FEBRUARY 2 - 15, 2005
TOP O' THE NEWS
- Business travel finally recovering
After declining 14% over the previous five years, business and convention travel finally grew 4% last year, according to the 2004 Business and Convention Travelers Report from the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and the Institute of Business Travel Management. Although business travel comprises 18% of total travel volume, it generates 31% of all domestic traveler spending. However, corporate travel policies and technology such as Web conferencing have changed its nature somewhat.
Most business travelers’ companies impose one or more travel policies, such as restrictions on hotel class/airfare class, per diem travel allowances or prior approval by upper management. Interestingly, while the number of travelers feeling that teleconferencing, webcasting or videoconferencing was somewhat or much more efficient than travel grew to 71% from 65% in 2002, the percentage who actually substituted technology for some travel fell from 47% to 40% in the same period. Only 37% felt that such technology is more effective than a face-to-face meeting in meeting business goals.
Additional findings from the report:
* 57% of business travelers are men, 43% women.
* The 17% who are “frequent” business travelers (10+ trips/year) take 64% of all the trips.
* U.S. adults who travel on business take an average of 7 business trips a year.
* 62% add a leisure component to at least one business trip per year.
* 47% participate in one or more frequent flyer programs and 36% in frequent hotel programs.
* In-room Internet access (45%) and hotel fitness centers (43%) are used at least sometimes by most business travelers, but the younger the traveler, the more likely they will use various services. For example, while 27% of those under 55 say they always or frequently use in-room Internet access, only 15% of those 55 and older do so.
* Distance matters: on trips up to 300 miles over 60% are more likely to drive rather than fly.
* But air travel is recovering: 24% took more business trips by air during the past 12 months than in the previous year.
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PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
- L’Auberge du Lac Hotel & Casino selects Agilysys’ LMS
- Brilliant Hotelsoftware receives Holland’s Export Connection Award for 2004
- Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Biloxi orders OPERA PMS, Gaming, and POS
- Predator Ridge Resort and Blackfoot Inn order Enablez’ ResortSuite
L’Auberge du Lac Hotel & Casino in Lake Charles, LA has selected Agilysys’ Lodging Management System (LMS) and its LMS ARTS and LMS SPA modules. The 700 guestroom property is scheduled to open in Spring 2005, and will include a riverboat casino, over 40,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, five restaurants, several lounges, a pool, spa, and golf course. (www.ldlcasino.com, www.agilysys.com)
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Netherlands-based vendor Brilliant Hotelsoftware has received the Dutch Export Connection Award for 2004. Brilliant’s PMS is installed in over 1800 hotels worldwide, including many Ramada Hotels and Holiday Inns. (www.mybrilliant.net)
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The Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi has ordered MICROS’ OPERA Property Management System, Gaming, and Point of Sale. The project is scheduled to open this year, and will include 317 rooms, a casino with 1,500 slot machines and 50 table games, five restaurants, a Hard Rock Cafe, spa, beach pool, Hard Rock Live entertainment venue, and retail shops. (www.hardrock.com, www.micros.com)
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Two Canadian properties - Predator Ridge Resort and The Blackfoot Inn - have selected Enablez Inc.’s ResortSuite for their multi-service hotel operations. Predator Ridge in British Columbia will use ResortSuite for property management, golf, dining, retail, club, and catering operations. The Blackfoot Inn in Calgary will use it for property management, catering, and nine food and beverage operations. (www.predatorridge.com, www.blackfootinn.com, www.enablez.com)
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RESERVATIONS
- Tours.com launches travel agent search service by specialty
- Lomaliitto selects myfidelio.net for online booking and GDS/ADS distribution
- GHRSTravel announces NOVA hotel reservation platform for travel agents and tour operators
- Bonsaï Hotels extends contract with Otedis to include Amadeus GDS connectivity
- Travelocity adds groups section to Web site via an agreement with Groople
In a twist on the usual Internet-vs.-Travel Agent story, an Internet site now offers travelers help in finding the right Travel Agent. Tours.com has launched a worldwide travel agent search by specialty, such as eco tours, surfing trips, honeymoons, or travel to specific destinations. The site is offered in nine different languages. (www.tours.com)
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Finnish hotel chain Lomaliitto, also known as Fontana Spas and Hotels, has selected MICROS’ myfidelio.net for online booking and GDS/ADS distribution services after a pilot program for two properties over the last few years. Lomaliitto has 30 locations providing moderately priced leisure and rehabilitation services in Finland, including spa hotels, hotels, holiday resorts, campgrounds, caravan stops and summer hotels. (ww.lomaliitto.fi, www.micros.com)
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Italian travel distribution company GHRSTravel will release its NOVA hotel reservation platform for Travel Agents and Tour Operators at the upcoming BIT2005 exhibition in Milan. NOVA will link over 9,000 European hotels to travel agents through an integrated web interface for both front and back office operations at no charge, allowing agents to make hotel reservations using either net rates that they can mark up, or to use commissionable rates. (www.ghrstravel.com)
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French chain Bonsaï Hotels has expanded its use of Optims’ Otedis (Optims Technology for Distribution) by linking its 19 hotels to Amadeus’ GDS network. Bonsaï has used other Otedis services for over a year, including the Otedis.Call Center central reservation system, Otedis.WebRes online booking engine and Otedis.Switch electronic inventory distribution service, and also uses Optims PMS systems. (www.bonsai-hotels.fr, www.optims.com)
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Travelocity has added a specialized groups section to its booking Web site via an agreement with Groople. After selecting the city and dates, clicking a “5+ rooms” button links through to group-oriented booking functionality that includes automated rooming list entry, the ability for each room to be paid on a separate credit card, and flexible payment options. (www.travelocity.com)
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MARKETING / MANAGEMENT
- Hotel Web Pro launched as a single source for all Internet marketing services
Hotel Web Pro has been launched as a single source for all Internet marketing services, including website design, optimization, ad management and booking engine or connectivity. The company is headed by Richard Walsh, a past president of Amadeus North America, vice president of marketing for Avis Wizcom and President of Innovata LLC. Hotel Web Pro aims to simplify the Internet marketing process and give hotels the ability to measure and manage market share towards their most profitable Internet sales channels. (www.hotelwebpro.com)
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SALES & CATERING, MEETING PLANNING
- Broadband Hospitality launches Internet Concierge Support for hotels with high volumes of groups needing Internet services
Broadband Hospitality has launched its Internet Concierge Support program to provide consulting help to hotels hosting high volumes of groups needing high-speed Internet services in meeting rooms. Broadband’s staff will work with hotel and incoming group representatives to identify their needs and ensure that the hotel has the proper wired and wireless Internet and networking infrastructure, including enough bandwidth and sufficient static IP addresses built into the T1. Broadband will also provide additional hardware on a rental basis if required. (www.broadbandhospitality.com)
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F&B/POINT OF SALE
- Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Biloxi orders MICROS’ OPERA POS, plus PMS and Gaming
- Manchu WOK (Canada) to install MICROS’ RES3000, WS4 terminals and mymicros.net
- InfoGenesis wins Solution Provider Excellence Award from IBM
- Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino now using Avero Slingshot in all 21 F&B operations
The Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi has ordered MICROS’ OPERA POS, along with its Property Management System and Gaming systems. The project is scheduled to open this year, and will include five restaurants, a Hard Rock Cafe, spa, beach pool, 317 rooms, a casino with 1,500 slot machines and 50 table games, Hard Rock Live entertainment venue, and retail shops.
Manchu WOK (Canada) Inc. has contracted with REMISYS Corp, MICROS’ distributor in Eastern Canada, for MICROS’ RES3000 Point-of-Sale systems, Workstation 4 (WS4) hardware and mymicros.net business intelligence portal for its 200 locations.
(www.hardrock.com, www.micros.com)
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InfoGenesis won a Solution Provider Excellence Award from IBM at the seventh annual IBM Retail Store Solution Education Conference. The award is given annually to the top four IBM resellers in North America; InfoGenesis was the only company from the hospitality market segment to win the award in 2004. A second Solution Provider Excellence Award was given to InfoGenesis Australia for its work in the Asia Pacific market. (www.infogenesis.com)
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Harrah’s Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is now using Avero Slingshot business intelligence software in all its 21 food-and-beverage locations. (www.harrahs.com, www.averoinc.com)
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GUEST SERVICES
- Eldorado Hotel Casino adds LMS ShowGate and LMS ShowNet for on-line ticket sales
- Trav-Elements releases ConciergeTrac for booking activities and services with the guestroom
- The Madison in Washington, DC implements wireless HSIA from StayOnline
- Hotels and resorts provide more WiFi access than any other market segment
- Wireless hotspots coming to US interstate highway rest areas
- VSi passes 500-hotel milestone for its Automated Business Centers
- Microtel completes project to equip all guestrooms with free wireless HSIA
- CSM Lodging designates LodgeNet as exclusive provider of interactive TV services
The 816-room Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno, NV has added Agilysys’ LMS ShowGate and LMS ShowNet modules to its LMS PMS. The hotel will use the system for ticketing at the 580-seat Eldorado Showroom, as well as for off-property events such as the Shakespeare Festival at Lake Tahoe. LMS ShowNet integrates with its existing LMS ResNet Web-enabled reservations system to let guests book room reservations and show tickets online. (www.eldoradoreno.com, www.agilysys.com)
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Trav-Elements has released its ConciergeTrac software, which allows web visitors to book their room and pre-order activities and services from the hotel concierge in one transaction on a hotel’s website. ConciergeTrac allows on-property or external services, activities and attractions to be entered into Trav-Elements database and made available on the hotel website, sending electronic notifications to the concierge and activity provider when bookings are made by online guests. (www.travelements.com)
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The Madison in Washington, DC has implemented wireless high speed Internet access from StayOnline in all public areas. (www.themadisondc.com, www.stayonline.net)
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A recent survey of wireless hotspot locations by JiWire show that hotels and resorts provide more WiFi access than any other market segment, increasing 78% in the last six months. Hotspots per location type were reported as:
Hotels & Resorts 16,674
Restaurants 9,718
Cafes 8,842
Stores/Shopping Malls 5,566
Pubs 4,873
The United States has the most hotels and resorts offering WiFi with more than 5,000 locations (with California leading, followed by Texas and Florida), followed by Germany and France. (www.jiwire.com)
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Meanwhile, the latest front in the wireless hotspot movement is at the rest areas on US interstate highways. Wireless Internet service provider I Spot Networks, working in conjunction with state transportation departments, is rolling out hotspots along interstates in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, and in October 2003, the Texas Department of Transportation launched a project to provide free wireless Internet access in all of the state's rest areas and welcome centers by late 2005. Michigan has partnered with SBC Communications to deploy hotspots in state parks, welcome centers and several rest areas, and other states may soon follow suit.
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Vertical Systems, Inc. (VSi) now has over 500 hotels worldwide using its Automated Business Centers, which typically include wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, PCs with FreshStart technology that gives each user the equivalent of a new computer, web-based guest printing services, printers, copiers, scanners and business software. (www.ver-sys.com)
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Microtel Inn & Suites has completed its Project Reveille to provide all guestrooms in its hotels in the continental United States with free wireless high-speed Internet access, along with free long distance phone calls and free local phone calls for guests. (www.microtelinn.com)
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CSM Lodging has designated LodgeNet as the exclusive provider of interactive TV services for all 34 of its owned and managed hotels nationwide, which operate under franchise agreements with Marriott, Hilton and Carlson. (ww.csmcorp.net, www.lodgenet.com)
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BACK OFFICE
- M3 Hotel Accounting adds Cash Management module
M3 Hotel Accounting has added a Cash Management module to its ASP-based accounting systems product line. Features include the tracking of deposits, withdrawals, credit card transactions, and money transfers between banks and companies, processing ACH payments and the importing credit card deposits and cleared checks. (www.m3as.com)
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SECURITY
- Dometic launches line of in-room safes
Dometic has introduced a line of in-room safes from Spanish manufacturer Oyster Electronics S.L., which it acquired last year. The safes are designed to integrate with Dometic’s HiPro refreshment centers or operate as stand-alone units; one model offers a slide-out drawer in place of the typical hinging door. (www.dometic.com)
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