ST. PAUL DE VENCE- Kicking off the Unisys conference being held here, Andrew Kraemer, senior director/hotel technology service for Wingate Inns International, explained the brand’s popular no-fee model for in-room high-speed Internet (HSI) access, along with its technology plans for the future. Kraemer noted that after determining the brand was going to offer the service free-of-charge, it had to overcome two major obstacles: first, selling the idea to its franchisees and second, educating its guests. “We had to convince them [our franchisees]. We had to make them drink the Kool-Aid,” he said. To do this, the Wingate executives put forth a lot of effort— namely through conference calls, letters, memos, research and, most importantly, a corporate contribution. “We had to put up own dollars and put our money where our mouth was,” he stated. Once the brand’s HSI model was accepted, Wingate had to raise awareness of the amenity among the traveling public and teach its guests how to use it. “At first visit, they were frightened. Then, they were enlightened. We needed them to understand the technology,” said Kraemer. The brand also decided not to offer Ethernet cards at the front desk, and instead relies on a full-time technology department for support. “We aren’t CompUSA…We didn’t want our front desk to have the added responsibility of having to sell these cards to the guests.” While Kraemer couldn’t quantify the amount of visitors that stay with Wingate solely because of the high-speed amenity, he did note that it was a popular topic on guest comment cards and that with an average usage rate of more than 20%, the free HSI access must be a contributing factor to the brand’s overall occupancy rates. To push the envelope even further, Wingate is looking to add wireless Internet in the future for both its guests and employees. For guests, the application would require creating a wireless environment fully equipped with access points and a tech support team that would ultimately have to undergo the task of re-teaching guests how to use wireless Ethernet. For employees, Wingate is looking at two competing handheld applications. One is FMG’s Stella handheld technology for improved housekeeping and maintenance efficiency, which is partially wired but offers flexible reports at a lower capital cost. The other is PALM’s JiHI, which also tracks housekeeping and maintenance performance, but also minibar and guest request data. The PALM system is operated fully online, which makes it very up-to-date, and offers multiple languages that meet the needs of a hotel’s multicultural staff, however, it comes at a higher capital cost. In addition, Wingate is working to add wireless check in/out, as well as biometric staff IDs to replace their existing, and sometimes unreliable, sign-on codes for the property management system. Newly redesigned electronic kiosks are also in the brand’s immediate future. Meanwhile, Edward Nesta, president/E.R. Nesta and Associates, spoke about the hotel industry needing to embrace the Internet for reservations and yield management. “You should be working with technology, not for technology,” said Nesta. For a new technology to truly offer a hotel a competitive edge, the propertyl needs to be a leader in ideas, innovation and implementation. “[For example,] your sales people need to use new information to be competitive and to bring business to your hotel,” he said. “If you’re going to spend the money on technology, you need to support it. Embrace it.” In addition, he suggested that hotels be more careful when pricing their rooms on the Internet. According to a WorldRes report, 83% of travelers believe room rate is extremely important to when booking online, and 79% are looking for a guarantee of a lowest price. “De
