Hotel & Motel Management - June 16, 2008 - (Page 28) 28 Technology H&MM June 16, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition PROPERTY-MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS BY JASON Q. FREED, SENIOR EDITOR Although property-management systems have been communicating with other software at the property level for quite some time, the technology has improved greatly in recent years. Today, two-way communication between a PMS and third-party reservation software can provide great benefits to hoteliers. Synching your PMS to your hotel’s internal “In general terms, two-way communication with outside reservation Web-booking agent helps track inventory. services has been around for some time,” said Warren Dehan, president of U.S. operations for Northwind-Maestro. “Certainly, with the advent of the Internet and its presence, it has changed the world. The technology is completely different now.” The communication between a third-party Web booking agent such as Expedia or Orbitz, a travel agent, a brand’s internal reservation system and the property needs to be seamless, said Erik Weller, director of global sales for Hotel Concepts. “It is the most extreme way of doing distribution,” he said. “You could decide rates based on requests and yield on those requests.” Karen O’Neill, v.p. of major account hotels for Micros, said two-way property-management communication allows the hotelier to have far more “touch points,” as well as the potential to increase rates based on availability. “It enables a hotelier to put their inventory and a set number of rooms on the Web,” she Micros Systems’ Opera is a Web-enabled suite of products for the hospitality industry. said. NORTHWIND-MAESTRO MICROS SYSTEMS communicate No failure to tech TALK Resource Technology has partnered with Island Hospitality and Driftwood Hospitality to provide full brand-compliant project management for acquisition, installation and high-definition content procurement for flatscreen televisions. RTM’s scope of services includes purchasing assistance to brand standards, arranging for shipment, security, installation, programming and assistance with the HD content providers’ contracts. The recently opened Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, is the first hotel in Halifax to use radio frequency identification hotel locks. Located near the Halifax International Airport, the hotel has 119 guestroom locks, a business center lock and common area locks (equipped with panic bars) for the pool and corridor exits. The property uses ILCO’s stand-alone Next Generation front-desk unit to accelerate the check-in process. Hughes Network Systems, the global leader in broadband satellite network solutions and services, announced it has reached an agreement with Wayport to provide Wi-Fi services to its HughesNet subscribers at more than 10,000 locations in the United States, including selected premium hotels, participating McDonald’s restaurants and Hertz airport locations. Acentic, a supplier of digital interactive television systems for the hotel industry, announced that Dorint Hotels & Resorts is bringing its guests a new inroom experience with the installation of Acentic’s Vision Series. Compiled by Jason Q. Freed, jfreed@questex.com. Benefits to hoteliers Inventory to boost revenue When your propertymanagement system is synched to your hotel’s internal Web-booking agent instead of a third-party engine, you can inventory just about anything at the property. This allows guests to plan their itinerary over the Internet before they arrive. Some examples: Arrange tee times Book spa treatments Reserve bike rentals Add a goldfish companion for solo travelers Order champagne Reserve a crib for babies Sources: Karen O’Neill, v.p., major account hotels, Micros; Erik Weller, director of global sales for Hotel Concepts Two-way communication can be a great benefit to hoteliers. If operated properly, communicating with a travel agent or a third-party Web-booking agent over the Internet allows for instant changes to inventory, among other things: Last-room availability: With two-way communication, all parties involved are able to determine when there is only one room left at the property. No risk for error: When a guest is entering his or her own information into a third-party Webbooking site, there is no chance of a front-desk clerk misspelling names or entering incorrect information. Guest profiles: Third-party sites can allow guests to sign up for loyalty programs and help companies track guests and offer special rates. Guest profiling also can help hoteliers offer additional services, such as spa packages, to guests who have used them on a previous stay. Control rates: Hoteliers can configure rate programs for certain periods of time. Source: Warren Dehan, president of U.S. operations for NorthwindMaestro; Karen O’Neill, v.p. of major account hotels for Micros; Erik Weller, director of global sales for Hotel Concepts For more info Company Circle No. Acxiom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 Agilysys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Aptech Computer Systems . . 289 Inncom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Micros Systems . . . . . . . . . . 291 Northwind-Maestro. . . . . . . . 292 Multi-Systems . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Softbrands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 Quotable “ It is very important to run on secure sockets. Similar to online banking, you want to protect people’s data, such as credit card information and what dates they’re not going to be home.” WARREN DEHAN, president, U.S. operations, Northwind-Maestro http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition
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