May 06, 2022
Siegel Sez
I guess you could say this is a relatively small sampling, but I am writing this Siegel Sez from Las Vegas. I started the week at the Choice Hotels Conference at Mandalay Bay and the first thing I wanted to share, was the crowd was as large as it has ever been for the conference which adds fuel to the fire that the industry rebound continues. Just to prove this to me, after Choice I went to the Expedia’s EXPL0RE 22 and I saw the same thing with regard to attendance. From the hotel perspective, I loved the feedback at the Choice event. I began the day with a one-on-one with Brian Kirkland the CIO at Choice Hotels who shared what they are up to and where they are going. It is always interesting when the conversation goes all over the place.
The one question that every technology leader asks this time of year is where our 20
th CIO Summit will be held September 7-9
th. I promise the announcement will be made in 10 days. Optimism is rampant as hotels share the success they are having, and as important the vendors exhibiting at Choice shared with me the recent successes they have had. A healthy industry means that interest in new technology solutions will continue to grow. Of course, every conversation with a technology vendor ends with, see you at HITEC, which from what I hear from HFTP could also have the largest attendance it has ever seen. Hospitality Upgrade is the official technology publication for HITEC North America which is exciting. The funny thing with these conversations with vendors about HITEC Orlando is they all understand that Orlando draws the largest HITEC crowds, which they love, but the flip side of that is no one likes Orlando for HITEC, you can include me on that as well. Give me a big city with a convention center downtown and the hotels are within walking distance of the event, that’s what I like. No more venting, but there is excitement about being in Toronto next year for HITEC 2023. This will be the second time for Toronto and a great thing for many of us.
After Choice it was over to the Aria Hotel for EXPLORE 22. I love the hotel industry but when you go to an event like this and hear of the challenges and changes that are happening in the airline, car rental and other travel segments like VRBO you learn a lot. I know I did. When you are at an Expedia event the one word you keep hearing is partner. It is all about partnering. There are some interesting conversations that went all over the place, but was eye opening for me. I thank Expedia for the invite. The travel industry is an amazing industry and, in the post-COVID 19 world changes seem to be happening nonstop.
Doug Rice in his Definitely Doug column that follows talks about a technology that I would never have thought about and I think everyone who owns or operates a hotel should read his blog this week. The amount of money hotels needlessly spend on water is amazing. And, it could be avoided! I encourage you to read the column and share it with others. Who would have thought about the cost of water? Not me! We thank Doug for opening our eyes to how unique technology comes into play and saves hotels serious dollars.
Here now is the real reason we are here, Doug’s blog and the latest industry news. I will see you at the end with this week’s attempt at you know what. Now don’t forget, tomorrow is Kentucky Derby Day and I think it is time a grey horse won the race. Yes, there is a very good grey horse this year! Go White Abarrio!
Rich
rich@hospitalityupgrade.com
Definitely Doug
Taming the Water Beast
Water has become a major challenge for hotels, both in terms of cost and as one aspect of sustainability programs. Reducing water usage is smart from both a financial and environmental perspective. On the cost side, water accounts for about 10% of hotel utility bills. And while the cost of water varies substantially depending on location, it is increasing faster than inflation. Data on 30 U.S. cities from
Circle of Blue showed about a 53% price increase from 2010 to 2019, with many drought-parched locations significantly higher.
The
Green Hotels Association cites potential water savings from sustainable practices of around 50% for hotels. This can translate to 10% to 20% off a hotel’s utility bill, from the combination of reduced total water usage and the lower energy requirement for heating less hot water. Whether you are a tree-hugger or a climate-denier (or anywhere in between), this is good reason to pay attention.
And hotels have indeed been listening. Greenview’s
Green Lodging Trends Report 2018 indicates that a majority of hotels have adopted water tracking, low flow toilets, and efficient faucets and showerheads. While the survey sample was likely biased toward the 4500+ conservation-minded hotels who self-reported, this still represents significant progress.
This week’s column will focus on water management technologies. While some are well established, others reflect significant recent innovation. Many are inexpensive and can be incorporated into existing hotels, and they often have paybacks as short as one to three years. Some of them extend past the traditional domain of the hotel engineer, crossing into the realm of true technology systems. IT professionals and engineering managers alike would be well served to review the latest options together to see how much their hotels might benefit from them.
This article relies heavily on published research, but also on very useful interviews with experts at the nonprofit
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, as well as at vendor companies offering specialized solutions, including
Banyan Water,
Ecolab, and
VivoAquatics. My sincere thanks to the individuals who supported this effort.
CORPORATE NEWS
- Agilysys to Report Fiscal 2022 Fourth Quarter Results May 17th and Host Conference Call and Webcast
- M3 Recognized as Company of the Year - Hospitality & Leisure in 2022 American Business Awards
- Cloudbeds Earns Spot on Forbes' List of America's Best Startup Employers for Second Consecutive Year
- myDigitalOffice Expands Platform to Now Include Revenue Intelligence Data with Acquisition of Focal Revenue
- Eleven Software Acquired by Ven Capital Partners
- Following January 2022 ResortSuite Acquisition, Agilysys Accepts the ISPA Innovate Award at the 2022 ISPA Conference May 2-4, 2022
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For more information on Corporate News for 5/6/2022
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
- Tripadvisor Appoints Matt Goldberg to Chief Executive Officer
Tripadvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) today announced that Matt Goldberg has been named its Chief Executive Officer, succeeding co-founder and long-time CEO, Stephen Kaufer.
www.tripadvisor.com
GUEST MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
- Stayntouch PMS Integrates with Toast PoS, Delivering a Streamlined and Mobile Dining Experience for Hotel Guests
Stayntouch, a global leader in guest-centric cloud hotel property management systems (PMS) and contactless technology, announced a new direct integration with Toast, an all-in-one digital technology platform purpose-built for the entire restaurant community.
www.stayntouch.com
RESERVATIONS & DISTRIBUTION
- InTown Suites Turns to SHR for Cross-Product Automation
InTown Suites, a leader in extended-stay hotels with nearly 200 properties in 22 states, has expanded its partnership with Sceptre Hospitality Resources (SHR), which offers a suite of solutions to help hoteliers improve the guest experience and drive revenue at each touchpoint along the guest journey. InTown, already a user of SHR’s Windsurfer CRS, is now leveraging SHR’s Bridge platform for increased functionality to automate several previously manual processes.
shr.global
- Mirai and SHR Partner to Enhance Hotels' Direct Bookings
Hoteliers need the greatest possible integration between their tools in order to ensure a seamless distribution of their inventory and pricing, with the greatest savings in time and effort. Through the collaboration between Mirai and SHR, hotels will be able to update inventory, rates and restrictions they set from SHR's Windsurfer CRS in the Mirai engine, as well as download bookings to their integrated PMS.
shr.global
REVENUE MANAGEMENT AND ANALYTICS
- IDeaS Announces Winners of the Fabian Specht Future Revenue Innovator Scholarship Winners
IDeaS, a SAS company, the world’s leading provider of hospitality revenue management software and services, announced today the winners of the Fabian Specht Future Revenue Innovator Scholarship. The scholarships have been awarded to two international EHL students pursuing a hospitality management education including Léa Ebzant and Arina Syrdybayeva.
ideas.com
GUEST FACING TECHNOLOGY
- InnSpire Partners With View to Offer Contactless Guest Experience at Vancouver, British Columbia’s Five-Star Versante Hotel
- Tripleplay Debuts Caveman 3.2 Digital Signage, Enterprise Video and IPTV Software Platform at ISE2022
- Think Simplicity Provides Cloud Communications Platform to the Watermark Hotel
- Virdee Powers Fully Contactless Check-In for The Chicago Hotel Collection
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For more information on Guest Facing Technology for 5/6/2022
MARKETING
- Zoox Smart Data Approaches 30 Million Online Traffic Connections for Q1 2022
The results for the period from January 2022 through March 2022 continue to prove
the reach and effectiveness of the data collection and strategic marketing platform from Zoox.
www.zooxsmart.com
- Zoox Selected as Official Data Manager for Rock in Rio 2022, With More Than 700,000 Fans Expected to Attend
The largest music festival in the world selected the global technology leader for its ability to collect data, strategically market to attendees, and enhance their event experience.
www.zooxsmart.com
SALES & CATERING, GROUPS & MEETINGS
- TAJ Hospitality Selects STS Cloud, Proposal Path, and e-Signature to Fuel the Growth and Development of Its Sales Team
The globally recognized hospitality brand is on a high-growth trajectory as they look to optimize its group business segment with a technology stack from SalesAndCatering.com
salesandcatering.com
BACK OFFICE
- For PCH Hotels & Resorts, Loyalty & Longevity Win
For more than 20 years, PCH Hotels & Resorts, a Mobile, Ala.-based hotel management and development company, relied on Aptech for back-office accounting. When the company learned that its existing software was being phased out and replaced by Aptech’s next generation enterprise accounting solution, PVNG, the corporate finance team had some big decisions to make.
www.aptech-inc.com
COMMUNICATIONS & INFRASTRUCTURE
- SONIFI Named Ruckus Networks Hospitality Partner of the Year Award Aligns with SONIFI’s Wi-Fi Managed Services Growth Strategy
At its 2022 RUCKUS BIG DOGS Americas partner conference, Ruckus Networks presented SONIFI with its “Hospitality Partner of the Year” award.
sonifi.com
FOOD & BEVERAGE
- Reduce Time and Increase Inventory Accuracy with Clear Sky Software's Interface to Piazza Produce
With this new offering from Clear Sky Software, hospitality organizations have a complete, back-office food inventory management solution integrated with a major food distributor.
www.clearskysoftware.com
- Award-Winning Destination Kohler Deploys Beachy’s 5G Mobile POS Solution to Optimize Food & Beverage, Golf and Retail Operations
Beachy, a leading provider of next-generation solutions and services for the country’s leading resorts, today announced that Destination Kohler – which is part of Kohler Co. – has successfully deployed its innovative mobile point-of-sale (POS) solution in multiple areas of the five-star resort’s hospitality operation.
www.beachyapp.com
OPERATIONS
- Optii Solutions Partners with Rodd Hotels & Resorts to Boost Hotel Operations Efficiency
Optii Solutions, a leading cloud-based hotel operations software, has announced its partnership with Rodd Hotels & Resorts, which will adopt Optii Solutions technology across all seven properties throughout Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
www.optiisolutions.com
SECURITY
- React Mobile to Showcase Hospitality’s Best-in-Class Employee Safety Platform at Benchmark Pyramid Leadership Conference
Next week at the 2022 Benchmark Pyramid Leadership Conference Vendor Partner Tradeshow, React Mobile will introduce its NEW version 2.0 workforce safety platform to operators of the organization’s branded, independent, and lifestyle hotels. Attendees will experience hospitality’s most reliable panic button solution on the market with the fastest emergency response time.
www.reactmobile.com
- Denning Electronics to Market and Sell Salto Systems Smart Access Control Solutions in Illinois, Wisconsin
SALTO Systems, a leading manufacturer of smart access control solutions, has contracted with Denning Electronics to market and sell SALTO’s innovative products in Illinois and Wisconsin.
saltosystems.com
HOSPITALITY EDUCATION
- Auburn University and Ithaka Hospitality Partners Offer Hands-On Learning for Future Hoteliers with Oracle Cloud
Auburn University is opening a world-class concierge-level teaching hotel with the support of Ithaka Hospitality Partners, the property’s operating manager, and Oracle Hospitality OPERA Cloud Service. The Laurel Hotel & Spa is part of Auburn’s Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center (RCSC).
www.oracle.com/industries/hospitality/
HOSPITALITY EVENTS AND ASSOCIATION NEWS
- HITEC, Celebrating Its 50th Anniversary, Announces Forward-Thinking Headliner Sessions Line-Up
- "Hotel Tech : Innovators + Influencers" Podcast Launches
- HFTP Board of Directors Rejects AHLA Unsolicited Merger Offer
- CHTA Teams Up with HFTP for a Three-year MOU
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For more information on Hospitality Events and Association News for 5/6/2022
MARKET REPORTS
- Knowland’s Meetings and Events Report Indicates 323 Percent Increase Over April 2021
Knowland, a world leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, today released its monthly meetings and events data for April with a significant increase of 323 percent over April 2021. Despite the normal cooling factor of the Easter holiday, there was still a 3.7 percent recovery of events from March to April 2022.
www.knowland.com
PIQUED OUR INTEREST
- How Mobile is Driving Point-of-Sale Changes
- Singapore Hospitality Company Opens Hotel in Metaverse
- Using Soft Metrics to Guide Hotel Operations
- Customer Satisfaction with Hotels Continues Free Fall, While Online Travel Agencies Bounce Back Slightly
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For more information on Piqued Our Interest for 5/6/2022
And now for the You-Know-What...