In fact, Dennis Barquinero, Roaring�s Director of Lodging, said he and other company managers were so impressed with Maestro Enterprise�s user-friendly functionality, unique database integration capabilities and extremely competitive bundled-software pricing that they doubled their investment � and related returns � by deploying the solution at two properties.

Roaring�s budget initially called for just one such installation at the company�s new property � The Porches � An Inn At Mass MOCA (the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), which is scheduled to open July 1 in North Adams. However, Barquinero said Roaring officials quickly realized the significant ROI to be realized by also deploying Northwind�s Maestro Enterprise solution at the company�s historic Red Lion Inn property.

�We spent nearly nine months looking closely at at least four enterprise software solutions,� Barquinero said. �We selected Northwind�s Maestro Enterprise in large part because it was the only truly complete solution we saw out there.�

�With Northwind�s Maestro Enterprise there are no trade-offs or hidden add-on costs for such critical suites as Yield Management, Sales & Catering & Crystal Reports,� he said. �Maestro Enterprise alone provided everything we were looking for in an enterprise software solution and much more � key features and functionality we didn�t know we were missing and needed. Northwind�s Maestro Enterprise tied all of this together in one integrated solutions package that costs $10,000 to $25,000 less per property than other leading software solutions we researched.� 

Barquinero said Roaring�s decision to rework its budget to make room for the installation of Maestro Enterprise at both properties speaks volumes about the payback that the solution delivers and the significant opportunities available through multi-location deployments. 

�Not only does Maestro Enterprise optimize our yield management, customer service and sales and marketing efforts, but it eliminates costly redundancies in many areas such as on-line reservations,� Barquinero said. �Before, we didn�t have a seamless two-way interface, so most on-line confirmations actually were off-line and took days, not seconds.

�Before, we couldn�t always sell to the last room and optimize our rates through all of our many booking channels,� he said. �Now, we�re all on the same page ? and with on-line reservations growing as fast as they are, this alone is worth installing Maestro Enterprise with ResEze.�

Maestro Enterprise also now is helping Roaring�s 208-year-old Red Lion Inn optimize operations and yield management for its 110 guestrooms, as well as fully integrate databases and all related operating activities at the full-service property�s convenient store, restaurant and lounge. In addition, Maestro Enterprise�s seamless multi-location integration has created an invaluable tie-in to both properties so select managers can budget, track and optimize operations at the two sites with greater ease, in real time, and from one terminal.

Barquinero said Maestro Enterprise�s high-touch features � which enable properties to know, care for and market to their guests more effectively � also is an intangible adding major ROI.

�Maestro Enterprise�s real-time tracking of customer preferences allows us to easily create unique guest experiences and highly targeted personalized mailings,� Barquinero said. �Now, we can turn more first-time customers into loyal patrons who also serve as a valuable referral sources. It�s not always easy to measure, but we know big returns exist in these areas as well, and the ROI will only become even greater in the coming competitive years.�
 
John Dowsett, Northwind Director of Sales, said Roaring is not alone. More and more hotel companies and properties realize the powerful ROI potential delivered by Maestro Enterprise.

�We have invested significant time and resources to assemble a team of hotel industry veterans and software development-and-integration experts with critical hands-on knowledge of common industry challenges and opportunities,� Dowsett said. �It�s most encouraging to see that our unwavering commitment to delivering revolutionary enterprise solutions is paying significant dividends to so many hotel clients and their valued staff and guests during such critical times.�

According to Barquinero, topping Roaring�s Maestro Enterprise ROI features are:

• A seamless, real time tie-in of Yield Management, Sales & Catering, and Reporting, as well as Northwind�s ResEze Online Reservations Solution, that ensures optimal functionality and true integration in addition to significant upfront savings;

• A Windows-based complete solution that is easy to learn and customize � a critical component for all hotels wishing to optimize occupancies and rates minute by minute, but that are battling turnover that has key staff positions sometimes changing hands every month;

• High-tech/high-touch tools that allow front-desk staff and front-line servers not only to take information on guest preferences either as it is delivered or as the profit center so prioritizes, but to fully leverage all data to proactively deliver personalized services; and

• Optimal database storage and mining that allows the Roaring properties and their service centers to fully capitalize on cross marketing opportunities between each other, as well as to invest only in meaningful marketing offers targeting individuals, not masses.

Markham, Ontario-based Northwind, Inc., is a leading global supplier of software and eCommerce solutions that satisfy the requirements of virtually any size hotel, resort, meeting/conference center or multi-property corporate headquarters. In addition to providing complete true integration with Forsys� SilverWare suite of POS tools, Northwind�s Maestro, Maestro Enterprise and ResEze products provide complete Web-enabled suites of PMS, Sales & Catering, Web Reservations and Corporate Solutions. Northwind�s Enterprise Solutions span the gamut, helping hotels optimize core operations in areas such as the front desk, accounts receivable, sales and catering, global on- and off-line reservations, club/spa and tee-time management, centralized operations, yield management, corporate booking facilities, point-of-sale systems, work order maintenance and back-office accounting, among others.