reference numerals. The processing example shown in Fig. 27 is an example in which a common level-up period is set for all users.

[0149] As shown in FIG. 27, steps S101 to S106 are executed first. After step S106, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether the level-up status information stored in the stay count DB 14c in association with the user ID of the target user is set to "not increased" (step S121). If the level-up status information is set to "not increased" (step S121: YES), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether today is within the common level-up period (step S122). If today is outside the common level-up period (step S122: NO), the stay count calculation process ends. If today is within the common level-up period (step S122: YES), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 searches the reservation DB 14e for reservation information including a combination of the user ID of the target user and a reservation date within the past year up to the previous month (step S123). As a result of the search, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether or not there is corresponding reservation information (step S124). If there is corresponding reservation information (step S124: YES), the number-of-nights calculation process ends. If there is no corresponding reservation information (step S124: NO), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 searches the browsing history DB 14d for a browsing log including a combination of the target user's user ID and a browsing date within the past year up to the previous month (step S125). As a result of the search, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether or not there is a corresponding browsing log (step S126). If there is no corresponding browsing log (step S126: NO), the number-of-nights calculation process ends. If there is a corresponding browsing log (step S126: YES), the level-up status information stored in the number-of-nights DB 14c in association with the target user's user ID is changed to "level-up in progress" (step S127). When step S127 ends, the number-of-nights calculation process ends.

[0150] If the level-up status information is not set to "not yet leveled up" (step S121: NO), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether the level-up status information is set to "leveling up" (step S128). If the level-up status information is not set to "leveling up" (step S128: NO), the number-of-nights calculation process ends. If the level-up status information is set to "leveling up" (step S128: YES), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether today is within the common level-up period (step S129). If today is within the common level-up period (step S129: YES), the number-of-nights calculation process ends. If today is outside the common level-up period (step S129: NO), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 changes the level-up status information stored in the number-of-nights DB 14c in association with the user ID of the target user to "level-up completed" (step S130). When step S130 ends, the number-of-nights calculation process ends.

[0151] FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing an example of a program level information addition process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. In FIG. 28, the same processes as those in FIG. 21 are assigned the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 28, the increase reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether the level-up status information stored in the number-of-stays DB 14c in association with the user ID of the user of the user terminal 4 displaying the web page based on the HTML document being generated is set to "level-up in progress" (step S341). If the level-up status information is not set to "level-up in progress" (step S341: NO), steps S301 and S302 are executed. If the level-up status information is set to "level-up in progress" (step S341: YES), steps S322 and S302 are executed.

[0152] FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing an example of a reservation acceptance process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. In FIG. 29, the same processes as those in FIG. 22 are assigned the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 29, steps S501 to S503 are first executed. If the accommodation facility to be reserved is a participating facility (step S503: YES), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether the level-up status information stored in the number-of-stays DB 14c in association with the user ID of the reservation user is set to "level-up in progress" (step S541). If the level-up status information is not set to "level-up in progress" (step S541: NO), steps S504 and S505 are executed. If the level-up status information is set to "level-up in progress" (step S541: YES), steps S522 and S505 are executed. After step S505, steps S506 to S509 are executed.

[0153] As described above, according to this embodiment, if a user has viewed information provided through the reservation service within a predetermined period in the past, but has not booked an accommodation facility within that period, the reservation server 1 may determine a high point multiplier as the bonus point multiplier to be applied to that user. In this case, the value of points awarded to a user who has viewed information provided through the reservation service within the predetermined period in the past, but has not booked an accommodation facility within that period, becomes even higher. Because the user has viewed information provided through the reservation service, there is a possibility that the user is interested in booking an accommodation facility. Therefore, users who have not booked an accommodation facility but may be interested in booking an accommodation facility can be allowed to experience the benefits of making more accommodation reservations. This can increase the number of users who make accommodation reservations.

[0154] Here, if the reservation server 1 finds that a user has viewed information about participating facilities within a specified period in the past, but has not made a reservation at a participating facility within that specified period, the reservation server 1 may determine the increased point multiplier to be applied to that user to be a high increased point multiplier. In this case, users who have not made a reservation at a participating facility in a program that increases the value of points but may be interested in the participating facility can experience the benefits of making more reservations for accommodations. This can encourage users to make reservations at participating facilities.

[0155] Furthermore, if the reservation server 1 determines that a user has viewed information about accommodation facilities in a specific area among multiple areas within a specified period in the past, and has not booked an accommodation facility in the specific area within the specified period, the reservation server 1 may determine the bonus point multiplier applied to the user to be a high bonus point multiplier. This allows users who have not booked an accommodation facility in the specific area but may be interested in accommodation facilities in the specific area to experience the benefits of making more accommodation reservations. This can encourage users to book accommodation facilities in the specific area.

[0156] Furthermore, when a user meets the special level-up conditions, the reservation server 1 may determine the up point multiplier to be applied to the user during the level-up period to be a high up point multiplier. Furthermore, after the reservation server 1 determines the up point multiplier to be applied to the user during the level-up period to be a high up point multiplier, when the level-up period ends in the previous period, the reservation server 1 may determine the up point multiplier to be applied to the user to be an up point multiplier according to the number of nights stayed. In this case, users who meet the special level-up conditions can experience, for a limited time, the benefits that can be obtained by making more reservations at accommodation facilities.

[0157] 4. Fourth Embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 30 to 33. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be the same as the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the level-up period may be extended depending on the user.

[0158] FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the stay count DB 14c. As illustrated in FIG. 30, the stay count DB 14c may store, as stay count information, level-up period information and period extension information associated with the user ID, in addition to the user ID, the user ID, the number of stays, the level value, the point multiplier, and the level-up status information. The level-up period information and the period extension information are valid when the level-up status information is set to “level-up in progress.” The level-up period information may indicate the start date and end date of the level-up period applied to the user identified by the user ID. The initial level-up period for which the level-up period information is set may be a level-up period common to all users or may be a level-up period determined for each user. The period extension information may indicate whether the level-up period applied to the user has been extended. For example, the period extension information may be set to either “not extended” or “extended.” “Not extended” indicates that the level-up period has not yet been extended. “Extended” indicates that the level-up period has already been extended.

[0159] As described above, if the level-up period ends in the previous period after the up point multiplier applied to the user during the level-up period has been determined to be a high up point multiplier, the up point multiplier applied to the user in the current period may be determined to be an up point multiplier corresponding to the number of nights stayed. However, even if the level-up period ends in the previous period, the up point multiplier determination unit 1102 may extend the level-up period to include the current period if the up point multiplier corresponding to the number of nights stayed is lower than the high up point multiplier. Then, the up benefit rate determination unit 1102 may determine the up point multiplier applied to the user in the current period to be the high up point multiplier. There are no particular limitations on the date to which the last day of the level-up period is extended or the length of time to which the level-up period is extended.

[0160] FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating an example of how an up-point multiplier is determined. For example, the up-point multiplier is updated on the 4th of each month. For example, as shown in FIG. 31(a), a common level-up period for all users is set from April 4, 2024 to July 3, 2024. Because a certain user meets the special level-up condition, the up-point multiplier applied to that user is set to 2.5 from April 4, 2024 to July 3, 2024. Next, the up-point multiplier applied from July 4, 2024 to August 3, 2024 is determined. Here, the user stayed at the hotel seven times in the one-year period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the program level is level 3 and the up-point multiplier is 1.5. This up-point multiplier of 1.5 is lower than 2.5. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 31(b), the level-up period may be extended, for example, to August 3, 2024. The program level and up point multiplier that will be applied from July 4, 2024 to August 3, 2024 will be level 4 and 2.5, respectively. The level-up period may be extended to a date later than August 3, 2024.

[0161] The up-level reward rate determination unit 1102 may allow the extension of the level-up period only once for one user, or may allow the extension of the level-up period multiple times.

[0162] FIG. 32 shows an example of a bonus program window displayed to a user whose level-up period has been extended. In FIG. 32, the same elements as in FIG. 20 are designated by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 32, the bonus program window 200 may include level-up information 270 in addition to the program level information 110, number-of-nights-stays information 210, up-point multiplier information 220, and indicator image 230. The level-up information 260 may indicate that the level-up period has been extended and the end date of the extended level-up period. For example, the level-up information 260 may display information such as "The level-up period has been specially extended," or "Until August 3, 2024."

[0163] 33 is a flowchart showing an example of the number of nights stay calculation process in the system control unit 11 of the reservation server 1 in this embodiment. In FIG. 33, the same processes as in FIG. 27 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0164] As shown in FIG. 33, steps S101 to S106 and step S121 are executed first. If the level-up status information is set to "not level-up" (step S121: YES), steps S122 to S127 are executed, similarly to FIG. 27. After step S127, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 sets the level-up period information stored in the number-of-stays DB 14c in association with the user ID of the target user to indicate a common level-up period (step S141). Next, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 sets the period extension information stored in the number-of-stays DB 14c in association with the user ID of the target user to "not extended" (step S141). When step S141 is completed, the number-of-stays calculation process ends.

[0165] If the level-up status information is not set to "not yet leveled up" (step S121: NO), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether the level-up status information is set to "leveling up" (step S128). If the level-up status information is not set to "leveling up" (step S128: NO), the number-of-nights calculation process ends. If the level-up status information is set to "leveling up" (step S128: YES), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether today is within the level-up period indicated by the level-up period information stored in the number-of-nights DB 14c in association with the user ID of the target user (step S143). If today is within the level-up period (step S143: YES), the number-of-nights calculation process ends. If today is outside the level-up period (step S143: NO), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether the period extension information stored in the number-of-stays DB 14c in association with the user ID of the target user is set to "not extended" (step S144). If the period extension information is set to "not extended" (step S144: YES), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 determines whether the increased point multiplier stored in the number-of-stays DB 14c in association with the user ID of the target user is less than the maximum value of the increased point multiplier (step S145). If the increased point multiplier is less than the maximum value (step S145), the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 extends the level-up period applied to the target user and updates the level-up period information stored in the number-of-stays DB 14c in association with the user ID of the target user with the extended level-up period (step S146). Next, the increased reward rate determination unit 1102 changes the period extension information stored in the number-of-nights DB 14c in association with the user ID of the user to "extended" (step S147). When step S147 ends, the number-of-nights calculation process ends.

[0166] If the period extension information is set to "extended" (step S144: NO), the bonus rate determination unit 1102 changes the level-up status information stored in the number-of-nights DB 14c in association with the user ID of the target user to "level-up completed" (step S130). When step S130 is completed, the number-of-nights calculation process ends.

[0167] As described above, according to this embodiment, the up-point multiplier applied to the user during the extended level-up period is determined to be a high up-point multiplier. Therefore, the user, who is allowed to experience for a limited time the benefits that can be obtained by making more reservations for accommodations, can be given a grace period to make more reservations for accommodations.

[0168] (Appendix 1) A facility information providing device comprising: a usage count acquisition means for acquiring the number of past facility usages based on reservations made by any user who can use a reservation service that grants a benefit to the person who makes a reservation for the facility when the facility is used; a determination means for determining an increased benefit rate to be applied to the user for the benefit to be granted to the user, the increased benefit rate increasing according to the acquired number of usages; and a transmission means for transmitting display information to the terminal device that displays increased benefit rate information indicating the determined increased benefit rate on the screen of the user's terminal device, wherein the value of the benefit increases according to the determined increased benefit rate.

[0169] (Appendix 2) When a participating facility that is participating in a program in which the value of the benefit is increased is used, the value of the benefit given to the person making a reservation at the participating facility increases according to the increased benefit rate, and the facility information providing device described in Appendix 1 further comprises: a participation information acquisition means that acquires participation information for each of a plurality of facilities indicating whether the facility is a participating facility or not; and a priority determination means that determines a priority for each of the plurality of facilities based on the acquired participation information, the priority being set to be higher when the facility is a participating facility than when the facility is not a participating facility, and the transmission means transmits the display information that displays facility information for at least one of the plurality of facilities together with the increased benefit rate information on the screen, and displays the facility information of the at least one facility in an order of the plurality of facilities according to the determined priority.

[0170] (Appendix 3) The facility information providing device described in Appendix 2 is characterized in that it further comprises: an acceptance means for accepting a reservation for a facility specified by the user from among the at least one facility whose facility information is displayed based on the transmitted display information in response to a request from the terminal device; and an awarding means for, if the facility that is the subject of the accepted reservation is a participating facility, awarding the user with a benefit of a value determined based on the determined increased benefit rate, and, if the facility that is the subject of the accepted reservation is not a participating facility, awarding the user with a benefit of a value determined not based on the determined increased benefit rate.

[0171] (Appendix 4) When a participating facility that is participating in a program in which the value of the benefit is increased is used, the value of the benefit given to the person who made a reservation at the participating facility increases according to the increased benefit rate, and when facility information of at least one facility is displayed on the screen, the facility information providing device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 3 is further provided with a participation information acquisition means for acquiring participation information indicating whether the at least one facility is a participating facility, and the transmission means transmits the display information for displaying the facility information on the screen together with the increased benefit rate information, and when the acquired participation information indicates that the at least one facility is a participating facility, the displayed facility information includes participation information indicating that the at least one facility is a participating facility.

[0172] (Appendix 5) The facility information providing device described in any one of Appendices 2 to 4, characterized in that the determination means determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user to be a high increased bonus rate that is higher than the increased bonus rate corresponding to the acquired number of uses and corresponds to a number of uses greater than the acquired number of uses, on the condition that the user has viewed information about the participating facility through the reservation service within a specified period in the past and the user has not made a reservation for the participating facility within the specified period.

[0173] (Appendix 6) The facility information providing device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 5 further comprises a history acquisition means for acquiring a facility reservation history for the user, the history indicating the scheduled date of use of the reserved facility, and the number of uses acquisition means acquires, as the number of uses, the number of reservations for which the scheduled date of use has passed, among the reservations indicated by the acquired history.

[0174] (Appendix 7) The facility information providing device described in Appendix 6 is characterized in that the acquired history further indicates whether the reservation has been canceled or not, and the usage count acquisition means acquires as the number of usage counts the number of reservations that have not been canceled among reservations whose scheduled usage date has passed.

[0175] (Appendix 8) The facility information providing device described in Appendix 6 or 7, characterized in that the acquired history further indicates whether there were any no-shows for the reserved facility, and the usage count acquisition means acquires as the number of usage counts the number of reservations for which there were no no-shows among reservations for which the scheduled usage date has passed.

[0176] (Appendix 9) A facility information providing device as described in any one of Appendices 1 to 8, characterized in that if the user has previously used two or more facilities as a reservation holder, the number of times of use obtained corresponds to the total number of times each of the two or more facilities has been used.

[0177] (Appendix 10) The facility information providing device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 9, characterized in that the determination means determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user when the user satisfies a specified condition to be a high increased bonus rate that is higher than the increased bonus rate corresponding to the number of uses acquired, and that is a high increased bonus rate corresponding to a number of uses greater than the number of uses acquired.

[0178] (Appendix 11) The facility information providing device described in Appendix 10 is characterized in that the target persons for whom the increased bonus rate is to be increased are designated in advance by the operator of the reservation service, and the specified conditions include that the user is included among the target persons.

[0179] (Appendix 12) The facility information providing device described in Appendix 10 or 11, characterized in that the specified conditions include that the user has viewed information provided through the reservation service within a specified period in the past, and that the user has not made a reservation for a facility within the specified period.

[0180] (Appendix 13) The facility information providing device described in Appendix 12 is characterized in that the facilities that can be reserved include participating facilities that are taking part in a program that increases the value of the benefit and non-participating facilities that are not taking part in the program, and the specified conditions include the user viewing information about the participating facility within the specified period and the user not making a reservation for the participating facility within the specified period.

[0181] (Appendix 14) A facility information providing device as described in Appendix 12 or 13, characterized in that the facilities that can be reserved include facilities located in each of a plurality of regions, and the specified conditions include the user viewing information about a facility located in a specified region among the plurality of regions within the specified period, and the user not having reserved a facility located in the specified region within the specified period.

[0182] (Appendix 15) The facility information providing device described in any one of Appendices 10 to 14, characterized in that when the user satisfies the specified conditions, the determination means determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user during a specified increase period in which the increased bonus rate is increased to the high increased bonus rate, and after the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user during the increase period has been determined to be the high increased bonus rate, if the increase period ends in the previous period, the determination means determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user to be the increased bonus rate corresponding to the acquired number of uses, but if the increased bonus rate corresponding to the acquired number of uses is lower than the high increased bonus rate, the determination means extends the increase period and determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user to be the high increased bonus rate.

[0183] (Appendix 16) A facility information provision method executed by a computer, comprising: a usage count acquisition step for acquiring the number of past facility usages based on reservations made by any user who can use a reservation service that grants a benefit to the person who makes a reservation for the facility when the facility is used; a determination step for determining an increased benefit rate to be applied to the user for the benefit to be granted to the user, the increased benefit rate increasing according to the acquired usage count; and a transmission step for transmitting display information to the terminal device that displays increased benefit rate information indicating the determined increased benefit rate on the screen of the user's terminal device, wherein the value of the benefit increases according to the determined increased benefit rate.

[0184] (Appendix 17) A facility information provision program that causes a computer to function as: a usage count acquisition means that acquires the number of past facility usages based on reservations made by any user who can use a reservation service that grants a benefit to the person who makes a reservation for the facility when the facility is used; a determination means that determines an increased benefit rate to be applied to the user for the benefit to be granted to the user, the increased benefit rate increasing according to the acquired usage count; and a transmission means that transmits display information to the terminal device that displays increased benefit rate information indicating the determined increased benefit rate on the screen of the user's terminal device, wherein the value of the benefit increases according to the determined increased benefit rate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0185] 1 Reservation Server 2. Point Management Server 3 Facility terminal 4. User terminal 11 System control section 12 System Bus 13 Input / Output Interface 14 Storage section 14a Facility DB 14b Program Level DB 14c Number of nights stayed DB 14d Browsing History DB 14e Reservation DB 15 Communications Department 21 points DB 1101 Usage count acquisition unit 1102 Up Bonus Rate Determination Department 1103 Information Transmission Unit 1104 Participation information acquisition unit 1105 Priority determination section 1106 Reservations Department 1107 Benefits Granting Department NW Network S Communication System

Claims

1. a usage count acquisition means for acquiring the number of past usages of a facility based on reservations made by any user who can use a reservation service that provides a benefit to a user who makes a reservation for the facility when the facility is used; a determination means for determining an increased reward rate to be applied to the user for the reward granted to the user, the increased reward rate being increased according to the acquired number of times of use; a transmitting means for transmitting, to the terminal device, display information for displaying, on a screen of the terminal device of the user, increased reward rate information indicating the determined increased reward rate; Equipped with The facility information providing device is characterized in that the value of the benefit increases according to the determined increased benefit rate.

2. When a participating facility that participates in a program that increases the value of the benefit is used, the value of the benefit given to the person making a reservation at the participating facility increases according to the increased benefit rate, a participation information acquisition means for acquiring participation information indicating whether each of a plurality of facilities is a participating facility; a priority determination means for determining a priority of each of the plurality of facilities based on the acquired participation information, the priority being set higher when the facility is a participating facility than when the facility is not a participating facility; Further provided with The facility information providing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the transmitting means transmits the display information that displays facility information of at least one of the plurality of facilities together with the increased bonus rate information on the screen, and displays the facility information of the at least one facility in accordance with the order of the plurality of facilities according to the determined priority.

3. an accepting means for accepting a reservation for a facility designated by the user from among the at least one facility whose facility information is displayed based on the transmitted display information, in response to a request from the terminal device; an awarding means for awarding the user the benefit of a value determined based on the determined increased benefit rate if the facility for which the accepted reservation is made is a participating facility, and for awarding the user the benefit of a value determined not based on the determined increased benefit rate if the facility for which the accepted reservation is made is not a participating facility; 3. The facility information providing device according to claim 2, further comprising:

4. When a participating facility that participates in a program that increases the value of the benefit is used, the value of the benefit given to the person making a reservation at the participating facility increases according to the increased benefit rate, further comprising participation information acquisition means for acquiring participation information indicating whether or not the at least one facility is a participating facility when facility information of the at least one facility is displayed on the screen; The facility information providing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the transmitting means transmits the display information that displays the facility information on the screen together with the increased bonus rate information, and if the acquired participation information indicates that the at least one facility is the participating facility, the displayed facility information includes participation information indicating that the at least one facility is the participating facility.

5. The facility information providing device described in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the determination means determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user to be a high increased bonus rate that is higher than the increased bonus rate corresponding to the acquired number of uses and corresponds to a number of uses greater than the acquired number of uses, provided that the user has viewed information about the participating facility through the reservation service within a specified period in the past and has not made a reservation for the participating facility within the specified period.

6. The system further includes a history acquisition means for acquiring a facility reservation history for the user, the history indicating a scheduled date of use of the reserved facility, The facility information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the usage count acquisition means acquires, as the usage count, the number of reservations whose scheduled usage date has passed among the reservations indicated by the acquired history.

7. The retrieved history further indicates whether the reservation has been canceled; 7. The facility information providing device according to claim 6, wherein the use count acquiring means acquires, as the use count, the number of reservations that have not been canceled among the reservations whose scheduled use date has passed.

8. The acquired history further indicates whether there has been a no-show for the reserved facility; 7. The facility information providing device according to claim 6, wherein the use count acquiring means acquires, as the use count, the number of reservations for which the scheduled use date has passed and there have been no no-shows.

9. A facility information providing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that if the user has previously used two or more facilities as a reservation holder, the number of times of use obtained corresponds to the total number of times each of the two or more facilities has been used.

10. The facility information providing device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when the user satisfies a specified condition, the determination means determines the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user to be a high increased bonus rate that is higher than the increased bonus rate corresponding to the number of uses acquired, and that corresponds to a number of uses that is greater than the number of uses acquired.

11. The person to whom the increased benefit rate will be increased is designated in advance by the operator of the reservation service, The facility information providing device according to claim 10 , wherein the predetermined condition includes that the user is included in the target group.

12. The facility information providing device according to claim 10, characterized in that the predetermined conditions include that the user has viewed information provided through the reservation service within a predetermined period in the past, and that the user has not made a reservation for a facility within the predetermined period.

13. Facilities available for reservation include participating facilities that are participating in a program that increases the value of the benefits, and non-participating facilities that are not participating in the program. The facility information providing device according to claim 12, characterized in that the specified conditions include that the user has viewed information about the participating facility within the specified period and that the user has not made a reservation for the participating facility within the specified period.

14. Facilities available for reservation include facilities located in multiple regions, The facility information providing device according to claim 12, characterized in that the specified conditions include the user viewing information about a facility in a specified area among the plurality of areas during the specified period, and the user not making a reservation for a facility in the specified area during the specified period.

15. the determining means determines, when the user satisfies the predetermined condition, the increased bonus rate to be applied to the user during a predetermined increase period in which the increased bonus rate is increased, to be the high increased bonus rate; The facility information providing device described in claim 10, characterized in that after the increased bonus rate applied to the user during the increase period is determined to be the high increased bonus rate, if the increase period ends in the previous period, the determination means determines the increased bonus rate applied to the user to be the increased bonus rate corresponding to the acquired number of uses, but if the increased bonus rate corresponding to the acquired number of uses is lower than the high increased bonus rate, the determination means extends the increase period and determines the increased bonus rate applied to the user to be the high increased bonus rate.

16. 1. A facility information providing method executed by a computer, comprising: a usage count acquisition step of acquiring the number of past usages of the facility based on reservations made by any user who can use a reservation service that provides a benefit to a user who makes a reservation for the facility when the facility is used; a determination step of determining an increased reward rate to be applied to the user for the reward granted to the user, the increased reward rate being increased according to the acquired number of uses; a transmitting step of transmitting, to the terminal device, display information for displaying, on a screen of the terminal device of the user, increased reward rate information indicating the determined increased reward rate; Including, A facility information providing method, characterized in that the value of the benefit increases according to the determined increased benefit rate.

17. Computer, a usage count acquisition means for acquiring the number of past usages of a facility based on reservations made by any user who can use a reservation service that provides a benefit to a user who makes a reservation for the facility when the facility is used; a determination means for determining an increased reward rate to be applied to the user for the reward granted to the user, the increased reward rate being increased according to the acquired number of times of use; a transmitting means for transmitting, to the terminal device, display information for displaying, on a screen of the terminal device of the user, increased reward rate information indicating the determined increased reward rate; It functions as The facility information providing program is characterized in that the value of the benefit increases according to the determined increase benefit rate.

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