Percipia Collaborates With Amazon’s Alexa Smart Properties Hospitality to Launch VIVA+
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Technology
What Do Meeting Planners Actually Want? Here’s the Surprising Survey Results…
Tambourine | January 19, 2017
Looking for the ultimate tip to booking more group business this year? Get inside the planner's mind to find out what marketing they prefer, respond to, and act upon. So, we decided to do just that. To help hotel sales managers win at various phases of the sourcing process, we partnered with EproDirect to collect insights from more than 83,000 meeting planners to find out what promos and incentives peak their interest, what marketing strategies actually influence them and what impacts their booking decisions. After analyzing the data, we discovered some things you might expect along with some surprises. Use this data to shape your sales...
Jeddah Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Jeddah Hotels Choose TeleMatrix Phones
Cetis | January 19, 2017
Cetis has confirmed the recent installation of 1,350 TeleMatrix brand 3300 Series hotel phones at Waldorf Astoria, Jeddah - Qasr Al Sharq and Jeddah Hilton Hotel on a dual-Communication platform supporting more than 2,200 combined hotel lines for the two hotels. TeleMatrix models include two-line analog 3302MWD corded desk sets, single-line 3300MWD corded, and 3300TRM trimline phones. Dvise Telecom, Cetis authorized International Distributor, and their partner, Bright Star Communications (BSC), one of the leading system integrators in Saudi Arabia, completed the installation throughout the two hotels in April/May 2016. According to Yass...
Cendyn Celebrates 20th Anniversary with New Brand, Product Repositioning
Cendyn | January 19, 2017
Boca Raton, Fla. January 19, 2017 – Hospitality software company Cendyn marked its 20th anniversary with the introduction of a new brand and repositioning of its comprehensive suite of products. Founded in 1996, the cloud-based software and services provider has spent the past 20 years providing innovative sales and marketing technology solutions for the hospitality industry. "Our brand is not just a logo or positioning statement," said Tim Sullivan, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. "It's not what we say, but rather what we do to make our customers believe in us. Every interaction provides us with an opportunity to improve the c...
HeBS Digital Offers Hoteliers a Guarantee to Lower Distribution Costs by 20%
HeBS Digital | January 18, 2017
Summary: As part of a new promotion to help hoteliers improve profitability, HeBS Digital is offering a guarantee to lower distribution costs by 20%, with the purchase of a full-service website design and digital marketing package. NEW YORK, NY — January 18, 2017 — With supply predicted to outpace demand in many major markets, and as Airbnb continues to steal share from hotels (STR and CBRE), HeBS Digital wants to help hoteliers lower distribution costs, the only realistic option for improving the bottom line in 2017. HeBS Digital, the firm that helps hoteliers drastically increase direct bookings and lower overall distribut...
Arlo Hotels Adds UniFocus’ MEETINGScope to Maximize Event Planner Satisfaction
Arlo Hotels | January 18, 2017
DALLAS – Jan. 18, 2017 – Arlo Hotels has added UniFocus' survey system MEETINGScope to both of its New York City boutique properties – the Arlo Hudson Square and Arlo NoMad. Specifically designed for event feedback, MEETINGScope gathers historical information for proactive marketing. The solution enables users to better anticipate and manage meeting planners' needs based on past experiences, increasing intent to recommend and return. Arlo Hotels installed UniFocus' GUESTScope at both properties earlier in 2016 and the decision to implement MEETINGScope was based on that positive experience. "Although we have minimal sp...
Technologies That Will Have a Major Impact on Hotels in 2017 and Beyond
ALICE | January 18, 2017
Technologies that were big in 2016, and are only getting bigger. HOTEL STAFF TECHNOLOGY. Ops is the new black. Happy staff = happy guests, and 2016 was the year where staff technology and back of house operations finally got the attention and validation it deserves. Until last year, most attention was on guest technology, particularly on guest apps and on guest-facing innovation, like keyless entry and in-room controls. Companies like Marriott and IHG poured millions into their mobile guest applications, while their staff were left to fumble with clunky, poorly designed systems. Staff are the heart of hospitality. Without them, hotels a...
5 Photo Selection Lessons Hotels Can Apply to Boost Guest Engagement
Nate Lane | January 18, 2017
By Nate Lane At last year's Skift Global Forum in New York City, Andy Wang, the CEO of 500px, discussed how travel brands can dramatically improve customer engagement levels by using the right types of photos and visuals. By studying reactions to different images, Wang's team made a series of fascinating and surprising discoveries that revealed how different choices in style, composition, quality and perspective have the power to radically alter the way customers respond to brands. Based on some of those insights, here are 5 tips that hotels can apply to choose images that can help convert lookers into bookers. 1. Know your audience Jus...
Owned by M&T LLC, 126-Room Aloft Louisville East Opens in Kentucky
Aloft Hotels | January 17, 2017
BETHESDA, Md., January 17, 2017 – Marriott International, Inc.® (NASDAQ: MAR) today announced the opening of Aloft Louisville East, the brand's second Aloft in Louisville. Owned by M&T, LLC and developed by CRM Companies/PWM Real Estate Holdings, LLC., Aloft Louisville East features 126 spacious loft-style rooms, more than 3,500 square feet of flexible meeting space and live music performances at the hotel's signature W XYZ Bar and the outdoor Carloftis Courtyard. "We are pleased to grow our presence in Louisville with the opening of the city's second Aloft hotel, where travelers will enjoy urban-inspired design, tech-forw...
Personal Connection is Paramount for Booking.com’s 2016 Guest Review Awards
January 17, 2017
Apartments and other vacation rental properties lead the perfect-10 pack as 70% of travellers say they have the best time when they can make themselves at home* AMSTERDAM – 17 JANUARY 2017 – Today Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, is honouring its accommodation partners that consistently deliver great guest experiences with a 2016 Guest Review Award. Based on over 110 million reviews, this year 355,535 properties in 205 countries and territories are being recognised with Italy (53,005), the United States (24,761), France (23,003), Germany (18,221), Sp...
Corporate Governance in a Trump Presidency
Keith Kefgen | January 17, 2017
By: Keith Kefgen Like it or not, corporate governance is about to change in a big way. President-elect Donald Trump has already been talking tough about "dismantling" the Dodd-Frank Act. Many of the Dodd-Frank policies were put in place to curb banks from causing another financial crisis, but others like "Say on Pay" make little sense. While the U.S. Congress and Trump battle it out in 2017, there are a number of trends and actions in corporate governance that public boards should be thinking about in the New Year: Succession plan. One of the primary responsibilities of a board is to ensure that a thoughtful and comprehensive successi...
No More Spaghetti: Where Hotel Technology Must Go in 2017
January 17, 2017
By Margaret Ady A fly on the wall of a conversation about hotels and technology will almost invariably hear the word silos. How are technology silos holding us back, for instance? Data silos are a barrier in any organization, but this term doesn't adequately convey the true mess that the hospitality finds itself in. The problem is that silos suggest order. Some logical grouping of like things. But this is hardly what we have in hospitality anymore. Enter, Exhibit A! The Spaghetti Chart! The spaghetti chart illustrates the reality of the situation. The PMS continues to be at the core, but channel management, revenue management, rese...
Avison Young Acquires Atlanta-Based Hotel Assets Group, LLC
Avison Young | January 17, 2017
With purchase, commercial real estate firm launches new hospitality service line; 25 members join, Keith Thompson becomes Principal Toronto, ON – Mark E. Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young, the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm, announced today that it has acquired Atlanta-based hotel real estate brokerage company Hotel Assets Group, LLC (Hotel AG). With the purchase, Avison Young launches a new hospitality group that will operate nation-wide in the U.S. Effective immediately, Hotel AG is rebranded as Avison Young. Twenty-five new members, including 20 brokers, join the company. Keith Thompson, Brad Si...
StayNTouch Rover™ PMS Integrates with Vertical Booking to Enhance Booking and Channel Management Capabilities
StayNTouch | January 17, 2017
Bethesda, MD – JANURAY 17, 2016 – StayNTouch, an innovator in mobile technology and Property Management Systems (PMS) for hotels, is happy to announce a new integration between Rover™, its cloud-based property management system (PMS) and Vertical Booking, a global central reservation system for hotels. The Vertical Booking Suite, used in more than 80 countries, includes a Booking Engine, Synchro Channel Manager, a Metasearch Manager, a CRO (Central Reservation Office), GDS Connectivity and Representation, Marketing and Intelligence Tools, and Applications (iOs/Android). Vertical Booking reservations flow through to Sta...
ADA Defense Lawyer on Hotel Mixed Use: Tenants Not Liable for Common Areas
Marty Orlick | January 16, 2017
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com ADA Hospitality Defense and Compliance Lawyer: Hotel mixed-use projects have proliferated over the past decade or two — projects that combine a hotel with retail, residential, entertainment, office and other uses. In recent years, many of these projects combine hotel and shopping center elements. We are big fans of hotel mixed-use. Over the years, we have written about the numerous advantages that accrue to both hotels and shopping centers, when hotels are added to the right shopping or retail center. One study showed that the right ...
RIU Hotels & Resorts Chooses TrustYou to Manage and Analyze Feedback Globally Through One Guest Feedback Platform
TrustYou | January 16, 2017
Munich, 16 January 2016 - RIU Hotels & Resorts chose to rely on TrustYou, the world's largest guest feedback platform, to continue to analyze guest reviews from travelers all over the world. The RIU hotel group, headquartered in Spain, is one of the top 30 hotel chains in the world operating hotels in popular cities and holiday destinations in 19 countries. For more than 60 years RIU Hotels & Resorts has placed high value upon service, quality, and guest satisfaction, leading to numerous regularly awarded international certificates. Within TrustYou's easy-to-use feedback platform, RIU Hotels & Resorts can analyze and respond...
SHR, Developer of Windsurfer® CRS Announces New Senior Management Appointments to Address Aggressive Growth Objectives
SHR | January 16, 2017
Houston, Texas, January 16, 2017—SHR, the innovative developer of central reservation system (CRS) software for hotels, has announced the addition of two key leadership positions at the company's headquarters in Houston. Chief Operating Officer (COO) Adam Roark joins the SHR team from the audit, tax and advisory firm Grant Thornton LLP, where he served as senior manager. Prior to that, he was senior vice president of customer support for Cardtronics, the world's largest ATM owner/operator. A financial and operational leader with experience in high-tech and traditional businesses, Roark brings a history of building collaborativ...
Travel Tripper’s RezTrip Now Interfaces with GuestCentrix Property Management System
Travel Tripper | January 16, 2017
NEW YORK (Jan 17, 2017) — Travel Tripper, a leading provider of hotel reservation and digital marketing solutions, today announced the integration of GuestCentrix Property Management System (PMS) with Travel Tripper's RezTrip central reservation system (CRS). The integration of these two systems allows hotels to more seamlessly manage availability, rates, and inventory for RezTrip CRS through the GuestCentrix PMS interface. Reservation delivery from multiple electronic channels, GDS, web, mobile and OTAs are also available for those interfaced properties for the first time. With unique features such as TT Rate Match, geo-targeted ...
2017 Will Be The Year of the Hotel Guest
Valerie Castillo | January 13, 2017
Hotels will use personalization, engagement, and feedback to enhance the hotel guest experience in 2017 By Valerie Castillo Each year, we at TrustYou get out our Magic 8 Balls and fortune teller caps to see if we can predict the future of the hospitality industry. This year, we see a bright future for hotels and their guests. This prediction unveiled itself without any sort of magic, but rather by consulting with many of the major news publications, plus industry experts and sources. Read ahead to find out what key hospitality trends we expect for 2017. Personalization Capabilities Improve From booking details to traveler reviews, guest...
Will Facebook Recommendations Create a New Channel for Hotel Bookings?
Nancy Huang | January 13, 2017
By Nancy Huang Facebook has recently launched a new tool to help users discover new experiences, things to do, events, and services based on suggestions from their friends. After writing a post, Facebook now switches on a new "Recommendations" feature that lets others know they're looking for advice. Comments from friends appear in the original post and are also featured within a dynamic map. Each time friends mention a recognized place, the map then expands to include this extra information. If a recommended business has a Facebook Page, the tool automatically features their Page within the comments. Along with this tool, Facebook has...
Monarch Beach Resort Implements MEETINGScope to Gauge Planner Feedback
Monarch Beach Resort | January 13, 2017
DALLAS – Jan. 13, 2017 – The AAA Five-Diamond Monarch Beach Resort has chosen to implement UniFocus' Web-based MEETINGScope, the most advanced system available for gathering critical meeting planner feedback. The survey and analysis tool allows organizations to understand how planners perceive entire experiences, from the time they are contracted through the event's end, and identifies areas in which adjustments can be made to increase meeting and event planners' intent to return and recommend. This is the second UniFocus solution to be installed at Monarch Beach Resort, and the ninth UniFocus solution for the resort's manag...
Now Available for Download: HeBStrategy Q1 2017 Hotel Marketing, Technology, and Trends Whitepaper
HeBS Digital | January 12, 2017
As part of its position as a hospitality industry thought leader, HeBS Digital is pleased to announce the release of the first in a series of HeBStrategy whitepapers for 2017. The HeBStrategy Q1 edition highlights key developments in the hospitality, travel, and digital marketing spaces, their impact on hoteliers and hotel management, and their influence on trends into 2017. Download the HeBStrategy Q1 2017 whitepaper to learn about: What's Happening in 2017? Stay updated on developments that impacted hoteliers in Q4 2016 including changes in TripAdvisor search, Airbnb's continued growth, and new products from Google. Find out how the...
The Hotelier’s Wake-Up Call
StayNTouch | January 12, 2017
A Hotelier's Guide to Mobile and Cloud-based Technologies By Jos Schapp Introduction No, I'm not talking about actual hotel wake up calls or polices or guidelines on automatic or manual wake-up calls. If you thought that's what you were going to find out here, then you have definitely hit on a wrong link. Besides, most travelers nowadays have smartphones with built-in alarm clocks to get them up in the morning, so traditional wake-up calls are something that are becoming a little bit redundant, if not going completely by the wayside. But speaking of smartphones, or mobile phones to be more exact, that is precisely what I am talk...
Maestro PMS Acquires Strategic Software Assets of Navicom Inc. to Strengthen Integrated Guest Engagement Offerings
Maestro | January 11, 2017
On-Property GEM Communication Tools Personalize Guest Relationship; In-House Service Requests Drive Guest Interaction January 11, 2017 – Maestro PMS, a leading provider of enterprise hotel management software for independent hotels, resorts and multi-property groups, announced it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the guest feedback software and service assets of Navicom Inc. Navicom's widely installed online Guest Experience Measurement (GEM) system captures guest feedback and is a key tool for improving both operational and reputation management strategies. The system helps hotels learn more about their guests' on-s...
HSMAI to Honor HeBS Digital with Nine HSMAI Adrian Awards, Including Two Gold
HeBS Digital | January 11, 2017
New York, NY (January 11, 2017) – The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has recognized HeBS Digital for excellence in digital technology, innovation and marketing with nine Adrian Awards for 2016. Now in its 60th year, the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Awards is the largest and most prestigious global travel marketing competition. The firm that has helped hoteliers drastically increase direct bookings and lower overall distribution costs has received the following HSMAI Adrian Awards in the Digital Marketing category: Gold Awards: Tsogo Sun Website Desi...
