Who is staying in your hotel? Why are they staying at your hotel? What led them to book your hotel over the one down the road?It's a hotel marketer's job to know the answers to all of these questions, and now's the right time to be asking yourself them. As we all prepare and plan for 2018, making assumptions or asking your staff isn't the right way to get the answers. Your data is. And now is the right time to be looking at it. It will give you the intelligence you need to plan for and deliver targeted, relevant, personalized messages to your target guests, resulting in better conversions.Josh Herman, Director of Marketing at Fontainebleau, Miami Beach shares his thoughts on targeting, "Fontainebleau has a young, hip, 'cool place to be' image in the marketplace. It's a true celebrity "see and be seen" destination, and an image we've worked extremely hard to build. I was surprised that our data told us that certain times of the year we do a significant amount of family business. Or, certain times of the year our customer base can really vary in age or geographic location. So, we adapted our marketing programs and messaging accordingly.It's our job as marketers to make sure that we're appealing to the right types of customers and its data that helps us allocate our marketing budgets toward targeting the guests that have the highest propensity to book and have a great experience. Everyone has a target customer base, regardless of property size, image, etc. As a luxury property, if we attract customers that can't afford to be here or are not going to take advantage of all the great amenities then shame on us because we're not doing our job from a marketing perspective. The same applies to any property."Our SVP Global Marketing & Business Development, Michael Bennett is the first to admit that achieving this level of targeting is not only necessary to stay competitive, it enables hoteliers to continually drive revenue and loyalty with the guests that really matter. "We like to think of a technology platform that complements digital marketing as a seamless customer relationship management (CRM) solution that resides in a hotel to manage what the human capabilities can simply not do:

apaleo, the creators of the Open Hospitality Cloud, announced the completion of multiple milestones. Not only did they complete the development of the first native-cloud PMS, they also released an integrated IBE (internet booking engine), certified their two-way integration with Booking.com, achieved PCI-compliancy and took their first hotel customer live. The entire project is built on top of the Open Hospitality Cloud, the API-based ecosystem that enables multiple companies to rapidly build apps and components.

FCS Computer Systems, a leading global provider of comprehensive hospitality guest services applications and solution design services, announces the launch of FCS Analytics V1.1, the latest addition to the company's growing portfolio of hotel technology solutions. A new state-of-the-art business intelligence platform, FCS Analytics offers a comprehensive overview of a hotel's entire operation through a single interface that fully integrates vital data from FCS and third party property systems. By providing complete customisation of the data that is presented in user-friendly analytical reports, FCS Analytics V1.1 ensures that hotels are equipped with the precise information needed to make informed decisions that maximise property efficiency and revenue.

ALICE, the operations platform that empowers hotels to deliver a better guest experience through consistently excellent service, is celebrating a successful year of partnership with New York City's Greenwich Hotel and Alta, the tablet provider that enhances a guest's stay by allowing users to discover and request available goods and services.

New event ticketing software that empowers hotels to boost their revenue by selling tickets to events has been released by Guestline, the global hospitality software business. Online Ticket Sales integrates fully with Guestline's Rezlynx property management system and the add-on Advanced Conference and Banqueting Manager. Hoteliers benefit from a web solution that can securely take payment, manage availability and seamlessly combine room rate offers if required.

Cendyn, the leading CRM and sales platform in the hospitality industry is broadening its reach in EMEA by opening a second European office in Munich, Germany in addition to its existing office in the United Kingdom."Europe has been an exceptional region of growth for us over the past couple of years and our continued commitment of local resources for our clients is always at the forefront of that growth." says John Seaton, Managing Director, EMEA & APAC. "We're seeing that hoteliers are more and more aware of the changing digital landscape in the industry. They understand the need to invest in technology partners that can provide them with the platform and solutions they need to stay competitive and use data in the right way, to engage and drive loyalty with their guests."Cendyn's CRM Suite provides a guest intelligence and loyalty solution that can easily handle complex interfaces, provide marketing automation and leverage real-time data to provide personalized one-to-one communications for every guest, no matter what channel they came through. By targeting the right guests, at the right time, with the right message, hoteliers are able to cut through the noise of the crowded hospitality industry with personalized multi-channel campaigns that showcase and drive awareness of their brand.Cendyn's Munich office is another step of continued growth internationally. With teams located in the UK, Singapore, Germany, across Canada and the USA, Cendyn proudly serves over 30,000 clients across the globe and continues to offer the most complete set of innovative software and services in the industry, covering hotel marketing, guest engagement, group sales and event management.

Former U.S. Secretary of Treasury Jacob Lew once said, "The budget is not just a collection of numbers, but an expression of our values and aspirations." What a valuable way to look at budget season, considering each line item in terms of whether it reflects a hotel's commitment to guests and superior service. On building trust and loyalty.

Digital workplace app Beekeeper today announced that registration is open for its inaugural webinar course, Bee School. Beekeeper's Bee School initiative brings knowledge on workplace dynamics and behavior out from behind the paywall of an MBA certificate, ensuring that managers in non-desk industries can lead their teams to unprecedented success.

2017 has exceeded performance expectations and 2018 is currently on track to be even better for independent hoteliers according to new research from Guestline. The optimistic view also sees many planning to increase investments in technology and refurbishment throughout their properties to deliver growth in the year ahead.

Beekeeper, a workplace communication company focused on connecting non-desk workers and their employers, is announcing internal promotions and adding new talent to further support it swift growth and corporate directional changes. Cristian Grossmann, CEO, has appointed Corey McCarthy, former VP of Marketing North America, to VP of Global Marketing, and Andreas Slotosch, former Vice President of Global Marketing, to Vice President of Growth. In addition, Bobbi Frioli has joined Beekeeper as Vice President of Sales.