Providing guests with the ability to unlock guestroom doors using personal smart devices is no longer just a futuristic concept or non-essential amenity. With record numbers of hotels around the globe now adopting digital key solutions in order to streamline operations and better serve the increasingly tech-savvy, mobile- oriented generation of guests, mobile access solutions are going mainstream. As Christophe Sut of ASSA ABLOY Hospitality explains, growing demands for instant service have spurred hoteliers to seek out platforms that minimize wait times and inconvenience. With continuing advancements in mobile access innovation, more and more hospitality professionals are finding that they too are able to benefit from a solution that takes personal budgets and needs into account, while allowing them to tap into today’s increasingly mobile lifestyles in a way that maximizes guest satisfaction without jeopardizing security.

Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation hospitality software solutions and services, has announced the appointment of Ramesh Srinivasan as the company's new president and chief executive officer, effective January 3, 2017. Srinivasan, who most recently served as CEO of Ooyala, a leading provider of video publishing, analytics and monetization services and a Telstra Corporation subsidiary, will also serve as a member of the Agilysys Board of Directors.

To improve staff productivity and event execution, Amadeus Hospitality Diagramming (formerly known as iPlan) has been deeply integrated into the Amadeus Advanced Sales & Event Management module – Delphi.fdc.

The 2016 Host Users Group conference was attended by over 300 individuals representing more than 100 different hotels, resorts and spas. They gathered at the Innisbrook Resort in Florida for five days of learning and networking. Distinguished as the only users' group within the hospitality technology industry run by the users, for the users, HUG provides members with a united forum through which users can share knowledge, create solutions and influence product direction for Springer-Miller's products that include the SMS|Host® property management system, SMS|Touch Point-of-Sale and SpaSoft® Spa Management System.

Minimalist design meets customer convenience in the new release of VingCard Essence, known as the world's first invisible lock. Now compatible with ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access, VingCard Essence means guests can skip the front desk and unlock their room using their own smartphone or watch. It also means that hoteliers can create a homier, design-centric feel in their hallways and room interiors, without compromising on security.

In previous research conducted, we've seen that the Net Promoter Score has a positive correlation to a hotel's TripAdvisor rating. Of course that makes sense, a positive review would hopefully tie in with someone willing to recommend your hotel to a friend or colleague but following from that, we decided to delve a bit further – what exactly is driving your guests to be promoters or detractors? Our analytics team looked into a huge number of responses and analysed their outcome to find some fascinating conclusions.

PITTSBURGH – Nick Massad, Jr. and his wife Vicki purchased American Liberty Hospitality 26 years ago on a foundation of service to its owners and investors. They worked hard, hired good people and treated every penny as if it were their own. Today American Liberty Hospitality (ALH) operates 20 properties with Hilton, IHG and other flags in Texas and Louisiana. The company is a real American success story.

Guestline are pleased to announce the latest property to embrace their cloud hosted solutions is The Queen's Hotel in Llandudno, managed by hotel management group, Giant Hospitality. Giant Hospitality have managed The Queen's Hotel since August 2016, and one of the first steps in reviewing the hotel's operations was to install an innovative, revenue generating property management system, namely Guestline's Rezlynx PMS. Having already implemented Guestline's solutions in their Llandudno Bay Hotel and forthcoming 'Belmont Llandudno' hotel, also in the popular resort, Giant Hospitality were confident in the selection.

Hotel technology is not about the nuts and bolts; it’s about finding ways to apply the nuts and bolts to enhancing guest experiences, improving efficiency and motivating staff. Oracle Hospitality’s Sundar Swaminathan and Dr. Peter Agel share some wide-ranging ideas for exploiting the cloud to its fullest.

The exciting evolution of revenue management continues to develop in the hospitality industry. Initiatives in revenue management by hotel groups and hospitality vendors started in the 1980s, focused mostly on room revenue. Over the last few years, the official evolution path in revenue management has grown to include virtually every revenue stream, affecting colleagues throughout the property, writes Datavision’s Sherry Marek. A significant amount of data is now available to the team at the property level or at the corporate level to assist in the decision making/tracking process, she says. Many properties use the term “revenue optimization” to encompass the process, and use the title in the job description.