APRIL 28 - MAY 11, 2004
TOP O' THE NEWS
- Familiarity breeds usage: rate of online bookings rising faster than use for planning
- Bookings up for everybody; travel agent bookings hit two-year revenue high
The "bookers" are gaining ground on the "lookers": the rate at which consumers now use the Internet to actually book travel services is growing even faster than that for those using it just for research or planning. According to the Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell/ Yankelovich Partners 2004 National Travel Monitor, the number of business travelers using the Internet to plan some aspect of a future business trip is up 25% (from 55% in 2002 to 69% in 2003), while those actually booking online rose 55% (from 33% in 2002 to 51% in 2003). The increases for leisure travelers showed a similar trend; "planners" are up 19% (from 53% to 63%), while "bookers" rose 41% (from 32% to 45%).
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Meanwhile, TravelCLICK's eMonitor results for the first quarter of 2004 show that worldwide hotel room nights booked electronically (through the GDSs and those Internet sites using the Pegasus' booking engine) grew 9.5%. Revenue was up 15.4% and average daily rate (ADR) up 5.3% compared to a year ago. Revenue from travel agents showed their best increase in over two years, however, rising 13.3% year-over-year.
Travel agent bookings still form 83% of the total room nights booked through the GDSs, and also result in more profitable bookings for the properties, with an overall ADR $34.32 higher than for bookings originating from Internet sites.
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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
- Sheri Bender joins SynXis as Managing Sales Director
Sheri Bender has joined SynXis as Managing Sales Director. With fifteen years of industry experience, Ms. Bender was most recently Regional Director of Sales with TravelClick Interactive/iHotelier, and had earlier held similar positions for Lexington Services and Utell International.
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PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
- Ayres Group selects HIS' epitome PMS for sixteen properties
- GL Resorts (FL) orders Ramesys' ASP-based Entirety Enterprise Suite
- Wynn Las Vegas orders MICROS' OPERA Enterprise, OPERA Gaming and MICROS 9700
- RDP installs two-hundredth Internet Reservation Module for its PMS
- TimeShareWare receives orders for Fairmont's first membership club, two Welk Resorts and Island Seas Resort in Grand Bahama
- Woodlands Hotel, Leeds, UK selects Visual One's integrated PMS, S&C and POS suite
- BookingCenter formally releases version 5.0 of Desktop Pro PMS
The Ayres Group has selected Hotel Information Systems' (HIS') epitome Property Management System for its sixteen properties in Southern California. The first installation is at Ayres' new property in Hawthorne, California, scheduled to open on May 13, 2004. (www.ayreshotels.com, www.hotelinfosys.com)
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GL Resorts (FL) has ordered an ASP-based implementation of Ramesys' Entirety Enterprise Suite, covering its properties in Key West, Florida and Provincetown, Mass., and its newly-established central reservations office. The system will be hosted at Ramesys' New Jersey headquarters, linked to the properties via high speed Internet connections with VPN security. (www.glresorts.com, www.us.ramesys.com)
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Wynn Resorts has ordered MICROS' OPERA Enterprise system for its Wynn Las Vegas resort, opening in April 2005. The contract includes the OPERA Gaming module, integrated with the Casino Management System to control player comps, and the MICROS 9700 HMS for all food and beverage operations. (www.wynnlasvegas.com, www.micros.com)
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Resort Data Processing (RDP) announce the two-hundredth installation of the Internet Reservation Module for its PMS. The module includes a multiple language feature, allowing RDPs customers to translate the system into a language of their choice. (www.resortdata.com)
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Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will install TimeShareWare's SAM (Sales & Marketing) system for the Fairmont Heritage Place, its first membership-based club, which will be located in Acapulco.
Welk Resort, the resort company founded and funded by Lawrence Welk, has installed TimeShareWare at the main resort and corporate headquarters in Escondido, California (covering The Welk Resort Hotel, Lawrence Welk Resort Villas, and Lawrence Welk Villas on the Greens) and at the Lawrence Welk Desert Oasis Resort in Palm Springs, California. The two locations comprise almost 700 units between them.
The 200-unit Island Seas Resort in Freeport, Grand Bahama has installed TimeShareWare's SAM and NEXT property management system, replacing the previous custom software.
(www.fairmont.com, www.welkresort.com, www.aquasun.com/islandseas/index.htm, www.timeshareware.com)
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The recently restored Woodlands Hotel, Leeds, UK has order Visual One's integrated Front Office, Sales & Catering, Point of Sale, and Real-Time Web Bookings system. (www.v1s.com)
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BookingCenter has formally released version 5.0 of its Desktop Pro PMS, after pilot installations at several properties over the past six months. Enhancements include Live Synch automatic room rate and availability updates, automatic off-line back-ups to secure off-site servers, on-line availability of promotions and packages, improved reporting, customizable CRM tools and improved accounting interfaces with QuickBooks and MYOB. (www.bookingcenter.com)
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RESERVATIONS
- Priceline acquires majority ownership of Travelweb
- Travelweb settles outstanding litigation with Orbitz
- VIP International announces Website Services and Merchant Express service
- Survey by HSMAI and Smith Travel highlights growing clout of brands' own Web sites
- Hyatt extends agreement with Expedia.com and Hotels.com
- Pelican introduces advance payment control system
- Carlson Wagonlit release CWT i-Select, a customizable corporate travel program
- Marriott announce one-day booking record for its Web site
Priceline has acquired a further 71.4% of Travelweb.com, the travel distribution company it established with Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, InterContinental, Starwood and Pegasus Solutions, bringing its total ownership to 85.7%, and agreed to purchase the remaining 14.3% held by InterContinental at a future date. In conjunction with its purchase of Pegasus' 14% stake, Priceline extended Pegasus' services agreement to process Travelweb's hotel reservations through 2007; the original three-year agreement was scheduled to end in 2005.
Travelweb also settled its outstanding litigation with Orbitz. The settlement revised the terms of the distribution agreement under which Travelweb will continue supplying Orbitz with merchant-hotel inventory through Dec. 31, 2005. Travelweb agreed to pay Orbitz higher commissions in return for a minimum room night commitment; Orbitz agreed to a one-time waiver of the right to terminate the contract if Travelweb experiences a change in ownership.
(www.priceline.com, www.travelweb.com)
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VIP International announced its Website Services and Merchant Express services, intended to maximize room sales from property websites and streamline management of multiple third-party site inventories and rates from one screen. Website Services provides search engine optimization and re-packaging client sites' online look and feel to convert visitors more efficiently. Merchant Express is positioned as a yield management tool giving properties the power to manage third-party Internet availability and rates across up to 15 Internet sites simultaneously on one screen. (www.vipintcorp.com)
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A hotel Internet marketing survey by HSMAI and Smith Travel Research comparing 2002 and 2003 online reservations data for 34 branded hotel chains highlights the growing clout of the brands' own Web sites. The survey reported that hotel-branded Web sites generate 75% of the Internet business volume, their reservations increasing 32.5% in 2003 over 2002 to 14.8 million bookings; the total third party share of online reservations shifted from 23% to 25% from 2002 to 2003. InterActive Corp's Expedia, Hotels.com and Hotwire sites combined market-share account for 11% of the total reservation volume. Among the GDSs, Sabre still handles over 50% of total GDS volume, although Amadeus had the largest gain year-to-year.
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Hyatt has extended its agreement with Expedia.com and Hotels.com to connect them directly to Hyatt's central reservation system, and to use Expedia's WWTE private label service to let visitors to the Hyatt Vacations Web site the ability to book air travel, car rental and destination services on the same site. (www.hyatt.com, www.expedia.com)
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Pelican introduced its advance payment control system to automate the processing of most types of advance payments and credit from travel agents and corporate clients. The service can be configured to suggest alternate payment options if an agent has used up his advance deposit. The facility tracks payment due dates, payments received from agents or directly from guests and commissions payable. (www.pelicansystem.com)
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Carlson Wagonlit Travel released CWT i-Select, an Internet-based application which lets companies configure a corporate travel program from a base package of products and services and a range of additional components. Core services include online booking, Web reporting, safety and security, a Web portal, profile and policy management, customer support, pre-trip authorization, ticket fulfillment, communications, analytics and point-of- sale travel management preference reports. Optional components include adoption package, profile package, change management package, mobile services, offline domestic and international, VIP/concierge, upgrades, limo and rail service, two levels of account manager service, hotel sourcing, air sourcing, analytics to optimize travel program effectiveness, and enhanced IT.
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Marriott announced that its Web site set a one-day booking record on April 26, with more than $7 million in reservations. Room revenue generated by the site in the first quarter of 2004 increased 45% from the previous year. (www.marriott.com)
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MARKETING / MANAGEMENT
- American Skiing Company rolls out Datavision at seven resorts, corporate office
- Citadines Apart'hotels implements HIS' epitome Business Intelligence for 45 hotels
- The Reefs selects Sansora and Madigan Pratt for comprehensive CRM program
The American Skiing Company recently rolled out Datavision Technologies' Budgeting & Forecasting Module at seven resorts and the corporate office, enabling the hotels to integrate data from their Springer-Miller PMSs and CODA General Ledger systems into a single data warehouse. Data is synchronized between the properties and corporate, enabling corporate users to run consolidated reports for the entire company. (www.peaks.com, www.datavisiontech.com)
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Citadines Apart'hotels has implemented HIS' epitome Business Intelligence application throughout its chain of 45 hotels in France, Great Britain, Spain, Belgium and Germany, consolidating data from all properties into a single data warehouse in the corporate office in Paris, France. The consolidated data is then transformed into Cognos data cubes to allow strategic analysis and forecasts for the entire enterprise. The Business Intelligence application converts each property's data to the Euro as the base currency. (www.citadines.com, www.hotelinfosys.com)
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The Reefs, a resort in Bermuda, has selected Sansora International and Madigan Pratt & Associates to implement a comprehensive CRM program. Sansora's SMART System will aggregate the resort's customer, prospect and travel agent information into one marketing database, and will provide data analysis and reporting along with comprehensive customer response management. Madigan Pratt will provide strategic marketing consulting services and develop marketing programs. (www.madiganpratt.com, www.sansora.com)
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SALES & CATERING, MEETING PLANNING
- Democrats select Passkey for National Convention guestroom bookings at 66 sites
The Democratic National Convention Committee has selected Passkey, in partnership with the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau (GBCVB), to handle guestroom bookings for the Convention. Bookings are expected to total 109,000 room nights at 63 hotels and three universities, managed through a single Passkey database. (www.passkey.com)
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F&B/POINT OF SALE
- Wynn Las Vegas resort orders MICROS 9700 HMS for all food and beverage operations
- Brothers BBQ completes rollout of eToGo4POS online ordering at four locations
- Java Detour installs Posera's Maitre'D POS in all corporate locations
- Barnie's Coffee and Tea installs Posera's Maitre'D at 55 locations and corporate office
Wynn Resorts has ordered MICROS 9700 HMS for all food and beverage operations its Wynn Las Vegas resort, opening in April 2005. The contract includes MICROS' OPERA Enterprise system and OPERA Gaming module, integrated with the Casino Management System to control player comps. (www.wynnlasvegas.com, www.micros.com)
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Brothers BBQ has completed the rollout of the eToGo4POS online ordering solution at its four locations in Colorado. Restaurant Internet Development Services, Inc. (RIDSI)'s eToGo4POS is a .NET-based application that allows consumers to place orders directly from a restaurant's Web site, including side order choices and preparation instructions. (www.brothers-bbq.com, www.ridsi.com)
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Drive-through coffee vendor Java Detour has completed installation of Posera's Maitre'D POS on Posiflex 15" touch screen terminals in all corporate locations, to streamline operations and enhance real time reporting throughout the company. The implementation also included enhanced timekeeping to track employee hours, and high-speed credit card authorization.
Barnie's Coffee and Tea has installed Posera's Maitre'D system at all 55 locations and its corporate office in Orlando, Florida, through Posera's software integrator RDS of Florida. (www.maitredpos.com)
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GUEST SERVICES
- InterContinental Chicago implements wireless HSIA from StayOnline in record 15 days
- Pineapple Management Services designates StayOnline as sole provider of wireless HSIA
- Georgian Terrace Hotel installs StayOnline's wireless HSIA in conference center, public areas
- AmeriTel Inns selects PrinterOn remote guest printing for all ten properties
- Choice endorses Broadband Hospitality as high-speed Internet vendor
- FelCor to install Guest-Tek broadband Internet solution in 51 hotels
- Guest-Tek passes milestone, surpasses 100,000 room installations worldwide
- Golden Tree announces 820th hotel project for high-speed Internet services
- Coast Hotels & Resorts installing Wayport HSIA in nine hotels
The 807-room InterContinental Chicago has implemented fully wireless high-speed Internet access (HSIA) from StayOnline in 15 days, an unusually short timeframe.
Pineapple Management Services has designated StayOnline as its sole provider of wireless HSIA services. Twelve properties were equipped in 2003; the remaining five sites will receive the services in 2004.
The 319-room Georgian Terrace Hotel in Atlanta has installed StayOnline's wireless Internet service in its conference center and public areas. Wireless access to all 319 guestrooms is scheduled for 2005, replacing the existing wired Internet ports in each room.
(www.intercontinental.com, www.thegeorgianterrace.com, www.stayonline.net)
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AmeriTel Inns has selected PrinterOn's remote guest printing service for all ten of its properties. The service will be fully deployed by the second quarter 2004. (www.ameritelinns.com, www.printeron.net)
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Choice Hotels International has named Broadband Hospitality as an endorsed high-speed Internet vendor. (www.choicehotels.com, www.broadbandhospitality.com)
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FelCor Lodging Trust will install Guest-Tek's GlobalSuite broadband Internet solution in 51 hotels this year. All public areas and most guest rooms will offer wireless connectivity, with a combination of wired and wireless access in the meeting rooms.
Guest-Tek passed a milestone in February 2004, surpassing 100,000 room GlobalSuite installations around the world.
(www.felcor.com, www.guest-tek.com)
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Golden Tree Communications announced the 820th hotel project for its high-speed Internet services, following a record first quarter with 249 new hotel additions. Golden Tree has over 600 wireless hotel locations across the US, United Kingdom, Mexico, and South Africa. (www.goldentreecom.com)
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Coast Hotels & Resorts is installing wireless and wired high-speed Internet access from Wayport in the guestrooms, meeting rooms and common areas of nine hotels in California, Washington and Hawaii. (www.coasthotels.com, www.wayport.net)
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BACK OFFICE
- M3 passes 500-hotel milestone in five years
M3 announced that more than 500 hotels from 80 management companies now use its centrally-hosted Hotel Accounting & Payroll software applications each day. The product was launched five years ago. (www.m3as.com)
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INVENTORY/PURCHASING
- Foxwoods Resort Casino selects EatecNetX for foodservice management
Foxwoods Resort Casino has selected Eatec Corp's EatecNetX to manage its foodservice operation. Owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Foxwoods opened in 1992 and comprises six casinos and two hotels in a complex covering 4.7 million square feet, making it the largest resort casino in the world. Foxwoods' 24 restaurants will use EatecNetX for inventory management, purchase orders, requisitions and transfers, production management, and recipe and menu analysis, with an interface to Foxwoods' point-of-sale and financial systems. (www.foxwoods.com, www.eatec.com)
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SECURITY
- Wynn Las Vegas Resort commences installation of TimeLox locking system for its 2,701 rooms
The Wynn Las Vegas Resort has commenced installation of TimeLox' One-Card Solution locking system for its 2,701 guestrooms. The resort is scheduled to open in April 2005, on the site of the legendary Desert Inn Resort and Casino. A proprietary player tracking feature will allow guests to use their guestroom keycards for access to multiple areas and services, such as game tables, slots, POS outlets, in-room safes and mini-bars. Properties with Player Clubs may allow guests to retain the cards for use on their return visit. (www.timelox.com)
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