Encouraging travellers to return to a country in the months and sometimes years following a natural disaster can be a challenge.  I was reminded once again of Iceland with the May 21^st eruption of “Grimsvotn” volcano appearing in the news, and their Inspired by Iceland campaign – www.inspiredbyiceland.com which followed the eruption of “Eyjafjallajokull” in 2010.

This video from the Inspired by Iceland campaign is an inspirational example of a country telling the world that their tourism industry is open for business.

As many tourism providers will know, there are a large number of providers that you can choose to join that offer Channel Management. Some profess to be the “Best” some profess to be “Free”, some say they have the most channels and others just use the hard word to get you feeling that if you don’t go with them you will miss out on the all important bottom line of increased bookings.

The true test of any system is two fold:

1. Do they offer channels that are actually relevant to your property and the market you want to target?

This is an important point to take into consideration as you can be sold on the idea that they have 20, 30 or more sites that you can connect to via their system, but in reality, there will only be a small number that really mean anything to your size or type of business and the market you are trying to attract.

2. Are they going to tie you into a contract that will bind you to stay with them for a certain time?

This, especially in today’s market, is a very important point. There are some providers that get you to agree to a contract and offer all sorts of special listings and exposure, but when it comes to the crunch the international market trends change and can be fickle – dependant on the financial strength of the various economies, what’s hot and not in world travel, new and improved travel websites that attract visitors away from older sites and a myriad of other variations.

To this end it is wise to get in touch with a tourism company that offers consulting as to who best would suit your business and what channels are going to get the best results for you.

My advice is to obtain sound tourism consulting from those who know so you don’t waste your precious time and get sucked into the wrong channel. It is well worth it to start off on the right foot, it means you get in front of the right audience, with the right rates and message, and that can make all the difference for your tourism business.

Through IDS Softwares, the Hotel Management Software Specialists, Tomahawk brings the latest in Hotel software technology to the South Pacific.   We’re excited to share their recent partnership with twelve Best Western hotels in India:

“The usual, sir? Room no. 603 facing the poolside?”. A lot of backroom technology goes behind that seemingly spontaneous greeting at your favourite hotel.

Binu Mathews, President and COO of IDS Softwares and Sudhir Sinha, President and COO, Best Western India , speak to IndiaTechOnline’s Vishnu Anand on new technology trends in the hospitality space and their 12-property partnership

Bangalore-based IDS softwares has been providing solutions to the global hospitality industry for more than 20 years.

Speaking about the recent chances in the hospitality segment, Mathews said, “Over the last 10 years or so, the focus for hotels, to provide good service to guests has shifted from transactional systems to guest enhancements. Transactional systems are the run-of-the-mill automation of booking and billing processes. Guest enhancement is about respecting the repeat guests — technology that can remember your name, be able to inquire whether you would like your favourite room no. 603, non-smoking that faces the pool, and most importantly, speed up your check in process after your many hours of tiresome flying.”

So, how does technology help hotels to increase guest satisfaction and improve business? “Guest satisfaction is only one element. Technology can be used across all the departments, in a hotel – at the back office, our tool provides real-time data on cash inflow, store capacities, provides control of debters, quantity of goods inflow for the kitchen among others.” He continued, “There is sufficient intelligence built into our systems to understand and tabulate the production cost in relation to profits — and go a step further in even analysing kitchen data to most preferred food and beverage items.”

Besides guest satisfaction and back office, Mathews says he has seen an increased awareness of security within a hotel. after the recent terror attacks, “Right from verifying customer data to providing control for escalators and elevators, our tools help hotels keep a tab on their guests without intruding on their privacy”, he explained.

Speaking about future plans for IDS, he said, “We are working on adding functionalities that enable a guest to check in with his smartphone by entering a code. Some of our customers have features like console controls for a guest room via an iPod among others.”

IDS Softwares has also launched a technology support service– a 24/7 manned support centre free-of-cost for its customers.

‘Preferred IT Partner’
Thanks to the Forf ’hospitality ERP’ suite built on SQL and DB2, IDS software, was recently declared the preferred IT partner for the Best Western India group of hotels.

Speaking on the sidelines of BEST WESTERN India’s Annual General Managers Convention 2011 at Best Western Premier La Marvella, Bangalore, on April 28, Sudhir Sinha, President and COO, Best Western India said, “Having eighteen properties in India, it is a challenge for us to maintain the uniqueness of each property while maintaining consistency of service. Technology is very important for us, and we are happy that IDS provides a seamless way for us to use technology across different aspects of our business. Their regular updates helps us enhance our operations better.

Part of the world’s largest Hotel Chain, Best Western in India is managed by Cabana Hotel Management Pvt Ltd. The chain has a presence with eighteen properties in India with Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Baddi, Gurgaon, Manesar, Mathura, New Delhi, Zirakpur (Chandigarh), in the North. Bangalore, Hyderabad, in the South. Goa, Neral (Near Mumbai), Pune, Shirdi and Surat in Western India, and Kolkata in Eastern India. Best Western in India recently set up its Best Western Centre For Hotel Management and Training at Bhubaneshwar. IDS solutions fuel 12 Best Western properties in India

Click here to view a short AV Clip on the IDS Hospitality Software Suite.
http://www.idsfortune.com/
http://www.bestwesternindia.com