HITEC 2021 in Dallas allowed technology companies to showcase new products, updates and integrations.
Agilysys updates Visual One PMS solution
Agilysys Inc. has released a completely modernized Agilysys Visual One PMS Version 12. The new release offers cloud and on-premise installation options, a browser-based application with modern user experiences, broad mobile device support, multi-property feature sets and seamless integration with other Agilysys and third-party solutions.
Already a feature-rich PMS solution powering many full-service resorts and hotels, Visual One brings a reliable, scalable solution with a deep set of guest management and operating modules enabling improved guest experience management, enhanced business performance and increased profitability. In addition, Visual One Version 12 uses a robust set of APIs that enable tight integration with other Agilysys solutions as well as third-party products to provide a seamless user experience.
IDeaS introduces Profit Optimization for G3 RMS
IDeaS Revenue Solutions has launched Profit Optimization for G3 Revenue Management System (RMS). Profit Optimization is an enhancement to the G3 RMS revenue science engine that enables it to capture the most valuable business while considering the total contribution for each guest. This allows hoteliers to evaluate total revenues, profit margins for each revenue stream and the costs associated with acquiring and servicing guest stays in real time, while determining highly sought metrics such as profit per available room (ProPAR).
IDeaS’ flexible profit optimization engine uses any combination of ancillary revenues, margins, costs to acquire, and servicing costs to provide adjusted decision data. This can result in the PMS or central reservation system (CRS) yielding the value of reservations to account for profit.
Using Profit Optimization in G3 RMS, hoteliers understand the true value of each guest segment and room type. This feature forecasts and enables the most profitable guest bookings, while incorporating data from other sources, such as restaurants, bars, retail, resort activities, casino gaming and more.
Spectrum Enterprise launches TV streaming access, new video feature
Spectrum Enterprise, a part of Charter Communications Inc., has launched TV Streaming Access for Healthcare and for Hospitality organizations, a new feature of Spectrum Enterprise video service designed to enhance patient and guest experiences. In addition to using in-room TVs, individuals can watch programming from an app or browser on their personal mobile devices, tablets and computers while connected to the WiFi network in a healthcare facility or on a hotel property.
Spectrum Enterprise TV Streaming Access (TVSA) offers more than 200 live TV channels featuring entertainment, news, sports, Spanish-language and international programming in addition to a large on-demand library of movies and shows.
An interactive guide on TVSA allows individuals to find content quickly using keyword search, filters and sorting options to create a personalized guide menu. Shows or movies started on the in-room TV can continue to be watched throughout the healthcare facility or the hotel on personal devices. In addition, a patient’s visitors or hotel guests in the same party can watch different programming simultaneously, leading to an enhanced entertainment experience.
Maestro PMS integrates with PurpleCloud
A new full integration partnership between Maestro PMS and PurpleCloud helps streamline housekeeping by offering their mutual clients a Housekeeping Task Optimization Platform that focuses on efficient scheduling based on “true clean times” and dynamic, real-time check-ins and check outs. At the same time, the PurpleCloud platform is user friendly and incentivizes team members based on key hotel goals.
The PurpleCloud Hotel Task Optimization Platform further enables real-time multi-language voice and text communications between managers and team members; provides on-demand training to support today’s trend of multi-role capabilities, allowing team members to assist where and when needed; and can incorporate customized COVID-19 training, housekeeping and tracking protocols.
Overall, PurpleCloud reduces FTE counts by reducing hours of inefficiencies each day; decreases turnover with gamification features that enable team members to feel engaged and recognized for working hard and cooperatively; and increases revenue in calculating potential charges for added services like late checkouts, early arrivals and stay-over services.
React Mobile unveils 2.0 software upgrade
React Mobile has unveiled version 2.0 of its workforce safety platform designed to deliver panic button reliability and beacon location accuracy, while being radically simpler for hotel workers to use.
New features in React Mobile 2.0 include a new responder application that will enable employees to receive safety alert notifications on their mobile devices and dispatch help, while management will receive analytics measuring how long it took for the employee to respond to an active alert; support for all third-party iBeacons, such as Aruba, Cisco Meraki and CommScope/RUCKUS; a new, highly sensitive machine-learning back end to greatly increase location accuracy; and a double-redundant alert pipeline to ensure that alerts are dispatched from panic buttons to responders in the fastest time possible.
Nuvola introduces enhanced 5.0 platform
Nuvola, a hotel service optimization and guest engagement software, has launched its new 5.0 platform designed to further enhance the guest experience, ease daily task management for staff and speak to the current needs of the hospitality industry. The complete system-wide upgrade includes new user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) to increase practicality and intuitive functionality. Shortcuts and advanced search filters are now available to create more direct access to information through minimized clicks.
The launch of Nuvola 5.0 introduces Insights, an AI-backed product providing users with real-time metrics related to guest preferences, asset management and staff performance history as they are completing an activity. Insights summarizes the latest data to accurately provide the user with an overview of room status, guest profile, and staff activity without needing to search the various modules to locate this information. For example, should a guest check-in be approaching for a room with an A/C issue, the staff member who is best suited to attend to this task can be assigned to address this immediately.
The redesigned Guest Chat module enables hotels to create customized pre-set messages ahead of guest stays, use of images to share additional health or activity information, and increases direct communication between staff and guests. Nuvola 5.0’s optimized guest profile allows property employees to have a better understanding of each stay based on activities, requests and preferences to build opportunities for personalization, i.e., automatic dinner reservations or daily coffee provided to a room/suite.
Impulsify launches contactless solution
Impulsify has introduced a contactless solution for its grab-and-go kiosk for lobby retail transactions. Its ShopPoP kiosk now provides a QR code to give users the option of going touchless when purchasing items at its self-service pay stations used by the hospitality and multifamily industries.
ShopPoP is a standalone countertop pay station that allows users to scan and pay for food and beverage items without assistance from a front desk associate or cashier. Impulsify’s development team, in partnership with Kioware, added a scannable QR code to the touchscreen kiosk that converts the guest’s phone screen into a track pad, eliminating the need to physically touch the kiosk to scroll and tap. There is no app download necessary, so the solution is immediately available to those who prefer it.
Ingenico’s PCI-certified unattended credit card terminal that ShopPoP relies on for credit card payments already allows for a contactless experience in the credit card portion of the transaction when NFC (tap) payment options are enabled.