News Briefs

Allbridge, a provider of property technology (PropTech) solutions for the hospitality, multifamily, and senior living industries, announced its certification as a Uniguest Digital Engagement Platform installation and reseller partner for North American hospitality and senior living customers. 

Combining engineering and managed service expertise for hospitality, senior living, and multifamily properties, Allbridge has built a reputation for delivering complete solutions from design to implementation and beyond. Allbridge and Uniguest’s expanded partnership will combine to deliver a shared vision to offer unified software solutions for clients that help them engage their audience and create a more memorable experience.

“Allbridge has earned a reputation as a trusted, reliable technology integrator for our core markets; partnering with Allbridge feels like a natural move,” said Lee Horgan, Uniguest Chief Revenue Officer. “Together we’ll enhance the service and support for our digital signage and Interactive TV solutions across North America, where we’re experiencing rapid expansion. We’re excited by this partnership and know that our customers will benefit from Allbridge’s service.”

“Uniguest is a powerhouse in the hospitality and senior living space and this partnership is incredibly exciting for our team,” said Matt Koch, Chief Customer Officer of Allbridge. “Uniguest’s software solutions, matched with Allbridge’s integration expertise and deep connection to hospitality and senior living communities nationwide, will be a great pairing for our shared customers.”

Uniguest’s Digital Engagement Platform includes multiple services including Digital Signage, Interactive TV, and Casting.

Unified Office, a managed services provider offering highly reliable, cloud-based, business communications, IoT, AI, and business analytics services, announced today at the 2024 Enterprise Connect Conference an expansion of their TCNIQ^TM Sentiment Analysis offering. This significant expansion of TCNIQ^TM harnesses the power of AI to transform voice interactions by creating the ability to coach employees in real-time, improving their ability to optimally communicate a company’s messaging and brand to its customers.

This AI-based offering analyzes phone conversations to provide advice to managers in real-time so they can intervene to rectify a situation before the call is completed. It provides AI-based, virtual whisper coaching to employees on how to provide better customer service, reward loyalty, or cross or up sell products and services while they still have the customer on the line. TCNIQ^TM also scores phone calls for employee performance and customer sentiment and provides the score to managers instantly.

“This offering is a key component of our Voice is the Future vision for business communications,” said Ray Pasquale, Founder & CEO of Unified Office. “We avoid common AI mistakes that could negatively impact customer interactions by having a vertical market focus. Unlike other large AI language models, we develop vertically focused small language models that are relevant to our customers’ business. This helps to ensure not only accuracy but also produces actionable output relevant to their specific needs. AI has already analyzed our emails, shopping history, travel routes but until recently voice has been an afterthought yet it’s the most important form of communication.”

Unified Office’s Sentiment Analysis/TCNIQ^TM features now include:

• Real-Time Call Analysis: TCNIQ^TM no longer waits for post-call analysis. It analyzes conversations as they happen, providing immediate feedback to supervisors or other stakeholders. This real-time capability empowers businesses to address issues promptly and improve customer interactions on the fly.
• “Whisper Coaching” with AI: Using AI and a computer-generated voice, TCNIQ quietly guides staff through challenging calls or in training situations. Whether it is handling irate customers or complex inquiries, TCNIQ assists associates in real-time, ensuring consistent service quality.
• Real-Time Delivery of Critical Notifications: via voice, creating increased visibility and convenience for customers, allowing them to react quicker to serious issues that might impact their business.

Prior to this, managers had to be on calls with employees to coach them in real-time or they had to spend hours going through recorded messages. This approach could not scale beyond a handful of employees. All Unified Office services are offered on their Total Connect Now℠ platform, an easy-to-use, managed business communications service that integrates voice and video communications, messaging, service-level monitoring, business continuity, and AI-based business analytics tools into a seamless, high quality, reliable communications service that can be configured to meet the unique needs of any business.

Sabre Corporation, a software and technology provider powering the global travel industry, announced the renewal of the longstanding technology partnership between HotelREZ, one of the world’s largest and fastest growing hotel representation companies, dedicated to connecting independent properties with bookers worldwide, and Sabre Hospitality. This renewal reaffirms HotelREZ and Sabre’s mutual commitment to leveraging both companies’ strengths, combining Sabre Hospitality’s cutting-edge technology with HotelREZ’s unparalleled representation services.

This renewal marks the continuation of the partnership, utilizing Sabre Hospitality’s comprehensive suite of products, including Sabre Global Distribution System (GDS), SynXis® Booking Engine, and Channel Connect, to enhance HotelREZ’s extensive range of hospitality solutions across more than 2500+ customers. Both companies' broad portfolio of hospitality solutions empower hoteliers to create and deliver a unique and differentiating guest experience based on their specific brand.

“It’s essential to deliver both exceptional technology to our hotel customers to enhance revenue generation opportunities for their properties, whilst optimizing their use and potential through global representation and demand generation,” said Mark Lewis, CEO and founder of HotelREZ. “Sabre's advanced technology and customer-centric approach aligns seamlessly with HotelREZ's vision and roadmap solidifying our collaborative partnership.”

By leveraging Sabre’s technology solutions, HotelREZ customers will benefit from Sabre Hospitality’s SynXis® Platform and distribution technology to promote their content to hundreds of thousands of travel agents globally. In addition, HotelREZ customers will have access to Sabre’s SynXis® Booking Engine, which offers a simple booking process to help hotels convert shoppers into guests while maintaining full control of their customer relationships and upselling with merchandising. This collaboration provides hoteliers with solutions that enable them to maximize revenue and operate more efficiently.  

"Global hospitality providers, such as HotelREZ, require access to robust technology solutions coupled with an expansive network of distribution channels to effectively reach customers and drive conversions," said Frank Trampert, senior vice president, global managing director, Sabre Hospitality. "At Sabre, distribution has been at the core of our operations, and our solutions are widely recognized and respected in the industry. As we continue to invest in our systems and innovate on our solutions platform, we are confident that our longstanding and successful partnership with HotelREZ as their technology partner and their exceptional approach to distribution, will continue to drive revenue growth for partner hotels worldwide.”

Enhancing HotelREZ's own connectivity and other solutions, the SynXis® Platform empowers hotels to distribute their rates and inventory across more than 600 online channels globally. Built on flexible, reliable technology, it allows hotels to control their brand experience and deliver an excellent user experience, converting shoppers into guests.  

Four Seasons, the world's leading luxury hospitality company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sudhakar Veluru as the company's new Executive Vice President and Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO), effective March 25, 2024. Sudhakar will join Four Seasons Executive Leadership Team reporting to Alejandro Reynal, President and CEO, Four Seasons. Sudhakar will be based at Four Seasons corporate office in Miami.

"We are excited to welcome Sudhakar at this important time in Four Seasons information technology transformation," says Reynal. "Sudhakar's extensive experience in technology and IT innovation will be instrumental in shaping our digital-first future, further enhancing the guest, resident and employee experience across our growing global portfolio of luxury properties."

With an impressive career spanning over two decades, Sudhakar brings a wealth of experience and expertise in driving digital and information technology transformation initiatives within the hospitality and technology sectors. Sudhakar's appointment underscores Four Seasons commitment to modernizing and strengthening its capabilities to further develop a single-view of guests and residents while deepening foundational support functions across the company globally.

"I am thrilled to join Four Seasons, an iconic brand renowned for its unwavering dedication to innovation and excellence," says Veluru. "I look forward to joining a talented team of experienced leaders from around the world. Together, we will spearhead technological and IT advancements that will elevate the guest and resident experience and continue to build the critical foundations and capabilities needed to shape Four Seasons future."

Prior to joining Four Seasons, Sudhakar served as the Chief Technology Officer at MGM Resorts International, where he led groundbreaking digital transformation work enabling seamless access to e-commerce, customer loyalty programs and casino games across mobile and online platforms. Before his tenure at MGM, Sudhakar held several senior leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company, where he delivered innovative technology solutions and products for various functions including MyMagic+, FP+/MagicBands, ShopDisney, CruiseLines, and Vacation Club.

Sudhakar holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Arizona State University and a master's degree in technology (MTech) from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kanpur, India. He is a certified Enterprise Architect (SCJEA – Sun Certified Java Enterprise Architect) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's largest lodging franchisors and a leader in hospitality technology, announced today that it has promoted Sireesha Kunduri to Chief of Product Engineering.

In her new role, Kunduri will head up the software product delivery functions within Choice's Technology Team, in support of its diverse portfolio of hotel brands, revenue management, membership rewards, and more. Kunduri joined Choice in 2016 as Director, Engineering and was promoted to Vice President, Engineering in 2019.

"Choice operates at the intersection of hospitality, franchising, and technology, and Kunduri has been instrumental in driving the technological innovation that fuels our commitment to delivering value to our hotel owners and guests," said Choice Hotels Chief Information Officer Brian Kirkland. "With her wealth of experience and proven track record of success, I'm confident Kunduri will help us take the technology products we develop for our franchisees, our customers, and across the enterprise to the next level."

Choice Hotels has a history of innovation and technological firsts in the hospitality industry, including:

• In 1995, Choice launched the first hotel website with real-time rate and availability information.
• In 2003, Choice launched the industry's first cloud-based property management system (PMS), choiceADVANTAGE.
• In 2009, Choice released the first consumer-facing hotel app for iOS.
• In 2018, Choice launched the first cloud-based central reservation system (CRS), choiceEDGE.
• In 2021, Choice launched the first mobile-enabled revenue management system, ChoiceMAX.
• In early 2024, Choice became the first hotel company to migrate its entire system infrastructure to the cloud.

Newport Hospitality Group (NHG), a premier hotel development and management company, has enhanced its long-time partnership with SalesAndCatering.com by transitioning its portfolio of hotels to the cutting-edge  STS Cloud platform. Successfully upgrading 22 properties to the cloud-based version of STS will make it easier for the group to manage multiple properties from a single platform and provide a unified view to streamline processes, improve service quality, and ultimately increase revenue.

The move to STS Cloud will bring about a range of benefits to Newport Hospitality Group, from improved operational efficiency and sales management to enhanced decision-making capabilities, increased productivity, and cost savings. Additionally, the cloud-based nature of STS Cloud means access from anywhere at any time on any device. This flexibility can significantly enhance the productivity of Newport Hospitality Group's staff, as they can access necessary information and perform tasks even when they are away from their desks. Furthermore, as a cloud-based solution, STS Cloud eliminates the need for hardware and software maintenance. 

The ease of the transition to the cloud has allowed Newport to focus on delivering unparalleled excellence to their guests while benefiting from the extended features of the sales and catering tool. Newport Hospitality Group's Corporate Director of Sales Development, Cynde Pritchard, praised the team's hands-on approach: "STS Cloud emerged as the ideal solution for Newport Hospitality's portfolio of top-rated hotel brands. Rick and the STS team have been incredibly responsive and hands-on throughout the transition process. They've worked closely with each manager,  making custom adjustments to meet Newport Hospitality's specific needs. Our ongoing partnership with them is a true testament to the trust and strong working relationship we’ve built over the years, and we  look forward to many more years of success to come."

STS Cloud's experienced support, affordability, and advanced functionality were key factors in Newport Hospitality Group's decision to elevate its long-term partnership with the hospitality technology company. Ryan Hamilton, Co-Founder of SalesAndCatering.com, emphasized that STS Cloud offers hotels all the most desirable features without the high price tags associated with systems of this caliber. "Our platform is as affordable as it is exceptional," he said. "From managing group sales and event bookings to tracking customer preferences and generating detailed reports, STS Cloud provides an all-in-one solution for hoteliers — at a fraction of the cost. The seamless multi-property transition to our cloud solution for Newport Hospitality Group demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating powerful technologies to drive operational excellence and meet the evolving needs of hoteliers."