IndustIndustry News - October 15th 2010
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RETAIL AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS
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Intelity iPad Software Enables One Touch Access to Hotel Guest Services
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Intelity has developed and installed full service hotel software for the iPad tablet. Offering more than 20 different hotel services to guests with just a touch of their finger, the company premiered the system last month at the Royalton Hotel in New York City. In its first weeks, guests who use the Intelity technology exceed a whopping 80 percent.Called ICE (for Interactive Customer Experience), a parade of well-known hotel brands will soon offer their guests their services via iPads including New York's famed Plaza Hotel and Miami's newJ.W. Marriott Marquis.
ICE on iPads was recently featured at the annual owners' conference for a worldwide hotel brand. More than 2,000 owners were given iPads to experience ICE first hand.
Using the specially programmed iPad, guests can request turn down service or a wake-up call, a meal in their room or a restaurant reservation, a taxi or a toothbrush.
Intelity software is also offered on in-room touch screens called ICE Touch, mobile phones called ICE Mobile, in-room TVs called ICE TV, hotel lobby touch screens called ICE Lobby and on guests' laptops via the hotel's landing page called ICE Connect.
ICE on the iPad tablet is the latest achievement from Intelity whose past accomplishments include a full hotel service iPhone application and the first and only full hotel service software for in-room TVs.
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GuestCentric Partners with Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association
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GuestCentric Systems, the social cloud provider of e-Commerce solutions for the independent hotel industry, announced today that the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA) will offer GuestCentric's integrated e-Commerce platform as part of its distribution solution to optimize online bookings for BLLA member properties that choose to use the system.GuestCentric's technology offers independent properties the opportunity to provide a rich online and offline experience to demanding guests, without entering in time-consuming and expensive customization projects.
Through the new consumer BLLA website, boutique hoteliers will have the means to distinguish their properties and brands and easily communicate their offerings directly to travelers. Thanks to GuestCentric technology, boutique hotels are going to be able to expand their guests online activity by allowing them to find a hotel based on experiences. In addition, the one screen-booking engine simplifies the transaction process and provides a fluid shopping experience to guests.
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McDonald’s Golden Arches Turn a Shade of Green in Riverside, Calif.
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A rebuilt McDonald's restaurant in Riverside, Calif., became the first McDonald's west of the Mississippi, and the fourth in the U.S., to seek LEED Gold certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
- Light colored hardscape to reduce heat emissions from site
- Native drought tolerant plants to reduce water consumption by landscape
- Low flow plumbing fixtures to reduce water usage
- 294 photovoltaic panels to generate a percentage of the restaurant's power consumption
- Recycled denim insulation inside the building
The restaurant features an interactive touch screen display for visitors to learn about the building, environmental sustainability, and how individuals can reduce their carbon footprint.
Other LEED-certified McDonald's restaurants are located in Cary, N.C., Savannah, Ga. and Chicago. The Riverside restaurant expects to receive LEED certification within one year.
"We were inspired to build a McDonald's restaurant that highlights the green focus of Riverside: California's first Emerald City," says Candace Spiel, McDonald's owner/operator. "We are so proud of this restaurant and its possibilities to encourage and educate our customers and community on the importance of environmental sustainability."
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KFC Tests Table Touch Screens in the U.K.
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Fast food group KFC has become the product test bed for a Cambridge company pioneering miniature projection systems that can turn tables and walls into touch screens, reports Roland Gribben of The Telegraph.Trials have started at KFC restaurants in Nuneaton and Cannock to assess the reaction of youngsters to the games applications developed by Light Blue Optics, founded six years ago by four Cambridge University students sharing an interest in developing display technology.
The company which has a development base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was one of the successes at the showcase Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year and believes the technology will be "seamlessly integrated" into homes, vehicles and personal devices.
Funding totalling $57M has been raised in four tranches to develop a wide range of products for the consumer electronics markets and push ahead with second generation applications and meet a 2014 target for profits.
Read full article.
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Royal Caribbean Taps Motorola to Drive Revenue, Improve Service
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Royal Caribbean International is hoping to enhance the guest experience onboard Oasis of the Seasthrough the deployment of a mobility solution from Motorola Solutions, a business of Motorola, Inc. In an effort to provide travelers with the most memorable experience, Royal Caribbean has equipped its employees with Motorola enterprise mobile computers to empower them with the information they need to ensure customer needs are taken care of on-the-spot anywhere on the ship.
Mobile applications
As mobility becomes increasingly more important for hospitality organizations to maintain competitive advantage, Royal Caribbean turned to Motorola to provide a reliable solution to help drive revenue, improve service and enhance the customer experience. Mobile applications running on Motorola MC55 and MC70 enterprise mobile computers carried by the Oasis of the Seas staff include: mobile point of sale (MPOS), mobile mustering, work order management, show ticketing and asset management.
Throughout the guest entertainment area of Oasis of the Seas, staff are equipped with MC70 mobile computers and snap-on mobile payment modules to more quickly respond to and complete guests' credit and debit solutions. This MPOS solution reduces the amount of time guests wait in line for shows, as well as speeds order-taking poolside to not only improve the guest experience but increase beverage sales.
In addition, the MC70 provides en electronic, mobile solution for mustering to increase accuracy and compliance with ship regulations. With the MC70, guest sea pass cards are scanned to get an accurate count of guests who have been briefed on emergency procedures once on board. The new solution has helped reduce the amount of time to complete a muster – in turn increasing employee productivity and allowing guests to spend more time relaxing or participating in onboard activities.
Motorola's MC55 provides business-critical information onboard Oasis of the Seas- enabling streamlined processes for work order and asset management for engineering, housekeeping and the ship's dining room. From plumbing and air-conditioning to televisions and slot machines, all systems and appliances must be in working order to guarantee guest satisfaction. Equipped with an MC55 with integrated voice and data capabilities, Royal Caribbean maintenance staff can receive tasks in real-time, providing managers with visibility into progress of work orders and ensuring any issues are addressed immediately. The MC55s are also used to manage assets within its dining room, including silverware and tableware.
Royal Caribbean is planning to expand its use of mobile computers across its fleet of ships throughout 2014.
La Madeleine Grows Takeout Biz by 6% with Integrated Remote Ordering
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La Madeleine, a Dallas-based 60 unit French country cafe, named Exit41 as "Vendor of the Year" at its 2010 Leadership Conference on September 28th in Las Vegas. Exit41 partners with la Madeleine to grow the restaurant's To-go business with its "all channel" ordering solution which includes integrated online, mobile, phone-in and Facebook applications. Exit41 also provides centralized phone-in ordering services for la Madeleine at its Andover, Mass.-based call center, staffed with ordering specialists who seamlessly extend in-store operations and represent the la Madeleine brand.
La Madeleine first began working with Exit41 in November 2009 as part of a multi-phase strategic growth initiative to increase overall same store sales, optimize in-store operations and provide a superior level of service to their guests. In Phase I, la Madeleine implemented online and call center services from Exit41. Phase II includes the rollout of la Madeleine's iPhone application, now available on Apple's iTunes App Store, and a soon-to-be implemented Facebook ordering application. Phase III is planned to include an iPad mobile kiosk. The initiative has garnered the following results to date:
- Overall To-go sales have increased 6 percent
- After taking hundreds of thousands of online and Call Center orders, average checks are 50-60 percent higher than the in-store company average To-go check
- In the initial pilot test, online and call center orders represented 11 percent of To-go business and in less than one year it has grown to 20 percent
- Positive feedback from guests on ordering ease, convenience and accuracy as well as la Madeleine's ability to instantly "recognize" the guest with identification and order history across channels
Exit41's applications are PA-DSS compliant, certified by the PCI Security Council. Additionally, guest data, order history, preferences, etc are consolidated across ordering channels into a single database – key to building guest loyalty through targeted marketing and CRM.
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