Hotel Online  Special Report

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Marriott International Partners With M-Tech
For Online Preventive Maintenance
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More than 400 Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites properties are increasing asset value and
improving guest satisfaction online with M-Tech�s PMWorks � 
powered by HotSOS

MIAMI � JUNE 4, 2004 � Management Technologies has completed today�in record time�the roll-out of its online preventive maintenance solution, �PMWorks�powered by HotSOS� (pronounced hot sauce) for over 400 select-service and extended-stay Marriott International brands, including all Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites hotels. Installation began April 5 and concluded May 26.

�These Marriott International brands have been chosen to implement an affordable, easy-to-use, Web-based preventive maintenance solution that not only increases the value of each asset, but in the long-term improves guest satisfaction derived from staying at a well-maintained facility,� said John LaHaise, Project Director, Lodging Engineering for Marriott International. �With M-Tech hosting our preventive maintenance program online in an ASP environment, our properties no longer need to invest in and maintain dedicated PC hardware and software�they simply pay an annual fee to use the service with no upfront capital investment required. In addition, our managers and onsite engineers save considerable time, since M-Tech manages all data entry and report distribution from their secure servers.�

According to LaHaise, Marriott International�s hotel engineers spend at least 70 percent to 80 percent of their time performing preventive maintenance tasks. PMWorks�powered by HotSOS will provide more accountability for labor hours then prior systems, he said.

�Providing consistency in preventive maintenance is critical to preserving the asset,� LaHaise said. �When you take care of a piece of equipment or the furnishings in a public space or guestroom on a -- more -- regular basis, it keeps that area bright, fresh and new. Rather than fixing an item only when it�s broke, we maintain it before it has a chance to get broken. This saves engineers time, owners money and guests from having a potentially bad experience or adopting a false first impression of the hotel.�

With PMWorks, LaHaise said the intangible benefits�which include organizing the engineering department and helping individual engineers and maintenance workers to be better time managers�equal the tangible return, which includes delivering a stronger asset, a better overall guest product/experience and longer life of furnishings, fixtures and equipment.

New brand standard of service

�We are thrilled to be in partnership with Marriott International for this quality-management solution roll-out,� said Luis Segredo, M-Tech president. �Because the engineering departments at these select-service and extended-stay Marriott brands work leaner than most other departments and employ hourly workers performing differing tasks, we developed a preventive maintenance program using only e-mail and/or a toll-free phone number that requires no training.�

Powered by the preventive maintenance functionality of M-Tech�s enterprise Hotel Service Optimization System (HotSOS), PMWorks takes processes�such as scheduling/recording preventive maintenance tasks and streamlining work-orders � offsite to its centralized facility to eliminate the onsite administration of the PM process. Additional HotSOS functionality includes: guest recognition and profiling, service delivery and recovery, guest hotline and follow-up, proactive rapid response, automated quality inspections, property process improvement and enterprise-wide process improvement.

�We sat down with Marriott to define the preventive maintenance standards for all furnishings, fixtures and equipment for each brand, from air conditioners and rooftop units to signage and life safety equipment,� said Leo Acosta, M-Tech director of marketing and sales.  �The hotels then entered their property-specific information online and we created a balanced PM schedule for the year based on the brand standards.�

�Every Monday,� Acosta said, �each property general manager receives an e-mail with a PM work list in PDF format that includes all work orders to complete for that week. This makes the general manager personally accountable for the completion of each PM task. The engineer can update and complete each workorder through either an easy-to-use website or by dialing a toll-free number from any touch tone phone.�

�The beautiful part is that the labor-intensive setup and schedule creation process for each hotel is already accomplished and meets brand standards,� Acosta said. �Engineers need only to complete the tasks that are pre-assigned based on a load-level formula, and indicate via web or phone when the tasks are complete.�

Enterprise-Level Control

PMWorks� centralized database stores all of Marriott�s PM information and allows regional and corporate managers to monitor the progress of their hotels anytime, effectively making sure each asset is maintained to specific brand standards, Acosta said. Each month, Marriott managers automatically receive a report indicating which hotels are keeping up with their PM and upholding the Marriott standards.�

�The bottom line is �what gets measured gets done,�� Marriott�s LaHaise said. �Marriott believes that M-Tech�s PMWorks technology is critical to maintaining our assets and our guests� ultimate satisfaction. We commend M-Tech and its management team for designing a system that allows us to monitor and hold accountable the asset protection process. The performance of PMWorks far exceeds our expectations.�

About Marriott International Inc.

Marriott International Inc. is a leading worldwide hospitality company with more than 2,700 lodging properties in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Ramada International brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. Marriott is also in the synthetic fuel business. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 128,000 employees. In fiscal year 2003, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $9 billion.  For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at http://www.marriott.com/.

About M-Tech

Since 1993, Management Technologies (M-Tech) has developed and installed solutions to help hotels work smarter � not harder. M-Tech revolutionized the way hotel staff manage day-to-day work order and guest interaction with its award-winning Espresso! suite of tools.  Today, M-Tech offers a range of site-based products and ASP services, such as hotSOS and PMWorks, designed specifically to help hotels improve communications, increase productivity, and maximize guest satisfaction.  Unique telephone, email and alphanumeric paging interfaces improve overall workflow and communication between departments and streamline data collection and dispatching processes. Production, pre-installation, sales, marketing, and support are provided from the company�s headquarters facility in Miami. For more information on the company, please visit www.m-tech.com.

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Contact:

Leo Acosta
Director of Sales and Marketing
Management Technologies 
Tel: (305) 256-0429
[email protected]
http://www.m-tech.com

Barb Worcester
PRPRO
Tel: (440) 930-5770
[email protected]

Also See: Guests at the Hilton London Metropole Just a Phone Call Away From Immediate, Personalized Care With MAGIC (Managing All Guests� Incoming Calls) and M-Tech�s Espresso! Rapid Response System / October 2003
Town and Country Resort & Convention Center Leverages M-Tech Espresso! Rapid Response System to Enhance Guest Satisfaction / September 2003
Mohegan Sun Leverages Espresso! Rapid Response to Gain Service Upper-hand / April 2003
Gaylord Palms leverages M-Tech�s Espresso! Quality Management Solution to Extend Award-winning Guest Service / July 2003
M-Tech Partners With PRPRO / April 2003


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