Travel Outlook Introduces Bella, The Virtual Hotel Agent, Providing Instant Guest Service While Reducing Fixed Labor Expense
Travel Outlook Premium Hotel Call Center | January 13, 2022
8 Qualities of Top Performing Hotel Call Center Agents
Travel Outlook | November 17, 2021
Operations
Cendyn and Pegasus Complete Merger
Cendyn | January 24, 2022
Boca Raton, FL – January 24, 2022 –Today, Cendyn and Pegasus closed their previously announced merger agreement, bringing two industry leaders together as one company. This merger provides hoteliers with a transformative platform to maximize the direct-booking channel, enhancing the guest experience end-to-end. The two companies merged under the Cendyn brand, with Tim Sullivan continuing to lead Cendyn as CEO & President of the newly combined company. In addition to Sullivan’s role as the company’s CEO, Cendyn appointed Gautam Lulla as Chief Innovation Officer and Joanna Genser as Chief Enterprise Officer. At the heart of the ...
Raines Co. Dramatically Improves Owner Reporting Using Business Intelligence
Raines | January 18, 2022
Business intelligence solution is enabling the hotel management, development, and investment group to streamline operational reporting and make smarter business decisions on the fly PITTSBURGH, PA — January 18, 2022 — A year ago, 19 properties in the Raines Co. portfolio went LIVE with PVNG, a browser-based enterprise accounting tool from Aptech. Extremely pleased with the finance software and the company’s customer service, the hospitality management, development, and investment group operating the world’s leading hotel brands and boutique properties recently added Aptech’s newest version business intelligence tool, Execuvue®...
Travel Outlook Introduces Bella, The Virtual Hotel Agent, Providing Instant Guest Service While Reducing Fixed Labor Expense
Travel Outlook Premium Hotel Call Center | January 13, 2022
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO (January 13, 2022): Travel Outlook Premium Hotel Call Center (“Travel Outlook®”) announces the launch of the hotel industry’s first AI-powered voice bot, purpose-built to reduce fixed labor costs with a distinct human touch: BellaTM, The Virtual Hotel AgentTM. Bella can help hotels immediately address staffing issues and reduce fixed labor expense. Personalized in a human voice the hotel chooses, Bella can answer most of the calls now being handled by the front desk. To estimate the labor cost savings Bella can achieve, Travel Outlook has created a Bella Savings Tool on its website. Bella has been program...
Stayntouch Partners With Residential Hospitality Brand Mint House to Launch Guest-Centric Cloud PMS Across 22 Properties
Stayntouch | January 12, 2022
[Wed, January 12 | Bethesda, Maryland] Stayntouch, a worldwide leader in guest-centric cloud hotel property management systems (PMS) and contactless technology, today announced an expanded partnership with Mint House, a transformational residential hospitality company that offers tech-forward apartment-style accommodations across the United States. Debuting with the brand’s award-winning property, Mint House at 70 Pine - New York, Stayntouch has completed the deployment of its guest-centric cloud PMS across 22 Mint House properties. Founded in 2017, Mint House operates in more than 15 major U.S. cities including New York, Miami, Austin, ...
Why It Is Critical to Care About Your Employees’ Financial Wellness
UniFocus | January 6, 2022
By Mark Heymann As every hospitality leader tries to address declining employee satisfaction, one simple way to think about the problem is to spend two weeks in their shoes. Why two weeks? Because that’s typically the time frame that an employee is waiting for another paycheck to arrive, and those 14 days can feel like an eternity. According to research from PYMNTS.com, 125 million adults in the U.S. are living paycheck to paycheck. For hotels and all service-related businesses, what needs to change is clear: It’s time to eliminate that waiting period. At Unifocus, we teamed up with Rain to give all our partners who use our Labor Ma...
Cloud5 Communications Demonstrates Hospitality Market Rebound With Opening of Toronto Contact Center
Cloud5 Communications | January 5, 2022
Communications and Managed IT Services provider leverages its contact center expertise to address emerging travel trends and staffing needs Chicago, IL. — January 5, 2022, Cloud5 Communications, a leading provider of communications solutions and Managed IT Services for more than 5,000 hotels, MDUs, and commercial facilities across the Americas, has today announced the opening of a 15,000 Sq. foot contact center in Toronto to service customer travel itinerary needs for one of the world’s most well-recognized financial services companies. “Experts predict a substantial surge in travel as conditions around the world become safer ...
Record Growth in New Customer Acquisition & New Leadership Mark 2021 as Best Year in Stayntouch History, Sets Momentum for Accelerated Growth in ...
Stayntouch | January 5, 2022
Stayntouch, a global leader in guest-centric cloud hotel property management systems (PMS) and contactless technology, has announced a record year in performance for the company in 2021, with sharp increases in both new hotel customer acquisitions and the number of hotel rooms under contract. The success follows the establishment of new C-Suite and Sales leadership in the first half of 2021. 2021 has been a rollercoaster year for both hoteliers and the travel market. While some hotels enjoyed incredible increases in occupancy and revenue, others struggled with persistent staffing shortages and consistently shifting market conditions. Stayn...
HID Global Acquires InvoTech Systems to Broaden Its Leadership in Commercial Laundry Management Solutions
HID Global | January 3, 2022
AUSTIN, Texas – January 3, 2022 – HID Global, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, today announced it has acquired InvoTech Systems, Inc. The acquisition enhances HID’s advanced textile inventory management systems offering for uniforms, linens, and laundry operations and adds to HID Global’s industry-leading RFID portfolio. The acquisition advances HID’s stature within this growing market, as InvoTech provides technology and services to clients across hundreds of properties across the globe, including many of the largest players in the hotel, resort, theme park, and cruise industries. “Bringing InvoTech into the...
Does Your Hotel Have Utility Players?
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | December 15, 2021
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky Consider the long-term impact of COVID-19 on hospitality and you’ll see that many of the rapid pivots to protect guests and staff were actually bound to happen, just over the course of a decade rather than ten months. With a keener eye on platform integrations, we see the increasing overlap of capabilities from various tech vendors enabling hotels to further break down siloed departments so that productivity can be increased and labor costs can be decreased. The current labor shortage may be temporary but even if the market improves in 2022, the need to drive more operating efficiency will persist. With th...
VICI Properties Inc. Enters Into Agreements Relating to the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas
VICI Properties | December 14, 2021
NEW YORK, NY - December 14, 2021 - VICI Properties Inc. (“VICI Properties” or “VICI” or the “Company”) announced today that, in connection with MGM Resorts International’s (“MGM Resorts”) agreement to sell the operations of The Mirage Hotel & Casino (the “Mirage”), located in Las Vegas, NV, to Hard Rock International (“Hard Rock”), VICI has agreed to enter into a new separate lease with Hard Rock related to the operations of the Mirage (the “Mirage Lease”) and also enter into an amendment to the Master Lease to be made by and between VICI Properties and MGM Resorts (the “MGM Master Lease”). The transac...
MGM to Sell Operations of The Mirage to Hard Rock for $1.075 Billion
MGM Resorts International | December 14, 2021
LAS VEGAS, NV - December 14, 2021 - MGM Resorts International ("MGM Resorts" or the "Company") (NYSE: MGM) today announced it has reached an agreement to sell the operations of The Mirage Hotel & Casino ("The Mirage") to Hard Rock International ("Hard Rock") for $1.075 billion in cash, subject to customary working capital adjustments. "This transaction is a significant milestone for MGM Resorts, and for Las Vegas," said Bill Hornbuckle, CEO & President, MGM Resorts International. "As part of the team that opened The Mirage in 1989, I know firsthand how special it is, and what a great opportunity it presents to the Hard Rock...
Stayntouch Enhances Integration With Pegasus CRS, Delivering Intuitive & Optimized Distribution for Hotel Customers
Stayntouch | December 7, 2021
[December 7, 2021] Bethesda, Maryland: Stayntouch, a global leader in cloud-native hotel property management systems (PMS) and contactless technology, announced today an enhancement to its partnership with Pegasus, an award-winning global provider of revenue and distribution strategy solutions. Stayntouch PMS now offers a full 2-way integration with Pegasus Central Reservation System (CRS). Pegasus CRS allows hotels to take full control of their global distribution strategy, with a flexible and scalable solution that includes advanced rate and inventory management tools. Pegasus CRS delivers a range of features to be leveraged by Stayntouc...
Amadeus Releases New HotSOS Experience Assisting Hotels to Improve Operational Efficiency
Amadeus | December 2, 2021
Update to market leading software helps hotels to do more with less and alleviate the pressures of labor shortages December 2, 2021 - The hospitality industry has adapted at record speed during the COVID-19 crisis, adopting new cleaning protocols and processes as part of its response. Now as restrictions change and travel resumes in some areas, hotels continue to face challenges such as labor shortages, rising operational costs and changing guest expectations. In response to this, Amadeus has launched a new experience for its industry-leading service optimization solution, HotSOS. The new interface displays an overview of hotel performa...
Curator Hotel & Resort Collection Selects Silverware as a Preferred Provider of Point-of-Sale, Mobile Ordering, and Contactless Guest-Facing Digi...
Curator Hotel & Resort Collection | December 1, 2021
BETHESDA, MD and MARKHAM, Ontario — December 1, 2021 — Silverware and Curator Hotel & Resort Collection (“Curator”) today announced a partnership agreement that enables hotels in the Collection to use Silverware’s point-of-sale, mobile ordering, and contactless guest-facing digital solutions. Hoteliers within Curator can deploy these technologies to elevate their guests’ dining experiences, improve speed of service, increase check averages, boost operational efficiencies, and keep guests and staff safe. Silverware POS solutions drive efficiency and enhance the profitability of restaurants by delivering the most innovative ...
Hotel Equities Forms Strategic Alliance With Sethi Management
Hotel Equities | November 30, 2021
ATLANTA, GA – November 30, 2021 – Today, Hotel Equities (“HE”) and Sethi Management (“Sethi”) announced the formation of a strategic alliance whereby HE will provide operational oversight, resources, and national support to all hotels within the Sethi portfolio. Hotel Equities began transitioning Sethi’s hotels into its portfolio in late October and will be fully integrated by December 1. Sethi is based in Carlsbad, California and has a 40-year history as successful owners and operators of more than 75 businesses across a diversified management portfolio including retail, restaurants and hotels. By combining resources with ...
The Surf Company Partners With Life House to Operate Its Two Beachfront Hotels in York, Maine
The Surf Company | November 23, 2021
YORK, ME – November 23, 2021 – Maine-based real estate developer Taylor Perkins and his holding company, The Surf Company LLC, have announced its partnership with Life House to operate its two beachfront hotels in York, Maine. The portfolio, which encompasses nearly 140 keys on the beach in York, represents Life House’s first projects in Maine, with the intention to expand their partnership with The Surf Company up and down the New England coast. Just over an hour north of Boston, York, Maine is one of the nation's oldest cities, originally settled in 1624 by the Abenaki who called the town "Agamenticus," a term they used to refer ...
Curator Hotel & Resort Collection Welcomes Eight New Hotels From Davidson Hospitality Group
Curator Hotel & Resort Collection | November 23, 2021
BETHESDA, MD – November 23, 2021 – Curator Hotel & Resort Collection (“Curator”) announced the addition of eight lifestyle hotels and resorts from Davidson Hospitality Group (“Davidson”) to its rapidly growing portfolio. These hotels will access Curator’s best-in-class operating agreements, services, and non-proprietary technology to improve operating performance while benefiting from the enhanced relationships with other Curator member hotels and resorts. “We are thrilled to add these unique hotels and resorts to Curator’s growing portfolio,” said John Belden, Chairman & CEO of Davidson Hospitality G...
Amadeus Announces Agreement With Marriott International to Deploy Transformative, Cloud-Based CRS Solution
Amadeus | November 18, 2021
Marriott will leverage industry-leading capabilities from the Amadeus Central Reservations System (ACRS) to enhance travel offerings and increase guest personalization Amadeus today announces an agreement with Marriott International to deploy the Amadeus Central Reservations System (ACRS) to modernize Marriott’s reservation infrastructure in the coming years. Integrating the ACRS will ultimately replace Marriott’s proprietary reservations system and expand its commerce capabilities, including enabling travelers to personalize their travels, by providing greater flexibility in choosing guest room attributes, and purchasing products like s...
8 Qualities of Top Performing Hotel Call Center Agents
Travel Outlook | November 17, 2021
How to pick a call center that’s right for your property Hotels in 2021 have a lot of catching up to do. 2020 and the first half of 2021 presented the hospitality industry with a whirlwind of challenges that still linger today. The road to recovery is just ahead, and many hotels are starting to rethink their sales strategies going forward. The events of 2020 forever changed the way we travel. Traveler’s want hospitality delivered on their terms, and it is up to hotels to pivot to meet those needs. One way hotels are rising to the occasion and meeting the needs of travelers is by utilizing a professional hotel call center to man ...
Hutton Hotel Invests in IDeaS G3 RMS for Stronger Recovery and Competitive Advantage
IDeaS | November 17, 2021
A reevaluation of its revenue management operation leads Nashville hotel to switch RMS providers for industry-leading IDeaS MINNEAPOLIS — November 17, 2021— IDeaS, a SAS company, the world’s leading provider of hotel revenue management software and services, announced today it has implemented IDeaS G3 Revenue Management System (RMS) at the 250-room, boutique Hutton Hotel just off of Nashville’s popular Music Row. After engaging with IDeaS Consulting services, the Hutton Hotel recognized the many advantages of partnering with IDeaS for its long-term revenue strategy, competitive performance and post-pandemic recovery. • Consul...
Meetings Mean Business Coalition to Fully Integrate With U.S. Travel
U.S. Travel Association | November 16, 2021
WASHINGTON – November 16, 2021 – The Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC) and the U.S. Travel Association announced today the full integration of the coalition under the U.S. Travel umbrella, strengthening MMBC’s critical mission of uniting the meetings industry with one strong and powerful voice. By integrating with U.S. Travel, MMBC will benefit more directly from the association’s robust public affairs resources and advocacy network while providing greater value to coalition members as business travel and professional meetings and events rebuilds from steep pandemic-related losses. “Since its founding, the Meeti...
Visual Matrix Acquires LodgingControls as Part of Strategic Expansion to Provide the Latest in PMS Efficiency
Visual Matrix | November 9, 2021
This acquisition will enable hoteliers to further streamline operations and improve employee productivity to meet growing guest expectations. RICHARDSON, TX – November 9, 2021 – Visual Matrix, an industry-leading hotel property management PMS software company, has today announced its acquisition of LodgingControls, Inc., (LCI) a nationally recognized housekeeping productivity software that allows hoteliers and staff to work smarter, faster and better in meeting their business and guest needs. As a member of the ASG hospitality family, Visual Matrix’s all-encompassing PMS with the LCI integration is set to provide labor-strapped hoteli...
PM Hotel Group Announces Upcoming Merger With Paramount
PM HOTEL GROUP | November 8, 2021
Chevy Chase, MD – November 8, 2021 – PM Hotel Group today announces its merger with Paramount Management Associates. The combined company will manage a portfolio of 70 branded and independent properties across 22 states. The union pairs the strengths of each organization, producing enhanced synergies, support, and expertise. The company’s expanded footprint and resources will position it to deliver greater returns to owners while curating exceptional guest experiences. “This merger presented us with the opportunity to do something truly transformational. Relationships, with our owners, associates, and partners, have always...
Barons Eden Hotel and Spa Collection UK Select Suite of Industry-Leading Agilysys Point of Sale Solutions
Agilysys | November 2, 2021
Hoar Cross Hall & Eden Hall UK Look To Agilysys InfoGenesis POS, IG Flex and IG 12UX To Streamline Operations And Improve Reliability ALPHARETTA, GA. & WINDSOR, UK — November 2, 2021 — Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation cloud-native SaaS and on-premise hospitality software solutions and services, today announced that Barons Eden Hotel and Spa Collection, UK has selected the Agilysys InfoGenesis POS solution for its Hoar Cross Hall and Eden Hall UK based properties. Barons Eden is a collection of luxury spa and hotel destinations for relaxing, socialising and celebrating. Guests ca...
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