News Briefs

Infor, the industry cloud company, announced that Noble House Hotels & Resorts, a curated collection of award-winning boutique hotels, luxury resorts, and unforgettable adventures, has selected Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS) for its property management system (PMS) of record. The organization decided to remove its existing PMS system and fully standardize on the Infor cloud-based platform in 2023. Noble House has already completed successful go-lives at 10 properties, with an additional 12 slated for 2024. With Infor, Noble House has instant access to modern technology to unify and refine operations, deliver superior guest experiences, and implement and execute intelligent strategy to continue to deliver the unexpected to guests at its hand-selected portfolio of experience-driven hotels and resorts.

After evaluating its current property management system, Noble House Hotels & Resorts decided to partner with Infor to better support its future growth and expansion, while maintaining consistent levels of award-winning guest experiences. Infor Hospitality demonstrated that it was able to provide the organization with unparalleled customer support, scalability, industry-specific advanced functionality, and trusted cloud-based applications, that will allow its users to easily navigate through daily tasks. Infor HMS will serve as the hub of hotel operations for Noble House, providing a holistic technology platform that will connect every aspect of operations to the guest experience, creating a seamless journey that will help the organization continue to meet and exceed the highest standards.

“Each of our Noble House properties are meticulously designed to pair boutique local charm with consistent high service and comfort standards. By modernizing our software platform and eliminating or reducing manual administrative tasks, our team is able to put more focus on providing exceptional service for our guests,” said James Colee, CEO of Noble House Hotels & Resorts. “Infor was the right partner for us to standardize back-end business processes across our portfolio because they understand where the industry is going, our plans for the future, and our goal to make daily tasks automatic, so we can continue curating authentic experiences for our guests in some of the most popular travel destinations.”

Infor HMS is a fully integrated property management system built for the cloud with flexibility, security, efficiency and mobile capabilities that help streamline operations, maximize profitability, and consistently deliver elevated guest experiences. The solution uses mobile applications for guest check-in and housekeeping, features automated and customizable reporting capabilities, and includes optional offerings around revenue management, point-of-sale (POS) and business intelligence (BI) tools to support the full range of unique and rapidly changing needs for hospitality organizations around the globe.

“Consistency of back-end operations is the key to success when managing multiple properties that each boast unique experiences and offer different elements for guests’ enjoyment. Infor Hospitality delivers the tools our customers need to have visibility into key processes and make more confident business decisions in real time,” said Joe Vargas, Infor Hospitality senior vice president and general manager. “The hospitality industry is exciting because it is fast paced, fast growing, and constantly evolving. But with this growth comes competition and data-driven challenges that can only be overcome with modern solutions. Infor’s partnership with Noble House Hotels & Resorts will help the organization continue to evolve, manage rising costs, and navigate changing guests demands, while simultaneously supporting its internal teams so they can focus on providing memorable interactions.”

IDeaS, a SAS, company and provider of hotel revenue management software and services, released Future Forecast: Six Hotel Technology Predictions for 2024. Gathering information from some of the top minds in the industry, IDeaS releases six bold hotel technology predictions that it believes will shape the year to come. 

Key predictions include:

• The continued breakdown of hospitality data silos: The hospitality industry collects an incredible amount of valuable guest data, but it’s often coming from disparate sources with no clear view of the entire guest experience. IDeaS foresees this changing fast as hoteliers look to maximize the value and power of their data in 2024.
• Revenue management will leave the confines of hotel walls: The discipline of revenue management is poised to expand beyond its traditional home within hotels. IDeaS predicts campsites, “glamp-sites,” cruise ships, and other similar but different accommodations providers will begin to embrace the benefits of revenue management practices.
• AI is set to redefine the guest experience: 2023 was the world’s introduction to generative AI, with tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E capturing the public’s imagination. IDeaS believes 2024 is when the hospitality industry will start putting the transformative power of AI to work, with far-ranging implications for what the future of the “typical” guest experience can be. 

Mike Chuma, vice president of global marketing, IDeaS, said: “Our team engaged with some of the greatest minds in our industry in 2023 through informative webinars, a successful client summit, and our ongoing commitment to supporting innovation and industry events. It’s clear to all of us that 2024 is shaping up to be a year of substantial and exciting change—and the best way for hoteliers to take advantage of that change is to start thinking now about what’s likely to come in the year ahead.” 

Today, Scandic reached a sustainability milestone by recertifying all of its previously ecolabeled hotels according to the Nordic Swan Ecolabel’s new, tougher environmental requirements. More than 88 percent of Scandic’s hotels are ecolabeled and the company is continuing its efforts to ensure that all hotels are certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.

The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is the official environmental certification in the Nordic countries. It updates its requirements approximately every four years, and the most recent update in 2023 included higher environmental goals. To continue to be certified, Scandic’s ecolabeled hotels have now undergone a rigorous recertification process where each hotel must meet all of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel’s new strict limit values for energy, water, waste and chemicals as well as organic food and beverages. To retain certification, ecolabeled hotels must also undergo annual follow-ups and team member training.

"At Scandic, we’ve integrated sustainability as part of our strategy, so it’s natural for us to monitor our initiatives and demonstrate how they make a difference for our guests, our team members and society at large. By cooperating with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, over the years we’ve reduced our water consumption, eliminated harmful chemicals and single-use items, reduced food waste and increased the percentage of organic food we buy. And we’re extremely proud of this progress. Recertifying our ecolabeled hotels is critical to guarantee that we can offer our guests services certified by the toughest environmental labeling," says Jens Mathiesen, CEO of Scandic Hotels Group.

Scandic initiated a long-term collaboration with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel in the 1990s to get help and guidance in reducing its environmental impact. This effort has paid off. Between 1996, when Scandic started its sustainability reporting, and 2022, the company reduced water use per guest night by 32 percent, energy use per guest night by 31 percent and CO₂e emissions per guest night by an impressive 65 percent.* This is thanks to measures including installing water-efficient fixtures, switching to 100 percent renewable energy for electricity, using energy efficient lighting and implementing various technical solutions for energy and heat optimization.

Several initiatives to create behavioral changes have also contributed to Scandic’s reduced impact. These include team member training, encouraging guests to make conscious choices like turning off the tap while brushing their teeth and introducing on-demand cleaning. Scandic also prioritizes sustainability in its supplier procurement. Today, items such as TVs, beds and cleaning and laundry products are environmentally certified.

"We’re very pleased that a powerful player like Scandic is committed to meeting the new tougher requirements of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and certifying all of its hotels in the Nordic countries. This is helping drive the green transition and making a difference, inspiring guests to adopt new habits and influencing other businesses since Scandic demands ecolabeled products. It’s creating what you could say is a 'Swan effect' in other industries that must comply with Scandic’s sustainability requirements," says Anna Linusson, CEO of Miljömärkning Sverige AB.

To be certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, a hotel must serve a certain percentage of organic food and beverages, purchase ecolabeled furniture and textiles, use only environmentally friendly chemicals for cleaning, dishwashing and laundry, reduce water consumption, energy use and waste, and have clear, transparent environmental goals. Currently, 87 of Scandic’s hotels in Sweden, 30 in Denmark, 45 in Finland and 76 in Norway are ecolabeled and all of these have now been recertified according to the Nordic Swan Ecolabel’s new requirements. In 2023, Scandic will also launch Nordic Swan Ecolabel certification at its hotels in Germany and Poland, which means that these hotels can start their journey toward environmental certification.

Scandic’s ambition is for all hotels operating under the Scandic brand to be certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. At minimum, all hotels must comply with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel limit values for energy consumption per square meter, unsorted waste, water consumption and ecolabeled chemicals for cleaning, laundry and washing dishes.

* Figures are based on development per guest night from when Scandic began sustainability reporting in 1996 up to 2022. This reporting includes all of the company’s hotels and refers to water and energy consumption, waste and CO₂e emissions.

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays and complementary solutions, launches the new Philips Signage 3000 EcoDesign Series QE-Line, delivering 4K UHD video and picture performance while running on half the power compared to other models.

The Philips Signage 3650 EcoDesign is configurable to meet the needs of any environment with no additional hardware necessary.  

Available now in 50-, 55- and 65-inch sizes, the portrait or landscape mountable Philips Signage 3000 EcoDesign Series complements the unique features and benefits enjoyed on the  Philips Signage 3000 Q-Line Series – installed around the world in hotels, food and beverage locations, cinemas, corporate offices, among others – redesigned, remodelled and repackaged using PPDS’ new Eco Design methodology.

To learn more about PPDS,  visit the website here.

Guestline announces the launch of GuestVoucher, its new integrated voucher and gifting platform.  Hoteliers will now be able to sell personalised monetary and experience vouchers to guests who will then have the choice to redeem against particular hotel services or use as an alternative to cash payments.  

Hoteliers can choose either monetary vouchers that have a simple cash redemption value or experience vouchers which can promote and encourage sales of particular packages, amenities or services available throughout their property.  

GuestVoucher has been developed to enable operators to generate additional revenue and upsell opportunities by offering both existing and potential new guests the option to enhance their stay with additional experiences. When purchased as a gift operators can attract new guests to their property and services who might not otherwise have considered booking. This brings the opportunity to build guest loyalty in line with positive guest experiences, drive guest and customer acquisition and extend upsell and revenue opportunities from those guests redeeming their vouchers who might then consider a room upgrade, extending their stay or booking additional services beyond their voucher.   

• When asked what they really want from loyalty programs, consumers want, 78% percent of customers surveyed want discounts, according to HTs 12^th annual 2023 Customer Engagement Technology Study.   

GuestVoucher offers hoteliers complete autonomy over their voucher design and functionality. They can opt to design in line with their own hotel branding to ensure consistency across marketing and communications, in addition to setting expiry dates and any other required limitations around sales and redemptions. Multi-site groups can also control the locations at which vouchers can be redeemed in line with wider sales, marketing, revenue and distribution strategies.  

Intuitive and flexible, it offers a straightforward, easy to navigate shopping experience for guests. For hoteliers to set up, they simply need to create a voucher template in line with their own branding and design guidelines and can then select to create as many voucher options as they require using the master template. Whether for F&B, spa or a choice of monetary amounts, for example. They can then set expiry dates to reduce P&L liability, choose preferred delivery methods to guests, choose a subdomain so they have their own URL which can be added to the main website and then finally add a payment provider to ensure payments can be processed online before launching to sell.  

Commenting on the launch of GuestVoucher, Jonathan Lee, Product Manager at Guestline said: “Vouchers have always been an important revenue stream for hoteliers. In launching GuestVoucher our ambition is to enable operators to extend their guest reach even further with an efficient, intuitive tool that can drive revenue and build guest loyalty. 

“Ahead of the festive season gift vouchers are always a popular choice to treat loved ones and are an effective way for hoteliers to market seasonal packages and increase brand exposure during what is a competitive period for the industry. Alongside the templates, the reporting enables operators to track sales, redemptions and liabilities in real time so that any adjustments that need to be made in line with demand and operations can be done quickly and effectively. Guests will benefit from enhanced offers and experiences and operators can benefit from increased revenue, sales and guest loyalty.”  

For more information on how Guestline’s GuestVoucher can enhance your guest experience and drive revenue please visit guestline.com