Fairmont Banff Springs successfully pilots new guest experience technology, leveraging integrations between UV Enterprise, OpenTable and Hapi
TORONTO, June 27, 2023 — Today at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®), UrVenue revealed enhancements to UV Enterprise, the hospitality industry’s pioneering Property Experience Management System (PXMS). These enhancements introduce a new capability known as Guest Experience, featuring Guest Portal and Guest Services, both of which leverage integrations into leading platforms OpenTable, Hapi and more.
UV Enterprise is a full-stack technology platform that drives commerce, manages operations, and enhances the guest experience through unified booking and itinerary management for non-room, experience-based inventory, such as pools, lounges, recreational activities, and restaurants. During a press conference today, UrVenue also announced that the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Alberta, Canada, is the inaugural property to pilot the complete suite of PXMS capabilities offered by UV Enterprise.
Hoteliers can see UV Enterprise, along with UrVenue’s new Guest Experience solution, in Booth 2401 at HITEC inside the Metro Toronto Convention Center’s South Building from June 27 to 29.
“In February, we announced new features were coming for UV Enterprise and today we are delivering on that promise,” said Tracee Nalewak, UrVenue’s Chief Growth Officer. “UV Enterprise has always offered four core capabilities (Commerce, Operations, Insights, and Knowledge Management). Today, we unveil the fifth capability, Guest Experience, which addresses the fractured booking journey by empowering guests and employees with booking and itinerary capabilities never seen before in our industry.”
Guest Experience includes two key products, Guest Portal and Guest Services. Guest Portal gives guests a personalized, self-service interface for easy exploration and booking of property experiences and management of their itineraries. It connects room and experience reservations by leveraging integrations with a property’s PMS and other best-in-class venue-management systems, ensuring a cohesive booking journey, and enabling upselling and cross-selling opportunities. Guest Portal also adds a social aspect for guests to build and assign reservations to fellow travelers and a digital resource library for easy access to assets like property maps, brochures and waiver forms.
Guest Services, also a part of Guest Experience, includes Guest Portal’s key functionality. This employee-facing product empowers front desk, concierge, and call center employees to book experiences and manage itineraries on behalf of guests. Guest Services also includes printable itineraries and can be used to book experiences for day visitors as well as hotel guests.
Fairmont Banff Springs Leads the Way
Fairmont Banff Springs had an ambitious vision to create a digital guest experience that integrated their extensive selection of paid and complimentary experiences into a single technology solution. The resort’s experiences also had to be supported by a commerce and operations platform with channel and distribution functionality. Fairmont Banff Springs’ goal was to provide its luxury guests with a white-labeled Guest Portal, highlighting available experiences and reinforcing the property’s value proposition.
“We have long been searching for this level of innovation,” said Evan Hounsell, Fairmont’s Regional Senior Manager, Digital Experience for Canada’s Western Mountain Region. “With UV Enterprise, guests are encouraged to discover and immerse themselves in our distinctive resort experience by using the My Guest Experience Platform, or speaking with our dedicated staff who use Guest Services. These tools enable better engagement with guests at every stage of the trip planning journey, from pre-arrival to their in-house stay. He adds, “Moreover, they empower Fairmont Banff Springs employees to deliver exceptional guest service by eliminating departmental silos and fostering information sharing.”
Gregor Resch, Fairmont’s Regional VP of Canada’s Western Mountain Region, said their UV Enterprise pilot has been a game changer for Fairmont Banff Springs, and so far, he has seen tremendous success at their flagship property.
“As the first luxury resort to pilot the complete UV Enterprise platform, it is exciting to be at the forefront of technology innovation that is compelling guests to stay on-property and driving engagement, conversions, incremental revenue, as well as guest and employee satisfaction. With mega trends like personalized and experiential travel here to stay, this enhanced digital platform has elevated the ability to deliver on these expectations and curate bespoke experiences for our guests.” Resch adds, “We are proud to be pilot partners with UrVenue.”
PXMS Integration Partners
As a Property Experience Management System, UV Enterprise leverages multiple integrations.
OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant technology and part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), originally partnered with UrVenue in 2021 to create a unified booking solution enabling restaurant reservations to be booked alongside other experience-based inventory. “We’re pleased to deepen our partnership with UrVenue, and to be part of its PXMS pilot with Fairmont Banff Springs,” said Susan Lee, Chief Growth Officer at OpenTable. “We are excited about the new PXMS platform and look forward to showcasing it to our hotel customers on a global scale.”
Hapi, the hospitality industry’s leading platform for fast and cost-effective connectivity between technology systems, is also integral to Fairmont Banff Springs’ successful PXMS pilot. UrVenue leverages Hapi’s ability to connect to the hotel’s PMS to automate and personalize key aspects of the Guest Portal and Guest Services. “UrVenue is exactly the type of innovative company with which we love to partner,” said Luis Segredo, Hapi CEO. “UrVenue counts on Hapi’s connection to the industry’s leading property management systems, so it can deliver on its brand promise of creating a unified booked experience. We are proud to be part of the positive impact UrVenue is making in the hospitality industry.”
Additionally, integrations with Book4Time and Concept/Shiji are currently underway, deepening UrVenue’s ability to connect the guest experience across an entire property and throughout an entire trip. Details about these integrations will be announced soon.
“UrVenue is dedicated to addressing the fragmented booking process that travelers often encounter by offering a powerful and adaptable technology platform for non-room inventory,” said Deron Pearson, UrVenue CEO. “The pilot of UV Enterprise at Fairmont Banff Springs marks a significant milestone in the hospitality industry. As the first PXMS solution, UV Enterprise is reshaping the way hoteliers operate their businesses and envision the guest experience. It is just the start of our transformative journey to revolutionize the industry.”
