July 24, 2015
Siegel Sez
by: Rich Siegel
When is a Siegel Sez not a Siegel Sez? That would be today.
The annual Hospitality Upgrade CIO Summit is coming up on September 9-11, so as we are preparing for the event I have been talking to just about every technology leader in the industry over the last few weeks. The one thing that everyone is bringing up is HITEC. Yes, everyone agrees that it was probably one of the best HITECs ever with a great crowd. Exhibitors were uniform in their raving about the event and the city of Austin. The CIO/CMO session we did was very well received, and so many came up to us to congratulate us on our HITEC issue of Hospitality Upgrade magazine and we absolutely live for that. But as important as the sessions, exhibits and multitude of meetings everybody had was the networking. We did our fair share of networking during the week with much of the networking happening at the multitude of parties that we all attended. As we looked back at all the animated pictures from our HITEC experience, we thought it might be fun to share them with you. To view these photos from HITEC, click here. Also, because I can be quite the traditionalist, we did the annual closing day Siegel Sez interview with the recently retired Jon Inge. Enjoy Jon’s recap of this year’s event by clicking here. Yes, this is our look back at HITEC 2015, which I am guessing will be brought up quite a few times at our CIO Summit in San Diego. There will definitely be some interesting conversations.
Speaking of our CIO Summit, who knows, maybe the stars are perfectly aligned. Our event has grown every year but this year the growth is through the roof. Yes, we have all the big guys there as we always do, but this year attendance has increased with great support from what some might call smaller but ultra-luxury chains. Yes, those hotels where you dream of a room rate under $500 a night. We are getting many CIOs from companies that are less focused on managing hotels, but more focused on technology as owners of hotels. The San Diego location also provides easy travel from many in the gaming world who are attending this year. Of course, this also causes me unbelievable stress since now I worry about doing things right, the social events and more importantly the program for an elite crowd like this. Yes, stressful but exciting. We have always limited sponsorships at the CIO Summit but because of the growth of the event we will be taking on one more sponsor. If you are a technology provider and have an interest, please email me immediately at mailto:rich@hospitalityupgrade.com and I will give you the details.
Yes, this is not the traditional Siegel Sez. That will kick off next week with Jon Inge’s replacement who has some pretty creative ideas as to how we might improve our bi-weekly industry technology review. They say the only constant in life is change and we are going to be changing with the times. Hope you enjoy our look back at HITEC, and one thing we aren’t going to change this week is our seeing you at the end with this week’s attempt at you-know-what. See you there!
Rich@hospitalityupgrade.com
Technology NEWSSTAND
TOP O’ THE NEWS
-- HFTP Announces HITEC Europe and HITEC Asia Coming in 2017
-- Gencom Acquires Ownership Interest in Gemstone Hotels & Resorts
-- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Extends IT Outsourcing Contract with Accenture
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For more information on Top O' the News for 07/24/15
SALES & CATERING, MEETING PLANNING
-- The Next Edition of iPlan Operational Diagramming Previewed at HITEC 2015
-- Groupize Announces the Launch of Groupize Meetings; Signs 19 New Hotel Properties
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The Next Edition of iPlan Operational Diagramming Previewed at HITEC 2015
A special preview of the latest version of iPlan was available for HITEC attendees last month. Building off the rich historical expertise of Newmarket MeetingMatrix and Newmarket MeetingMatrix Silver, iPlan is a single Web-based solution utilizing a consistent user experience for diagramming, to aide in the communication process between the planner and the venue.
http://www.newmarketinc.com **
Groupize Announces the Launch of Groupize Meetings; Signs 19 New Hotel PropertiesAnnouncing the launch of Groupize Meetings at this year’s HITEC, the latest innovation is part Groupize’s mobile-first, cloud-based platform that automates the end-to-end processes of shopping, booking and managing groups and meetings online by including online merchandising of meeting space and meeting packages direct from the hotel website. The company has recently partnered with 19 new properties, including Magnuson Conference Hotel Winter Haven, B Resort Lake Buena Vista, The Crawford Hotel Denver, The Oxford Hotel Denver, Delta Toronto East, The Roger New York, The Roosevelt Hotel New York and OLS Hotels & Resorts.
http://www.groupize.com **
GUEST MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
-- ATRIO Spa Provides Improved Customer Service and Better Managed Operations for Simple Healings Nutrition Spa
-- New Study: Next-Generation Property Management Systems Key to Maximizing Efficiency and Driving Revenue
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ATRIO Spa Provides Improved Customer Service and Better Managed Operations for Simple Healings Nutrition SpaWith this deployment, PAR Springer-Miller achieves another significant milestone in the expansion of the ATRIO Hospitality Technology Platform and continues to build upon its reputation for innovation in technology. Capitalizing on its vast experience in the spa industry where more than 71 percent of the world’s five-star spas use PAR Springer-Miller’s Spa
Soft Spa Management System, PSMS created ATRIO Spa as the next-generation spa and wellness system.
http://www.partech.com,
http://www.atrio.com **
New Study: Next-Generation Property Management Systems Key to Maximizing Efficiency and Driving Revenue
Agilysys, Inc., announced the availability of the Upgrading to a Next-Generation Hotel Property Management System (PMS) eBook. According to research conducted by Starfleet Media, hotels are looking to new PMS technology to optimize efficiency, maximize revenue and profitability, and drive competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace. Achieving these goals means streamlining day-to-day operations across the organization by maintaining better management controls, gaining a deeper understanding of the unmet wants, needs and behaviors of guests through analytical reporting – and then, acting on those insights to increase guest satisfaction, loyalty, brand advocacy and retention. Agilysys has offered the e-book via download at
http://info.agilysys.com/PMSebook.
**
MARKETING/MANAGEMENT
-- Nor1 Reveals the Value of Intelligent Merchandising
-- Beacon Technology Licensed for Firmware Integration in Bluetooth
® Smart -Enabled Devices
-- Uniguest and Google Announce Partnership to Deploy Google Chrome Devices; Joseph P. Morgan, Jr. Named as CEO
-- Hospitality Startup Whistle Wins First Place in the Entrepreneur 20x Competition at HITEC
-- The Woodlands
® Resort & Conference Center Expands Mobile Strategy with In-Room ICE
-- RHLC Announces New Loyalty Program, Hello Rewards
-- Hyatt Regency Chicago Deploys Secure Messaging
-- Nickelodeon Suites Resort Expands Family Markets with Digital Alchemy
-- Clairvoyix Recognized as One of the 20 Most Promising Travel and Hospitality Technology Solution Providers for 2015
-- Flip.to Partners with In1 Solutions
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For more on Marketing/Management for 07/24/15
REVENUE MANAGEMENT
-- First Kempinski Hotels Property in the Middle East to Implement Infor EzRMS
-- Atlantis Casino Resort Spa Selects The Rainmaker Group for Profit Optimization
-- Kempinski Hotel Mall of Emirates Partners with IDeaS, Deploys Advanced Analytics to Optimize Revenue
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For more information on Revenue Management for 07/24/15
GUEST SERVICES
-- The Dazzler Brooklyn Hotel Offers Combined Advantages of GuestTek and DIRECTV
-- Skyport in San Jose Opens with GuestTek’s Trifecta™ Triple Play
-- Choice Hotels Selects Blueprint RF as Preferred Vendor
-- Inspirato Partners with LG Electronics to Equip Select Signature Residences with LG Curved OLED TVS
-- Lindner Hotels & Resorts to Roll out Self Check-in Solution Across Multiple Properties
-- MCOM Releases HOTstream Cloud on Microsoft Azure
-- DIRECTV and UIEvolution Partner to Provide Next-generation Hospitality Guest Entertainment Solution
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For more information on Guest Services for 07/24/15
INVENTORY/PURCHASING
-- Broadvine Selected for New Product Showcase
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Broadvine Selected for New Product Showcase Broadvine was selected to showcase the recently launched Portfolio One™ Expense Module at HITEC last month. The Expense Module allows hospitality professionals at individual properties to enter invoice data into a simple Web-based application, which, in turn, synchronizes with any corporate accounting platform.
http://www.broadvine.com **
SECURITY
-- Shift4 Celebrates 10th Anniversary of First Payment Data Tokenization
-- ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Delivers Latest in Passenger Security Innovation to RCCL's MS Anthem of the Seas
-- The Langham, Chicago Implements Kaba Guest Door Locks for Reliable Security
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For more information on Security for 07/24/15
RESERVATIONS
-- Sabre Releases New Travel Trend Report: The Future of Hotel Booking – A Guide to Hotel Retailing
-- Sabre Completes Acquisition of Abacus International
-- Sabre Tests New Hotel Digital Marketing Program from Google
-- Worldhotels and Vizergy Digital Travel Marketing Join Forces
-- Maxxton Integrates with SiteMinder to Expand Distribution Offerings
-- DORMERO Hotels Partners with SiteMinder
-- SHR Launches WindsurferCRS.com
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For more information on Reservations for 07/24/15
ENGINEERING
-- ZENO’s Guest Experience Interface Connects Front Office Staff to Environmental Controls
-- ALICE Launches First-ever Hospitality App with Real-time Translation Between Hotel Guests and Staff
-- INNCOM by Honeywell Shows the Future of Guest Experience at HITEC 2015
-- Portola Hotel & Spa Receives Prestigious LEED Recertification and Offers Green Meeting Spaces
-- Newmarket Introduces Gamification Elements in HotSOS Mobile
-- Newmarket and Savioke Partner to Bring the Future of Guest Service to the Hospitality Industry
-- HOTELbeat Dashboard Maximizes Property Management Intelligence and Streamlines Issue Resolution
-- Guestware Releases Latest Cloud-based Software at HITEC
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For more information on Engineering for 07/24/15
COMMUNICATIONS/INFRASTRUCTURE
-- RoamBOOST Technology Transforms Largest JW Marriott in America
-- Matrix Showcases Hotel Phone Systems and Video Management Software at HITEC 2015
-- Bittel Debuts the UNOMedia 5
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For more information on Communications/Infrastructure for 07/24/15
You-Know-What
And now for you-know-what...
A woman went to the doctor's office, where she was seen by a young, new doctor. After about 4 minutes in the examination room, the doctor told her she was pregnant. She burst out of the room, screaming and crying as she ran down the hall.
An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she told him her story. After listening, he had her sit down and relax in another room.
He then marched down the hallway to the office where the first doctor was and demanded, "What's the matter with you? Mrs. Terry is 59 years old, she has four grown children and seven grandchildren. Why on earth did you tell her she was pregnant?"
The new doctor continued to write on his clipboard, and without looking up quietly asked, "Does she still have the hiccups?"