News Briefs

Oracle announced the general availability of Oracle OPERA Cloud Central. The all-in-one hospitality platform unites data and functionality from OPERA Cloud’s modules under a common user interface and experience. With it, customers can get a comprehensive view of their hotel business, including distribution, sales, service interactions, loyalty programs, and more to make faster decisions that can benefit staff and guests. 

Scandic Hotels Group, the largest Nordic hotel operator with 280 hotels across six countries, is the first chain to go-live on OPERA Cloud Central at their properties. Together with OPERA Cloud Property Management system and Sales and Events management, Central will enable Scandic to connect all its relevant data and apply built-in analytics to deliver real-time insights to the right stakeholders across all its locations. This will help the chain create better operational efficiency and revenue generating opportunities while enhancing guest experiences.

“Oracle’s solution supports our strategy to constantly improve the guest experience and create an even more cost-effective operating model,” said Jens Mathiesen, President & CEO of Scandic Hotels Group. “Having all our data and core functions on a unified platform will make us more efficient, make it easier for our staff to do their jobs, facilitate commercial opportunities to increase revenue, and get to know our customers better so we can give them the best hotel experience no matter which one of our properties they visit.”

Connecting critical hotel functions 

OPERA Cloud Hospitality Platform has expanded to include Distribution, Central Reservations, Central Sales and Loyalty functionality. By bringing together existing OPERA Cloud Property features together with new OPERA Cloud Central components, we can now help hotels remove silos and friction across various functional areas both on as well as above property. Single image rates and inventory, as well as reservations, groups, and profiles, combined with a unified end user experience, makes information accessible to all key stakeholders at all customer touchpoints. 

With open architecture, built-in integration services, and open APIs that help accelerate innovation and go-to-market initiatives, the comprehensive hotel cloud solution enables hoteliers to redefine the guest experience with several key functions:

• Contact Center streamlines the reservation process with an intuitive display that enables central staff to offer clear dynamic rate and product offers. Easy access to guest information enables staff to personalize the guest experience and recognize loyalty through upsell opportunities, special pricing, tailored reservations, and more. Increased revenue opportunities can be achieved through special offers, package add-ons, loyalty and membership rates, leisure, and negotiated pricing, as well as group functionality support reservations across all segments.
• Central Sales increases sales effectiveness by centralizing and simplifying the management of accounts, contacts, and activities for regional and global sales teams. This includes setting and comparing KPIs for account managers and sales staff to keep track of account performance. Staff can quickly and efficiently view or create leads and opportunities, reserving function and group spaces for multiple hotels. Built in dashboards allow for goal setting and progress tracking, optimized monitoring, and the easy management of account and team performance.
• Distribution connects distribution and revenue channels so hotels can determine which product and pricing to deliver to each of their target markets while managing all channel-related tasks from a single system. This direct-connect distribution channel removes intermediaries and administrative burdens to simplify channel activation and management, allowing hotels to instantly adjust to new business requirements with the support of unlimited rates and inventory options. 
• Loyalty helps hotels recognize and reward their most frequent guests. Guest profiles include data from enrollment, reservation information, and more all fully integrated into all OPERA Cloud workflows, enabling greater flexibility to customize program rules, benefits, and guest experiences.

“With OPERA Cloud Central, we are transforming how business gets done by connecting core elements across property and brand management operations under one platform with a common data foundation,” said Alex Alt, executive vice president and general manager of Oracle Hospitality. “Now, brands and their hotels can be more efficient and get the business insights they need faster, so they can continually evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of their business and guests.” 

Domino's Pizza Inc. introduces its new and improved loyalty program. 

Domino's Rewards offers loyalty members even more opportunities to earn and redeem points across its corporate and franchise store locations. Domino's enhanced rewards program allows customers to:

• Earn points for less
  • Loyalty members will now earn 10 points on every order of $5 or more
• Redeem points for even more menu items – and earn free Domino's after just two orders
  • Members can redeem a variety of points for more menu items:
    • 20 points: A free dipping cup, a 16-piece order of Parmesan Bread Bites or a 20 oz. drink
    • 40 points: An order of Bread Twists or Stuffed Cheesy Bread
    • 60 points: A medium, two-topping pizza; pasta; Oven-Baked Sandwich; or a 3-piece order of Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes
• Earn more rewards
  • Loyalty perks are now even better, as members will have exclusive access to member-only deals, special discounts and opportunities to earn bonus points!

"We are thrilled to give the brand's loyal customers additional ways to earn free Domino's items more often," said Mark Messing, Domino's vice president of digital experience and loyalty. "At a time when most brands are scaling back their loyalty programs and making it more difficult to earn and redeem points, Domino's is doing the opposite. We want to make it easier to reward our customers and give them more options so they can get rewarded faster."

Marketing a LTO 

From now until Oct. 22, 2023, rewards members can take advantage of a limited time offer to redeem 20 points for a free order of Domino's new Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread, which is normally a 40-point redemption, in celebration of the product's recent launch. 

Vindow, a transparent marketplace for buyers and sellers of contracted hotel accommodations, is proud to announce that Globespan Travel Management, a top-tier corporate travel management firm, has selected their platform to manage all their transient and group hotel sourcing. Designed for both group and transient programs, Vindow harnesses the power of advanced data analytics to empower decision-makers with insights that are crucial for making informed and strategic buying decisions.

Vindow’s cutting-edge platform will revolutionize the way that Globespan manages their hotel sourcing and travel program management. The platform’s user-friendly interface and machine learning features enable travel managers to extract valuable insights into traveler sentiments and anticipated trends, making it easier for travel managers to pick the best destinations and/or properties, and making it significantly simpler to negotiate and manage large-scale corporate transient programs.

“Ultimately, we chose to work with Vindow for two key reasons: the advanced functionality of the platform, which I know will make our travel managers’ jobs much easier, and the company’s willingness to develop customizable functionality to enable their clients to manage their sourcing more effectively, according to their specific needs and goals,” said Daniel Moretta, President from Globespan. “As our client list continues to evolve into new verticals, we know that, if necessary, Vindow’s development team will be willing to support our growth by making updates to the platform which will enable us to be more effective in our sourcing, giving our clients better results, and improve our overall business success.”

“We are very excited to help Globespan and their team take their sourcing to the next level,” said Victor Pynn, CEO of Vindow. “We built Vindow with a strong dedication to customer support and, because three-quarters of our staff are on the development team, it gives us the ability to incorporate buyer feedback into our innovation pipeline and quickly deliver solutions that solve our partners’ real-world problems. In short, this partnership will be a win/win for us and for Globespan."

The partnership with Vindow not only equips Globespan's travel managers with enhanced options for hotel procurement and travel program management today, but also positions them as contributors to future innovations in the industry.

Innrly, the brainchild of Vimal Patel, is ushering in a technological revolution in the US hospitality sector. By integrating advanced AI and automation, Innrly aims to be a pivotal player in enhancing the efficiency and guest experience in American hotels.

Industry Challenges and Innrly’s Unique Solutions:

The US hotel industry faces unique challenges, such as diverse staff management and catering to an international clientele. Innrly’s suite of tools, including OTA Reconciliation, automated night audits, and guest feedback management, are specifically designed to tackle these issues. Each module is crafted to streamline operations, ensuring that hotels operate with precision and care, focusing on what truly matters – the guest experience.

Technology at the Core:

Innrly’s technology goes beyond mere automation. By leveraging AI, the platform provides predictive insights, enabling hoteliers to make data-driven decisions. This advanced capability allows for enhanced customer service, optimized room pricing, and efficient resource allocation. Innrly’s impact is evidenced by its growing popularity among US hoteliers. The platform has shown to significantly reduce labor hours and improve operational efficiency, directly translating into increased profitability and improved guest satisfaction. Testimonials from various hoteliers highlight the transformative nature of Innrly’s technology in their day-to-day operations.

Trends and Future Outlook:

As the US hotel industry evolves with digitalization and changing customer expectations, Innrly is at the forefront, offering solutions that align with these trends. The platform's adaptability and innovative approach position it as a leader in the industry’s future.

Special Offer for Industry Members:

Innrly acknowledges the importance of accessibility and offers AAHOA members one year of free access to its OTA Reconciliation Module. Additionally, all hoteliers are invited to explore the full suite for three months, free of charge.

Conclusion:

Innrly represents a new chapter in hotel management in the US. With its blend of AI and automation, Innrly is not just a software provider but a partner in ensuring the success and growth of hotels across the country.

Experience Innrly:

For a firsthand experience of how Innrly can transform hotel operations, visit www.innrly.com and sign up for a free trial.

 

InnSpire, the leading provider of innovative hospitality technology solutions that help drive seamless, world-class guest experiences for some of the world’s most iconic hotels and brands, has announced a strategic partnership with RealTime Reservation (RTR), a centralized inventory control and management platform that assists hotels in maximizing ancillary revenue from services and amenities.

The new partnership integrates RealTime Reservation’s robust inventory mapping and booking capabilities into InnSpire’s award-winning mobile app solution to create a single sign-on (SSO) experience for guests. The unified interface gives guests the ability to see everything a property has to offer and book a host of property services, amenities, and experiences from their mobile phones or in-room tablets without the need to log in to multiple applications. This includes dining and restaurant reservations, as well as beach chairs, pool cabanas, spa/golf reservations and other onsite experiences.

“Our partnership with RealTime Reservation consolidates disparate guest reservation systems at a property into a single platform that is meant to give travelers seamless and personalized command over their stay at the property from their device of choice,” said Martin Chevalley, CEO of InnSpire. “The combined solution also enables greater operational efficiency and enhances ancillary revenue for the property by maximizing guest convenience and satisfaction.”

InnSpire’s full-featured, mobile phone-based digital guest journey application combines a host of powerful features that allow hotel guests to check-in and out remotely, securely access their accommodations using a mobile key, view menus and order in-room dining or drinks and snacks by the pool, send requests to the guest services team in real time, book restaurant and spa reservations, check their folio and access an extensive range of property information, all from their own smart phones.

“Our integration with InnSpire creates a single guest profile that makes it simple to navigate the property’s offerings and manage all aspects of their stay, down to the details that matter most to them, like a cabana nearest the ocean or pool, for example,” said Shawn Tarter, Founder and President of RealTime Reservation. “The result is one easy-to-use branded platform, so the experience is intuitive and seamless for the guest. It also allows the property to better manage their inventory, operations, and staff resources for service fulfillment.”