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Technology
HeBS Digital Opens Singapore Office; Brings ‘Book Direct’ Footprint into Asia Pacific Region
HeBS Digital | February 27, 2017
New York -NY – February 27, 2017 – Off the heels of celebrating its 15-year anniversary, HeBS Digital, the firm that helps hoteliers drastically increase direct bookings and lower overall distribution costs by deploying industry best-of-breed digital technology, consulting and marketing, has expanded its Asia Pacific footprint with an office in Singapore. The office in Singapore is in addition to HeBS Digital's Australia and New Zealand office, which opened a year ago, and supports the firm's growth into the region, increasing its ability to help hoteliers in Asia Pacific invest smartly in their direct booking strategy, shif...
Corporate Governance in the Hospitality and Gaming Sectors in a Changing Political Landscape
Keith Kefgen | February 27, 2017
By: Keith Kefgen 2016 was a watershed year in corporate governance, with major initiatives in say-on-pay, share ownership requirements, director evaluation and transparency. The hospitality industry continues to make significant strides in each one of these areas. This year's study was different in that it included a number of international companies, and it was interesting to see how companies traded on the NYSE and NASDAQ compared to those on other exchanges. Suffice to say, good corporate governance is a global initiative and not necessarily led by US regulators. As with our previous studies, we examined and ranked companies in five ...
TravelClick Launches Innovative New Messenger Feature with Guest Management Solutions
TravelClick | February 27, 2017
Guest Messenger Allows Hoteliers to Personalize the Guest Experience and Build Loyalty by Texting with Guests Before, During and After Stays NEW YORK – February 27, 2017 – In an increasingly digital and mobile world where consumers rely heavily on their smartphones, TravelClick ("the Company"), a global provider of innovative, cloud-based and data-driven solutions for hotels to maximize revenue, has launched a new Guest Messenger feature, which is integrated into TravelClick's Guest Management Solutions (GMS). With this innovative tool, hoteliers can have text conversations with guests before, during and after stays to not ...
Dragon Trail Interactive Appoints Roy Graff as Managing Director EMEA and Launches New Office in London
Dragon Trail Interactive | February 26, 2017
Beijing, China. – Feb. 27, 2017 – Dragon Trail Interactive, an award winning digital marketing agency and technology company with a unique focus on China and travel, today announces the appointment of leading China tourism expert Roy Graff as Managing Director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Dragon Trail also inaugurates the opening of its first overseas office in London, with an official launch event hosted on the 15th March in London. Roy will lead Dragon Trail's further expansion in Europe, one of Chinese tourists' preferred long haul destinations, and in the Middle East and Africa, two relatively new but fa...
Summit Hotel Properties Reports Q4 2016 Net Income Fell to $3.3 Million, Compared with $80 Million in 2015; Pro Forma RevPAR Increased 1% in Q4
Summit Hotel Properties | February 24, 2017
AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 23, 2017 -- Summit Hotel Properties, Inc. (NYSE: INN) (the "Company"), today announced results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2016. Net Income of $87.4 million for 2016; Adjusted FFO climbs 14.0 percent to $1.41 per share for 2016; Annual Pro Forma RevPAR Increases 3.8 percent "Our diverse portfolio of premium select-service hotels performed exceptionally well during 2016 while achieving an all-time high pro forma hotel EBITDA margin of 38.0 percent," said Dan Hansen, the Company's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "For five years in a row, our...
dormakaba Completes Acquisition of Mechanical Security Businesses from Stanley Black & Decker – New Top-Three Player in North American Market
dormakaba | February 24, 2017
Reamstown, PA, February 24, 2017 - dormakaba has completed the acquisition of certain Mechanical Security businesses from Stanley Black & Decker and has closed the transaction effective February 22, 2017, following satisfaction of customary closing conditions including the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. The transaction was first announced on December 21, 2016. With this acquisition, dormakaba gains substantial scale in line with its stated strategy, evolving from a distant four to a strong number three player in the attractive North American market that can offer the full portfolio of door hardware and access control...
Travel Tripper Honored with Platinum Award in Digital Marketing at HSMAI’s 60th Adrian Awards
Travel Tripper | February 24, 2017
NEW YORK — On Feb. 21 the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) honored Travel Tripper with a Platinum Adrian Award for digital marketing excellence for its winning entry in the 60th annual Adrian Awards. The Adrian Awards, one of the most respected awards in the travel and hospitality industry, honors the best of the year in travel marketing in the categories of digital marketing, advertising, and public relations. Travel Tripper's winning entry was for its work on the 24 North Hotel website (www.24northhotel.com), for which the agency took home a Gold Award for website user experience and a Plat...
Just Released: The Guest Experience in Today’s Digital Hotel
Local Measure | February 24, 2017
New York – 24 February 2017: Local Measure, the leading location-based social intelligence platform has released a hotel industry guide to the technologies shaping today's guest experience. The ebook is available as a free download from http://get.localmeasure.com/technologies-shaping-guest-experience Increasing competition between hotels and the disintermediation in the industry are major issues forcing hotels to find new ways to re-establish their relationship with guests. Technology provides an array of opportunities for hotels to anticipate guest needs and preferences, and ultimately allow them to recapture a direct relationsh...
The Hotel Group Expands Portfolio with Addition of Two Montana Properties
The Hotel Group | February 23, 2017
Seattle, WA, February 23, 2017 — The Hotel Group, a nationally recognized Top 40 hotel management company, announced today the addition of the 92-room Residence Inn by Marriott Billings and the 150-room Radisson Colonial Hotel Helena bringing its third-party management portfolio to 38 properties in 11 states. Both properties have been recently renovated. The Residence Inn by Marriott Billings, in Billings, Montana offers guests a choice of extended stay accommodations from a deluxe studio, one or two-bedroom suites. The pet-friendly property features fully equipped kitchens with modern appliances, flat screen TVs, free Wi-Fi along...
Is the iPhone Killing Your Hotel Revenue?
Tambourine | February 23, 2017
Here's what we all know by now: The explosion of smartphone usage over the past few years has been staggering. And not just iPhones, but smartphones of other brands as well… The Pew Research Center reports that 75% of Americans now own a smartphone and half the population own a tablet. Not only is usage increasing and technology getting more sophisticated, consumers are more reliant on their mobile devices. In fact, 9 out of 10 American consumers keep their smartphones within reach 24 hours a day. This round-the-clock usage has also redefined the way people book travel. A recent Google report revealed that 77% of luxury travelers...
Leadership; “Debunking a Myth” & “The Importance of Communication”
Ken Greger | February 23, 2017
By: Ken Greger Wow – with digital and other technology colliding with nearly every aspect of hospitality, it not only makes one's head spin, but it pushes our industry to speed way the heck up, which is new to the hotel business, versus the tech world where it's all about speed. Now, we are used to electronic communication and instant gratification via email, texting, Instagram, Skype and a host of other mobile and Web applications that have become fully integrated into our work and personal lives. In fact, these things have become dominant to the degree that some of us in leadership may be forgetting about a long-standing system ...
Cloud5 Taps Hospitality Industry Communications Leader, Steve Brown, as Executive Director of Business Development
Cloud5 Communications | February 23, 2017
Cloud5 Communications Spurs its Growth, Service Capacity and Continues to Build Out its Senior Ranks Chicago, IL (February 23, 2017) — An expert communications professional with more than 25 years of hospitality sales experience, Steve Brown has been named an Executive Director of Business Development for Cloud5 Communications, the pioneer in cloud-based communications for hospitality. Brown is unique in having built industry relationships at the highest levels, and long-term customer partnerships, across all industry segments, including hotel brands, independents, owners, and management companies. Prior to joining Cloud5, Brown w...
RoamBOOST Helping Right Cellular Wrongs
RoamBOOST | February 23, 2017
Engaging with a DAS provider that offers full-service consulting will help hotels get the most out of their IT investments Boston, Mass. — February 23, 2017 — Hotel IT departments are getting a lot of attention this year. According a recent industry study, hotels plan to spend more money on technology in 2017 than in previous years; hoteliers report that 21% of their IT budgets will be spent on improving their networks and connectivity, with 47% of hotels focused on upgrading their guest WiFi. While ongoing IT investment is important to maintaining guest satisfaction and loyalty, RoamBOOST is advising hotels to manage their ...
Milestone Analytics Solves the Customer Journey Puzzle
Milestone | February 23, 2017
Powerful and exclusive analytics tool allows businesses to analyze all stages of the customer journey by marketing channel and source February 23, 2017, Santa Clara, CA – The proliferation of multiple devices accompanied by the evolution of customer behavior has created new challenges in tracking and understanding customer journey for many online and omnichannel business in verticals such as online retail, banking, and hospitality. The customer path to conversion is increasingly complex and confusing due to so many different devices, channels and visits. Milestone has solved the customer journey puzzle and created an exclusive and...
Mr. Ring Wants A Table For Two At Restaurant Romance: How ALICE Concierge Helps It Happen
ALICE | February 22, 2017
SIXTY's Head Concierge explains how ALICE Concierge has his back when it comes to guest requests. By Noah Lemaich, Head Concierge, SIXTY Hotels. One of my big fears as a concierge (especially when I was starting out) is missing even a single guest request. If I forget to make dinner plans for myself, no big deal, I can always order in. However, missing a guest's dinner request has the potential for ruining an entire stay and the guest's likelihood to return to us. I'd love to show you how ALICE has my back throughout a single guest request. While names and places are clearly made up (a good concierge always respects our guest's privacy...
Maestro PMS Cloud Hosted Option Frees Full Service Independent Operators to be Hoteliers Again
Maestro PMS | February 22, 2017
Single and Multi-Property Operators Give Enterprise System Responsibility to Maestro Cloud PMS: Ease of Use, Centralized Remote Management Access, Lower Costs Lead List of Benefits February 22, 2017 – "Columbia Hospitality took its first property to the cloud on Maestro PMS hotel management software in 2008. We migrated to the cloud system because we are a hospitality company, not a technology outfit," said Columbia Hospitality Director of Operations Alan Stephens. "That first property was our Talaris Conference Center that uses the integrated Maestro Front Office and Sales & Catering. Today we have five properties on Maestro'...
How Paying Closer Attention to Guest Reviews Can Impact Your Hotel’s Bottom Line
Benjamin Jost | February 21, 2017
By Benjamin Jost Each day, hotels across the industry put themselves at risk of losing hundreds, or even thousands of dollars… simply by doing nothing at all. These hotels, many of which are a few simple actions away from nearly doubling their pool of potential customers, fritter away opportunities because they don't know how to address the concerns that previous guests have shared on the internet. But inaction can be changed, and new revenue streams can be opened. To begin, hotel leaders need to understand the feedback that guests are posting online, whether the hotel is excited about that or not. There are millions of revie...
StayNTouch to Host Live Webinar on the Importance of Leveraging Latest Technology to Future Proof Your Hotel
February 21, 2017
Hotel software tech leader presents strategies to streamline operations and simultaneously cater to today's digitally dependent traveler Bethesda, MD (February 21, 2017) – StayNTouch®, an innovator in mobile technology and Property Management Systems (PMS) for hotels, today announced it will be hosting an upcoming webinar titled, "Your Guests are Dynamic, Your Hotel PMS Should Be Too!" The 45-minute educational session will take place on March 1, 2017, at 1 PM EST (10 AM PST/6 PM GMT). Join industry experts and thought leaders from StayNTouch with special guest Alan Young, President of Puzzle Partner, in this interactive prese...
Koch Completes Investment of More Than $2 Billion in Infor
Infor | February 21, 2017
Provides Access to Growth Capital for Cloud Software Leader to Drive Digital Transformation across Industries NEW YORK – Feb. 21, 2017 – Infor, a leading provider of business applications specialized by industry and built for the cloud, today announced the completion of a previously announced investment of more than $2 billion in the company by an affiliate of Koch Equity Development LLC ("KED"), the investment and acquisition subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc. The investment is strong validation of Infor's strategy and growth – a journey fueled by product investment, innovation, and an entrepreneurial culture –...
The Sad Side of Valentine’s Day – What the Hospitality Industry Should Know
James Houran, Ph.D | February 21, 2017
By: James Houran, Ph.D. To the service-hospitality industry, holidays like Valentine's Day often make a positive contribution to a company's bottom line. For example, Americans spent an estimated $13 billion for Valentine's merchandise in 2004(1), and in the process, purchased approximately one billion greeting cards(2), 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate(3), and 156 million roses(4). And we have not even touched on the significant revenue from romantic get-a-ways, cruises or dinners. These economics have remained quite robust for more than a decade, and, in fact, are steadily growing. You might be surprised at the latest Valent...
Kube Systems Teams with KniTec to Bring Mobile Device Charging to More Hotels in U.S., Canada
KniTec | February 21, 2017
Today KniTec customers have access to two convenient charging Kubes for guestrooms and public areas that power up to six mobile devices simultaneously [Jericho, NY—February 21, 2017] — Kube Systems announces that KniTec Inc., a value added reseller (and an Almo Professional A/V VAR partner) specializing in hospitality technology, is now featuring the Kube Audio Clock Premium Alarm Clock, Music Player and Multi-Device Charger, and the Kube 5 Docking Station housing five portable chargers via www.KniTec.com. "Over the past 10 years, we have provided our clients with the most innovative products from only the top manufacturers...
4 Key Strategies to Shift Bookings from OTA to Direct – Part 2
Milestone | February 21, 2017
In part 1, we shared with you two digital marketing strategies that you can implement immediately that will drive higher direct revenue and shift market share from OTAs and other third parties. Here are two more effective strategies that are most successful in driving direct business: 1. Omni-channel marketing must evolve with the customer journey to stay ahead of OTAs Mobile phones have significantly altered the customer journey to multiple devices and multiple channels. It has become critical for a hotel to be present across all devices and all channels. OTAs do a fantastic job of ensuring their presence across devices, the web, socia...
The Rainmaker Group Taps Hospitality Sales Veteran, Ellis Connolly, as New VP of Hospitality Sales
Rainmaker | February 21, 2017
ATLANTA, GA. – February 21, 2017 – An accomplished professional with more than 15 years of corporate hospitality sales experience, Ellis Connolly has been appointed as the new Vice President, Hospitality Sales for The Rainmaker Group (Rainmaker), a leader in revenue management solutions for the hospitality and gaming industry. Connolly's broad range of experience includes executive sales and business development roles with both start-ups and large enterprise organizations within the global hotel and travel sector. He also brings extensive experience in building market penetration for hotel analytics products to his new role ...
Curaçao’s Floris Suite Hotel – Spa & Beach Club is Improving its TripAdvisor Reviews with ALICE
ALICE | February 20, 2017
Hotel staff and guests alike appreciate the convenience of ALICE's mobile applications New York, NY -- Curaçao's Floris Suite Hotel - Spa & Beach Club is delighted to announce that using ALICE's operations platform is increasing staff efficiency and guest satisfaction at the hotel. The 72-suite, adults-only resort adopted ALICE's Suite product two years ago to improve both its staff and guest experience. ALICE Suite brings a hotel's departments and its guests together on the same platform for improved communication and request management. Guests at the Floris Suite Hotel are using ALICE's guest application to conveniently pla...
