Leveraging the IBM Cognos® Analytics and AI Assistant, hoteliers can build dashboards and charts, identify trends, and select the best visualizations for reports on demand based on simple commands, such as ‘Show Me Room Revenues by State’
PITTSBURGH, PA — March 17, 2022 — Aptech, the industry standard for hospitality financial management, is making business intelligence easier than ever before. Leveraging the IBM Cognos® Analytics AI Assistant within its recently enhanced Execuvue business intelligence solution, hoteliers can clean and connect data, create stunning data visualizations, and see how business is performing today while predicting what will happen tomorrow. Users type simple browser commands into the system, such as “Show Me Room Revenues by State,” and the AI Assistant will instantly present the data in a compelling, relevant, and easy-to-understand visual format.
“Thanks to AI-powered analytics, Execuvue is more intuitive than ever before,” said Cam Troutman, Aptech Vice President. “Hoteliers can quickly and easily build dashboards, charts, and visualizations to help them better navigate the future. However, we are still learning about practical applications for this ‘cool’ technology and time will tell where we are in the ‘Hype Cycle.’”
The Execuvue Dashboard tool delivers stunning images of financial and operational data to provide actionable insights. It’s a drag-and-drop environment with predictive analytics that creates the best visualizations based on the data entered. Here’s how it works:
• Execuvue AI Assistant Builds Dashboards
The Execuvue AI Assistant field asks: “How may I help you?” The user types a reply: “Create dashboard for Room Revenue and States.” Immediately on the dashboard canvas appears four visualization options. AI Analytics may determine the best way to present the requested data is by Map. Via the Room Revenue tab at the top of the dashboard, a user can scroll over the map and click on each state to examine revenue figures. The user also has three additional Room Revenue visualization options to choose from: 1) a bar chart showing Room Revenue and NOI by State, 2) a line chart showing Room Revenue and GOP by State, and 3) a combined bar and line chart showing comp rooms and Room Revenues by State.
Then, clicking on the “States” tab, four visualizations again appear. With a map appearing as the AI Assistant pre-selected visualization, the user can click on each state to see available rooms for State regions and Room Revenue for State points. If further information is needed, the user again has three optional visualizations to choose from: 1) a bar chart showing Total Revenue and Room Revenue by State, 2) a line chart showing STR sold rooms prior year and Room Revenue by State, and 3) a combined bar and line chart showing Room Revenue and STR Rooms Revenue Year Prior by State.
“Within seconds, a user has eight visualizations to choose from, each containing predictive analysis that can be leveraged and shared to make smarter business decisions,” Troutman said. “Data can be uploaded into Execuvue by hoteliers without Aptech’s assistance, enabling them to create custom reports and dashboards on the fly and view the findings in a whole new way.”
• Execuvue AI Assisted Visualization Selection
Within the Execuvue dashboard, users can prepare visualizations for reports by simply dragging and dropping key words onto the canvas. By selecting from pre-defined descriptors, such as Room Revenue, users may be presented with a simple text box (4.58B Room Revenue). However, by dragging multiple descriptor onto the canvas, such as Room Revenue and Property Name, users will receive a visually appealing chart depicting the data in seconds.
• Execuvue AI-Based Forecast
For multi-property enterprises, the Execuvue AI Assistant can drill down and provide even more rich data, such as Room Revenue by Quarter Colored by Franchise. The AI-based forecast feature enables users to see portfolio performance by brand or property name, whichever is dragged and dropped onto the canvas. AI Analytics then provides visualizations of the requested data, including measures for “Confidence Upward Bound,” “Room Revenue (Sum) Forecast,” and “Confidence Lower Bound.” Users can hover over data points to see even more rich detail.
“With limited staff and leaner budgets, Aptech is helping operators do a lot more with a lot less,” Troutman said. “The AI Assistant within Execuvue is extremely user friendly— so much so that no training is needed. Users type in questions and the AI Assistant provides the answers in a visually compelling way. This is some of the coolest technology on the market, and it can be leveraged to show future trends based on historical data to better predict the future. The scalability, flexibility, and integration capabilities of today’s AI-powered Execuvue is truly setting Aptech apart from other providers of hospitality business intelligence.”
To get more information about the new Execuvue or request a demo, click here.
