Percipia Collaborates With Amazon’s Alexa Smart Properties Hospitality to Launch VIVA+
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Technology
R.I.P. Startups: Why 90% of Travel Technology Startups Fail
Alan E. Young | August 5, 2016
By Alan E. Young One of the hardest truths for entrepreneurs to accept is that as many as nine out of ten startups will fail. In an ecosystem full of enthusiasm and optimism, this harsh reality can be difficult to swallow. However, the fact remains that only a small percentage of travel technology startups actually manage to become viable businesses in the long-term. My biggest frustration is companies that are 'walking zombies'. They do not know they are dead and cling on long after they should have called it quits. At the same time, companies can greatly increase their chances for success by focusing their attention on the things that...
Are You Taking Full Advantage of Your Guest Room Speed Dials?
Cetis | August 5, 2016
Taking full advantage of your guest room speed dials can not only increase guest satisfaction, but also contribute to hotel revenue. Travelers these days are looking for an "experience", not just a place to stay. Many guests still prefer the simplicity of one touch speed dials quickly connecting them to hotel and emergency services if needed. This could be the difference in them using the hotel Spa versus the other 10 spas right down the street. Even hotels that do not provide premium services have been able to generate recurring revenues by leasing speed dial keys to local companies. Are you taking full advantage of your gues...
What if Airbnb Built a Hotel?
ALICE | August 4, 2016
What if Airbnb built a hotel? Ian Schrager said on stage at this year's BLLA conference that, in some ways, Airbnb is the boutique hotel of one. So, what if Airbnb became the boutique hotel of many? If Airbnb builds a hotel they will leverage their platform to provide accommodations and services more uniquely tailored to guests and with much greater cost efficiency. What might that look like…? 100% Direct Booking... In the case of most hotels there is no significant advantage for the traveler to book direct, rather than through an OTA, and hotels have lost customer loyalty and revenue as a result. However, just as Airbnb now fac...
Summit Hotel Properties Reports Second Quarter 2016 Net Income of $17.7 million Compared to $12.1 million in the Year Ago Quarter
Summit Hotel Properties | August 3, 2016
Net Income increases to $17.7 million; Pro Forma RevPAR increases 6.4 percent; Adjusted FFO per share increases 22.5 percent to $0.42 per share AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 2, 2016-- Summit Hotel Properties, Inc. (NYSE: INN) (the "Company"), today announced results for the second quarter 2016. "We are thrilled with the strong results our diversified portfolio of premium select-service hotels delivered in the second quarter. Our second quarter pro forma RevPAR growth of 6.4 percent, paired with an exceptional 156 basis points of margin expansion, once again exceeded the Smith Travel Research Upscale RevPAR growth rate of 3.1 percen...
Internationally Operating Tune Hotels Count on TrustYou to Manage Guest Feedback and Increase Bookings
TrustYou | August 3, 2016
Munich, 3 August 2016 - Tune Hotels' approach to high lodging quality at an affordable price is an extreme success across the globe, operating 23 hotels in Malaysia, United Kingdom, Indonesia and India. With a complex and diverse portfolio, the hotel group recognizes the need to have a centralized approach to manage guest feedback. TrustYou, the world's largest guest feedback platform, is the chosen solution of Tune Hotels to meet its strategic needs. TrustYou's simple dashboard enables Tune Hotels to collect unlimited surveys, analyze its entire online review ecosystem, and make positive improvements on how over five billion travelers ...
StayNTouch Partners with The Dewberry
StayNTouch | August 3, 2016
The Dewberry Transforms the Guest Experience with the help of the StayNTouch Mobile PMS Bethesda, MD – August 3, 2016 . . . StayNTouch, an innovator in mobile technology and Property Management Systems (PMS) for hotels, is pleased to announce it's partnership with The Dewberry, a 155-room hotel on Charleston, where it has deployed its Rover PMS™, Rover Housekeeping™ and Zest™ products. To provide guests the choice in check-in and check-out methods, The Dewberry has Rover PMS™ running on Windows Surface devices at the front desk and on staff tablets throughout the hotel. The housekeeping staff employ the Ro...
Your Guests Use Netflix, Amazon and Uber. What Does This Mean for Your Hotel?
ALICE | August 3, 2016
From Amazon in retail, to Uber in transportation and Airbnb in hospitality, a variety of businesses across multiple industries are embracing platform strategies. For the hotel industry, this new model offers both a competitive threat and an opportunity. By using technology to deliver services in more convenient, faster and more transparent ways, these companies are building massive businesses and threatening incumbents. But the truth is that this model offers plenty of lessons for traditional hotels. How can hotels harness the power of platforms to seamlessly unify their operation and realize huge gains in revenue, efficiency, and guest...
Groupize Ebook Explores Strategies to Help Corporations Reign in Their Small Meetings Spend
Groupize | August 2, 2016
Travel Managers in Fortune 1000 companies, Small to Medium businesses and Higher Education continue to report on the frustrations of managing small meetings and multi-room bookings, frequently calling this category of travel the "Wild West". BOSTON, MA (August 2, 2016) - Groupize has just announced the release of a new ebook titled "Small Meetings are the Wild West" which examines the opportunities for corporate travel departments to use technology and best practices to reign in their rogue bookings and small meetings spend. As much as tools have evolved to streamline various parts of managed travel, small meetings are still fragmented...
Lessons Learned From Building a Chatbot
Margaret Ady | August 2, 2016
By Margaret Ady Build a chatbot in a day? Challenge accepted. Since April, when Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of Facebook Messenger's platform, which allows anyone to build custom bots in Messenger, the tech industry has lost its collective mind over bots. As of July 1, there were already 11,000 bots on Facebook Messenger, and a whopping 23,000 developers signed up for its bot engine. Not to mention thousands and thousands of articles covering the bot revolution and how bots will be the death of mobile apps, how they represent the future of customer service, and so on. To better understand the hype, I decided to build one. And ju...
Virginia Beach CVB Selects Regatta Travel Solutions to Power Booking Engine on VisitVirginiaBeach.com
Regatta Travel Solutions LLC | August 2, 2016
Charlottesville, Virginia (August 2, 2016) – Regatta Travel Solutions announced today that the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau has selected Regatta Travel Solutions to power the booking engine on their official destination website, VisitVirginiaBeach.com. Regatta allows visitors to the destination website to book hotels, attractions and packages on the destination's official website. "We are already impressed with the amount of personal involvement on behalf of the Regatta team," said Kelli Norman, Director of Tourism Marketing and Sales for the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We finally have a so...
5 Key Points to Consider When Shopping For a Hotel Management Company
Joe Zarrahy | July 29, 2016
By Joe Zarrahy, HMG Choosing the right hotel management company is imperative to the success of your hotel. Here's what to consider. Whether you have a hotel already, are in the process of acquiring one or have plans to build one in the near future, you're going to want to do everything within your power to maximize your investment, right? Of course, and there are numerous methods and strategies to do so, but there is one key step that must be taken first – hire a hotel management company. Where to Begin When Seeking a Hotel Management Company But, where to begin? There are many companies to choose from, begging the question &ndas...
South Africa’s Hotel and Tourism Sector Set for Steady Growth as Visitor Numbers Continue to Grow
PwC | July 28, 2016
The new visa regulations had a sharp impact on the South African tourism industry JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, July 28, 2016 -- South Africa's hotel industry is set for steady growth in the next five years driven by an increase in the number of foreign visitors into the African continent. Pietro Calicchio, Industry leader of Hospitality & Gambling, PwC Southern Africa (www.PwC.com), says: "Although the South African economy has weakened considerably, the overall outlook for hotels in South Africa is expected to remain positive." According to PwC's 6th edition Hotels Outlook 2016 – 2020, revenue from hotel room accommodation in ...
Pan Pacific Hotel Seattle Bringing Mobile Power to Guests Outside of Guestrooms with Kube Systems
Kube Systems | July 28, 2016
The Kube 5 Portable mobile device charging system is in constant use at this Forbes four-star luxury boutique hotel in the restaurant and bar, lobby, outdoor patio and meeting space [Jericho, NY—July 28, 2016] — There is nothing more frustrating than being confined to a hotel room or tethered to a wall outlet simply to power a mobile device, especially when family, friends or business associates are out enjoying the property without you. At the Pan Pacific Hotel Seattle, mobile device charging is always within reach thanks to the Kube 5 portable charging system from Kube Systems. If a guest needs to power up, hotel staff wil...
Duetto Brings its Revenue Strategy Solutions to Dream Hotel Group
Duetto | July 28, 2016
Ten Luxury Hotels in Unique Destinations Benefit from Open Pricing to Drive Better Pricing Decisions New York, July 28, 2016 – Duetto, the market leader in hotel profit optimization technology, announced an agreement to implement its Revenue Strategy solutions for Dream Hotel Group, bringing new insights on pricing and demand to the company's Dream, Time, and Unscripted hotels totaling close to 2,000 rooms in urban and resort destinations in New York, California, Florida and Phuket, Thailand. The agreement further accelerates rapid adoption of GameChanger, Duetto's cloud-based predictive analytics platform, which provides hotels ...
Agilysys Announces General Availability of Groundbreaking rGuest® Buy Self-Service Kiosk Solution
Agilysys | July 28, 2016
Next-Generation POS Kiosk Extends Agilysys' Leadership in Cloud-Based POS Solutions ALPHARETTA, GA. — July 28, 2016 — Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation hospitality software solutions and services, today announced the general availability of rGuest® Buy, the company's groundbreaking self-service kiosk solution that extends point-of-sale reach, improves guest service and reduces staff demand. The solution is part of Agilysys' continuing dramatic market penetration in food and beverage venues that sell pre-packaged and barcoded food items, a large and growing hospitality segment. rG...
Concord Hospitality Positions for Future Growth
Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company | July 28, 2016
Data-Focused Strategy and Centralized Budgets Deliver Accurate Daily Performance Forecasts to Optimize Profitability for Concord's 90+ Chain and Independent Properties July 28, 2016 – Concord Hospitality increases its portfolio size yearly providing excellent service and profitable results to ownerships. The company operates a portfolio of more than 90 properties that include Marriott, Starwood, Hyatt, Choice, IHG, and Hilton brands. In 2015 Concord implemented a new data analysis, budgeting and hotel forecasting system to support its continued growth strategy. Concord's Chief Information Officer Brian Cornell said, "Accurate fore...
Kimpton Hotels Launches Investigation into Possible Credit Card Breach
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants | July 27, 2016
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants takes the protection of payment card data very seriously. Kimpton was recently made aware of a report of unauthorized charges occurring on cards that were previously used legitimately at Kimpton properties. As soon as we learned of this, we immediately launched an investigation and engaged a leading security firm to provide us with support. We are committed to swiftly resolving this matter. In the meantime, and in line with best practice, we recommend that individuals closely monitor their payment card account statements. If there are unauthorized charges, individuals should immediately notify their bank...
HotelTap Keeping Staff, Guests Apprised of Local Events at Hawthorn Suites Livermore
HotelTap | July 27, 2016
Digital logbook is enabling hotel staff to answer guests' questions about any and all regional and local happenings to make the most out each guest's stay in the Livermore Wine Country [Alameda, Calif. — July 27, 2016] — From world-class wineries and championship golf courses to relaxing spas and outlet shopping, Livermore, Calif., is a fabulous destination for adventure and relaxation in the East Bay. When guests staying at the Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Livermore Wine Country want to know what wine tasting tours are available in the scenic valley, where to find the best craft beers on the Tri-Valley Beer Trail, and which s...
Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort Selects Agilysys Solution Suite to Strengthen Operations Across Entire Property
Agilysys | July 27, 2016
New Agreement Expands Agilysys' Leadership Position in Tribal Gaming Market ALPHARETTA, GA. — July 27, 2016 — Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation hospitality software solutions and services, today announced that Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort in Jackson, Calif., has selected a comprehensive Agilysys solution suite — including Visual One® PMS, Insight™ Mobile Manager and rGuest® Pay — to streamline efficiency and enhance guest service. The agreement furthers Agilysys' leadership position in the tribal gaming market for delivering a wide range of hospitality so...
UniFocus Marks Strong Growth Quarter as Managers Increasingly Turn to Staff and Customer Survey Solutions to Drive ROI
UniFocus | July 26, 2016
DALLAS – July 26, 2016 – UniFocus marked an exceptionally strong growth quarter for its Survey Solutions with eight new clients in June 2016 alone, expanding into new industries and growing its international reach. In addition, two existing clients augmented their relationships with the Dallas-based company, which provides the service industry's most comprehensive workforce management systems and tools. Of special note, UniFocus' employee engagement tool, STAFFScope, reached beyond its service industry client base to sign Lehigh Hanson, one of North America's largest construction materials companies. "Our strong quarter of g...
Regatta Travel Solutions Chosen to Power Cooperstown NY Official Booking Engine
Regatta Travel Solutions LLC | July 26, 2016
Charlottesville, Virginia (July 26, 2016) – Regatta Travel Solutions has announced that it has been chosen to power the booking engine on Cooperstown's official Chamber of Commerce website, cooperstownchamber.org. This collaboration will allow visitors to more easily access properties that may not be represented on other major booking sites, such as bed and breakfasts and campgrounds. As the volume of online accommodation bookings continues to increase, it is imperative for these smaller properties in Cooperstown to have as much of an online presence as possible. Matthew Hazzard, Executive director of Cooperstown Chamber of Commer...
Park Plaza Arena Pula Modernizes Guest Service with Implementation of ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access
ASSA ABLOY Hospitality | July 26, 2016
Newly renovated Croatian property maximizes convenience by providing guests with option to skip front desk check-in using digital key technology. Stockholm– July 26, 2016 – The Park Plaza Arena Pula, an Arenaturist-owned hotel situated within Croatia's Istrian Peninsula, has enhanced its security and guest convenience by upgrading existing VingCard Signature RFID and Classic RFID guestroom door locks with ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access, a state-of-the-art innovation that allows guests to skip front desk lines and use their own smart devices as a digital key. With the ability to offer full compatibility with previously...
Unique Vacations, Inc., Worldwide Representative of Sandals Resorts, Partners with Duetto for its Revenue Strategy Solutions
Duetto | July 26, 2016
19 All-Inclusive Resorts with more than 5,200 Rooms throughout the Caribbean to Benefit from Duetto's Advanced Analytics New York, July 26, 2016 – Duetto, the market leader in hotel profit optimization technology, announced an agreement to implement its Revenue Strategy solutions at Unique Vacations Inc. (UVI), an affiliate of the worldwide representative for Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, bringing new insights on pricing and demand to its the award-winning resorts throughout the Caribbean. The agreement further accelerates rapid adoption of Duetto's GameChanger, a cloud-based predictive analy...
“Specific Curiosity” – The Trick for Building Innovation Bench-Strength for Organizations
Georgianne Fsadni | July 25, 2016
By Georgianne Fsadni A New Reality for Businesses There has been much discussion lately about disruptors – present and future – to the hospitality industry and what this means for leaders and strategic planning. What measures should an organization take to position itself to compete in this "continuously disruptive" environment? A quick answer that comes to many is "better use of technology" – to digitally transform the business. However this begs a more fundamental question – does your organization have the appropriate talent to drive this transformation? Today's definition of "talent" must expand beyond salient...
