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Centrada Solutions Unveils New Hospitality PMS; 
SaaS Solution Rolls Out with Phoenix Inn Suites
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NOVEXSYS, meaning �new standard in hotel systems,� is Web-based, OTA-Compliant
software that is sold as a service and operates with a hotel�s existing hardware 
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Built on the Microsoft .NET Framework, the solution is easy to use, afford

FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS � JUNE 21, 2007 � A new, Web-based and OTA-compliant property-management system, built on the Microsoft .NET Framework, has arrived on the hospitality scene, making its debut at Phoenix Inn Suites hotels in Vancouver and Olympia, Wash., and Beaverton and Albany, Ore. The solution, called NOVEXSYS, was designed by Centrada Solutions LLC for the Phoenix Inn Suites collection of 11 premier all-suite hotels. Today NOVEXSYS is available to any hotel looking for a simplified, affordable PMS.

�Aimbridge Hospitality, owner and management company for the Phoenix Inn Suites brand, was frustrated with the PMS in place at its Phoenix Inn Suites hotels,� said Steve Woodward, president of Centrada Solutions LLC which provides outsourced technology management and services to Aimbridge Hospitality and its 27 multi-branded hotels. �With more than 40 years of hospitality technology and operations experience, my team knew there was no Web-based PMS on the market today that could provide the service that Aimbridge was looking for and at a price-point they were comfortable with.

�To the hospitality industry, NOVEXSYS � derived from Latin terms �Novus� or �new� and �Vexum� or �standard� � means the �new standard in hotel systems,�� he said. �For Phoenix Inn Suites, NOVEXSYS means a low cost of ownership, essential PMS functionality, and the ability to operate a centralized PMS for the brand.�

Woodward said that for years hoteliers operating with fewer than 200 guestrooms have complained that they are: 1) tired of paying for functions that are never used; 2) annoyed with cumbersome, lengthy training for staff that rarely results in system proficiency; and 3) unable to implement the latest technology because of budget restraints for new server hardware, software, and workstations that support a traditional PMS.

�Small property owners want the advantages of a state-of-the-art, OTA-compliant PMS that can be installed without a huge expense and without the features and functions that they will never use,� he said. �NOVEXSYS is simple software that is sold as a service. It requires no upfront licensing fees, and it�s Web based, so it can be installed in minutes on existing hardware.�

Phoenix Inn Suites pleased with PMS

The Phoenix Inn Vancouver was first to install NOVEXSYS. The 13-year-old PMS previously in place was designed specifically for the property, but according to Cindee Stinton-Brown, general manager, it was lacking in some very basic functionality that is needed to operate successfully in today�s competitive marketplace.

�Our PMS didn�t have enough functions to allow us to manage our inventory and revenue the way it should have been managed,� Stinton-Brown said. �Nor did it have sales functions that would allow us to determine where our guests were coming from. We also had issues with the hardware crashing numerous times � often operating for up to a week without any �live� PMS. There were no system interfaces � with the exception of voice mail and telephone. Compared to other systems in use by our competitors, it was a pretty archaic system that did not allow us to compete effectively.�

NOVEXSYS is built on the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and uses Microsoft software technologies such as Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services and the Windows Vista operating system, providing advanced reporting capabilities and allowing managers to import critical property information into Excel spreadsheets and Word documents.

�By using familiar Microsoft software, our management team can now access the system via the Web from virtually anywhere � home, driving into work, etc. � to see where we are with occupancy and to adjust rates accordingly,� Stinton-Brown said. �Because our reservations profiles are so detailed, we are learning more than ever before about our guests.� 

Asked what she likes best about NOVEXSYS, Stinton-Brown cited the following:

  • It�s a Web-based system
  • No concern over losing data
  • Functions allow us to track guest requests and profiles so that we can offer proactive guest service
  • Report-writing feature helps save time on data entry and accounting
  • Ability to export email addresses allows us to offer pre-stay specials to guests
  • Email reservation confirmations 
  • Revenue management functions allow us to control rates and improve yield
  • Cross-selling ability with other Phoenix Inn Suites properties
  • Ability to collect data for sales departments to generate leads and track corporate spending patterns
Mike Waltz, general manager at the Phoenix Inn Suites in Beaverton, shares in Stinton-Brown�s enthusiasm for the system. The Beaverton property was the second hotel in the system to install NOVEXSYS.

�I like the idea that NOVEXSYS, an individual reservation can be associated with an unlimited number of profiles,� Waltz said. �For example, if a corporate traveler is coming to visit a client in our area, we can associate both company names to the reservation, track the room nights and the potential for the client company while at the same time track how many times the corporate traveler is coming to see us. Another feature that will prove to be invaluable when our entire brand has converted will be the sharing of profiles, and cross selling from one hotel to another.�

Prior to NOVEXSYS, the Beaverton Phoenix Inn Suites was operating with a PMS with a lot of underutilized functionality. According to Waltz, the system became cumbersome to work with and had software bugs that made it a poor choice for our property. The following are features that Waltz cites to be among his favorites:

  • NOVEXSYS is easy to use because its Windows-based, using Microsoft technology
  • It�s expandable for future enhancements
  • Training is simple and straight forward
�Hoteliers rely on critical point of sale and PMS data collected at the property to make business decisions,� said Matthew Shigenobu Muta, industry director for Microsoft�s Worldwide Hospitality Group. �Utilizing Microsoft technologies, Centrada�s NOVEXSYS Web-based system provides hoteliers with an easy-to-use PMS solution with convenient access to the right information that employees need to turn insight into action � and ultimately drive business success and guest satisfaction.�

Centrada�s Woodward said that his team is proud to be working in association with Microsoft on the new NOVEXSYS solution, and he looks forward to growing the relationship through future developments. Likewise Aimbridge Hospitality is proud of the solution developed by Centrada.

Chad Goodnough, senior VP, sales and marketing for Aimbridge Hospitality, said he is extremely pleased with the NOVEXSYS solution designed for Phoenix Inn Suites. 
 
�Kudos goes out to Steve Woodward and the Centrada Solutions team for delivering a new PMS that exceeds our expectations and has already proven to be successful at three properties,� Goodnough said. �Many in the industry were skeptical when we said we were having a PMS built from the ground-up for our hotels, because countless others which have tried to enter the hospitality PMS market have failed miserably. 

�We knew that Centrada would deliver a powerful and competitive system because its team is comprised of hoteliers first, technologists second,� he added. �NOVEXSYS was the exact system we were looking for, and everyone from the management company level to the property level has been thrilled with its results.�
 
Hotels interested in learning more about the NOVEXSYS PMS or receiving a quote from Centrada Solutions LLC for a technology project or for general technology consulting should call (972) 746-4210 or email [email protected].

About Centrada Solutions LLC
Centrada Solutions was founded in 2004 by Steven Woodward as a Technology Services company which specializes in serving Hotels, Hotel Owners, and Hotel Management Companies. Their mission is to deliver the technology their clients need, when they need it, for a reasonable price. They assist clients in making smart technology investments. For more information visit www.centrada.com.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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Contact:

Barb Worcester
President/Principal
PRPro
Tel: (440) 930-5770
[email protected]

Steve Woodward
President
Centrada
Tel:   (972) 74604342
[email protected]

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