solution with an open and flexible structure that can be integrated with different applica- tions to increase its capabilities, and also allow for interactions directly with the consumer. To allow for this flexibility and app connectivity, it is essential there is a strong piece of core technology in place, Agel says. He adds: “The hotel industry is becoming highly fragmented – there are more than 20 million rooms and 600,000 properties world- wide. The technology has to have some kind of standardisation, and a cloud-based platform will allow this. “Previously, the focus [for PMS systems] was room-centric, but we are moving towards a guest-centric way of thinking where every-
CASE STUDY: THE CHURCHILL HOTEL
thing is itemised. You still have a room, but parking slots, golf course, spa, restaurant and all different items are interlinked and the cloud is the key to achieving this.”
Guest service apps
Over the past couple of years, much of the increased customer focus has come from a growing number of guest service apps that allow customers to use their mobile device to access additional online services that integrate with a property’s PMS.
Their popularity reflects the rise of a
younger generation of guests who want to use their own smartphones for as many functions as possible. Apps also enable PMS providers to offer more functionality without having to develop it themselves. At PMS specialist Guestline, sales and marketing director Rupert Gutteridge says that while some PMS providers might develop their own apps that integrate fully with their system, most tend to create inter- faces with third-party apps on the market such as iRiS Guest Valet or ButlerPad. iRiS Guest Valet lets guests interact with in-house facilities and services, and even control the in-room TV via their mobile, while Butlerpad gives guests access to a range of concierge services, and lets them research local attractions and book theatre tickets and restaurant tables.
CASE STUDY: GLH
The company GLH Hotels Management is a London-based hotel group that operates four brands: Thistle, Clermont, Amba and Every hotels. It runs 39 hotels in the UK and Asia-Pacific, with 4,000 rooms in London alone. GLH was previously known as Guoman Hospitality.
The challenge Technology was a major consideration for GLH when it embarked on a 10-year plan for international expansion and new hotel brands. GLH’s chief technology officer Chris
Hewertson says: “Like many hotel companies 12 | Technology Prospectus 2016
we had underinvested in our IT over the years. It had got to the point where we were beyond the need for an upgrade – we needed to look at our technology in a whole fresh new way.”
The solution Following an external consultant evaluation, Oracle Hospitality was chosen as the technology platform and a number of projects were identified, including moving GLH’s property management and point-of-sale systems to Oracle Hospitality’s Opera property cloud service, introducing a new point-of-sale system and piloting mobile solutions.
The outcome With a move to the cloud, the business is able to focus its attention on the guest experience and strategic development, rather than on solving IT infrastructure issues. The guest experience has been enhanced, with faster check-in and check-out. Staff productivity has increased. And GLH can now on-board hotels quickly and efficiently as part of its future growth strategy Matthew Newton, enterprise architect at
GLH, says: “Our operations teams are now able to plan for the future with high levels of confidence in our technology.”
www.thecaterer.com
The company The 41-bedroom Churchill Hotel in York is a historic mansion with a modern interior. It has a sister property in York called Judges Court, a 15-bedroom city-centre hotel tucked away in a secret courtyard. The owners will also shortly be opening another hotel in York with 22 rooms.
The challenge The owners were looking for an integrated, cloud-hosted system to run across all three properties that would let the group review overall performance, centralise
operations and manage processes from one central hub. They also wanted a smart rate management tool to maximise room revenue and boost occupancy.
The solution It chose Guestline’s Rezlynx property management system with several other modules.
The outcome The business has centralised operations and now has one team managing bookings for all three properties. The general manager can log into the other hotel systems to
see bookings at each site to review the group’s overall performance, as well as monitor operations and amend rates remotely from an app. Better rate management and the ability to take online bookings 24/7 from multiple third-party channels as well as their own website helped both hotels achieve over 99% occupancy for July 2015. “The new systems allow
me greater control over our operations and to keep abreast of rates and occupancy levels across the group, even when I’m on holiday,” says general manager John Wallace.
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