By Brian Brus
Courtesy of The Journal Record
OKLAHOMA CITY – Hospitality software company Monscierge in Oklahoma City has opened the door to two-way communications for the Hyatt Regency Bellevue hotel in the Seattle area through its new Connect CMS system, officials said.
Although this is not Monscierge’s first big hotel partnership, company spokeswoman Crystal Robinson said, the Hyatt brand name represents a significant entry into a much larger market.
“It’s a premier client where we’re really getting our full package of our best technology out in front of the guests,” she said. “Even better, the hotel is right across the street from Microsoft; it’s where that company puts up its executive guests. So it’s sort of a big deal in that sense.
“We’re a technology company based in Oklahoma City, so it’s been difficult to get national attention. Ironically, we can get international recognition, but here in the U.S. it’s been a little harder,” she said.
Robinson said the Bellevue is the first U.S. hotel to use SMS, or short message service, two-way communication between guests and staff members from a system that handles multiple database technologies at once. The product, Connect CMS, is a cloud-based hub for digital signage, mobile applications, push notifications, guest requests and SMS text messaging.
Robinson said the company believes the big chains will recognize that Connect CMS is a cost-efficient replacement for a mess of antiquated systems that have been cobbled together as hotels struggled to keep up with technology over the last several years.
A mobile solution should encompass more of a strategy than simply having a smartphone app, Robinson said.
“Moving to a single partner for our digital solutions not only increases workflow efficiency but saves thousands of dollars per year by cutting out multiple vendor fees and support,” John D’Angelo, Hyatt’s director of rooms for the Bellevue, said in a prepared statement. “Our property is looking at approximately $20k (thousand) in savings already.”
Robinson said Hyatt is also participating with Monscierge this year on a collaborative mobile research project sponsored by Intel Corp. and led by Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research. The project is expected to produce a large amount of data about what guests need and expect from hotel technology.
Monscierge was launched in 2009 when entrepreneurs Marcus Robinson and Mark Costello introduced their prototype of a touch-screen kiosk for the hospitality industry. The company, which now has a presence in more than 3,000 hotels worldwide, has evolved with new platforms for hotel guests to access travel information ranging from local recommendations of places to visit to hotel service reports.
Robinson said that although the company, now entering its sixth year of operations, is picking up momentum among clients, Monscierge executives have no intention of moving corporate headquarters out of state to a denser metro area.
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