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Archive for February, 2009

FITUR 2009

Friday, February 13th, 2009

Last month we visited FITUR (The International Fair of Tourism) in Madrid, Spain. On arrival at the Fair, I felt like a kid entering a sweet shop.

There was a buzz in the air and people were in a good mood, promoting their, business, region, hotel or product.  I also felt instantly overwhelmed as I knew there was lots to do in little time. I wanted to make the most of our visit.

I came across two interesting issues about independent hotels:

  • When talking to different customers, and showing them the key points of GuestCentric service, I can say hands down that what they most liked about us was the user friendly product we offer and that they can manage their entire hotel by themselves. Some hoteliers have to rely in up to 5 different online providers. “Whenever I want to make a change on my page I have to tell my web provider and wait until they find the time to make the changes, sometimes it’s days” says a Spanish Hotelier
  • Hoteliers are happy to pay commission; because they don’t see further than the 5%-10% they’re paying per reservation. They have not sat down and calculated how much they are actually paying in fees on a monthly basis.  10% doesn’t sound bad, but doing a quick calculation 10% can easily translate to €1500 per month.

Overall the experience was fulfilling. Independent hoteliers are in need for inexpensive online tools that not only provide them with visibility but also that simplify the way they operate their hotel.

Learn more on how GuestCentric’s service can help you.

Claudia Cascais
eCommerce Manager
+ 351 21 036 0940
+ 34 91187 7543

Contact me online

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Economic Crisis: Disadvantage or opportunity?

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

Reading the hotel industry news every day is part of my daily tasks. By doing so I try to learn more about what is going on in the industry and new trends. Not surprisingly, nowadays I have found many articles that talk about the economic downturn. Is this crisis really a disadvantage for independent hotels or is it the opportunity for independent hotels to create and optimize their online presence?

Exactly a year ago around this time we used to have 24 bookings per week, this year we are lucky to get more than 5 bookings. I believe this is related to the decrease of traveling caused by the financial crisis”. These were the words of a Spanish customer that felt the crisis knocking at his door and came to us for online solutions. The year 2008 was marked as the year of innovating online services for the hotel industry: guests became more demanding and expected not only a better service but also a better online experience. There was a continuous shift from the traditional booking channels, typically more expensive, to the online channel. As a result in 2009 online bookings will reach an increase of 10.5% or above.

Although the latest research from the Travel Industry Association’s (TIA) predicts a drop of at least 1.3% in overall leisure travel, hoteliers will see more online opportunities than ever before.   Studies indicate that 80% of travelers make their decision online with 60%  starting their search with Online Travel Agencies (OTA) of which 82% will try to book directly on the hotel website. If properly prepared, independent hotels can put a good fight against chain hotels when competing for customers.

Last year GuestCentric conducted a survey of independent hotels and chain hotels to analyze their online presence.  The results were shocking; we discovered a huge gap between them. Close to 20% of Independents don’t have a website, less than 15% are present in an OTA and less than 10% have some kind of booking engine (for more information please go to “The Online Report”). Looking at these statistics it is clear that independent hotels are particularly at risk  in this new economic climate.

Independent hotels should adapt to new online technologies and benefit from the opportunities that this can create for them (see Hotel Aiken case study). The new environment in 2009 will require changes in the way independent hotels operate to maintain/improve their standing in the hospitality market. Adapting their online presence will create new opportunities for independent hotels: more website visitors, more conversions, more direct online bookings, more revenue and more visibility for their property.

Learn how easy is with GuestCentric to create a good online presence: GuestCentric Integrated Platform

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GuestCentric in hospitality.net

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

hoapitality net GuestCentric in hospitality.net

GuestCentric Enables Independent Hotels To Reach Out International Markets By Introducing Multilingual Support

Service Now Available for Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese Speaking Markets

STAMFORD, CT — GuestCentric Systems (www.guestcentric.com), the premier Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider for the independent hotel industry, today announced further enhancements to its easy-to-use GuestCentric online booking and marketing service. (read news)

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GuestCentric in Hospitality Industry

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

hospitality industry GuestCentric in Hospitality Industry

GuestCentric Enables Independent Hotels to Reach Out International Markets

STAMFORD, CT – 02/02/09— GuestCentric Systems (http://www.guestcentric.com), the premier Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider for the independent hotel industry, today announced further enhancements to its easy-to-use GuestCentric online booking and marketing service, including multilingual support for Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese languages.(read news)

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GuestCentric in Buyer interactive

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

hotelinteractivebuyer GuestCentric in Buyer interactive

Guestcentric Enables Independent Hotels To Reach Out International Markets By Introducing Multilingual Support

GuestCentric Systems (www.guestcentric.com), the premier Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider for the independent hotel industry, today announced further enhancements to its easy-to-use GuestCentric online booking and marketing service … (read more)

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GuestCentric in eMediaWorld

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

emediaworld GuestCentric in eMediaWorld

GuestCentric Enables Independent Hotels to Reach Out International Markets by Introducing Multilingual Support

Service Now Available for Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese Speaking Markets

STAMFORD, CT–(eMediaWorld – February 2, 2009) – GuestCentric Systems (www.guestcentric.com), the premier Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider for the independent hotel industry, today announced further enhancements to its easy-to-use GuestCentric online booking and marketing service, including multilingual support … (read news)

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GuestCentric in HSMAI

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

hsmai GuestCentric in HSMAI

GuestCentric Enables Independent Hotels To Reach Out International Markets By Introducing Multilingual Support

Service Now Available for Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese Speaking Markets

STAMFORD, CT — GuestCentric Systems (www.guestcentric.com), the premier Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider for the independent hotel industry, today announced further enhancements to its easy-to-use GuestCentric online booking and marketing service, including multilingual support for Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese languages. (read news)

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GuestCentric in msnbc

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

msnbc GuestCentric in msnbc

GuestCentric Enables Independent Hotels to Reach Out International Markets by Introducing Multilingual Support

Service Now Available for Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese Speaking Markets

STAMFORD, CT – GuestCentric Systems (www.guestcentric.com), the premier Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider for the independent hotel industry, today announced further enhancements to its easy-to-use GuestCentric online booking and marketing service, …. (read news)

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GuestCentric in TMCnet.com

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

tmcnet GuestCentric in TMCnet.com

GuestCentric Enables Independent Hotels to Reach Out International Markets by Introducing Multilingual Support

GuestCentric Systems (www.guestcentric.com), the premier Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider for the independent hotel industry, today announced further enhancements to its easy-to-use GuestCentric online booking and marketing service, including multilingual support … (read news)

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GuestCentric in MarketWatch

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

marketwatch GuestCentric in MarketWatch

GuestCentric Enables Independent Hotels to Reach Out International Markets by Introducing Multilingual Support

Service Now Available for Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese Speaking Markets

STAMFORD, CT, Feb 02, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) — GuestCentric Systems ( www.guestcentric.com), the premier Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider for the independent hotel industry, today announced further enhancements to its easy-to-use GuestCentric online booking and marketing service… (read news)

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