Amidst today’s economy, Vertical Systems Inc. (VSi) is helping hotels to cut labor costs across multiple departments by empowering guests to do just that.
Three new interactive systems will be showcased at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC) June 23-25 at the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center in booth No. 950 that will give true "power to the people” when it comes to accessing airline information, searching for local information and making reservations, and shipping parcels at any hour of the day or night.
VSi, a global leader in guest services technology and solutions aimed at helping hotels serve the growing needs of business travelers and mobile users, will introduce: TravelMate™ - an interactive, dual flat-screen kiosk that provides boarding pass printing, interactive flight search and reservations, and up-to-date flight display information; ConciergeTouch™ - providing interactive, 24/7 easy access to local dining and activities, news, sports, stocks and more, offered on new HP TouchSmart, all-in-one, PC technology; and ShipMate™ - an upgraded, self-service shipping station featuring PC, printer, weighing scale and drop boxes integrated into a single kiosk and which now features integrated TrackIT software from RHR Systems Inc. TrackIT creates an audit trail for every package, making billing for parcel services easy, quick and accurate, and it cuts labor costs and management time while dramatically reducing the risk of losing valuable packages.
“The hotel industry is finding true value in supplementing its full-service operation with self-service technologies because it is making dollars and cents for hotel owners and operators,” said Saeed Kazmi, VSi president. “As travelers become more and more technology savvy, having access to business tools via self-service kiosks is a welcome amenity – and in many areas around the world, it is now very much in demand.
“At VSi, we are continually developing new solutions and upgrading existing ones to put interactive tools at guests’ fingertips and more revenues to a hotel’s bottom line,” he said. “By simply re-assigning many of labor-intensive guest services from the staff to guests, bottom line savings are immediate.”
Kazmi said many hotels today can’t afford a full-time concierge, boarding pass printing kiosks or a dedicated guest shipping/handling department. However, as long as the hotel is working with VSi to manage its business services (automated business centers and self-service kiosks), adding these new interactive technologies can easily be done at no additional cost to the hotel. In addition, these interactive technologies also can open doors to new revenue streams via advertising and co-op branding opportunities.
“If guests like to do things themselves, hoteliers should enable them,” Kazmi said. “In today’s economy, it’s the hotels that can reduce staff overhead and operational expenses while increasing guest service will be the most successful, today and in the future.
“We invite everyone visiting HITEC to stop by booth No. 950 to get a thorough understanding of how TravelMate™, ConciergeTouch™ and ShipMate™ can immediately provide a cure to bottom line bleeding,” he added.