Hotel & Motel Management - November 3, 2008 - (Page 42)

42 Technology POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS H&MM November 3, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition BY JASON Q. FREED, SENIOR EDITOR Efﬁcient in-room dining operations In-room dining orders, or room service, are handled similarly to tableside service in a hotel’s restaurant, with minor differences. Although some vendors have rolled out self-service options where guests can order from the television or HTML-enabled phone, it still remains simple for a guest to pick up the phone and press a button as well. “We’re seeing a lot of people asking about self-service ordering,” said Nick Low, product manager at Micros Systems. “But there are not a lot of people using it in the hotel space. We are seeing growth in the stadium and arena market, and in a casino, where the lines would be getting longer.” Instead, most point-of-sale vendors are sticking to their traditional terminals behind the scenes in the restaurant. When a guest dials room service, depending on the size of the property, the call is routed to either a restaurant staff member located near a POS terminal or a call center. Many larger properties have call centers where staff members will take room service orders and punch them into a traditional POS terminal. “Some customers have dedicated call centers with several people taking calls, or it could just be a server who happens to be near the phone,” Low said. From there, the order is sent to the kitchen, prepared, taken to the guest and paid for. In between, there only are minor differences that help streamline operations. For orders guests want added to their room bill and paid for upon checkout, a hotel’s property-management system is notiﬁed. “The property’s POS service will tell the PMS from where the order was taken,” said Erik Weller, COO for Hotel Concepts. “An MICROS tech TALK Shilo Inns has partnered with GenaRes Worldwide Reservation Services, a global reservations company. By using GenaRes technology, Shilo Inns will be linked to all major Internet travel sites and will help increase exposure for the independently owned, Portland-based hotel chain. AmericInn recently updated its website to be mobile-friendly, so consumers can now ﬁnd AmericInn locations and reserve guestrooms while on the move. To view AmericInn’s new mobile site from your handheld device, log on to www.americinn.com. CityCenter, opening in late 2009 in Las Vegas, will debut advanced guestroom technology at ARIA Resort & Casino, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas and The Harmon Hotel, Spa & Residences. CityCenter has collaborated with Control4 Corp. to develop personalized automation through the television for every guestroom. An autoﬁre button is built into both the Micros 9700 HMS and Micros Simphony products. identiﬁcation tag will go along with the order so you can tell it was taken from room service. It can even be tagged breakfast, lunch, dinner or any other meal period.” Low said Micros added a button to its POS software that allows the order-taker to delay when the order is sent to the kitchen. This is applicable when guests are ordering for a later time. “We have a different button for in-room dining that we call auto-ﬁre,” he said. “It prompts you for a deliver date and time. The system knows that for a 7 a.m. delivery, you need to ﬁre at 6:45.” Weller said another kink in the in-room dining system is the payment process. If guests are unwilling to have their order added to their folio, it could be problematic. “Many room service waiters are not allowed to take cash,” he said. “They prefer a signature, which means they only have to go up to the room once.” Similarly, if a guest wants to pay with a credit card, the wait staff has to go to the POS terminal to swipe the card and then return to the room for a signature. Are self-service technologies a good ﬁt for the hotel business? As vendors roll out push-button technologies that make hotel operations easier and give the guest more control, some argue the core of hospitality is lost. Omni Hotels is piloting the Orion system from GBCblue, and Roomlinx is installing TVbased service operations in an increasing number of hotels. Both allow guests to order room service by logging onto a laptop or ﬂipping on the television. “The ﬁrst time I saw it was nearly 10 years ago,” said Erik Weller, COO for Hotel Concepts. But Weller said he doesn’t see self service as a trend in the hotel industry. “I don’t know how much guests trust those systems if you don’t talk to a person,” he said. NCR has introduced a kiosk system for the hospitality industry that is designated strictly for food operations. Clyde Dishman, director of hospitality industry marketing for NCR, said it could be used at any quick-service operation. “Generally, people today are looking for options,” Dishman said. “They want it quicker, faster and they want to control their own destiny.” For more info Company Circle No. Adaco Services. . . . . . . . . . . 286 Empire POS Systems . . . . . . 287 Lucas Systems . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Micros Systems . . . . . . . . . . 289 Multi-Systems . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Hotel Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . 291 NCR Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Panasonic POS Division . . . . 293 The New York Palace Hotel installated a 100-megabytesper-second Internet connection, upgrading from the former 1.5Mbps connection. Meeting planners working with The Palace now have the option of providing unobstructed individual Internet, video and presentation access to as many as 400 attendees. Desires Hotels, a collection of independently created boutique hotels, has launched a new website. Desireshotels.com offers the ability to book reservations, access podcasts outlining current events, music playlists, virtual tours and special offers and packages. Compiled by Jason Q. Freed, jfreed@questex.com Quotable NCR CORP. NCR’s EasyPoint Xpress system was designed strictly for food operations in the hospitality industry. “ Many room-service waiters are not allowed to take cash, so normally they come with a bill. But what if you insist on paying with cash? Should he take the money? ERIK WELLER, COO of Hotel Concepts http://www.HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.americinn.com http://www.Desireshotels.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - November 3, 2008

Hotel & Motel Management - November 3, 2008 Contents The Rate Debate Accor Defines Motel 6 Prototype Rollout Holiday Inn Eyes Upscale, Timeshare Perspective Economy Sets Tone at The Lodging Conference Mellow Vibe Meets Bold Design at HD Boutique Expo IH/M&RS to Focus on Going Green Legally Speaking Sales Clinic On Finance Travel Trends Cornell Insights Franchise Law HotelWorld Update Trends & Stats Energy Star Update Energy Star Update An Industry Connected People on The Move Annual GM Survey Point-of-Sale Systems IH/M&RS Product Preview Outdoor Lighting Refrigeration Marketplace Ad/Editorial Index Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - November 3, 2008

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