Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007 - (Page 24)

24 Technology H&MM November 19, 2007 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition PROPERTY-MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS BY JASON Q. FREED, ASSOCIATE EDITOR PMS software provides one-click solutions In the one-stop shopping world, integration has become the main focus for property-management system vendors. Software developers hope to give users the tools to access each department within a hotel from a single machine. “We see a real move toward continued integration of what operations a hotel needs,” said Warren Dehan, president of NorthwindMaestro PMS, North American operations. Dehan sees a future where a front-desk clerk will be able to, with a series of single clicks, book a guest’s room, make dinner reservations and set up extracurricular activities, such as spa treatments and tee times. “It’s critical that components are tied together because there’s so much crossover,” he said. “Members of a golf club, they want to use spa facilities and so on. We’re talking about getting a 360-degree view of guests.” Looking past the property itself, NorthwindMaestro now is focusing its efforts on taking that integration to wireless devices and the Internet, hoping that guests soon will be able to book a room and all other events through the hotel’s site without leaving home. Northwind-Maestro then provides the link from the Internet to the hotel by checking availability and rates, processing all NORTHWIND-MAESTRO PMS, EMS tech TALK software in sync John Tavares spends most of his time at the ofﬁce researching propertymanagement systems. But instead of how to improve them, the v.p. of marketing at Inncom International studies how his company’s guestroom software can interface with them. “We can interface with just about anyone,” Tavares said. Tavares is excited about the future of energyTavares management INNCOM systems, how they communicate with PMS and how that link will provide the ultimate guest experience. “When a guest checks in, the property-management system communicates with a server, reporting that room has now been checked in,” he said. “It then communicates with the thermostat to begin warming and cooling the room. It’s instantaneous, and that translates to additional savings (for the hotel).” Tavares said Inncom provides wireless connection from the thermostat to the door locks, so front-desk clerks can activate door keys, and also room lighting, from a remote location so a “welcoming scene” can be obtained automatically when a guest checks in. Amadeus has signed up more than 130 major hotel brands for its Best Available Rate program, which is designed to guarantee that hotel rates in the program are as good as, or better than, hotel rates in other distribution systems or on the hotel’s own Web site. RezOvation launched its mobile booking engine, which works on any Webenabled phone or PDA. Now RezOvation customers can check real-time pricing and availability and make reservations directly into their RezOvation property management system wherever there is cellular phone reception. EthoStream, LLC, was named by the Cambria Suites brand as its exclusive broadband Internet access provider. EthoStream will provide all hotel guestrooms with wired and wireless Internet access, wireless access in public areas, as well as customer support, system management and monitoring. the reservations and providing conﬁrmation to guests. “Guests can already make reservations on their BlackBerry,” Dehan said. “We’ve extended it to where guests can now make dinner reservations. We are currently looking at a spa piece and that will be available in beta by the end of this year.” Tim Tiller, president of Multi-Systems, said he is geared up for that integration—but only if the hotel wants it. “Our customer base drives our business,” Tiller said. “I think they’re looking for more tightly knit integration. I want a guest to use a room key and use that same key to get drinks from the pool bar. Hopefully, my PDA is going to allow me to open my room door. I think that’s much more immediate—that on-site integration.” Software focuses on networking properties At Multi-Systems, president Tim Tiller is taking a look at the bigger picture. Still concentrating on integration, Tiller is focusing his efforts on linking property-management systems companywide. He sees a future where several PMS Galler companies work together to provide MULTI-SYSTEMS the hotelier, and ultimately the guest, with the best experience. “If I’m a management company of hotels and I’m managing multiple brands using multiple PMS, it’s difﬁcult to have one view of the entire operation,” Tiller said. “We need to give the tools to the large brands so they can have relationship with other PMS companies.” MSI has developed The Helm, which is data-management software deployed on PMS that centralizes several critical tools, such as billing, guest proﬁles and data reporting. “What The Helm does is it lets you manage multiple properties,” said Teresa Galler, v.p. of corporate Inncom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 communications for MSI. InnSource Solutions . . . . . . . 378 “It can be regionalized and Micros Systems . . . . . . . . . . 379 information from across the Multi-Systems . . . . . . . . . . . 380 board can be analyzed. It gives Northwind-Maestro. . . . . . . . 381 the management company an VisualOne Systems . . . . . . . . 382 enormous weight tool.” Integration has been completed between Hotel Concepts’ IDPMS solution and Expedia QuickConnect, a reservation system interface that allows hotel partners to efﬁciently link property-management and central reservation systems to Expedia. GenaRes Worldwide Reservation Services Ltd. has signed more than 2,000 hotels to contracts in less than two years. To facilitate its growth, the company launched a customerfocused “Revenue Architect” model, which creates a customized solution targeted to a hotel’s needs, based on a series of in-depth meetings with the property. Compiled by Jason Q. Freed, jfreed@questex.com The future of PMS: Tying together different aspects of the guest experience Book a room Schedule spa treatments Book tee times Make dinner reservations Track guest proﬁles companywide Sources: Warren Dehan, president of Northwind—Maestro PMS for North America and Tim Tiller, president of Multi-Systems For more info Company Circle No. Agilysys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Aptech Computer Systems . . 375 Extended Stay Network. . . . . 376 http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007

Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007 Contents Torrid Hotel Sales Pace Persists Boykin Takes Steps to Regain Foothold Best Western Sets 10-year Plan Perspective At Your Risk HotelWorld Update Sales Clinic Events Trends & Stats Charting H&MM's Top Lodging Design Firms Fitness Equipment Supplier News PMS Software Provides One-Click Solutions High-Quality Linens Require Higher-Quality Cleaning Despite Slow Market, Condo Hotels Thrive Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - November 19, 2007

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