| On the eve
of HITEC 2008, hotel franchisor Hospitality International was in the
market for
a new central reservations system (CRS) for its five brands, including
Red
Carpet Inn, Passport Inn, Scottish Inns, Master Hosts Inns and
Downtowner Inns.
Since 2003, the company had successfully partnered with a reservations
provider
that proved adequate for its 280 locations throughout the US, Canada
and
Bahamas. But, rapid shifts in hotel buying behavior and reservations
technology
functionality led the corporate team in Tucker, Georgia to go shopping
for a
more advanced solution. Using HITEC as a springboard, the company met with all of the attending CRS providers. Many seemed to provide the technological capabilities Hospitality International was looking for, but were too small to handle the company’s nearly 300 locations. Others were too large, threatening to make the company’s needs insignificant in negotiating future software or service offerings. One was juuust right. Pegasus Solutions had come to HITEC 2008 in Austin, to launch RezView® NG, its next generation CRS. A bold solution heralded as the first major redesign to the CRS in 20 years, RezView NG promised to not only solve the shopping and booking challenges facing hotels in 2008, but to evolve with the market to solve whatever new challenges would emerge in years to come. For Hospitality International, Pegasus and its groundbreaking CRS solution promised to handle the complex demands of the large group while still being capable of attentively responding to customer needs. The corporate team didn’t just want a solid CRS that allowed for timely updates and feature enhancements, they also wanted ease of use and exceptional service. An added bonus was Pegasus’ unrivaled connections to the global distribution systems (GDS) and alternative distribution systems (ADS), or online channels, which would allow Hospitality International to remove the unnecessary steps between hotel supply and guests. Following a promising meeting at HITEC, Pegasus supported Hospitality International through every aspect of the selection process, including sending both sales and technical personnel to Atlanta to meet in-person with key decision-makers. Once ready, Pegasus showed the same level of attention to implement and train Hospitality International on the RezView NG platform. For their part, Hospitality International dedicated teams to address areas like data population, training, call center agent preparations, website modifications and telecommunications issues. Data import into the new platform was handled by a specially created staff, while training was conducted with key members of Hospitality International’s staff, who then made the rounds training each of the hotels. Pegasus also helped train individual properties on managing their own CRS data via extranet, providing online conference call training, in-person training seminars, one-on-one online session, and in some cases, on-property training. Through the extraordinary efforts of both the Hospitality International and Pegasus teams, Hospitality International’s migration was completed in September 2009, a time remembered by most in the lodging industry for an entirely different reason. Despite the downturn felt around the world, Hospitality International held its own with the rest of the US lodging industry, appreciating the investment in technology before budget restraints may have hindered forward technological progress for its hotels. The company’s family-owned locations, which average 30 to 40 rooms, have since mastered the use of RezView NG while continuing to add new functionality introduced post-implementation to the enterprise platform. Beyond RezView NG, franchisees have also learned to leverage Pegasus’ online booking engine NetBooker® NG to maximize direct bookings online. In three short years, the company has moved off an ailing legacy CRS and adopted two next generation solutions. Together, the corporate team and Pegasus have shepherded their hoteliers into today’s ultra-competitive shopping environment and beyond. Hospitality International now even offers a booking widget via NetBooker NG on its Facebook page. Ultimately, the tale of Hospitality International and Pegasus Solutions is more than a CRS success story. It’s a testament to the power of aggressive, or rather, assertive shopping: the aggressive shopping by online bargain shoppers that drove Hospitality International to seek out a more capable CRS; and the assertive shopping by a savvy hotelier, combing the HITEC directory for their CRS “happily ever after.” Visit Pegasus Solutions at HITEC booth number 1113. About Pegasus  Pegasus Solutions is the
world’s leading provider of technology and services to hotels and
travel
distributors, supplying the award-winning RezView® NG central
reservation
system, electronic distribution services, advanced agency commission
processing
and payment services, and hotel marketing representation services.
Founded in
1989, Pegasus created and launched the hotel switch, and today its
customers
include approximately 90,000 properties around the globe as well as a
majority
of the world’s travel agencies. Additionally,
Pegasus’ powerful representation arm incorporates Utell® Hotels
& Resorts
and Utell Connect services that have been chosen by nearly 6,000 member
hotels
in more than 130 countries. Pegasus is the hotel industry’s most
experienced
third-party marketing, sales and reservations specialist. Pegasus also
powers
the niche consumer Web site www.hotelbook.com™,
dedicated to promoting independent and boutique hotels throughout the
world.
Headquartered in Dallas, Pegasus has 21 offices in 12 countries,
including
regional hubs in London, Singapore and Scottsdale, Arizona. For more
information,
please visit www.pegs.com or www.utell.com. |