November 29, 2018
Siegel Sez
by: Rich Siegel
I am not sure there are many positive things to say about acknowledging you are getting older, but the one fun thing is when you get together with people who have been around this industry for a long time some fantastic stories are shared. We talk about how things were and how they are today. Then we get into reminiscing about experiences and the people we have met. Unfortunately, we also get news that we don’t want to hear: this week Doug Rice shared with me the passing of Barry Shuler who was the senior VP of IT strategy and CTO at Marriott International when I first met him. We launched our CIO Summit 17 years ago and when Carl Wilson the Marriott CIO couldn’t attend he asked Barry to join us. That was the start of a great friendship. There are many people in this industry who are professionally talented, but what is even better when you put business aside, you realize they are also quality human beings. Caring, concerned and really look for the good in other people. That was Barry. There are many Barry stories that will be shared in the industry, but I have my own favorite. It was at HITEC and honestly, I can’t remember which one. I hadn’t seen Barry in years and I was passing him on the street early in the morning. I stopped to talk for a moment and then asked him where he was going. He said he was on his way to the convention center. I told him he was going the wrong way. He told me that I was going the wrong way and of course he was right. It was just a 10-minute walk together to HITEC, but we talked about everything. We talked about business, family, friends and life. Yes, it was only 10 minutes, but it was so memorable since I hadn’t seen him in years and knew he was battling some health issues. We talked about that and how thankful we should be about our lives. I have met a lot of great people in this industry, but Barry will always be one of my favorites. He will definitely be missed.
Now on a much lighter note, but again talking about age or in this case lack of, I would really love three minutes of your time. I know many of you get the bi-weekly Hospitality Upgrade Watercooler newsletter. I work with a bunch of young people and I realize that they simply think differently than I do. We are always updating the latest happenings in the industry and we now deliver the news from both the vendor and hotel communities a bit differently. It only takes three minutes, click here to watch the latest Liz and Liv show and let me know your thoughts. It is unique for our industry, but why not have a little fun with some serious issues. I think it is great, hope you do too. And if you want to see more of this please subscribe to the newsletter! (www.hospitalityupgrade.com/subscribe )
On Saturday I am off to Dubai to attend HITEC Dubai and the HSMAI Revenue Optimization Conference (ROC). It’s my first trip to Dubai and hopefully it will be a great experience that we will share with the industry. But, before I get on my 12-hour flight out of JFK airport in New York on Saturday and if the rain holds off until later in the day, I will get to see our horse Hoboe try to keep his winning streak alive at Aqueduct Race Track which is conveniently five minutes from JFK airport. His comeback from a year off has been nothing short of miraculous. Sometimes we all need a few miracles in our lives.
Here now is the real reason we are here, the latest industry technology happenings. Don’t forget, share your thoughts on the 3-minute Liz and Liv show. I will see you at the end with this week’s attempt at you-know-what. Go Hoboe!
Rich@hospitalityupgrade.com
Introduction
The Liv & Liz Show 4
TOP O' THE NEWS
- Marriott Announces Starwood Guest Reservation Database Security Incident
- Bulk TV & Internet, DCI Design Communications and EthoStream Unite as Allbridge
- Broadband Hospitality Marks its 25th Year By Unveiling New Branding to Reflect its Evolution as a Provider of Full-Scale Unified Technology Solutions
- Third Quarter Marked by Growth and Milestones for All Suites Brands by Hilton
For More Information on Top O’ The News for 11/30
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
- Simon de Montfort Walker Leads Renewed Focus on Food and Beverage as New GM
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Simon de Montfort Walker Leads Renewed Focus on Food and Beverage as New GM
Oracle Food and Beverage is continuing its commitment to the success of independent restauranteurs and large established food and beverage players with the appointment of Simon de Montfort Walker as senior vice president and general manager of the Oracle Food and Beverage Global Business Unit.
www.Oracle.com/Food-Beverage
GUEST MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
- Northern Ireland’s Newest and Largest Hotel Chooses Agilysys Visual One® Property Management System
- Maestro PMS Helps Free Up Staff, Empowers Guests with Self-Serve Online Payment Portal; ‘Anytime,’ ‘Any Device’
- StayNTouch Expands Globally Leveraging Local Shiji Offices in Munich, Singapore and Sydney
For More Information on Guest Management Systems for 11/30
RESERVATIONS
- Famed Boutique Hotel Pioneer in Mexico Partners with Siteminder to Draw International Travelers
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Famed Boutique Hotel Pioneer in Mexico Partners with Siteminder to Draw International Travelers
The pioneer of boutique hotel design in Mexico, Grupo Habita, has partnered with one of the global hotel industry’s leading guest acquisition platform, SiteMinder, to capitalize on the rise of international tourists in the country.
www.siteminder.com
GUEST SERVICES
- Knowcross and React Mobile Integration to Help Hotels Empower Their Workers Against Harassment
- Knowcross and Infor Combine to Enhance Operational Efficiency at The William Vale
- Volara Speaks Directly to Guest Privacy, Hotel Data Protection
For More Information on Guest Services for 11/30
MARKETING/MANAGEMENT
- Sofia Hotels Management Implements Cendyn’s eInsight CRM Across its Hotel Group
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Sofia Hotels Management Implements Cendyn’s eInsight CRM Across its Hotel Group
Sofia Hotels Management, a Bulgarian hotel management company, has selected Cendyn to power CRM across their portfolio of hotels.
http://www.cendyn.com/
F&B/POINT OF SALE
- Next Generation Restauranteurs Serve Up Stellar Experiences with Oracle
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Next Generation Restauranteurs Serve Up Stellar Experiences with Oracle
Caractère, the first restaurant from husband and wife team Emily Roux and Diego Ferrari, has debuted with the support of Oracle Food and Beverage technology.
www.oracle.com
PAYMENT PROCESSING
- SevenRooms Partners with FreedomPay to Offer a Secure Commerce Platform to Hospitality Clients
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SevenRooms Partners with FreedomPay to Offer a Secure Commerce Platform to Hospitality Clients
FreedomPay, a global leader in secure commerce technology for lodging, gaming, retail, restaurants, stadiums and other hospitality merchants, has integrated with SevenRooms, a leading, all-in-one reservation, seating and guest management platform.
www.freedompay.com
HOSPITALITY EVENTS
- HSMAI Names Top 25 Extraordinary Minds of 2018
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HSMAI Names Top 25 Extraordinary Minds of 2018
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) will celebrate 25 hospitality professionals as the 2018 HSMAI Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Optimization at the HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala and a private reception on January 22, 2019 at the New York Marriott Marquis.
https://www.hsmai.org
PIQUED OUR INTEREST
- Necessary Adjustments for an Aging Frontline Team
- Airbnb delivers opportunity, not direct threat, to South African hotel industry
- Japan to add hotel industry to foreign trainee program
- You can stay at the 'most remote hotel in the world' for free
For More Information on Piqued Our Interest for 11/30
You-Know-What
A woman was telling her friend, "It was I who made my husband a millionaire."
"And what was he before you married him?" asked the friend.
The woman replied, "A billionaire."