�Whereas Guest Recognition enables one hotel to track guest preferences, Enterprise allows properties within a company to share and recognize repeat guest profiles and preferences,� said Mike Benjamin, Vice President of Sales for GuestWare. �Enterprise also enables a company to create and maintain an ongoing central database of customer profiles and visit history for marketing purposes.�

Properties using GuestWare Enterprise send guest profile and preference data to a central database each night. The data is then merged with guest history information from the other hotels within the company. The system architecture has a fault tolerant design that allows hotels to continue to use GuestWare even if their connection to Enterprise is lost.

After guest profiles from each hotel are merged in the central database, selected profiles are returned to each hotel. The criteria, or rules for selecting those returned profiles are set by the management company. While Enterprise works to a hotel company�s advantage, it also works to a guest�s. Enterprise enables a hotel�s staff to include a guest�s property-specific preferences for a hotel within a chain or global preferences to be recognized at all hotels in the chain.

�Enterprise provides a company with the tools it needs to provide superior, personalized guest service not only at one hotel but anywhere the guest stays within that company�s portfolio of properties,� Benjamin said.

Enterprise also permits a company�s central database to interface with its Central Reservation System. This allows a guest�s preferences to be seen at the time a reservation is made. The interface enables transmission of complete guest profile information.

�That data includes specified global preferences that are available to the reservation agents,� Benjamin said. �Having profiles of repeat guests available at the point of reservation streamlines the reservation process and enhances the guest experience.�

�GuestWare is especially beneficial for management companies that use different property management systems,� he added. �GuestWare�s PMS-neutral, centralized customer information system includes interfaces built for most mainstream property management systems.�

One of the primary goals of a CRM initiative is to collect and use information that later can be used to drive incremental revenue from existing customers. With a database of guest profiles available to each hotel�s sales team, the potential to mine that data for leads is tremendous.

�Data can easily be extracted out of a property-level GuestWare database or Enterprise�s centralized database to create mailing lists or e-mail lists,� Benjamin said. �Enterprise also allows a sales team to generate reports listing companies and their repeat guests.�

GuestWare, Customer Relationship Management software for the lodging industry, is developed, marketed, implemented and supported by Diversified Computer Corp., Seattle. GuestWare is installed in more than 600 hotels worldwide. For more information about GuestWare, go to www.guestware.com or contact Mike Benjamin at (888) 504-8378.

Learn more about GuestWare at booth 1354 at HITEC, June 25-27, at McCormick Place in Chicago.