Pegasus Solutions® and RateTiger Launch Collaborative Solution with One of World’s Largest Hospitality Groups
Louvre Hotels Group, one of the largest hospitality groups in the world, has implemented ExtraConnect, an integrated central reservation and channel management system from industry leaders Pegasus Solutions and RateTiger by eRevMax International. It is the first central reservation system (CRS) to combine the next generation enterprise delivery of Pegasus’ RezView® NG with the powerful channel management capabilities of RateTiger’s leading Channel Management technology.
Live demonstration of Java SE7 from the one of the developers himself?? Can it get better than this?
We, the eRevMax Java User Group, had the opportunity to learn and discuss the new Java SE7 features and functionality ahead of its global official release on 28th July, 2011. Chuk-Munn Lee, from Oracle Singapore, was the speaker at the pre-launch event organized jointly by Oracle and eRevMax.
Udai Singh Solanki, CTO & MD, eRevMax was instrumental in organizing this event and played the perfect host. Chuk did a great presentation and explained the upcoming features and specifications of Java SE7 and answered our never ending questions with a smile.
Chuk proved to be a great orator and was a pleasure to listen to. He seemed to radiate a very positive energy and his affable manners made him the star of the event. Listening about Java never seemed so interesting earlier!
With all of us participants bombarding him with questions, Chuk almost missed his flight. But not before Udai has presented him a nice ethnic Bengal memorabilia. There was something for us too. We got to take home Java branded T-shirts sent by Oracle especially for the event.
Swarnadeep Mondol is Sr. Software Engineer at eRevMax. He is based out of Kolkata, India and can be reached at
This year’s edition of HITEC, the world’s largest hospitality technology exposition and conference, took place in Austin, Texas. We attended the four day event and made the most of it. Having had our stand in one of the main sections helped us meet a lot of people.
HITEC is a combination of hospitality technology education, led by industry peers and experts, and a trade show showcasing the latest hospitality technology products and services.
The event offers us a B2B platform that introduces us to new contacts for our various product lines. This is our chance to present our powerful back-end tools for vendors and large hotel chains, RTCorp and RTConnect, though it amazes me how much of the industry is playing catch-up with new business revenue models through the internet.
Tradeshows like these provide us an opportunity to see how customers and the industry in general perceive RateTiger. We always get to hear good reviews and appreciation, which further encourages us to innovate and develop new features and products to serve the sector better.
Gerard Carrie is VP Sales – Americas at eRevMax. He is based out of Florida, USA and can be reached at gerardc@ratetiger.com
Abu Dhabi’s hotels and hotel apartments continued their strong performance in the first five months of this year with increases in guest numbers, guest nights, occupancy, revenue and length-of-stay, according to the latest figures released by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA). http://www.hotelmanagement.com.au/2011/07/04/abu-dhabi-hotels-continue-strong-performance/
Hotwire Reveals Hotel Rate Report for July 2011
Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the results of the July 2011 Hotwire® Hotel Rate Report. The report features the top five cities in North America where hotel rates have dropped the most and the top five cities where rates have experienced the biggest price increases. While one report guides customers to the destinations that will maximize their travel dollars, the other highlights places where using Hotwire to save money is even more essential. http://ahla.hsyndicate.com/news/4052199.html
3 keys to revenue management success
Demand is back and so is rate. STR reported an increase in all three key performance metrics for the first quarter of 2011: “The industry’s occupancy increased 5.7 percent to 54.9 percent, average daily rate rose 3.1 percent to US$99.37, and revenue per available room was up 9.0 percent to US$54.56.” http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/5981/3-keys-to-revenue-management-success
OTA debate stresses better channel management
What’s the topic that never ceases to pack a room or stir up emotion? The role of online travel agencies in hotel room distribution. Such was the case during a breakout session Tuesday at the New York University International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference that aimed to address the influence and implications of these intermediaries. But at the (literal) end of the day, panelists agreed that it has always been up to the hotel owner to choose how to get business. http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/5702/OTA-debate-stresses-better-channel-management
Australian hoteliers can now improve the management of online bookings and better target global travel markets with the arrival of integrated rate shopping, channel management and hotel and flight booking engine provider SimpleDistribution.
SimpleDistribution will remove the complexities of selling online and enhance visibility, exposure and revenue from the Internet. Before processing rate and availability updates, hotels can price shop theirs and competitors’ rates to assess optimal product prices for excellent positions across Online Travel Agents. The web-based channel manager simultaneously and in real-time updates the hotel’s selected multiple sales channels and roomtypes with rates, restrictions and room availability.
Small Independent and Boutique Hotels – Online Marketing and Strategic Revenue Management Levels the Playing Field!
There is no online marketing and revenue management potential without the GDS. Customer buying habits dictate that there has to be that connectivity to make a reservation and receive confirmations online instantly. http://www.wiredhotelier.com/news/154000473/4052123.html
Understanding the ‘Micro-Tripper’ Trend
The Micro-Tripper—short-term, purely spontaneous travel enabled by the flash-sale, group buying, and private-travel sale start-ups, the new leisure travel market segment is on the rise. The new social e-commerce travel companies are not intruding upon the OTA’s business but are, in essence, capturing an undiscovered new segment of the travel market that I call the “spontaneous micro-tripper”. http://www.eyefortravel.com/news/europe/understanding-micro-tripper-trend
Indian hotel industry expected to touch Rs 230 billion by 2015: Cygnus Business Consulting and Research
The Indian hotel industry is expected to reach Rs 230 billion by 2015 with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.2 per cent, according to a report published by Cygnus Business Consulting and Research entitled, ‘Industry Insight- Indian Hotel Industry.’ http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews.aspx?aid=11176&sid=41
RateTiger’s, RTCorp, has been recognised by the travel industry just one year after launching in the market. The rate shopping technology has been nominated for the Business Traveler Innovation Award within the Travel Management category.
RTCorp helps monitor hotel rates in the public market in both real-time and via scheduled reports. The technology sends automated alerts that filters hotel-pricing data into exception information and delivers it to the appropriate manager to action.
This helps corporate buyers, travel websites and hotel companies monitor violations or discrepancies in room rates while providing intelligent rate shopping data to better understand the market.
Social media is no longer just a hub of sharing activity between people, it has now become a platform for businesses to promote and sell their products. From Facebook, TripAdvisor, Twitter over to the “oldie” eBay these channels demand a new way of interacting with guests while also securing additional revenue and bookings.
The social media revolution has provided new ways of consumer communication, sharing information and being close to a community. While the industry still thought consumer reviews exploded quickly, the likes of Facebook, twitter and Groupon have taught us what pace customers can take when adopting new phenomena once provided with the right toolset.
Despite the burden being forced upon the travel industry, it has also delivered new opportunities for businesses to get involved in such interaction and yet again provide targeted audiences with adequate product.
Facebook (over 500 million active users), MySpace (44 million active US users) and Twitter (21 million active users) have significantly influenced the way people interact, what they trust, how they share their experiences and the advice they offer/receive to/from their ‘friends’. These consumer portals are now becoming powerful marketing and business tools that the hospitality industry needs to address in the upcoming years to avoid losing out on potential revenue avenues or aggressive branding opportunities. Although the latter only has an indirect impact on revenue, it can help to direct more traffic to the hotels own websites that in return provides for more profitable income.
TripAdvisor (34 million monthly visitors) originally caught hoteliers by surprise. It felt that almost within weeks hotels had to deal with negative “press” although the actual movement has been going on for years and was nothing new. In the meantime online guest review websites have taken off with nearly every OTA incorporating some form of guest feedback that’s visible to new customers. Today hoteliers have no choice – either interact positively with guest reviews or see the business suffer. Hotels that effectively manage their guest reviews, both good and bad, encourage more reviews, which as a result sees the rating of their properties rise. As more guest review websites incorporate booking options the impact that your position can have on your revenue is immense.
BTN’s 2011 Business Travel Survey: At The Crossroads
Many travel buyers this year find themselves in uniquely challenging positions. Their companies are healthy and growing and must continue chasing business wherever opportunities lie. That means more travel, and perhaps more corporate travelers. At the same time, the financial shocks organizations weathered, the procurement discipline they adopted and the scrutiny applied to every bit of spending has generated an ever-higher level of cost vigilance. http://www.businesstravelnews.com/Research/BTN-s-2011-Business-Travel-Survey–At-The-Crossroads/
STR – Positive Performance for US Hotel Industry for May 2011
In year-over-year measurements, the industry’s occupancy was up 4.6 percent to 61.5 percent, average daily rate ended the month with a 4.0-percent increase to US$101.54, and revenue per available room rose 8.8 percent to US$62.47. The U.S. hotel industry posted increases in all three key performance measurements during May 2011, according to data from STR. http://hotelexecutive.com/newswire/37589/str-positive-performance-for-us-hotel-industry-for-may-2011
Last month I visited Durban to attend ‘The WTM of Africa’ – INDABA. It is one of the largest travel trade events on the African calendar and one of the top three ‘must visit’ events of its kind on the global calendar.
INDABA showcases the widest variety of Southern Africa’s best tourism products, and attracts international visitors and media from across the world.
I attended all four days of the tradeshow as it had a huge focus on hotels and related products. The main trend affecting the regional market is the swift movement of hotels from GDS to OTAs and localized agents. I got an opportunity to network with industry peers and found INDABA to be great event. I look forward to the next edition of the show.
Casey Davy is Sales Manager – UK at eRevMax and is responsible for sales of RateTiger products in the region. He is based out of London and can be reached at caseyd@ratetiger.com
