Students enrolled in the college�s Advanced Restaurant Operations Capstone course  will learn to use the ReservationSource system through the Haute Technology program, designed by the school�s Technology Research and Education Center to enhance students� understanding of technology for use in the hospitality industry.

�The hospitality industry has always been on the forefront of using technology to make its businesses run more efficiently,� said Stephanie Gusmeri, vice president of operations for ReservationSource.  �We�re helping to advance that effort by preparing tomorrow�s restaurateurs to apply a new generation of technology to their operations.� 

The ReservationSource software enables Barron�s Restaurant, the school�s student-run, fine-dining facility, to automate and better plan, track and manage a variety of operating functions, including floor plan layouts, wait staff table assignments, customer relationship management, and online and other reservations.

�ReservationSource offers a combination of attributes that make its software a powerful tool and a leader in the industry,� said Mark Hamilton, director, Technology Research and Education Center at the Conrad N. Hilton College.  �The customer database feature, for example, better equips us to build and maintain consistent customer information, enabling us to be more effective in catering to the needs of our client base.�

ReservationSource, Inc. is a privately held corporation established in 1999 and headquartered in Houston.  The company is an emerging provider of Web-enabled yield and customer relationship management systems and software and integrated online reservation booking for small to medium businesses.  ReservationSource currently serves the restaurant and golf industries and plans to expand into other markets.

The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston was established in 1969 to meet the demand for professional training in the increasingly complex hospitality industry.  The curriculum is designed to prepare students to cope with changing business conditions and to present both theoretical and practical approaches to the diverse needs of the hospitality industry.  The College combines the finest in facility, faculty and curricular resources to create one of the finest educational environments available in the world.

The Technology Research & Education Center is located at the Conrad N. Hilton College and serves as the center for the collection, study and analysis of hospitality technology research.  TREC is committed to supporting information needs through advanced technology research, partnerships with corporations and relationships with the academic community.