Siegel Sez

GUEST SERVICES

An amenities survey by TripAdvisor of more than 1,000 U.S. travelers and over 600 U.S. hotel representatives showed guests’ strong preferences for “Wi-Fi Internet access and breakfast included with booking.”  Travelers valued loyalty points and a shuttle service noticeably higher than owners/managers, whereas owners/managers valued their provision of room service and a pets-allowed policy higher than did travelers.  Over half (54 percent) of the respondents said they have canceled a reservation because of better amenities at a different property.

Per TripAdvisor, the top five, most important amenities were:
- Wi-Fi Internet access: 85 percent travelers, 99 percent hotel owners/managers
- Breakfast included with booking: 78 percent, 79 percent
- Guest loyalty points: 72 percent, 55 percent
- Restaurant: 71 percent, 70 percent
- Shuttle service to local attractions/airport: 66 percent, 41 percent

The least important, bottom five were:
- Turn-down service: 87 percent of travelers, 83 percent of owners/managers
- Pets allowed: 85 percent, 38 percent
- Spa: 79 percent, 75 percent
- Tours/excursions/activities: 76 percent, 65 percent
- Room service: 72 percent, 49 percent
http://www.tripadvisor.com  
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Quadriga has added Direct2Guest and PromoDirect options to its Sensiq guest communications platform.  PromoDirect enables hoteliers to promote services such as new spa facilities, partner services and guest special offers on TVs in public areas, using text banners on the screen.  Direct2Guest offers similar functionality for the guestroom TVs, allowing banner campaigns to be pushed out at selected times to a choice of screen locations to target specific guest profiles.

Quadriga has appointed MSR IT Solution Pvt Ltd (MSR) as its exclusive distributor in India for its Sensiq guest communications application.  Products to be added later include its SmoovieTV platform and a range of new Internet services.  India’s first Sensiq installation is at the 66-room Park Visakhapatnam, one of the Apeejay Surrendra Group’s Park Hotels, and offers entertainment and information content as well as both wired and wireless Internet access.  http://www.theparkhotels.com, http://www.quadriga.com
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The Seaport Hotel & Seaport World Trade Center in Boston has deployed a Siemens’ Enterasys OneFabric Edge network for Internet access for hotel and conference guests.  The network is managed proactively by the property’s IT staff using Enterasys’ isaac, which allows them to interact with it using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and SalesForce.com Chatter.  The guest network was planned to also provide the infrastructure to integrate in-room guest entertainment systems and, eventually, a VoIP phone system.   http://www.seaportboston.com, http://www.enterasys.com
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Both the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels at the LA Live complex in downtown Los Angeles have implemented LodgeNet Interactive's Envision interactive HDTV (iHDTV) platform and Envision apps.  Envision offers a cloud-based interactive television service, with apps for checking weather and current flight information as well as learning more about on-site amenities and local attractions.  Additional apps will include InRoom Dining and automated Guest Requests.  http://www.lalivemarriott.com, http://www.ritzcarlton.com, http://www.lodgenet.com  
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Hotel Technologies was named an Innovations Honoree at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for its iHome HiDM5 Executive Workstation, a wireless Bluetooth® keyboard with microphone and stereo speaker phone intended to provide a better videoconferencing and media enjoyment experience for uses of iPads, iPhones and other Bluetooth-equipped mobile devices.  The HiDM5 was also named Best in Show by iLounge, and will be available to the hospitality industry in March exclusively from American Hotel Register.  http://www.hoteltechnologies.com  
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Locatel has launched its Eclipse MiRa portal, bundled with Philips MediaSuite TVs, targeted at three and four-star hotels wanting to offer revenue-driving interactive services.  Based on the HbbTV (hybrid broadcast broadband TV) standard for connected TVs, the portal includes news and information feeds, customized language interfaces and messaging, a range of TV and radio channels and on-demand movies.  Hotels can further tailor onscreen content and add targeted in-house promotional offers and advertising.  http://www.locatel.net, http://www.philips.com/hoteltv
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OTRUM has signed a worldwide partnership agreement with TV manufacturer Loewe, following the installation of Loewe screens at the Corinthia Hotel London.  http://www.otrum.com  
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Embassy Suites Boston at Logan Airport has installed an enhanced FlyteBoard display from Flyte Systems.  http://embassysuites.hilton.com/Boston, http://www.flytesystems.com
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The 248-room Mandarin Oriental New York has upgraded its Wi-Fi infrastructure, supplementing its existing DAS (distributed antenna system) with a Ruckus Wireless ZoneFlex 7025 Wi-Fi switch integrated Wi-Fi into standard wall outlets in each room.  Each unit provides four wired network ports and a Wi-Fi access point.   http://www.mandarinoriental.com/newyork, http://www.ruckuswireless.com
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OpenWays has introduced its MOBILE KEY DUAL with Pure NFC technology, in cooperation with Nordic Choice Hotels, NOKIA and NXP.  MOBILE KEY DUAL combines OpenWays’ CAC™ (Crypto Acoustic Credential) technology with both RFID and NFC technologies.  After Nordic Choice Hotels’ pilot test of NFC keys in 2010 at the Clarion Hotel Stockholm property determined that a better user interface was required, as well as multicarrier delivery, it deployed OpenWays’ Mobile Key in several hotels but required an NFC capability to cover future technology developments.  http://www.choicehotels.no, http://www.openways.com
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