VingCard®, a leading hospitality security provider and part of the ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Group, is introducing a new, contactless RFID version of its widespread, iconic electronic locking solution, Classic by VingCard, for its customers currently operating magnetic-stripe guestroom door locks. Based on the resounding success of the brand’s first RFID locking solution, Signature RFID by VingCard, the new Classic RFID system will allow thousands of hotels and resorts across the globe to easily and cost-effectively upgrade their current locks to employ contactless technology as well as Near Field Communication (NFC) cell phone compatibility. Additionally, Classic RFID provides an ideal solution for properties undergoing renovations and upgrades, but not replacing guestroom doors or door hardware.

Remember when "channel management" meant you only had rates and availability to manage across multiple channels? Now more and more hoteliers face the challenge of also managing the distribution of marketing content to an expanding number of channels, including the rapidly growing social media channel. The Content Management Tool (CMT), developed by E-site Marketing (a Sabre Holdings company) and available to all Sabre hospitality businesses, including SynXis, provides a one-stop control center where hotel marketers can manage Website content and, at the same time, distribute marketing communications to multiple channels, thus "publishing once, distributing to many." In the same way hoteliers strive for rate parity, this tool ensures "content parity."

The Jumeirah Essex House hotel, a luxury property here owned and operated by Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, added a new item to its menu of guest-service tools. It honed its use of the Hotel Service Optimization System (HotSOS, pronounced Hot Sauce) to allow guests to make special requests directly from KoolConnect’s HD VOD (High Definition Video on Demand) system, Intrigue HD. HotSOS is a guest-services/ -response solution of Miami-based MTech, a leading developer of software and services products for the hospitality industry.

PAR Springer Miller Systems Inc. (PSMS), a wholly owned subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation (NYSE: PTC) and the leading provider of guest-centric hospitality management systems— announces that The Kessler Collection's newest boutique hotel has selected and installed the SpaSoft Spa Management system in the Poseidon Spa at the Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina.

White Lodging, one of the fastest growing independent ownership, development and management companies in the country, has found a way to reduce its overall labor costs by 25 percent during this economic downturn. Working with Miami-based MTech and its flexible PMWorks preventive-maintenance program, White Lodging adjusts its PM labor model from a quarterly program to a 3-times-a-year schedule whenever individual property occupancy drops below a predetermined level.

Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading provider of innovative information technology and hospitality software solutions, announced today that Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh has selected the Stratton Warren System (SWS) by Agilysys to streamline inventory and procurement operations at the new property, which is scheduled to open in August 2009.

Swiss Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts and German protel hotelsoftware GmbH break the mold with a new employee training program. Without inconvenient and costly business trips training participants can learn how to handle the hotel management software sitting comfortably in front of their work station: the lesson is delivered by an online coach in three- to four-hour sessions on the Internet.

To celebrate Earth Day, Kaba Lodging Systems (KLS) is introducing a new "green" option for hotels. KLS unveiled two types of environmentally friendly keycards today. The "green keys" are made either from 100-percent recycled polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic or from polylactide acid (PLA) plastic. The high-performance PLA is made from a corn byproduct and is both recyclable and biodegradable. Both key types function like traditional magnetic stripe keycards, carrying important information such as a guest's room number, duration of the stay, and an encrypted lock access code recorded onto track three.

SoftBrands, Inc (Amex: SBN), a global supplier of enterprise application software, has appointed Erik Munoz as vice president of sales, SoftBrands Hospitality, Asia Pacific. Munoz will be responsible for all SoftBrands Hospitality product sales in the Asia Pacific region.

SAS and IDeaS customers are benefiting significantly from the August 2008 acquisition of IDeaS. As proof of the two companies' perfect fit, SAS -- the leader in business analytics --immediately began working with IDeaS to enhance and expand IDeaS Revenue Management solutions.