PORTLAND, Ore., March 6, 2017 – B&B Hotels Group, one of the main independent chains of economy hotels in Europe, a brand renowned for the quality of its smooth, efficient and cozy stays, has selected the Vertical Booking CRS solution for enterprise wide, integrated hotel online distribution.

With approximately 400 hotels across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and surrounding countries, B&B Hotels have strong growth plans to increase their hotel presence in targeted markets.

"B&B Hotels Group is launching a major digitalization project aimed at revamping its technology on Cloud based environments. As a first step and after a thorough analysis of the market, we have decided to partner with Vertical Booking. We are confident that Vertical Booking offers the right products and services for our ambitious project. We see Vertical Booking as a flexible partner involved in the success of B&B Hotels growth," said Jérôme Destors, Group CTO at B&B Hotels.

"Vertical Booking is proud to be selected by such a large portfolio of hotels like the B&B Hotels Group," said Alberto Guadalupi, CEO of Vertical Booking. "After a very rigorous RFP process, it was great to see the Vertical Booking CRS emerge as the preferred chain hotel CRS solution. We see this as further validation of our open CRS platform strategy and flexibility."

The Vertical Booking CRS enables distribution of rates and inventory across all online and offline channels, such as: direct web booking engine, IDS (OTAs, Wholesalers, Tour Operators), Central Reservation Offices (CRO) and hotel Meta-Search and GDS. In addition to core distribution competency, the Vertical Booking CRS platform also includes business intelligence and marketing solutions such as a built-in OTA Price Comparison widget, Competitor Rate Checker, a native Hotel App for enhanced guest satisfaction, online reputation management and more.

Vertical Booking will be exhibiting from March 8-12, 2017, at ITB Berlin, Germany Travel Trade Show. Please stop by Hall 10.1 Stand 101 to learn how Vertical Booking can help you optimize distribution at your property. 

New partnerships with Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel hotels and resorts, now part of AccorHotels, Romantik Hotels, PHM Hospitality and others

Munich, 6 March 2017 - TrustYou, the world’s largest guest feedback platform, starts the new year with exciting new partnerships across the globe. Each new partner will incorporate various features of the platform to to improve their products and services by means of collecting, assessing and responding to guest feedback. The expansion of the portfolio includes renowned chain hotels as well as various independent properties worldwide. TrustYou plans to continue its growth through an enhanced presence at trade shows worldwide, such as ITB Berlin (Hall 10.1, Booth 10a).

TrustYou’s well-established partnership with AccorHotels has recently been extended, as the hotel group acquired the renowned Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel hotels and resorts. The 113 properties are now utilizing AccorHotels’ “Voice of the Guest” platform powered by TrustYou. They can thereby analyze all customer feedback that is shared by travelers across the web and send out customized post-stay surveys to ensure the best quality for guests throughout all Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel Hotels worldwide.

Germany-based Romantik Hotels & Restaurants with 200 properties in nine countries across Europe also decided to rely on TrustYou to increase and influence their online reputation by evaluating and soliciting post-stay feedback. “TrustYou combines all features in one convenient platform that we were looking for for managing our guest feedback. The fully automated surveys help us to gather first-hand information from our guests. We use the computed scores and sentiments to measure our performance and to analyze our strengths and shortcomings to improve operations for all properties”, says Thomas Edelkamp, CEO at Romantik Hotels & Restaurants.

Indonesia’s distinguished hotel chain PHM Hospitality operating the brands “The Haven”, “The 1O1”, “The BnB”, “FRii” and “PHM Collection” makes use of a variety of features of the TrustYou platform to ensure maximum control of their online reputation and visibility. TrustYou assists their hotels to increase the customer satisfaction through prompt and clear customer feedback management. The partnership also includes the integration of TrustYou’s Meta-Review* into PHM Hospitality’s hotel websites to enhance the user and booking experience on their websites and to increase direct bookings.

In Japan, TrustYou adds the ”the b hotels" to its client portfolio, currently operating 13 hotels in 4 areas with more than 3,000 guest rooms. The guest feedback platform was chosen to facilitate the management of all guest opinion’s across various brands including “the b hotels” and their own boutique hotel “Brand”.

Galaxy Entertainment Group is the latest partner using TrustYou’s feedback platform including analytics and survey features in Macau. They are currently operating the luxury 5-star properties StarWorld Hotel on the Macau peninsula, Galaxy Macau™ integrated resort and Broadway Macau™ in the Cotai area.

In terms of individual hotels, TrustYou also partnered with a variety of renowned independent hotels across the globe: Buddha-Bar Hotel in Budapest, Hungary; 7132 Hotel in Vals, in Switzerland; Good Hotel London in the UK; The King Jason Hotel in Cyprus; Axiom Hotel in San Francisco, U.S.; Watermark Beach Resort in British Columbia, Canada; Panari Hotels in Nairobi, Kenya.

“These new partnerships are heralding a promising year 2017 for TrustYou and we are excited to work with great hotels and brands across the globe. Last year we completed our guest feedback platform with TrustYou Stars and TrustYou Messaging. With this outstanding technological asset we are now able to provide the best possible platform. TrustYou caters to all needs, regarding guest satisfaction and hotel services, around the world,” adds Benjamin Jost, CEO at TrustYou.

Find out more about TrustYou at ITB Berlin in Hall 10.1, Booth 110a and at www.trustyou.com. 

PARSIPPANY, NJ - March 6, 2017 Lodging Interactive, an award winning digital marketing and social media engagement and reputation management agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry, today announced it is offering all-inclusive digital marketing packages for hotels and resorts.  Since 2001, Lodging Interactive has been exclusively serving the hospitality industry and helping hotel clients maximize their direct online booking opportunities.

“With the introduction of our all-inclusive digital marketing packages our innovative approach in hospitality digital marketing continues to evolve,” said Mr. DJ Vallauri, Lodging Interactive’s Founder and President.  “For more than fifteen years we have created award winning services for our client and our CoMMingle Social Media Marketing Service and most recently our CoMMingle Live Chat Service for hotels now leading the pack.  Now, we’re the only digital marketing agency that brings all the required pieces together into an all-inclusive digital marketing service platform for hotels.”

Lodging Interactive’s all-inclusive digital marketing packages include:

• Modern website designs to maximize direct booking opportunities
• Professional in-house website copywriting services
• Complete website management services
• Dynamic website content delivery and personalized segment targeting
• Search Engine Marketing (SEO & PPC)
• Annual Digital Marketing Plan creation
• Social media marketing & engagement services
• Reputation management services for guest review sites and OTAs.
• Live Chat fully managed services, 7 days a week
• Dedicated, first-rate customer service and ROI KPI reporting
   

“Effective hospitality digital marketing is no longer just about having a new responsive website and launching organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising and a Facebook page,” added Mr. Vallauri.  “Today, the smart hotelier understands it takes more of a commitment than this to drive direct hotel bookings.”

A recent 2017 Travel Website Behavior Study showed that consumers, between the ages of 18-34, visit an average of 4.6 unique websites prior to making a hotel reservation.  This is down from just a year ago.  As a result it has become extremely important for hotels to impress their hotel visitors with personalized and targeting content and live chat support to answer any questions they may have in the booking process.

Lodging Interactive’s all-inclusive digital marketing packages offer hotels the complete solution for a fixed monthly fee. The hotel digital marketing packages are designed to attract qualified visitors, show them personalized and relevant website content, provide real-time human powered live chat support to close the business, ongoing social media engagement and follow-up online reputation management and guest review responses.   

For more information and to receive a price quote please visit Hotel All-Inclusive Digital Marketing Programs or call 877-291-4411 ext 701.

SHR becomes one of the first distribution providers to offer advanced API aimed at streamlining the hotel booking process

HOUSTON, TEXAS March 6, 2017—SHR, developer of Windsurfer® CRS and TopSail™ IBE, has teamed with Expedia, Inc., the world’s largest online travel company, to bring SHR’s clients an additional tool to help create easier, more reliable booking experiences and truer inventory management—the Expedia Product Application Program Interface (API). SHR is one of Expedia’s first integrated partners to offer this API to its clients.

The creation and management of room inventory between a hotel, its distribution provider, and online travel agency often requires excessive time and resources at every step. The Expedia API significantly improves this process at every level.  

“We’re very excited about what having this API means for our clients,” said Estella Hale, VP of Product for SHR. “Hotel room updates can now be sent directly to Expedia, no mapping required, enabling us to support a more streamlined data exchange that translates into truer room availability, and a more satisfying over all booking experience—for the hotelier and for the guest.”

With the API’s faster, more accurate creation and activation of room inventory coupled with improved automation, SHR’s clients now have one more powerful tool to help them execute their best distribution strategy. 

Luxury Hotel Innovator Leverages Cloud-Based Price Optimization Capabilities for Key Markets in Germany and Austria

Berlin, March 6, 2017 – Duetto, the market leader in hotel profit optimization technology, announced today that it will implement its cloud-based Revenue Strategy application, GameChanger, for Ruby Hotels, a disruptive developer and operator of luxury hotels in key markets in Germany and Austria. Under the agreement, Duetto will provide unprecedented market intelligence and the benefits of Open Pricing to help Ruby Hotels better understand customer behavior, build and sustain direct business, and achieve price optimization for the rapidly growing brand. Ruby Hotels’ current portfolio includes properties in Munich and Vienna, with further projects under construction in Hamburg and Dusseldorf and more projects in sight.

“We are very happy to announce this partnership with Ruby Hotels, one of Europe’s most disruptive and forward-looking lodging companies,” said Duetto CEO Patrick Bosworth. “Duetto’s cloud-based GameChanger Revenue Strategy application provides the ability to fully optimize revenue, manage distribution complexity and scale quickly. We are excited to partner with Ruby, as we continue to work with the most forward-thinking and innovative brands across the globe.”

By adopting Open Pricing, the core element of Duetto’s GameChanger application, Ruby Hotels will now be able yield rates more rapidly and with greater flexibility, drawing on web shopping regrets and denials data to better measure price sensitivity.

“Ruby Hotels is an innovator which provides not only luxury at ease for guests, but also the benefits of the latest in technology for its customers, partners and associates” said Michael Patrick Struck, CEO and Founder. “Duetto’s predictive analytics match our disruptive business model perfectly, and bring us the benefits of Open Pricing and the ability to forecast demand, better understand our customers and build direct bookings. We look forward to a great working relationship in the years ahead.”

Duetto partners with many of the leading hotels and brands around the world. More than 1,500 hotels and casinos in more than 60 countries have partnered to use Duetto’s applications, including GameChanger and its Revenue Intelligence application, ScoreBoard.

NEC’s business partners and hotel customers enriched with access to world’s leading hotel technology suite

Hilversum, The Netherlands, March 6, 2017 — FCS Computer Systems (FCS) and NEC Enterprise Solutions EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), both leading providers of advanced ICT solutions to the hospitality sector, have inked a partnership agreement that incorporates FCS solutions into the NEC Hospitality offering for the Hotel sector in EMEA.

The FCS suite of hospitality interface and operational solutions, encompassing billing interface, voicemail, job dispatch, engineering, housekeeping, glitch management and more, are fully tested and integrated to work with NEC’s range of IT and communications servers, and will be available directly to order through NEC’s business partners in EMEA.

Eric Rogers, FCS’ Vice President EMEA, will be working closely with his team to support NEC partners in their rollout of these solutions.

“This partnership is not just only about call accounting and voicemail, but also about providing NEC partners a fully featured range of new solutions to offer their hotel partners, thereby enhancing the value and relationship of new and existing customers,” said Rogers. “I have been working closely with Kees Van Donk (director of hospitality EMEA for NEC) and his team to make this a reality and am delighted to say that today the partnership is now in full effect, and I am looking forward to working closely with NEC’s Hospitality team, and the wider NEC partner family to support this new agreement.”

Smart Hospitality
“We are extremely pleased to work with FCS in close partnership,” confirms Van Donk. “With our Smart Hospitality drive and Executive Hospitality Partner Program we are continuously building onto our in-depth experience and expertise in serving the hotel industry worldwide and supporting our business partners with integrated solutions that enable them to go-to-market more successfully. This partnership with FCS is a valuable addition to the solutions we offer in our NEC Smart Hospitality Framework.”

Under the new agreement, NEC Enterprise Solutions, NEC partners and their hotel clients will have access to FCS’ full suite of hotel operations management applications. The multi-language, web-based applications streamline a multitude of back-of-house and guest-facing hotel operation needs, from real-time maintenance requirements to housekeeping management to guest issue tracking and a comprehensive customer relationship management platform. The applications can seamlessly interface with the hotel industry’s most popular property management systems, and can be implemented either à la carte or as the full comprehensive suite. The applications feature mobile apps, allowing hotel staff to stay connected from anywhere on property. Recently completed installations at Hilton Hotels in Amsterdam and Rotterdam represent the first of many hotels to see the benefits of this partnership.

To learn more about FCS and its full suite of productivity solutions for hotels, please visit http://www.fcscs.com.

Supplier of choice
Across all major geographic regions, NEC is one of the key suppliers of choice to the hospitality industry. By merging leading IT and communication technologies, NEC deploys solutions within its Smart Hospitality Framework with the scalability, capability and affordability to meet the demanding business needs of hotels, event centers, cruise lines and travel organizations (for more information ref: www.nec-smarthospitality.com).

6 March 2017, London: Hotels in Eastern Europe are benefitting from tough times in Western Europe with room values in the region seeing an impressive 11% average growth, according to the 2017 European Hotel Valuation Index (HVI) published this week by global hotel consultancy HVS.

In a year that saw little change in values across the rest of Europe hotels in Bratislava topped the list of value rises, up 18.9% year-on-year, while hotel room values in Sofia rose 16%. Bucharest saw hotel room values up 14.6%, while those in both Budapest and Prague were up 9.9%.

While many Eastern European markets saw their hotel room values rise from a relatively low base, their new affordability has helped build a strong demand base as holidays in the Eurozone become more expensive, particularly for British citizens.

“Many Eastern European markets are benefitting from the misfortune of Western Europe,” commented report co-author Nicole Perreten, senior associate, HVS.

Dublin was one region in Western Europe that built on a successful 2015, appearing again in the top five. Hotel values in the city saw a 15.5% rise in 2016 on the back of double-digit RevPAR growth due to limited supply. This enabled hotels in Dublin to grow occupancy levels as well as average rates.

Hotels in Barcelona also experienced a record 2016. On the back of strong rate growth values per room rose 13.8%. Stricter regulation on new hotel development will further strengthen performance in Barcelona, bolstered by a strong conference programme this year and next.

The strengthening rouble and a slow recovery in oil prices has seen Moscow’s hotel values per room rise 16.7% in local currency as its economy comes out of recession. Moscow has a strong hotel pipeline with over 6,000 rooms coming on-stream over the next 18 months.

In contrast terrorism, Brexit and an unknown future for the Eurozone have led to a decrease in values per room of around 2.1% in Western Europe.

In London hotels showed a softening of values in local currency following a slow start to 2016 and performance growth only in November and December 2016. The anticipated boom in visitation prompted by a fall in sterling failed to materialise immediately and an influx of new supply limited occupancy growth.

Edinburgh, however, saw sterling values rise 5.3% on the back of impressive occupancy levels of over 80% in 2016, while Birmingham saw sterling values rise 5.1% benefitting from increased leisure tourism.

“Regardless of political emotions coming our way, values in Europe still have some room for growth, as markets such as some of the PIGS countries continue to climb the value ladder to their rightful positions,” added Sophie Perret, director, HVS.

“A subdued pipeline, coupled with decent demand growth, and room for growth value-wise if compared to 10 years ago, all bode well for Europe in 2017, although with moderation.”

Download a copy of 2017 European Hotel Valuation Index by Nicole Perreten and Sophie Perret here.

guestext- Guest Relationship Management

Avon, CO - March 6, 2017- Mobile texting is fast becoming the preferred method of communication among travelers, this includes hotel guests, iVeew’s guestext messaging service is a complete GRM, “Guest Relationship Management” platform which personalizes guest relations, builds on loyalty and improves guest engagement.

Expanding on iVeew’s already robust guestext solution these new enhancements allow hoteliers to more effectively manage their communications by automating the guest messages to individual departments improving workflow and response times.

The guestext loyalty programs are customized and do not affect any existing loyalty programs, connect affiliate hotels and program changes are made effortlessly.

With guestext, hotels can provide a solution to their customers for managing communications with their meeting and event participants or extend their guestext service management directly to the event planners or sponsors. 

Richard Walsh, iVeew V.P. Business Development commented. “Multiple studies and analysis clearly indicate the majority of travelers, hotel guests and meeting attendees prefer to receive information via text messaging.  Our expanded guestext services add value for both the hotel as well as the group and event managers, plus most important, a better experience for guests and attendees.  With guestext, hoteliers have a clear advantage when they offer the guestext solution to meeting and event managers.”

Additionally, when the hotels integrate guestext with their website booking engine it helps drive more direct bookings to the hotel allowing them to control guest information.  The guestext service makes it easy for guests to opt-in and it does not require an app; avoiding consumer app fatigue.

As an independent provider of leading mobile solutions, our hotels are not tied to legacy systems that involve clunky coding alternatives.  Utilizing guestext APIs, built in JSON using webhooks to simplify the process of integration messaging solutions with providers of reservation and booking engines.

Winners are based on high customer loyalty and service scores

MCLEAN, Va. – March 6, 2017 – Hampton by Hilton, Hilton’s global mid-priced hotel brand known for providing travelers with its signature Hamptonality service, has recognized top performing properties by presenting their annual Connie, Lighthouse and Circle of Excellence awards. The brand awards are given to properties who excel in customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The Connie Awards are based on their Total Quality Scorecard, the hotel’s loyalty score via SALT (Hilton’s Satisfaction and Loyalty Tracking) and their overall Quality Assurance(QA) score. Named after Hilton founder Conrad Hilton, the Connie Award was presented to the following properties:

• Hampton Inn by Hilton Jonesville/Elkin, NC
• Hampton Inn by Hilton Wheeling, WV
• Hampton Inn by Hilton North Little Rock McCain Mall, AR
• Hampton Inn by Hilton Tunkhannock, PA
• Hampton Inn by Hilton Cape Girardeau I-55 East, PA
• Hampton Inn by Hilton Columbus/South-Fort Benning, GA
• Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Tifton, GA
• Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Chincoteague-Waterfront, VA
• Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton St. Louis/South I-55, MO
• Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Warren, PA
• Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Buffalo, WY
• Hampton by Hilton Volgograd Profsoyuznaya, Russia
   

All Connie Award winners will receive a monetary award to host a celebratory event for employees along with a trophy. Lighthouse Awards are presented to the top five percent of Hampton by Hilton properties while nearly the top 10 percent of hotels receive Circle of Excellence Awards. To see a complete list of winners, visit the Hampton Global Media Center. 

“Exemplifying the brand’s authentic culture of friendly, caring and thoughtful service, these properties represent what our guests have come to expect when staying at a Hampton by Hilton property,” said Phil Cordell, global head, focused service and Hampton Brand Management. “Congratulations to all of the winners and keep up the outstanding work.”

In addition to value-added amenities such as free, hot breakfast and complimentary Wi-Fi, Hampton by Hilton hotels offer warm surroundings, a friendly service culture and a staff that makes sure guests are 100 percent happy. Guaranteed ™. The team members’ unique and unmatched approach to hospitality is known as Hamptonality. 

Hampton by Hilton hotels participate in Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton’s 14 distinct hotel brands. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels save time and money and gain instant access to the benefits they care about most, such as an exclusive member discount, free Wi-Fi and a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay. Members can also redeem their Points for free nights, to gain access to unique events through the Hilton Honors auction platform or to make purchases with at Amazon.com with Amazon Shop with Points.

Read more about Hampton Hotels at www.hampton.com or http://news.hampton.com/.  

Berlin, Germany – March 6, 2017 – Best Western® Hotels & Resorts today revealed a development pipeline of close to 500 properties, placing a strong focus on key international markets.The company currently has 239 international locations underway and another 224 in North America – 60% of which are new-builds. 

“It is evident that Best Western continues to provide exceptional value to our owners and developers around the world, as we see interest in our diverse portfolio of brands continuing to grow,” said Suzi Yoder, senior vice president of international operations for Best Western® Hotels & Resorts. “It was a thrilling ride for us in 2016 and it is exciting to see even more growth potential on the horizon in 2017.  We look forward to adding Best Western hotels in new destinations this year, as well as to expanding some of our newer brands, enhancing our global footprint even further.”

With seven distinct brands, Best Western provides developers tailored product options and more flexibility than ever. A detailed breakdown of Best Western’s current development pipeline includes:

• 224 properties in North America

• 109 in Europe

• 49 in Asia 

• 33 in Oceania 

• 20 in South America

• 15 in Africa

• 13 in the Middle East

The announcement of Best Western’s current pipeline comes on the heels of a strong 2016, which saw the celebration of the company’s 70th year in business with numerous milestones.  In late 2016, Best Western also announced the debut of SureStay Hotel Group℠, designed to provide options to hotel owners who are disillusioned by one-sided contracts that don’t deliver.  The revolutionary new ‘white label’ franchise model is powered by Best Western’s infrastructure and offers easy conversions to one of three SureStay brands – SureStay, SureStay PLUS and SureStay Signature Collection. 

“We’ve received quite a bit of traction early in the process with 30 SureStay hotels already approved and we are expecting to have 100 open by the end of 2017,” said Ron Pohl, senior vice president and COO for Best Western® Hotels & Resorts.  “SureStay has been a welcome addition and adds to our company’s robust portfolio.  We look forward to seeing it grow even further, in addition to the brands that operate under the Best Western® Hotels & Resorts umbrella.”

In total in 2016, Best Western welcomed nearly 100 hotels in North America and 102 hotels internationally.  The company’s portfolio today stands at more than 4,100 hotels in 100 countries.

For more information on Best Western’s global development please visit www.bestwesterndevelopers.com. 

New-Build Ocean Front Destination Selects dormakaba for Reliability and Secure Property Access

March 7, 2017 – MONTREAL – dormakaba, provider of Saflok and Ilco RFID and mobile access security solutions, announced the new Beauport Hotel Gloucester, Massachusetts, opened its doors with mobile-ready networked Saflok Quantum RFID guest room electronic door locks as well as perimeter and facility access entry points. The property’s electronic door locks communicate with the Beauport Hotel’s front office system over dormakaba’s Messenger^® Lens network for a more secure guest environment. The luxury Beauport Hotel Gloucester is located ocean front on Cape Ann in Massachusetts. Click here for information on electronic door locks from dormakaba.

Guest safety and secure perimeter access are a priority
“Guest safety and convenience were a priority when we planned Beauport Hotel Gloucester,” said Ray Johnston, general manager. “We wanted to be able to trust a reliable networked lock platform that communicated with our front office system and allowed us create a secure perimeter access. We selected dormakaba’s Saflok system to do this.  It was the right decision. Saflok’s Quantum RFID electronic door locks and Messenger Lens wireless online network let us remotely monitor guest door activity to provide a safe, secure environment for guests. We can also interrogate guest keys for access information and remotely recode doors for greater guest convenience and flexible property security.”

Saflok flexibility allows custom portal-specific access control
Johnston noted that the property also installed online networked Saflok locks on its perimeter access entry points, its rooftop pool, workout area, and business center. “We have direct access from our beach that we secure with Saflok,” he said. “The locks and RFID key code system are so flexible that we can enable guest keys to let them into the building and their rooms, but not allow direct beach access to our restaurant.”  The Beauport Gloucester provides guests and local residents with an excellent array of fresh catch seafood and other specialties in its 300-seat community focused ocean front 1606 Restaurant.

dormakaba’s Messenger Lens wireless online system provides two-way communication between the front desk and a property’s guest room doors and perimeter access electronic locks. Messenger sends staff notifications or alerts from property locks if a door is left ajar for a specific period of time or for maintenance issues such as a low battery. Messenger alerts may be delivered to a server, directly to a cell phone via text message, or to an email address to ensure guest safety and proper system operation. Messenger also communicates with the climate control system and other systems to optimize guest comfort.

“The Beauport Hotel Gloucester’s team worked with dormakaba to implement the most reliable and secure lock system to optimize guest convenience and property security,” said Alastair Cush, dormakaba head of lodging global business development. “This is an exceptional property and dormakaba is committed to ensuring the smooth operation of its guest room locks and access control solution.”

The Beauport Hotel Gloucester was a new build from the ground up and is now the premier destination on Cape Anne. “Our in-season guests can come from as far away as Norway and New Zealand for our Atlantic views, fresh seafood and comfortable luxury,” said Johnston. “Cape Ann is a nearby four-season escape for guests from New England and New York.”

All dormakaba RFID locks manufactured today are compatible with BLE, IOS and Android mobile technology.  dormakaba Mobile Access enables guests to open their hotel doors equipped with BLE electronic locks using their mobile phone or device, including the Apple Watch, as a flexible alternative to a classic RFID keycard. 

Calgary, Alberta – March 7, 2017 – GuestTek, a global leader in broadband technology and converged interactive solutions for the hospitality industry, is pleased to announce that it has completed the integration of its new IT Service Management System, Remedyforce, providing an enhanced level of Support Services for all customers. 

Already offering multi-tiered, multi-lingual technical support that is available 24/7, 365 days a year, GuestTek is now able to provide even more added value benefits for hoteliers, including enhanced incident management with a new customer portal & mobile app with automated ticket workflows. The ticketing system is now live for all properties, and GuestTek is currently working with several customers to integrate the new customer portal and app features, which will be rolled out to customers between now and end of Q1.

“GuestTek is committed to the continuous improvement of our Global Support Services for customers” said David Jacobs, GuestTek’s Vice President Global Contact Center Operations, “With the integration of a system like RemedyForce, we are augmenting the technical support for our various products and services, continuing to make the hoteliers’ job of offering an optimal guest experience, as easy as possible.”

The Largest Conference Center in Virginia Offers Complete Meeting Package

Leesburg, Virginia, March 2017 … The National Conference Center is one of the largest training and educational facilities in the nation.  Offering a unique bundling of services through a Complete Meeting Package, The National is the expert on providing the perfect meeting place for experiential learning. “With Spring right around the corner, it’s time to refresh and rejuvenate with new ideas and goals for companies and associations. We work with each of our clients to advise and meet their goals with each meeting held at our facility,” says Geoff Lawson, General Manager and Vice President.

Spring Complete Meeting Package saves 20 – 40% from March 1 through May 31, 2017.

The National is one of the leaders in developing the Complete Meeting Package (CMP), which is an inclusive per person charge for meetings. The National’s Spring CMP includes guest room accommodations, three meals per day, unlimited refreshment break stations, meeting room space and a technology package, plus complimentary parking, Wi-Fi and a newly-renovated fitness center.

Meeting planners can save as much as 40% per person on selected dates this spring with a CMP package.

Big and Small Facilities
Depending on the size and flavor of your meeting, The National offers unique, individualized meeting space with conference rooms and guest lodging grouped in self-contained wings or Pods to create the ideal environment for large or small conferences or meetings. With 265,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space, offering 250 purpose-built conference rooms, breakout rooms and general session rooms, The National offers flexibility in a big way. When new management took over in 2014, one of the goals was to create small, intimate meeting space. The outdoor courtyard with Pergola and firepits are used almost daily, along with a modern Living Room space and a “speakeasy” room aptly named The National Secret. The finished room is down a hallway around the corner from the active Black Olive Bar & Grill with no other entrance.

Accommodations
Groups can reserve a separate area with guest rooms and meeting space close by in self-contained wings or pods. The comfortable guest rooms and suites are small in nature to encourage guests to mingle and work with colleagues in the common areas. Each room features attractive décor and guest amenities including a well-designed workspace with MP3 connection, ergonomic chair, flat-screen TV and complimentary Wi-Fi connection.

The National Rope Course
Experiential learning has been touted as an exceptional method in creating memorable learning experiences with high recall. When The National was looking for an experienced partner to facilitate on-site programs, The Browne Center for Innovative Learning was the preferred choice based on earned reputation and a well-established resume. The Challenge Course includes action-based learning components such as the high ropes course and other elements designed for problem solving and leadership development. The new course features nine unique elements strategically placed within the 65-acre campus and each element provides multiple challenges.

For more information or to book a Spring CMP Package at The National Conference Center, call Jane Davis, Director of Sales, at 703-724-5984 or go to http://www.conferencecenter.com/Spring-Deal

March 7, 2017 - Vizergy®, a leading travel and hospitality marketing company, is pleased to announce the launch of its newly upgraded Enhanced Email Marketing solution.  A CRM platform that enables hoteliers to target prospects using robust segmentation capabilities, build engaging, automated (or triggered) email campaigns and act on specific guest behaviors in real-time, deepening brand loyalty and delivering a personalized customer experience.

Vizergy CEO, Joe Hyman, said that email marketing is one of the most underutilized tools and if done right, yields great results.  Research has shown that smart email marketing can help organizations achieve a return on investment (ROI) north of 38:1. Today, it is crucial for hoteliers to leverage data to properly communicate with guests and start building long-term relationships.  That is exactly the concern that Vizergy’s Enhanced Email Marketing Solution seeks to solve.

The Enhanced Email Marketing Solution takes the burden of email marketing off hoteliers' shoulders.  This solution ensures that your targeted, personalized messages reach your most valuable customers and dramatically improves the quality and quantity of leads, building client marketing lists.  It is a low cost, high reward, efficient way for hoteliers to drive more direct bookings and turn their email initiatives into direct revenue.

Hoteliers looking for an efficient way to collect more leads and drive more direct business, now have the opportunity to take advantage of the following:

• Monthly Email Campaigns Completely Done For You!
• Responsive Email Templates – Improve Deliverability
• Enhanced Email Sign-Up Forms – Capture More Direct Business
• Advanced Segmentation and Personalization Capabilities
• Pull Email Lists Directly from Booking Engine or PMS
• Analyze Campaign Success with Robust Analytics

To learn more about Vizergy and Email Marketing, visit www.vizergy.com or call 800-201-1949.

Michigan property partners with industry leading Wi-Fi solutions provider, due to unmatched ingenuity, expertise and customer service

Kalamazoo, Michigan — March 7, 2017 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has successfully completed the installation and upgrade of property-wide and in-room guest Wi-Fi services at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo. The downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan-based property initiated the project in an effort to enhance its internet infrastructure, based on sliding guest satisfaction scores and a rise in connectivity complaints. After considering numerous potential Wi-Fi vendors to address this challenge, property leadership ultimately selected Hotel Internet Services, due to its longstanding reputation in the industry for providing consistent results and unparalleled customer support.

With an aging internet infrastructure still utilizing hallway access points (APs) to transmit Wi-Fi signals to guest devices, Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo staff became all too familiar with common complaint issues, such as slow speeds and problems with connectivity. Recognizing the importance of free and reliable Wi-Fi to today’s guests when considering their booking options, hotel leadership identified the need to implement a solution that could consistently meet these expectations, while ensuring that any troubleshooting issues that do arise are able to be resolved quickly and with minimal impact to satisfaction. In working with HIS, the property was able to effortlessly upgrade to a much more reliable in-room AP solution, with minimal disturbance to guests or staff. Taking just under two weeks to complete the process, HIS finalized the project with zero guest complaints, despite the property being at full capacity. HIS also had to address several infrastructural challenges during the implementation, such as the need to convert existing cabling into internet and power sources for the in-room APs.    

“After conducting a thorough review of a dozen or so potential vendors, Hotel Internet Services really stood apart, not only for its ability to provide a high performance product, but for its commitment to stand by its offerings and always ensure that quality of service remains a central feature,” said Randy James, technology services provider at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo. “For us, the fact that you are always able to speak to a human when you call for any issue at any time, is as important as the solution itself in maintaining guest satisfaction. Thanks to their quick responsiveness and flexibility in resolving any concern, we have in fact seen a dramatic rise in guest Wi-Fi scores, with the Medallia customer experience tracking platform currently showing a high-speed internet score of 9.05 for instance.”

A property also recognized for hosting meetings due to having one of the largest conference room areas in the state of Michigan, the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo stressed a particular importance in enhancing its internet performance to such groups due to the considerable amount of revenue that they represent. Having had previous conferences express dissatisfaction with internet connectivity and speed, HIS has consequently been credited with producing a complete turnaround on Wi-Fi service experience. In order to fully provide total conference satisfaction, the property can also offer specific Wi-Fi package pricing based on bandwidth and speed needed; enhancing its position as a reputable conference host while further increasing revenue.

For more information about the full range of technology solutions available from Hotel Internet Services, please contact Lawrence George Jaffe at 866-265-7575 Ext. 720 or email marketing@hotelwifi.com. 

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®
22 February 2017

The Lodging Industry Investment Council (LIIC) met in Los Angeles during the American Lodging Investment Summit 2017 and our friends from Hotel News Now (HNN) were on the scene.

Some of us were asked by HNN for our take on where the hospitality industry is headed in 2017 — including my friend and fellow LIIC board member, Mike Cahill, who will present the “LIIC Top Ten” hospitality issues of the year at the national hotel finance and investment conference, Meet the Money®, as he does every year.

To read my comments about why 2017 will be a year of change, as well as comments by my associate, Wei Deng, regarding the impact the possible depreciation of Chinese currency could have on the industry, see HNN’s coverage: LIIC: Hot takes on industry hot button issues.

I was also interviewed in the video accompanying the article, regarding predictions for M&A in 2017 (as were my colleagues Phil Ribolow of Deutsche Bank, Mike Cahill of Hospitality Real Estate Investors, Andrea Foster of Marcus Hotels, and Gary Gray 24/7Hotels). My comments in that video are as follows:

“It must have been about 20 years ago at one of our Meet The Money® conferences, an industry leader predicted that in the next few years there would be two hotel companies. I don’t remember which ones they were – I think it was Hilton and Marriott. Interestingly, the consolidation – the urge to merge – has been extremely strong. And while one can look at the brands and think that the smaller brands – a Hyatt, a Wyndham – might be more prone to being acquired. I’m not so sure that’s true. The scale of capital that is available really makes the entire hospitality industry subject to acquisition. The urge to merge is inevitable.”

2017 will no doubt be an interesting year – with possible surprises. To learn how the top industry leaders are navigating these uncertain times, join us May 8-10, 2017 in Los Angeles for the 27th annual Meet the Money® – National Hotel Finance and Investment Conference, titled “Opportunity or Peril: Finding the right key to the right door”.

This is Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com and hotel lawyer, signing off. Why don’t you give us a call (or send an email) and let us know what you’re working on? We would like to see if our experience might help you create value or avoid unnecessary pitfalls. Who’s your hotel lawyer?

Beverly Hills, California – March 7, 2017 – Sonnenblick-Eichner Company has arranged $41,000,000 of first mortgage financing for Hotel Eastlund located in Portland, Oregon.

The financing was a non-recourse, 10-year fixed rate loan provided by an international money center bank.

Elliot Eichner, Principal of Sonnenblick-Eichner Company commented, “The hotel recently completed an extensive renovation and rebranding and had limited operating history at the time of the closing of the new loan.  By underwriting the most recent trailing 12-month cash flow, we were able to maximize loan proceeds.  We were also successful in negotiating two years of interest-only payments.”

“This new loan takes out an acquisition and construction loan that we previously arranged for the ownership,” added Patrick Brown, also a principal of Sonnenblick-Eichner Company.

Located across the street from the Oregon Convention Center in the burgeoning Lloyd District of Portland, Oregon, Hotel Eastlund is a 6-story, 168-room boutique hotel whose amenities include approximately 4,800 square feet of meeting and banquet space, the Altabira City Tavern and Citizen Baker, a rooftop deck, and business and fitness centers.  The Hotel also includes approximately 1,000 square feet of street level retail space and on-site parking for approximately 131 cars.  Hotel Eastlund ranks in the top 10% of Hotels in Portland on TripAdvisor and was recognized as one of Travel & Leisure magazine’s 2016 “17 Coolest New Urban Hotels in the Country.”

By David Lund

That’s right, your eyes and my fingers have not failed, I wrote the word on purpose “relationshift” and I got this word from my coach, Steve Chandler. He wrote a book with Michael Bassoff called relationshift and its about fundraising and fundamentally changing the relationship between fundraisers and donners. To sum it up in one sentence, the book is about fundraisers outgiving the donners and showing the donner that they make a difference, both the donner makes a difference and their money made a difference too.

Creating financial leadership in your hotel has the same fundamental relation shift at its roots. The traditional relationship in the hotel with reports and deadlines to submit forecasts, budgets and commentaries is to have the financial leader tell the non-financial department managers when reports, forecast, budgets and commentaries are due and to send out schedules and hound everyone every month several times about the pending deadlines. This system does not work. I know because that was my system for nearly 20 years and all it ever consistently produced was my frustration and a lack of usable content. My frustration came from not being respected enough by the non-financial leaders or so I thought. The other leaders rarely provided their departmental numbers and reports to me on time, correct and of good quality. So, my assumption was they didn’t respect me, they didn’t respect my position and I was sick of it. It really was the worst part of my job. Especially when their lack of attention to their responsibilities got me in hot water. I can’t sit in my office and dream up what is going to happen next month, next quarter, next year in the other department of the hotel. It does not work that way and without their financial contribution I’m playing Russian roulette. Sooner or later I am going to get it terribly wrong and the department managers will inevitably lead me to produce projections and actual results that are wrong.   Even in a small hotel the business needs to be managed departmentally with budgets and forecast that leaders can follow and adjust as business levels change.

So where is the shift? The shift for me came from the act of serving. The schedules and reminders and memos’ and follow ups that I was doing were not serving anyone but maybe me, selfishly. When I created, and delivered my first financial leadership workshop I had a profound and life changing experience. At the end of the day I had a lineup of leaders waiting to thank me and to share their experience with me. “no one ever explained the P&L to me before”, “I had no idea what you did with my numbers”, “everyone should have this training before they start” these comments and many more took me completely by surprise and I knew right away that I was onto something, something profound was going on. At the time, I thought it was novel, however I didn’t really understand the implications of what I had started. In a short period of time, less than 6 months later I did the same workshop in the same hotel again and I got the same result. Leaders wanting to thank me and share their experience with me. Fantastic, nice feeling but something else was going on. These same leaders were now regular getting their forecast, accruals, budgets and commentaries to me on time and with so much more accuracy and clarity. Leaders were now seeking me out to discuss their ideas on how to save money and generate more revenues. I had created a financially engaged leadership team by teaching them the business of hotels and treating them like adults. Investing my time and effort into their prosperity.

All of this happened because of the shift that the workshop created. It shifted me from the dreary and negative task of pestering the other leaders to give me what I needed. It shifted me to a place where I was serving them first. Now that I have served they are more than willing to reciprocate. Why didn’t I think of this before? Ego is the reason I didn’t think to do this workshop, education idea before. Ego is  what holds us all back from really leading by serving. I’m the director of finance and they should get me their numbers because I need them and that’s my job. I laugh now when I think about it because it only took 20 years to figure it out and it was someone else’s idea to begin with. Oh well, now that I know the secret I’m telling others and writing this article to boot.

The relationshift in my hotel and the relationshift I help my clients create in their hotels is anchored by four distinct elements.

1. The non-financial leaders now see the impact that they have. Impact and making a difference are basic human needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs identifies that people want to know they make a difference in life and with their work. This is a powerful principle to shine a light on. When you mix this with the other principles it results in a much greater desire to do this financial work. People see they make a difference and that this work will make a difference in their lives and create more, larger and desirable results. It will literally create and lead these managers to greater prosperity in their lives. Financial leadership skills are very valuable to have and once people get them it’s like riding a bicycle, we don’t ever forget. 
    
2. They also quickly see that it’s not so hard.  Financial leadership and knowing your numbers is not hard. It’s especially refreshing when you get a group of leaders together and expose the truth about what happens in your department with payroll or expense and then the same thing happens in the sales department and maintenance. Suddenly, the charade cannot survive any longer and leaders see it’s the same thing in another department as mine. What is all the fuss about let’s get on with it and do this! Before financial leadership training non-financial leaders spend an inordinate amount of time making excuses and basically hiding out. With this training, it’s no longer possible to hide out.
    
3. Return on investment. What would it be like to have your hotel full of leaders that knew their numbers, and managed accordingly. Do we think it might lead to higher profits? The answer is a resounding yes! We all know there are a million ways to save money in our business and we all know the opposite is true, there are a million ways to waste it. All it comes down to what kind of a team do you want to create? A team that is financially engaged or one that is not. It’s really that simple. What you tend to grows. Creating a financially engaged leadership team is essentially no different than creating a great guest service culture or a team with high colleague engagement. When we focus our time and resources on financial leadership we get results. We go from having  few leaders that know their numbers to having lots of leaders that know their numbers.
    
4. Leadership is the fourth element. This part took me the longest to see and it has had the most profound impact. Creating a financially engaged team means your committed to the non-financial leader’s success. You will be there when they have challenges and you will support them, and you will also be there when there is success.  The commitment you have to help them grow is the most powerful element. Remember what it was like when someone took you under their wing and helped you. This is what’s possible with financial leadership. I teach my clients to make agreements on how they will support each other on the creating and ongoing maintenance of the numbers. Leaders will latterly love you for helping them with this and it’s not long before they get it and your world of frustration is all but gone.
    

To wrap up the RelationShift its important to put things in clear perspective. The hotel business is about people, guests, colleagues and leaders. We’re not perfect any of us and we never ever will be. So just like service deficiencies were going to drop the ball with the numbers. Just like colleague engagement we can operate at a high level but were not machines and we will make mistakes. However, it is entirely possible to manage the numbers with great skill and it is possible to create a financially engaged leadership team in your hotel. No superstars, no exceptions, no excuses, no victims. Just team work, support and commitment to constant improvement. We approach guest service and colleague engagement this way, no one gets to ride the train with a free pass, were all in this together. Relationshift.

niu, the brand for modern hotel guests, will be completing the NOVUM Hotel Group brand portfolio soon. niu is situated in the mid-scale segment and meets individual demands for comfort and trip purposes.

Through the english word “new” ([nju]) and following the name NOVUM (no̱·vum = sth new, sth that was not here before), the stringent and harmonious brand image was created: niu

niu, as a brand name, reflects NOVUM‘s international ambitions through the identical pronounciation in all the different languages.

niu stands out particularly thanks to its inner values: The guest can expect a living lobby with a sophisticated F&B concept and delicious selections, modern room compositions as well as a special bathroom concept, which will cause a stir in this segment. “To create a lively und vibrant lobby is no empty phrase for us, but an expression of our understanding of our guests’ needs. With niu, we satisfy the standards of our guests, particularly the Generation Y and Z ones. We bring generations together in our living lobby, treat you to our select and contemporary F&B concept and thus create a vivid place, which welcomes hotel guests as well as neighbourhood guests alike”, says David Etmenan, CEO of NOVUM Hotel Group.

At present, there are 27 secured niu hotel projects in Germany and internationally, with various more projects planned throughout Europe. 

The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, March 2017 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named noted hospitality and restaurant executive, Todd Parmelee, vice president of food & beverage. In his new role, Mr. Parmelee will oversee the operations of all food and beverage departments for each of Benchmark's 70 properties within the expanding Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and Gemstone Collection portfolios.  He comes to Benchmark's senior team with an exceptional background in food and beverage operations, entertainment, organizational leadership, technology, marketing and teambuilding.

"Benchmark is expanding its portfolio and redefining food and beverage operations," says Benchmark CEO Alex Cabañas. “The company is formulating ambitious plans to bring its hotel food and beverage services to the level of successful independent restaurants, with dynamic new restaurant concepts, innovative menus, top quality, sophisticated design and a unique dining experience, while keeping abreast of trends that will impact each hotel's food and beverage product.”  Mr. Cabañas continued with, “Todd brings the operational expertise, extensive culinary knowledge and the leadership skills needed to develop our food and beverage teams.”

Mr. Parmelee will be based in Benchmark's Home Office in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston.  He comes to his new position from Entertainment Consultants International (ECI), a leading hospitality consultant to restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and live entertainment venues throughout the United States.  He served as ECI's chief operations officer, regional director of operations and beverage director. Mr. Parmelee’s responsibilities in these positions spanned all aspects of hiring, training, marketing, concept development, community outreach, construction, budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning. Working in the highly competitive arena of sports events marketing, Mr. Parmelee directed food and beverage sales and operations at the Ballpark Village in St. Louis, a new complex of shops, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.  He also served as chief operating officer of Atlanta's newest restaurant and entertainment venue, Live! at the Battery, located next to the Atlanta Braves new stadium, SunTrust Park. 

Prior to this, Todd Parmelee held various management positions in Las Vegas, as vice president operations for the Golden Tavern Group, beverage director at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and general manager of PT's Tavern Group.  From 1998 to 2001, he managed Chef Todd English’s Olives Restaurant, located at The Bellagio Las Vegas.

Mr. Parmalee is a graduate of Finger Lakes College of Canandaigua, New York, where he studied Travel and Tourism Management.