 DALLAS (MAY 4, 2012) — La Quinta
Inns & Suites was
named a 2012 Hospitality Visionary by Hospitality Technology
(HT) magazine
for its use of cloud technology to improve infrastructure and back
office
operations, an initiative that saved the 820-hotel chain money and
improved
efficiency in the delivery of services. The is the first time La Quinta
has
been recognized with a Hospitality Visionary Award; other winners for
2012
include Hilton Worldwide, Gaylord
Entertainment and the Flamingo Las Vegas. “We are proud and grateful to receive this recognition,” said Vivek Shaiva, La Quinta’s Chief Information Officer. “Our cloud computing strategy impacts all parts of our business and has radically transformed the way we deploy technology solutions. It has not only reduced our technology operating and capital costs, but also dramatically improved systems performance and reduced failure rates.” Shaiva concluded, “These innovations, alongside strategic partnerships with best-of-breed providers, have enabled us to accelerate technology innovation while keeping our focus on driving business and guest satisfaction -- which are the heart of our mission as a brand.” La Quinta was selected as an Infrastructure/Back-Office Technology Innovator for a multi-year project to get all on-property systems and telecom services in the “cloud.” La Quinta, working with multiple solution providers — Thing5, Verizon, MSI, Pegasus and Mphasis — led all the initiatives to optimize the configuration of the solution for use at its properties. The transition from a custom-developed central reservation system to a software-as-a-service model contributed toward La Quinta’s systemwide growth and enabled new revenue management capabilities. La Quinta has also been able to reduce its IT operating costs by as much as 50 percent as a result of its cloud computing and SaaS initiatives. “We are proud of our achievements in the area of cloud computing and are delighted to receive this award,” said Wayne Goldberg, La Quinta’s President and CEO. He concluded, “I want to congratulate Vivek Shaiva, his team and all of our corporate and franchise partners for embracing these innovations and contributing to a better, more profitable operating environment for the entire brand.” About the Award HT Visionary Awards are presented in two categories: infrastructure/back-office technology and customer-facing/in-room technology. In order to ensure that companies from across the industry are recognized for their efforts, consideration is given to size, resources and individual market segment benchmarks. Winners were selected by HT editorial staff on a basis of innovation, thought leadership, execution and forward-thinking vision. About La Quinta LQ Management L.L.C. is one of the largest operators of limited-service hotels in the United States. Based in Dallas, Texas, the Company operates and provides franchise services to more than 800 hotels in 46 states, Canada and Mexico under the La Quinta Inn® and La Quinta Inn & Suites® brands. For reservations or more information about La Quinta, please visit www.LQ.com or call 1-800-SLEEPLQ. Follow La Quinta Inns & Suites on Twitter at twitter.com/LQ or become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/laquinta. |