Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 56
The latest tech tools
minds in the industry, and collectively they can help you
solve any problem at hand.
Technology will save our industry, even if it's carried out one
hotel at a time. Coming off my tradeshow euphoria, I'd like to
offer you an overview of not only what I saw at HITEC but also
a practical guide on how to assess each piece of technology
and give you a basic understanding of the offerings.
IT ALL STARTS WITH YOUR PMS
Think of your PMS (property management system) as the
hub of your property's technology tool belt. While at HITEC,
I spoke with senior officers at Agilysys, Oracle, Infor, Amadeus,
Maestro and Springer-Miller, easily representing most of the
North American hotel installed base. Brilliantly conceived
and expertly managed, all of these systems not only provide
a foundation for the management of your rooms' inventory,
but offer tremendous interconnectivity with other property
operational systems.
The foremost duty of a PMS is to integrate and streamline all revenue streams,
not necessarily to manage them. A modern PMS helps hotels automate complex
data sources, forecast all revenue types by
market segment and predict future interactions so you can make better decisions. And
ultimately, these systems are now designed
to help the senior executive team make the
best possible choices for the rest of their
businesses.
The sad fact, though, is that most property operators have barely tapped the surface of what their own systems are capable
of. For example, PMS data automation can
now anticipate customers exploiting the
cancel-rebook loophole in search of lower
price tags. Additionally, payroll management subroutines can
highlight fruitful streams that are in fact underperforming
when staff costs are recognized.
By most estimates, the average PMS has under 10 percent
total utilization, and there is a vast swath of features that
managers would benefit from learning more about. Many of the
modules designed to optimize various aspects of your operations are either already incorporated within the system you
currently own or are in the development pipeline. So, before
you whimsically surmise that you need a new system, talk
it over with your PMS rep to discover how they can help you
fully utilize the software. Moreover, shopping for a new PMS
is not something you want to undertake lightly, as conversion
can be an excruciating, labor-intensive affair. It's a nightmare,
really, and there's also a chance of lost guest profile data.
Linking to your PMS are a number of revenue, forecasting
and channel management tools, all helping augment each
department's profitability. This is a rapidly growing field
with many entrants, which makes it hard to pick a clear
best of show. Functionality sets differ, so your choice will be
based upon your property type and business style. Among
the ones that should be on your review list are Rainmaker,
Duetto, TravelClick360 and Siteminder.
FROM THE PMS TO YOUR GUEST
Whereas the PMS is your inventory backbone, what matters
to your guest is your website and that all-critical booking
interface. Your customer doesn't see the PMS and will never
interact with it directly. Instead of looking at tables and reams
of data, they want simplicity, imagery and fluidity in how
they are guided through the electronic experience.
Technology in this regard has seen tremendous improvements, as the UX (user experience) has
been at the forefront of all B2C software
design. Given how tech savvy the average traveler is nowadays, if your website
doesn't wow a potential guest with powerful visuals, fast page-load speed, a pleasing
layout and interactivity, he or she will go
somewhere. Most importantly, you have
to think mobile, as this mode has crossed
the 50 percent threshold of bookings and
an even higher proportion of travel-related
searches.
If your property is branded, with a web
presence limited to a corporate site, spend
a few minutes to review your pages from
both an iPhone and Android as this replicates what your prospective guests will
first encounter. Make any necessary alterations to the web text and photos - which will be in your
control and not bogarted by your corporate overlords - to
effectively communicate your value proposition as best you
can. Think keywords; think telling a succinct story; think
giving customers the most pertinent information as quickly
as possible.
For independents as well as properties where the brand
authorizes vanity sites, there is a plethora of terrific tools
available to enhance your presence. For starters, do a competitive analysis to see how your website stacks up with the
competitive from a UX point of view. Does your website fit a
modern design with seamless animation, striking photography and everything accessible from the homepage? In more
ways than one, websites are like cars; an old clunker can still
get you from Point A to Point B, but it won't be turning heads
There has never
"
been a better time
to start shopping
for additions to
your hospitality
tool belt. If you
have a pain point,
there is definitely
a technology
solution out there.
56 | OCTOBER 2016 | TODAYSHOTELIER.COM
"
http://www.TODAYSHOTELIER.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Today's Hotelier - October 2016
Letter From the Chairman
Letter From the President & CEO
News Bytes
AAHOA Spotlight
Best Western’s New Frontier
Government Affairs
The Uneven Playing Field: Hotels & Airbnb
Finding Opportunity in the Old
Development & Renovation
Living Legends: Wisdom From Industry Trailblazers
Finance Q&A
The Latest Tech Tools for Hospitality
Guest Experience
AAHOA Events
AAHOA Founding Members
AAHOA Vendor Partners
Classifieds
Advertiser Index
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - cover1
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - cover2
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 3
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 4
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 5
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 6
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 7
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - Letter From the Chairman
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 9
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - Letter From the President & CEO
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 11
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - News Bytes
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 13
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - AAHOA Spotlight
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 15
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 16
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 17
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - Best Western’s New Frontier
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 19
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 20
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 21
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 22
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 23
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - Government Affairs
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 25
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 26
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 27
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 28
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 29
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - The Uneven Playing Field: Hotels & Airbnb
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 31
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 32
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 33
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 34
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 35
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - Development & Renovation
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 37
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 38
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 39
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 40
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 41
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - Living Legends: Wisdom From Industry Trailblazers
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 43
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 44
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 45
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 46
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 47
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 48
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 49
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - Finance Q&A
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 51
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 52
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 53
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - The Latest Tech Tools for Hospitality
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 55
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 56
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 57
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - Guest Experience
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 59
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 60
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 61
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - AAHOA Events
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 63
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - AAHOA Founding Members
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 65
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - AAHOA Vendor Partners
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 67
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 68
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 69
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 70
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 71
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 72
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 73
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 74
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 75
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 76
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - Classifieds
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 78
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 79
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 80
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 81
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 82
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 83
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 84
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 85
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - Advertiser Index
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - cover3
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - cover4
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - outsert1
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - outsert2
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 91
Today's Hotelier - October 2016 - 92
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