May 20, 2022
Siegel Sez
Before I start this week’s Siegel Sez, I will encourage anybody who has worked in the operations side of the hotel industry, even with minimum interest in technology, to read Doug Rice’s Definitely Doug column that follows. I promise you will relate to the challenge the industry still deals with today.
Now as far as today’s Siegel Sez, this is one of my favorites to do! HFTP just announced this year’s inductees into the HFTP Technology Hall of Fame. I guess the trick this year is the only way you could get elected would be if your first name is Jeff. Congrats to Jeff Bzdawka, the CEO at Knowland, and Jeff Edwards, the Global Head of Hotel and Owner Solutions at IHG.
Of course, when you’ve been in the same job and industry as long as I have, you start thinking about when you first met people. Jeff Edwards and I go back further than either of us would want to admit, and Jeff Bzdawka and I go back too many years. Interestingly both have journeyed on both sides of the fence, as vendors and as hoteliers. Is this a sign? Actually, when I look back at the 30 years I have been doing Hospitality Upgrade, I realize that fence hopping is becoming more common than most realize. Both Jeffs are extremely deserving, and I look forward to congratulating them face to face in Orlando.
Is there any conversation going on in the hotel tech world that doesn’t include HITEC next month? It seems every conversation I am having ends with “I will see you in Orlando”. I am not sure what the record attendance is for HITEC, but I know the most well attended occurred in Orlando. I would safely say it could be in jeopardy this year. I have one last thought regarding HITEC (for now). If you have booked flights to Orlando, I hope you won’t be leaving until late Thursday or Friday. I was asked along with consultant John Burns to moderate the closing General Session which will feature leading industry CIOs sharing their thoughts on the state of the industry, the problems they face and most importantly what the future looks like. Yes, the future of the hotel industry for those involved with technology generates many thoughts and no clear agreement as to what lies ahead. I look forward to this session, with a few surprises to be included. Hope to see you there.
Here now is Doug Rice with this week’s Definitely Doug column. I am a guy who started his career in the hotel industry working the front desk of a hotel and I can relate to every example he brings up, from central reservation system challenges to connecting with housekeeping. There are lots of things that have changed for the better, but there are too many problems that still remain. It is a great read!
One last thank-you from me for all the congrats I received from the 30-year celebration and the comments on the videos from the Rich Roast at the Executive Vendor Summit. If you haven’t seen the videos, check them out here
The Executive Vendor Summit 2022 / HU@30 Celebration and
HU@30 Video Roasts. It is a great memory that will never leave me. The comments shared after the event only makes the remembering that much better!
Here now is the real reason we are here, Definitely Doug, and all the latest technology happenings in the hotel industry. I will see you at the end with this week’s attempt at you-know-what!
Rich
rich@hospitalityupgrade.com
Definitely Doug
Solving The Interface Puzzle (Part 1)
Few issues frustrate hotel technologists more than interfaces.
The importance of sharing data across multiple systems in hotels grows every year. Yet some of the most common complaints I heard thirty years ago are still around today, maybe just a little less common. We still hear “my vendor doesn’t have the interface I need” or “we bought the interfaces from both vendors to connect their systems, but they just don’t work together the way we expected.” Closely related is “our vendors interface with each other, but one of them wants to charge us $10,000 and we can’t afford that.”
Thankfully some good options are emerging in the marketplace to connect almost any two systems even if the vendors don’t offer an interface (or it’s too expensive), and my next article will cover them. But before getting to the solutions, we need a solid understanding of the problem. For many interfaces, general management staff at individual properties are the ones who identify the need and place the order. They do this without the benefit of the specific IT expertise needed to assess whether an interface can really solve the business problem at hand.
The truth is, many buyers don’t ask the right questions about interfaces, and then are disappointed with the results. Today’s article is not intended for technologists who understand interfaces. Indeed, interfaces are far more complex than what I will cover here, and an expert’s reaction to some of my statements will likely be along the lines of “sort of, but not exactly.” Rather, this article covers general principles. It is intended for hotel management teams simply trying to find a way to get their systems to talk to each other, or for expert system users who have limited exposure to the technical design of interfaces. It should help you get the desired end-result without suffering quite as many battle injuries.
There is unfortunately no silver bullet. You must do your homework in each case. It is not always simple, but you can improve your odds of success by asking the questions and following the steps I will outline here. My next article will identify some software solutions that can help when your vendors cannot, or that may offer more functional or cost-effective options.
Click here to read more of Doug’s column on Solving The Interface Puzzle (Part 1)
CORPORATE NEWS
- Agilysys Fiscal 2022 Fourth Quarter Revenue Rises 28.1% To Record $46.6M
- Fullsteam Acquires IQware Inc and Megasys Hospitality Solutions
- Sabre Advances Hotel Retailing with Acquisition of Nuvola
- M3 Recognized as Top Employer in Greater Atlanta Area
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For more information on Corporate News for 5/20/2022
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
- Groups360 Introduces New Technology Leadership to Drive Scale and Accelerate Product Development
- Nomadix Appoints Mike Womack VP of Partner Sales, the Americas
- Agilysys Names Veteran Technology Marketer Terrie O’Hanlon as Chief Marketing Officer
- UniFocus Taps Leading Hospitality Veterans to Serve on Advisory Board
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For more information on People on The Move for 5/20/2022
GUEST MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
- Stayntouch PMS and Tabit POS Integrate, Offering Hotels Dynamic Mobile-First Tech Pairing to Amplify In-stay Dining Experience
Stayntouch, a global leader in guest-centric cloud hotel property management systems (PMS) and contactless technology, today announced a new direct integration with Tabit, a mobile-first hospitality platform with a specialty in hotel restaurants.
www.stayntouch.com
- The Indigo Road Hospitality Group Leverages Stayntouch’s Easy & Powerful PMS to Deliver Memorable Experiences
Stayntouch, a global leader in cloud hotel property management systems (PMS) and guest-centric technology, has partnered with The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, a full-service hospitality management company, to power two boutique properties, Historic Park Inn Hotel in Mason City, Iowa, and The Skyline Lodge in Highlands, N.C., with a flexible mobile PMS.
www.stayntouch.com
RESERVATIONS & DISTRIBUTION
- Advantage Reserve Announces Partnership with The Predictive Index to Optimize Talent Strategies and Employee Engagement
Advantage Reserve, a leading provider of high-quality central reservations services to the hospitality industry, has announced the launch of a partnership with The Predictive Index (PI) in order to strengthen its position as an employer of choice for guest services talent.
www.advantagereserve.com
- SHR and ReviewPro Integration Streamlines Guest Communication
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, has integrated its Maverick CRM with the Guest Experience Platform offered by ReviewPro, a Shiji Group brand.
shr.global
REVENUE MANAGEMENT AND ANALYTICS
- International Youth Convention Hotel Increases Room Revenue by 8.64Million RMB After One Year with IDeaS
IDeaS, the world’s leading provider of revenue management software and services announced today that its partnership with the International Youth Convention Hotel in Nanjing, China, was able to grow all revenue related KPIs during a difficult COVID environment and revenue increased during the past 12 months by 8.64 million RMB. IDeaS provided extensive revenue management consulting services and implemented G2 RMS at the hotel.
ideas.com
GUEST FACING TECHNOLOGY
- Brighton Suites Hotel Caters to Latest Expectations in In-Room Entertainment with Deployment of BeyondTV GuestCast
Privately owned beachside hotel addresses guest demands for a personalized, user-friendly and secure content streaming experience.
www.hotelwifi.com
- Morongo Casino Resort & Spa Adds Volara-Powered Google Nest Hub Solution to Every Guest Room
Interactive voice-first solution supplies guests a more convenient and memorable stay, while enabling the hotel to serve its guests more efficiently and consistently.
www.volara.io
MARKETING
- HotelSiteXPRESS Helps Hotels Thrive with Affordable Website Solutions
Lodging Interactive, award-winning digital marketing, reputation management, and social media marketing agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry, today announced the next generation of its HotelSiteXPRESS bespoke website and digital marketing solutions tailored to meet the needs of independent and branded properties.
HotelSiteXPRESS.com
SALES & CATERING, GROUPS & MEETINGS
- Leading Hotel Brand Valor Hospitality Selects STS Cloud as Their Preferred Sales and Catering Platform Partner for 8 Properties
Valor Hospitality is utilizing SalesAndCatering.com's STS Cloud and ProposalPath across 8 properties to empower a stand-out group sales process that consistently wins more business.
salesandcatering.com
SECURITY
- Hyatt’s Hotel La Compañía Deploys Advanced Guest Security and Convenience Technology by ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions
A luxury property forming part The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Hotel La Compañía can now ensure heightened guest safety and convenience with the adoption of VingCard Signature RFID door locks, together with the implementation of Elsafe Zenith safes and Polarbar minibars in each of the hotel’s 88 guestrooms.
assaabloyglobalsolutions.com/hospitality
- VENZA Releases Vision ’23 Product Road Map
Last year, VENZA delivered on its Vision ’22 promise. After months of planning and strategizing, VENZA is excited to announce and release the Product Road Map for Vision '23.
www.VENZAgroup.com
HOSPITALITY EVENTS AND ASSOCIATION NEWS
- Agilysys to Participate in 17th Annual Needham Technology & Media Conference
Agilysys, Inc., a leading global provider of next-generation SaaS and on-premise hospitality software solutions and services, today announced it will be participating in the 17th Annual Needham Technology & Media Conference to be held virtually on May 18, and May 19, 2022 from 7:00 a.m. ET to 6:00 p.m. ET on both days.
agilysys.com
PIQUED OUR INTEREST
- How to Build the Ultimate Distribution Technology Strategy for a Casino Resort
- Sustainability Offers Industry Opportunity to Reinvent Itself
- Seniors Are Eschewing Traditional Nursing Homes. It's a Potential Boon for Hotel Investors
- Expedia Group on "Deconstructing" Online Travel
- Hotels Adjust Accommodation Strategies for Pandemic Pet Boom
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For more information on Piqued Our Interest for 5/20/2022
And now for the You-Know-What...
An Airbus 380 is on its way across the Atlantic.
It flies consistently at 800 km/h at 30,000 feet when suddenly a Jet Fighter appears.
The pilot of the fighter jet slows down, flies alongside the Airbus and greets
the pilot of the passenger plane by radio: "Airbus, boring flight isn’t it? Now, have a look here!"
He rolls his jet on its back, accelerates, breaks through the sound barrier, rises rapidly
to a dizzying height, then swoops down almost to sea level in a breathtaking dive. He
loops back next to the Airbus and asks, "Well, how was that?"
The Airbus pilot answers: "Very impressive, but now, you look!"
The jet pilot watches the Airbus, but nothing happens. It continues to fly stubbornly
straight, with the same speed. After 15 minutes, the Airbus pilot radios, "Well, how was that? Confused, the jet pilot asks, "What did you do?"
The Airbus pilot laughs and says, "I got up, stretched my legs, walked to the back of the aircraft to use the washroom, then got a cup of coffee and a chocolate fudge pastry.
The moral of the story is: When you are young, speed and adrenaline seem to be great. But as you get older and wiser, you learn that comfort and peace are more important.