INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Whether it’s celebrating an anniversary, receiving an award, earning a certification, debuting a new product or expanding the business, hotel companies and vendors achieve new milestones on a daily basis. Here’s a look at recent accomplishments:
JA Lake View Hotel Dubai Taps Volara-Powered Alexa Solution
Upon its grand opening, JA Lake View Hotel Dubai is the first hotel in the Middle East to feature Amazon Alexa voice assistants powered by Volara in every guestroom. The solution, powered by Volara’s conversation management software and integrated with Amadeus Service Optimization and VDA Group, ensures guests of JA Lake View Hotel Dubai can receive personalized service and adjust the comforts of their guestroom by speaking simple commands, according to the company.
Volara’s software enables the hotel to manage conversations with its guests in real time. Its secure integrations hub, which now includes more than 40 hotel technologies, is enabling guests’ requests to prompt specific actions—whether routing a task to hotel staff, turning off the lights, or putting on the air conditioning.
OTA Insight Surpasses 50,000-Property Milestone
OTA Insight marked a series of milestones that have played a key role in helping the company reach the 50,000-client benchmark in only six years of trading, culminating in a global parity management agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
IHG is the latest in a series of high-profile partnerships for OTA Insight; its customers include Radisson, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Best Western, Hyatt and Playa Hotels & Resorts, to name a few.
To support the continuous growth, OTA Insight has grown to nearly 200 employees, almost doubling in the past 12 months, with staff and hubs across six continents.
Fornova Sets Sights On Southeast Asia
Fornova, the global provider for distribution and business intelligence solutions, has entered into the Southeast Asian market for the first time with an agreement to provide its market-leading distribution intelligence solution to every hotel operated by Thailand’s Compass Hospitality.
The Bangkok-based hotel chain operates four hotel brands, including Compass and Citrus, in Southeast Asia and various locations throughout the United Kingdom, with 5,000-plus keys and 50 properties.
Using its patented VisualScan technology, it monitors more than 75 thousand websites and conducts 1.25 billion price comparisons every month.
TraknProtect Takes First Place in SoGal’s Global Pitch Competition
TraknProtect, a provider of real-time location technology purpose-built for the hospitality environment, claimed first place in the Chicago regional round of the SoGal Global Pitch Competition, the largest worldwide start-up competition for women and diverse entrepreneurs.
During the event, 12 start-up companies presented their solutions and vied for the chance to advance to the final global competition in Silicon Valley. TraknProtect was ultimately selected as the winner of the regional competition, based on a presentation of its industry leading suite of location-based services, which includes a comprehensive safety button alert platform and advanced inventory-tracking technology.
Olde Mill Inn Ties the Knot with Maestro PMS
The Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge, NJ, embraces couples with two wedding venues on a landscaped 10-acre estate. In addition to more than 240 weddings per year, the property also works with numerous corporations and hosts approximately 1,200 social and corporate events annually. Maestro PMS hotel software automates the 102-room Olde Mill Inn and its Grain House Restaurant as separate entities on one system.
Tripleseat Honored as Bronze Stevie Award Winner
Tripleseat, a sales and event management platform that helps restaurants, hotels, and unique venues streamline the planning process and increase event sales, has won a Bronze Stevie Award in the fourth annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers. The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize the world’s best employers and human resources professionals, teams, achievements, and HR-related products and suppliers who help to create and drive great places to work.
