Hospitality and Restaurant IT News — July 23, 2014
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
In the news, Marriott is adopting a new pilot that it claims is the first implementation of geo-targeted mobile offers during a stay, and a new Hotels.Com study shows that technology is a compelling factor behind the recent Chinese outbound travel surge. Next, creating a responsive web site might be more affordable than most hotels think, and Brand Karma data is helping revenue managers analyze how social media ratings and sentiments should affect hotel pricing.
Marriott expands mobile platform to integrate with iBeacons
Mobile Commerce Daily reported that, in a significant expansion of its already cutting-edge mobile platform, Marriott is piloting what it claims is the first implementation by a major hotel of geo-targeted mobile offers during a stay. The recently announced LocalPerks program will use of iBeacons to send guests push notifications based on their location at one of its properties and will tie into Marriott Rewards for travelers to enjoy instant gratification via time sensitive offers.
Technology A Compelling Factor Behind Chinese Outbound Travel Surge
Hospitality Net reported that the latest Hotels.com® Chinese International Travel Monitor (CITM), reveals just how much technology has become a powerful element in the decision-making mix of this critical sector, following another record year for travel and spending. Surveying more than 3,000 Chinese international travelers and 3,000 hoteliers around the world, the third annual CITM reveals more travel, higher spending, greater independence fueled by online and mobile apps.
Hotel Responsive Web Design Is Not As Costly As You Might Think
This article from Hospitality Net demonstrates the growing importance of staying competitive in an ever-changing, increasingly mobile online marketplace. Responsive website design offers real solutions that allow the hospitality industry to increase conversion rates, and provide a better user experience. Creating a brand new website with a responsive design could cost as little as two thousand dollars.
Brand Karma data helps Revenue Managers analyze how social media ratings and sentiment should impact hotel pricing
According to Hospitality Net, Brand Karma and IDeaS Revenue Solutions have launched an innovative solution called the IDeaS Reputation Pricing module. Integrated into the IDeaS Revenue Management System (RMS) pricing analysis, the IDeaS Reputation Pricing module enables hotels to make reputation-aware pricing decisions by factoring in social media sentiment data. The IDeaS Reputation Pricing module will be available in an upcoming release of IDeaS RMS this month.
Hospitality and Restaurant IT Talking Points:
In an interesting turn of events, this article documents how one restaurant engaged in an examination of customer complaints about timely service. The results were unexpected: the restaurant discovered that its service is slower because customers were spending too much time staring at their phones.