BALTIMORE—Contrary to what we were always taught about taking notice and getting your head out of the clouds, today’s technology companies would argue that’s exactly where they should be. Right in—and around—“the cloud,” that is. And nowhere was this more evident than at the recent HITEC show, here, where the message was obvious: Staying current and offering your customers the state of the art, means embracing the fast-growing and increasingly implemented technology. After all, migrating data to the cloud is a means for reducing internal costs to run a hotel and it has the ability to scale fast to meet clients’ needs. In fact, walking the floor of the 40th-annual show, proved that cloud-based solutions were one of the top two trends (the other being mobile apps).
Multi-Systems, Inc. (MSI) officially debuted CloudPM, the company’s next generation, cloud-based property management system (PMS) solution, and further announced the selection of Windsurfer CRS, a leading central reservation system (CRS), for non-branded hotels for integration to CloudPM.
“Today’s cloud computing adds tremendous value to hotels,” Rick Munson, CEO of MSI, said in a statement. “CloudPM is a practical system convergence because it provides a reliable web-based property management system and reservation system with seamless integration and an affordable monthly subscription.”
Property data is housed off site, allowing hoteliers to manage single or multiple properties remotely via the Internet, eliminating the need for on-site technology resources. This results in a significant savings in capital expenditure and increased operating efficiencies for a property. As for infrastructure, CloudPM deploys on any web bowser, allowing unlimited connection, and Cloud Services technology automatically backs up all data with optional on-site backup.
Hotel Concepts–Brilliant, a provider of advanced PMS software solutions, showcased its most recent innovation, the iTesso Enterprise Lodging System, an integrated PMS, distribution platform and CRS all rolled into one. This new concept in technology convergence combines all three in a single, cloud-based platform. The system can be used as a CRS with direct connects to the global distribution systems (GDS) and alternate distribution systems (ADS), or as a distributed multi-property property management system with links to the iTesso or third-party CRS systems. It is suited for hotel chains of all sizes and is scalable and customizable.
iTesso uses the Microsoft Windows Azure cloud infrastructure; Microsoft is responsible for the health of the hosting environment, while Hotel Concepts-Brilliant continuously manages the application. The interface connections are monitored and upgraded on a hotel and a centralized level. iTesso publishes updates on an ongoing basis and includes an eLearning component so users can independently train themselves. The company provides complete functional support for users, ensuring that the system is fully deployed and optimized at all times.
MICROS Systems, Inc. exhibited a suite of cloud-based software, based on its OPERA product offering. OPERA is scalable to support single-property hotels with a few rooms and users to operations with several thousand properties and multiple reservations and distribution centers and systems. MICROS’ latest development, OPERA 9, leverages new technologies to transition MICROS’ OPERA V5 to an intuitive, feature-rich user interface that provides flexibility and customization and operates fluently across popular browsers and tablet devices, including the iPad.
The OPERA V5 thin-client product will be converted to an Oracle ADF cloud-based solution that delivers functionality through web services and a new technology stack. OPERA 9 is both browser-and device-agnostic. As it is being phased in, OPERA 9 will coexist with OPERA V5 to leverage, complement and extend the core product.
The company announced that Canadian hotel ownership and management company, Delta Hotels and Resorts, is piloting OPERA 9 hotel management software and will collaborate with the company on the new features and functionalities, ensuring the new product meets all the requirements for an industry-wide launch.
NORTHWIND Maestro’s hosted PMS, an alternative to premise-based platforms, helps streamline operations at the property level, according to the company.
Said President Warren Dehan in a statement: “Cloud systems platforms are not just for the large chains. Many independent operators are leveraging remotely hosted cloud platforms to reduce expenses, create operating efficiencies, secure cardholder information and to have instant remote access to their property or hotel group’s data.” NORTHWIND’s web-enabled platforms allow operators to manage multiple hotels from a central site, gain greater management control of property activities and centralize audits and maximize revenue. Maestro Cloud also frees operators from having to maintain their own PMS network.
At the guest level, Single Digits, Inc., a provider of high-speed Internet access solutions, launched its cloud-based hospitality services, offering enhanced bandwidth for accelerated content delivery, support for 40,000 concurrent users and 24/7 service support from the company’s Network Operations Center.
“The hospitality industry has been living the ‘bring your own device’ nightmare far longer than the phenomenon has plagued the corporate environment,” according to Stephen Singlar, co-founder and president of Single Digits, Inc. “For many years, IT staffs in charge of hospitality networks have struggled to keep up with the bandwidth demands caused by guests bringing their own WiFi-enabled devices and connecting to ‘single-source’ networks.” The company’s new Cisco-based cloud offering eliminates these concerns by rerouting high-bandwidth guest traffic onto the cloud. This, in turn, lowers IT costs, increases productivity and improves guest services.