With 2016 fast approaching Guestline (market leaders in property management and distribution systems for hotels) have put together a guide to help owners and operators in the hospitality industry drive sales and operations from their hotel software. Here's our hints and tips for a successful and prosperous 2016:

Guestfolio, the world's leading hotel customer relationship management (CRM) technology provider, is delighted to announce the addition of three new Relais & Châteaux properties to its 500+ client base. After a hugely successful year for Guestfolio, these additional properties bring the total number of Relais & Châteaux properties using Guestfolio to 15 worldwide.

The Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center took secure access to a new level when the full-service property converted to Kaba Saflok MT RFID electronic door locks. Kaba's locks interface seamlessly with property management and energy management systems. The networked Saflok solution delivers total property security platform, durability and guest convenience. Kaba provides the Saflok™ and ILCO™ brands of electronic locks. Click here for information on Kaba electronic locks.

A common view of the extended stay industry is that challenges all hotels face—from balancing availability to managing pricing—are amplified in this market. Could it be, though, that opportunities are amplified too? Sanjay Nagalia of IDeaS Revenue Solutions walks us through his analysis.

Xn Hotel Systems Group Limited ("Xn") and protel hotelsoftware GmbH ("protel") are very pleased to announce a strategic investment and expanded international alliance. Highlights of this new partnership are as follows:

IDeaS Revenue Solutions, the leading provider of revenue management software solutions and advisory services, today announced Finland's most popular hotel and restaurant business, Restel, has implemented IDeaS RMS, a market leading revenue management system, across their entire estate. With this announcement, IDeaS technology is now employed in the three top hotel groups in Finland.

If 2015 was any example of how the market is changing both technologically, operationally as well as philosophically, then 2016 should be an incredibly interesting year. Here are some thoughts regarding the year ahead. Massive consolidation in the travel industry which began in 2014 accelerated to a fevered pace in 2015. Sabre Hospitality acquired Trust International, TripAdvisor looked towards the tour space by acquiring Viator. Expedia tried its best to buy almost everything that affected online bookings with the acquisitions of Orbitz and HomeAway and if given the opportunity, there is the possibility that they would have purchased even more. Marriott purchased Starwood and Accor, focused on developing their own digital strategy purchased Fastbooking. All of this provides a glimpse into the crystal ball regarding what we should expect for 2016.

Gone are the days when hotel managers made decisions based on gut feeling, years of experience – or perhaps which way the wind was blowing on a given day, writes Sherry Marek of Datavision. As users are becoming more sophisticated, she explains, the current trend is toward self-service Business Intelligence.

Manfred Osthues of protel says that his idea about the hotel of the future is concentrated around the people in the hotel. It is their expectations that drive the development and implementation of any kind of technological solution. Increased employee satisfaction is just one fantastic side-effect which should not be underestimated. Ultimately, he says, technology is “for people like you!”

A property management system based in the Cloud offers hotels a number of advantages compared to the conventional property-based alternatives. Rehan Jaddi of Agilysys walks us through the key differences.