The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4, 2024
The Art of a Great Arrival for Luxury Hotels
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | May 22, 2024
Guest Experience
Update Your 800 Message on Hold to Encourage Direct Bookings and Cross-Sell
Doug Kennedy | June 20, 2018
by Doug Kennedy On many levels, marketing in the hotel industry has advanced rapidly, yet at most hotels and brands, the "message on hold" (MOH) scripting is stuck in the 1990's. Whether you call a hotel directly or call into its central reservations office, after the auto-attendant places you in queue the MOH nearly always direct callers back online again and again throughout the scripting. Here are some common phrases: "Did you know that the fastest way to book a reservation is online? It's the easy and convenient way to plan your experiences." "For faster service, you can make a new reservation online at www.ourhotelname.com " "H...
Hotel Live Chat Instant Gratification Wins Every Time
Lodging Interactive | June 20, 2018
PARSIPPANY, NJ – June 20, 2018 - There's a lot of debate about the best way to handle the huge influx of guest messages happening through private message and live chat platforms. Should we be using more automation? More resources in house? More outsourcing? There are a number of different services and solutions out there-- not all of which are created equal-- but there's one thing that everyone agrees on: Answering customer messages quickly and thoroughly is essential. And by fast, we mean lightning fast. Chief of Marketing of Booking.com Pepijn Rijvers put it perfectly when he recently stated that a slow response or no response t...
Callaway Resort & Gardens Relies On Guestware Rapid Response for Asset Protection, Guest Service
Callaway | June 19, 2018
At HITEC in Houston Visit Guestware in Booth #1118 JUNE 18-21, 2018 George R. Brown Convention Center Full-Service Golf and Spa Destination Taps Guestware Automated Task Management to Route Requests to Staff, Track Recurring Incidents for Preventive Maintenance June 19, 2018 – "Guestware does an excellent job of taking, recording and directing guest and staff requests at Callaway Gardens. But for me, it is all about Guestware's analytics," said Marc B. Bauer, vice president, Resort Operations for Callaway Resort & Gardens (Callaway) in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Callaway is a 670-room full-service destination that offers a Spa, t...
You Want to Enhance the Guest Experience – So How Do You Know What’s Wrong With It
Pierre Boettner | June 19, 2018
By Pierre Boettner, CEO, hospitalityPulse Enhancing the guest experience seems to be on every hotel executive's mind these days. There isn't a conference where speakers from the industry aren't professing the improved guest experience to be the single most important point of their attention – and I am confident, HITEC this year will see a slew of companies, speakers, and visitors speaking of and about how to enhance their guest experience. By now, those who know me, know here's my big 'but…' to come – and it will. However, first, let me take you on a brief trip down memory lane. Remember when hotel guests had the habi...
Angie Hospitality and iRiS Partnership Raises Bar on Guest Room Comfort and Convenience
Angie Hospitality | June 19, 2018
Voice- and touchscreen-activated virtual assistant integrates with the Guest Experience Platform (GXP) by iRiS to provide ultimate control over guest room environment and access to hotel services LONDON – June 19, 2018 – Angie Hospitality, developer of the world's first voice and AI solution purpose-built for the hospitality environment, has inked a key partnership agreement with iRiS, the market leading guest experience platform for the hospitality industry. Through the new collaboration, hoteliers will have the ability to integrate Angie's cutting-edge virtual assistant technology with iRiS' Guest Experience Platform (GXP)...
Intelity and KEYPR to Merge, Accelerating Growth and Scale in the Mobile and In-Room Technology Hospitality Sector
Intelity Solutions, Inc. | June 18, 2018
Merger of two industry leading companies combines technical knowledge, broad customer relationships, and a richly complimentary product set June 18, 2018 Transaction is in line with Intelity's and KEYPR's strategy of scaling and diversification into new business verticals. Deal significantly strengthens presence in the mobile and in-room technology hotel markets and emphasizes commitment to the sector. Consolidates strong management teams with deep subject matter expertise and understanding of the hotel industry. Merger will result in the broadest, most complete guest service and in room technology platform available on mobile, tab...
KEYPR Launches KEYPR TV, the Most Advanced Casting Solution in Hospitality
KEYPR | June 18, 2018
In partnership with Nevaya, KEYPR provides hotel guests with the most comprehensive, hassle-free TV casting available today Los Angeles, CA (June 18, 2018) -- KEYPR®, the technology company whose enterprise cloud platform is the leader in guest experience and hospitality management, is announcing its partnership with Nevaya, the go-to TV cloud entertainment company for hospitality, to create KEYPR TV. The new feature allows guests to stream content from their personal mobile devices or KEYPR's in-room tablets to hotel TVs, with no app downloads, required sign-ins, or overly-complex access codes. As evidenced by the shift in how cons...
Agilysys Releases Latest Version of InfoGenesis®, A Modern POS Platform to Transform Hospitality Guest Service at Scale
Agilysys | June 18, 2018
Agilysys Continues to Expand Capabilities of Award-Winning Enterprise POS Solution Offering ALPHARETTA, GA. — June 18, 2018 — Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation hospitality software solutions and services, today announced the release of InfoGenesis® 4.5.0, the latest version of its award-winning point-of-sale solution. InfoGenesis® 4.5.0 provides a modern point-of-sale platform that reflects hospitality operators' growing focus on creating meaningful guest connections and experiences. In addition to increasing revenue opportunities and streamlining IT and operations, this new ...
Cloud5 Partners With Routier to Add Customized Engagement Software to Its Communications Platform
Routier | June 18, 2018
Leader in hospitality communications adds innovative guest engagement to its HSIA product suite HOUSTON, June 18, 2018 (HITEC 2018, Booth #2519) — Continuing its evolution as a thought leading provider of hotel communications technology and services, Cloud5 Communications announced today its partnership with Routier, an emerging hospitality software innovator. Routier helps hotel groups and hotels empower their staff and guests with seamless communications solutions that enhance exceptional guest experiences, building high guest loyalty and satisfaction. This guest engagement innovation allows hotels to communicate with their gues...
Angie Hospitality and INTEREL Collaborate to Drive Voice-based Guest Room Controls
Angie Hospitality | June 18, 2018
Dubai – June 18, 2018 – INTEREL, the award-winning provider of hospitality guest room management solutions, and Angie Hospitality, creator of award-winning Angie, the world's first cloud-powered, interactive guest room assistant created just for hotels, have partnered to enable guests to control temperature, lights, curtains, and more, conveniently through voice commands. The integration between INTEREL and Angie Hospitality allows hotels to offer guests an experience more similar to what they have come to expect at home. Angie's voice and touch controls combined with INTEREL's advanced guest room management and Internet of ...
Hotel Internet Services Releases New BeyondTV Features to Enhance Guestroom Entertainment and Revenue Potential
Hotel Internet Services, Inc. | June 18, 2018
CLEARWATER, Fla. — June 18, 2018 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS) has unveiled a series of new technology enhancements to its popular BeyondTV platform, an advanced solution that allows hoteliers to leverage existing guestroom televisions to provide guests with the ability to wirelessly cast a variety of content from their personal smart devices. The enhanced platform is now equipped with an array of additional features that further boost guest satisfaction, property efficiency and revenue earning potential. In addition to allowing hotel guests to access their own mobile and subscription-based streaming content on a larger sc...
Angie Hospitality Selected to Present “Tech Talk” at HITEC Houston on Benefits of Purpose-Built Hotel Technologies
Angie Hospitality | June 14, 2018
Pioneer of voice command technology for hotel industry to present 15-minute session on the importance of purpose-built solutions for the hospitality environment SAN JOSE, Calif. – June 14, 2018 – Angie Hospitality, developer of the world's first enterprise-class, cloud-managed interactive guest room assistant, built specifically for the hospitality environment, announces that its CEO, Ted Helvey, has been selected to present a "Tech Talk" session at HITEC Houston, taking place June 18-21 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The presentation, entitled "Purpose-Built vs. Off-the-Shelf Technology for Hotels," will take pla...
Guest Facing Chat and Task Management All-In-One at HITEC Houston With Guestware
Guestware | June 14, 2018
At HITEC in Houston Visit Guestware in Booth #1118 JUNE 18-21, 2018 George R. Brown Convention Center Learn Why Guests Prefer Both SMS and App to Communicate with Hotels, but Only When Hotels Have a Robust Task Management System with Staff Mobile App to Automate Back of House Processes June 14, 2018 – Guestware, the leading cloud-based guest-service and rapid response solution provider for hotels and resorts, will demonstrate its all-in-one Guest Experience Platform with guest-facing SMS Texting and live Chat solution at HITEC booth #1118. Guestware's guest-facing solution is integrated with its robust task management including a ...
Koridor Announces New Hotel Room Self-Selection Platform: MyRoom
Koridor | June 14, 2018
Technology Pioneers Next Generation of Personalization for Global Hotel Industry, Starting with the Room Selection Process ATLANTA – June 14, 2018 – Koridor, a hospitality technology company pioneering the next generation of guest personalization, today announces the launch of the MyRoom platform. A first of its kind software solution, MyRoom enables hotels to market rooms more effectively and curate features using dynamic content and analytics, while empowering guests to self-select their room, upgrade, or choose features that best suit their preferences. Koridor will debut the MyRoom technology while attending HITEC Housto...
Cloud5 Introduces the Hospitality Dashboard Experience (HDX) at HITEC 2018 Booth #2519
Cloud5 Communications | June 14, 2018
Innovative "Dashboard of Dashboards" Concept Leverages Automation and Self-Healing Network Technology to Proactively Manage the Guest Experience CHICAGO (June 14, 2018)— In the hospitality industry, current business dashboards provide little holistic value to decision makers and measure availability and performance from a limited, static perspective. Today, Cloud5 introduces a new concept that will provide the industry with access to real-time predictive insights by expanding the traditional dashboard to include all networked systems that affect the guest experience. Members of its now-forming HDX Advisory Board will have exclusi...
ALICE and Samsung Unveil First-Ever Hospitality Industry Smartwatch with Viceroy Hotel Group
ALICE | June 13, 2018
Launching at Viceroy L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, ALICE Hotel Operations Platform on Samsung Gear S3 Creates Wearable Solution To Improve Hotel Staff Communications, Guest Experiences Ridgefield Park, N.J. – June 14, 2018 – Samsung Electronics America, Inc., and hotel operations platform ALICE today announced a new hotel management solution that uses smartwatches to improve staff communications, speed responsiveness to guests, and enhance customer service. With connected, LTE-capable smartwatches easily accessible on their wrist, hotel employees in key operations – such as housekeeping, maintenance, and bellman servic...
Giving Your Concierge A Digital Upgrade
Larry Mogelonsky | June 13, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) With the modern traveler glued to his or her phone, why would such a guest bother to consult the concierge instead of simply performing a Google search or looking on a resourceful travel website like TripAdvisor or Yelp? With mobile apps capable of offering a similar amount of information about the local area as any single person can, does this not make the concierge obsolete? This topic stems from a grievance that multiple general managers have brought to my attention with no clear answer in sight. The concierge is a core operation for any hotel in the upscale or luxury segments as...
Sleek, Fresh, and Improved = ProSolutions
ProSolutions | June 13, 2018
By Jana Love Hey, check out what's "new" with ProSolutions! Over the course of 2 years (much longer than we thought), we have been working on a re-brand. This is the second re-branding experience that we have taken ourselves through in our "almost" 30-year run. These experiences give you permission, and require you, to explore the "what if's." What if we told our story in a different way, what if we brought in fresh new colors into our look, what if we changed our logo, what it we simplified, what if…. Having been here for the last 30 years, constantly testing my entrepreneurial skills as a business person, what has been in my re...
3 Key Themes to Watch at HITEC 2018
the Author | June 12, 2018
By Terri Miller, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Concilio Labs The elite of the hospitality industry is set to descend upon one of the most exciting yearly events showcasing the brightest minds and hottest travel and hospitality technology: HITEC. Recognized as the world's largest hospitality technology show, HITEC 2018 offers a unique combination of quality education, networking, and exhibitors from around the globe. With the plethora of new innovations that have been unfolding, this year's show is staged to bring some disruptive discussions. To help attendees make the most of their time at the event, we've compiled a list of...
How This Palm Beach Hotel Creates Personalized Guest Experiences with ALICE
ALICE | June 11, 2018
The Colony Hotel has selected ALICE to upgrade their staff communications and back of house operations at their hidden oasis in the heart of Palm Beach. ALICE is the hospitality industry's leading operations technology, connecting every department of the hotel with one platform for all staff communication and guest requests. ALICE recently acquired concierge software provider GoConcierge to augment its technology and customer service offering. Before ALICE, the staff at Colony Hotel were using a handful of different methods to communicate with one another and manage their work, such as email, phone calls, walkie-talkies, internal report...
Opportunity Intersection: The Corner of Technology and Service
Glenn Wirick | June 8, 2018
Studies show 70 percent of customers will stop doing business with a company after one bad experience, while nine out of 10 say they would pay more to ensure a superior one. By Glenn Wirick We know the hallmark of our industry is service, and that it's at the very heart and soul of what properties across the globe deliver to guests 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, day in and day out. But it also drives revenues. Studies show 70 percent of customers will stop doing business with a company after one bad experience, while nine out of 10 say they would pay more to ensure a superior one. A study by Harvard Business Review showed that customer...
All Customers Are Created Equal – Just Some Are More Equal Than Others
Shep Hyken | June 7, 2018
By Shep Hyken In 1945 George Orwell published the literary classic, Animal Farm, which was required reading in my middle-school English class. I always remembered the line: All animals are created equal, just some animals are more equal than others. Someone recently referenced the book and this famous line, and it made me think about how customers are treated. Are all customers equal? Loyalty programs promote perks, rewards, elite status and more, which might suggest that not all customers are equal. Now, I agree that loyal customers can receive some type of reward or discount for their loyalty. But, what about when it comes to customer...
Routier Helps Hotels Provide Real-Time Solutions for Real-Time Issues So That They Don’t Become Permanent Problems
Routier | June 7, 2018
Innovative new technology empowers hotels to resolve issues quickly before guests share their complaints with the world New York, June 7, 2018 – Imagine if you could communicate with your guests in real-time during their stay at your property. And imagine that they wouldn't need to download or install a thing. And imagine that you could actually find out if your guest is unhappy or happy and follow up with the right messaging, at the right time. Now stop imagining because it's real. Routier's seamless engagement, operational, and marketing solutions help hotels and hotel groups increase engagement with their guests in real-time i...
Why Hoteliers Must Defend the Necktie
Larry Mogelonsky | June 6, 2018
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) The office-casual nature at most contemporary workplaces seems to be far more amiable to the sweater and jeans attire, with nary a collared shirt even under the slightest of considerations. Given this trend spurred on by the younger generations, it would seem as though the necktie is on its way out from regular usage. Being of a more 'scholarly' age, donning a suit and tie comes naturally to me. Looking in the mirror, I selfishly feel at least a bit more professional in demeanor with a psychological boost in tow. What is equally refreshing is how often I encounter hoteliers who are ...
