Apr 30, 2008 6:04 AM, PROMO P&I

American Express has launched a Web site intended as a community where cardmembers can share their travel experiences.

Members Know lets Amex cardholders share their travel experiences with each other. It also gives people a conduit to communicate with editors from Travel + Leisure magazine, which is owned by American Express Publishing Corp.

Those editors will play host to conversations on four different travel topics each week, with people posing questions or providing commentary.

Cardmembers will gain access to exclusive Amex offers for spa getaways, U.S. Open tickets, Travel + Leisure subscriptions and other special offers. They will be able to link to www.americanexpress/travel to book reservations and participate in a weekly poll on travel subjects.

The Web site also provides an index for visitors to search for hotels and restaurants by neighborhood and category in a variety of locales and price ranges in cities worldwide.

The new site is part of the ongoing “Are you a cardmember?” campaign which focuses on the value of being a cardholder.

“We want to increase the loyalty of our existing cardmembers and be a source for travel information,” said Bonnie Taffer, vice president of alliances and content for American Express.

Amex conducted market research to determine that cardmembers would embrace the travel site, according to Taffer, who said a beta version rolled out in October as a prelude to its launch. The site’s functionality was improved based on feedback from users during the beta phase.

“The philosophy of what we’re doing is very much a grassroots philosophy,” said Taffer. “We continue to evolve it base on feedback from the community.”

A number of other features are planned for the Web site. Members will eventually be able to make reservations at a restaurant after reading other cardmembers’ reviews. And they’ll be able to save memorable conversations and monitor conversations about their favorite cities in a special section on the site.

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