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Hotels, conference centers and other meeting venues are increasing group business with new technology, and it isn’t just a hotel app. To invest in the property’s overall capital, hoteliers are creating cool technology tools that market venues, increase group business and enhance the guest experience. Technology is just another way hotels are winning group business and marketing a hotel or conference center. What are some of these new hot tools for leisure and business travelers?

Investment in Hotel Technology Pays Off with Increased Group Revenue Tuesday, July 10, 2012 by Sarah Vining Hotels, conference centers and other meeting venues are increasing group business with new technology, and it isn’t just a hotel app. To invest in the property’s overall capital, hoteliers are creating cool technology tools that market venues, increase group business and enhance the guest experience. Technology is just another way hotels are winning group business and marketing a hotel or conference center. What are some of these new hot tools for leisure and business travelers? Virtual concierge service on guest room TVs At Hyatt Hotels with in-room HD TVs by Roomlinx Inc., guests are able make service requests, check email/weather, use the Business Center, print documents, and receive customized messages from meeting planners. Service requests like housekeeping and in-room dining are instantly sent through the system, improving the venue’s departmental efficiency. All of these virtual functions are hoped to appeal to new markets and drive group business. More efficient billing In the article, “Insert IACC blog post title URL” we learn that in 2012, meeting and group planners are prioritizing finance as very important during in their planning process (which made the top 10 list for the first time). Hotels making large investments in revenue management systems are taking advantage of new features that automate and process data to improve efficiency and increase revenue for properties. Virtual business centers Socialization through technology and food and beverage outlets is increasing revenue for TRYP by Wyndham in the NYC Times Square South property. Google TVs and access to Google Chrome laptops near the Gastro Bar in the hotel’s lobby offers guests an opportunity to enjoy a dining experience with the comfort of complimentary technology use. On-staff IT team When planners were surveyed, reliability was listed as a top concern of IT services in the white paper “What Do Planners and Trainers Really Want in Their Meeting Service?” All IACC-certified conference centers are required to have an on-site IT team to ensure technology functions properly. Now, the need for a knowledgeable IT team that really understands technology and can cater to individuals and group business is spreading to other hotel markets.   These impressive technology tools improve the guest experience and lead to a quick return on investment, especially in F&B. As we move beyond the discussion of required hotel Wi-Fi services, there will be a focus on technology amenities that provide the same comforts of home or the office. To increase group business, hoteliers are comfortable with this investment knowing there’s a return on investment with generated buzz/venue marketing and satisfied guests. Want to learn about other ways hotels are using technology to build relationships? Check out Enhancing Your Social Networking Site with a Social Concierge! to maximize social media and connect with guests, attendees and planners!

The IT or technology team is not always on the front line of attention when it comes to Guest Service skills.

Their roles and guest demand for technology services has increased and is going up and yet, guest service may not be a priority in this department

Ms. Nedry Guest Service / Customer Experience Mgmt The "IT” Factor in Service...How Does the Information Technology Team Fit into Today’s Guest Experience?

Managing payroll is a constant challenge, so it’s critical for hoteliers to have a way to monitor daily labor costs, manage overtime, oversee daily payroll transactions, and have access to simple reporting functions.

Adopting a cloud-based reporting system can offer seamless labor monitoring and management from clock-in to paycheck while giving hoteliers on-demand management of earnings to manage transactions in real time.

Hoteliers may have a difficult time deciphering what story the data is telling and which levers to pull to remedy an issue or to replicate success. Business intelligence and analytics tool can point to where efficiencies can be improved and how to best reduce expenses.

Despite the proliferation and availability of mobile technology, many hotel operations continue to rely on outdated methods of team communication. Together, panelists shared ways to improve guest experience in hotels through enhancing operations and employee experience – and that mobile team communication is the definitive catalyst for best delivering on these goals.

- Immediate notifications. No more printed out, or pen and paper announcements. - Housekeeping can turn rooms over more quickly. Most guests simply leave in the morning without staff contact. There’s no way of knowing when the room is ready to be cleaned. With faster occupancy updates, the room conversion process is made more efficient. - Improved access of guest information. Real-time, mobile team communication means better personalization of guest experience and management of expectations.

There are many lost opportunities in the hospitality industry when it comes to the connection between hotel guests and employees, but investing in employee communication with a mobile team communication appprovides the following benefits. 1. Allows for consistent, daily information sharing across shifts and hotel team 2. Creates a highly-visible platform to illuminate best practices 3. Facilitates recognition of hotel workforce high achievers

To create a global resource for the hospitality finance industry, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals has begun development on a global hospitality accounting system users guide.

Our plan is to document how the industry is actually performing the process, as opposed to mandating a process."

3 October 2012 Benchmark Powers Expansion with Centralized Accounting Platform Management by the Numbers: Benchmark Integrates New Properties into Company Management Processes Quickly with ‘Private-Cloud’ Back Office System

Successful management comes from by-the-numbers decisions

Basing day-to-day management decisions on the numbers is another big part of successful management in today's economy. At one time, we had to wait until month end or later to see property financials. We do not have that luxury today, so we built a centralized 'private cloud' technology hub and data gathering platform. Now our managers make decisions based on month-to-date performance every morning.

the new team will be dedicated to the expansion and customization of unique e-commerce and omni-channel platforms for the sandwich chain.

“This reinforces our commitment to attracting top technology and digital marketing talent,” said Carman Wenkoff, SUBWAY® restaurants CIO and Chief Digital Officer. “This will bring our commerce platform of enhancing engagement and building loyalty to the next level and will allow us to deliver value to the market quickly.”

“Being the only provider that has deployed online ordering at such a large scale, in multiple countries, has put us in a great position to pursue our mission of providing convenience while bridging the in-store and online experience for brands and customers alike - a real omni-channel approach,” says Jason Strashek, Avanti’s founder and CEO.

LBA Hospitality Partners with M3 Accounting + Analytics to Enhance Accounting Processes and Increase Efficiencies July, 31 2013 M3 Accounting + Analytics Seeking to update and streamline accounting processes for its 70-plus Southeast properties, Dothan, Ala.-based Larry Blumberg & Associates, Inc. (LBA Hospitality) recently announced an expanded partnership with M3 Accounting + Analytics, the national leader in hotel-specific accounting software, operations reporting, and business analytics. “If we are to continue to be an industry leader, we must have the ability to meet the requirements of our stakeholders and provide accurate, real-time and relevant information for our management team and owners,” said LBA President Beau Benton.  LBA sought the ability to swiftly handle budgets, forecasts, and reports, and to dissect business data, all while insuring that the back-office accounting platform functionality was state-of-the-art and industry-specific.  In choosing M3, Benton cited how the company integrates accounting, business intelligence, and reporting, while eliminating most redundancy, software investment and annual hardware/software maintenance. In addition, Benton and LBA were looking for continual and automatic upgrades, backup and disaster protection, and minimized downtime.  LBA is implementing the full suite of M3 products: accounting through the AccKnowledge platform, time, attendance and labor management through the newly released RightTime solution and LaborWatch, and payroll services through RightPay. The company will also continue to use M3 Link business intelligence reporting, as LBA will be expanding it to bring financial data, operating stats, Smith Travel feeds and guest satisfaction data (including verbatim responses) into one completely customizable dashboard. LBA, which launched its business by developing a Sheraton Inn in 1973, is rapidly growing its management business and securing more and more agreements from sophisticated owners and investors.   Scott Watson, M3 Vice President of Sales & Marketing, said, “While our core product remains our accounting solution, we’ve continued to evolve and offer new products and services that meet the current and future needs of the hospitality industry. It is truly exciting that our product platform will help Beau and LBA achieve the aggressive growth they are anticipating over the next five years.”  The implementation and training process for all LBA properties is expected to be complete by December 1.  About LBA Hospitality Based in Dothan, Ala., LBA Hospitality is a hospitality management company focused on maximizing return, safeguarding assets and enhancing value. Founded in 1973, the company now manages 70 properties throughout the Southeast, from Texas to Virginia. More information is available at http://www.LBAHospitality.com.  About M3 Accounting + Analytics M3 is the national leader in hotel-specific accounting software, operations reporting, business intelligence and analytics, processing more than $8 billion in financial transactions for more than 3,000 properties. M3’s integrated suite of hospitality accounting products includes: AccKnowledge, Link, payroll and labor management services, and document imaging and retrieval – all designed to help provide hotel operators, owners and managers unsurpassed access to the information they need in the most integrated and cost-effective manner. The company was founded in Gainesville, Ga. in 1998, and also has a base of operations in Tampa, Fla. More information is available at www.M3AS.com. 

“If we are to continue to be an industry leader, we must have the ability to meet the requirements of our stakeholders and provide accurate, real-time and relevant information for our management team and owners,” said LBA President Beau Benton.  

continue to be an industry leader, we must have the ability to meet the requirements of our stakeholders and provide accurate, real-time and relevant information for our management team and owners,” said LBA President Beau Benton.  

At a launch event in New York City, Hilton President/CEO Christopher Nassetta noted

“There is a gap, we believe, in the upper end of the meetings and events space.

[They wanted] the type of technologies that will help them run their meetings much more efficiently and make it better [and] more customizable for their meeting attendees.”

hotel SystemsPro, a leading provider of ASP-based, enterprise hotel sales software announced new enhancements to its popular hotel SalesPro Mobile Sales and Catering solution.

hotel SalesPro Mobile gives hotel sales teams and managers remote access to our easy-to-use hotel SalesPro system for real-time property, account, group, or hotel chain information while they are traveling.

Sabre Hospitality Solutions, the industry's leading global hospitality technology company, has been selected by Hotel Okura Co.

Sabre's Tokyo office includes a team of professionals fluent in Japanese that support the full complement of hospitality resources including customer care, training, implementation, account management and sales.

"Sabre Hospitality Solutions products will be at the core of JAL Hotel's growth plans going forward by enabling business transformation.

Infusionsoft is one of the market leaders when it comes to CRM, e-mail marketing and marketing Automation.

When Tetherow, a now 700-acre resort in Bend, Oregon, first opened as a golf course and clubhouse in 2008, we were a small business with big ambitions.

Today, Tetherow is made up of twenty individual entities rolled into one wholly owned subsidiary, including a 50-room boutique hotel, a pool, two restaurants, vacation rental homes, an events pavilion, a recreation center, a golf academy, and various residential neighborhoods, as well as the 18-course golf course that started it all. In addition to our leadership team, our rapid growth has been led by our financial team’s investment in a technology that allows us to grow fast, under pressure, and with limited risk.

We came to realize that the technology and accounting systems that we had added piecemeal over the years to support our burgeoning business, a combination of Jonas restaurant software, QuickBooks, and Excel, didn’t allow us to scale and sustain growth.

As HR teams navigate the new remote work environment caused by COVID-19, an organization's human resource information system has become a critical tool for keeping employees connected

Managers are on the front lines of employee relations, so they are critical in facilitating business responses to COVID-19

Here are four ways HR can employ an HRIS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Without the power of a brand sales team and the tools that they provide, your independent hotel’s sales efforts need to ensure that they are utilizing the right channels to effectively capture transient demand.

While global distribution system business is mostly pay-to-play, it provides exceptional return on investment in the right markets.

Direct bookings are the most cost-effective business for boutique hotels, so it is always the goal to drive business to our own booking channels. Identifying what percent of business you need from group sales, GDS and online travel agencies is paramount to a successful revenue strategy.