In Limelight - Part 2

Tell us about yourself.

I am Divya Prasad, originally from Mysore. I have done my B.E in Electronics & Communications, Mysore. I also have an MBA from Kuvempu University. I have been at IDS Next for more than 2 years and have a total of 9 years of experience in the field of software product development. 

What kind of projects do you handle at IDS Next?

I lead the mobility team and have been instrumental in developing all our mobile apps for restaurants and last-minute hotel room booking. As the Associate Project Manager, it is absolutely my responsibility to ensure that my team is second to none when it comes to delivering best-in-class apps that have got rave reviews from within the hospitality industry. Our apps are available on all mobility platforms. Besides managing a wonderful team, I also spend considerable time writing code.  

How did IDS Next happen? 

Before joining IDS Next, I was working at a leading multinational IT firm. I personally thought that my growth could be compromised if I continued working in a service based IT Company. That is why I opted to join IDS Next, a product based IT firm, which would provide me the scope to learn and grow. Moreover, I was keen to work here as I wanted to excel in a particular domain and IDS Next was keenly getting into app development. 

How do you like working at IDS Next?

Well, it’s quite encouraging and happening here. I feel my skill set is used as I play a crucial role developing some of the mobility apps. I had come to this company as a team lead and I was the only person in the mobility team. Under the guidance of my boss, Sachin Das, I have developed a 9 member strong mobility team. As I proved my mettle, I also got promoted.

Hospitality IT is still considered a niche domain and my stint so far with the company has helped me learn a lot. Here, I have multiple roles to play and multiple responsibilities to oversee. 

What about work recognition?

My hard work and dedication have certainly drawn attention from the management. That’s why I was awarded the ‘Exceptional Service’ award for 2 consecutive years. 

Want to say something to potential employees? How would you recommend IDS Next to them?

I might sound clichéd, but I would say if you want to build up your expertise in a domain like hospitality IT, IDS Next is the place for you. This place teaches you, helps you expanding your horizon of knowledge and most importantly rewards you.

In Limelight - Part 1

I am Sunil Datta. I have done B.Sc in Electronics from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupathi and M.Sc in IT from Bharatiar University, Chennai. I am a part of IDS Next’s Client Engagement Group (CEG) for the last three and a half years. 

What are the interesting stuff you do at IDS Next?

I am primarily responsible for offering post product service to our clients across Karnataka. I interact with customer’s right from collecting product cost to convincing them to upgrade to new version of our software. I also periodically visit our clients’ property based on the SLA and client requirements.

In order to ensure that our clients are leveraging our Hotel ERP to the fullest, I conduct trainings and appraise them on the new features in our solution. Collecting AMC is another important aspect of my JD here at IDS Next.

I also coordinate the IDS Next Advantage Academy initiative. In this role, I work with hotel management colleges across India to offer their students a qualitative exposure to IDS Next software. I impart module wise training on our Hotel ERP to faculty members of these colleges. Our objective is to equip fresh graduates in our software so here is to make maximum number of hotel management graduates ready for the rigor of the hospitality industry.

Does your role at IDS Next help you grow personally?

I love technology and I am a ‘techie’ sort of guy. Be it imparting training on our Hotel ERP to our clients or faculty members of hotel management colleges, I talk technology. In order to make our clients understand our new product features, I need to first develop a strong sense of appreciation towards technology. To accomplish my job, I spend a lot of time understanding the vast feature set of our products and solutions. Over the years, I think I have become a subject matter expert on our product. Working in IDS Next is strictly all about technology and that’s what I love here.

If you look at my profile, you would understand that I work in a very challenging environment as I need to live up to my company’s expectation and at the same time; we need to keep up our services as part of the service industry. No doubt, working in IDS Next has added tremendous value towards my personal growth.

How did you come to join IDS Next?

I was working as an IT Manager of a hotel which used IDS Next’s hotel management software. That’s how I came to be acquainted with the company and was so impressed by our robust software that I wanted to join. Thus when I got an offer, I did not look back but grabbed it with both hands.  As I have already said that I love technology and thought that working for IDS Next would give me that much needed platform to look at hospitality technology from up close. I would say that I have both an insider and outsider’s perspective of their software.

How has your contribution to IDS Next been recognized?

The management at IDS Next is prompt to recognize its employees’ efforts. I had been awarded with ‘Extra Mile’ award by the CEO as a token of appreciation towards my work. On several occasions, I have helped a client even when it was not part of my KRAs. I have a free hand working in IDS Next as long as it is pertaining to offer excellent service to our clients. Colleagues in sales, marketing and product development team are always there to back me in my effort to do better.

How does your day start at IDS Next? 

My day starts with checking of mails. I line up my tasks as per their importance and timeliness. It is followed by a brief discussion with my manager, Mr. Varadharajan. Sometimes, he also asks me to incorporate some additional task into my list of assignments. My profile is mostly a field job and that’s why I spend maximum time at clients’ sites.

Would you like to say something to freshers or those aspiring to join IDS Next?

If you want to grow professionally while learning new things, IDS Next is the right place. As the Hospitality IT industry is growing, IDS Next as a global leader in this sphere has lots of scope to grow immensely. If you get a chance, do join us and grow with our company.

Top Tech Predictions to Influence Hospitality Industry in 2015

Come December and every industry eagerly awaits predicted trends for the coming year; 

The hospitality industry is no different and has its own set of trends, those that will significantly influence the industry in the year to come, and those that hoteliers need to watch out for.

As a hospitality technology company, at IDS Next, we conferred with our business heads in Africa, Middle East, Asia, Asia Pacific and South East Asia, tapped into their exposure and observations and so, here we are, with our very own set of top trends for the hospitality industry in 2015!

As hoteliers, you may have heard of some of these before, but now, they are well underway to being fast flowing, furious trends that are shaping the hospitality industry and your hotel should promptly adopt these technological changes or may run into the risk being left behind. Read More

Published In: 4 Hoteliers 

By: Lilian D'Costa

IDS Next Middle East Achieves Milestone of 500 Customers

The company has a presence across star category, in hospitality segments like hotels, resorts, service apartments, boutique hotels, restaurants and clubs.

IDS Next Business Solutions Pvt Ltd, a global leader in providing Hotel ERP and software solutions to hospitality and leisure industries, today announced that they have successfully acquired their 500th customer in the Middle East region. The company has software users across Middle East, including in United Arab Emirate, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.

“In the last two years, our customer base has more than doubled, and our direct presence in the region has helped us build a formidable reputation for offering robust, seamlessly integrated hotel software for every hospitality segment,” said Brijesh Surendran, Senior Vice President – Sales & Operations, ME, CIS & Turkey at IDS Next. Read More

Published In: IDS Next Middle East Microsite 

Is Your Hotel in Australia and New Zealand Ready for the Cricket World Cup 2015?

For cricket crazy Australia and New Zealand, the World Cup scheduled early 2015 holds a special attraction, and the fever is already picking up.

Hotel room bookings in both countries are on the rise, and so are room prices! Not surprisingly, an estimated 30,000 and 70,000 tourists are expected for the mega sporting event, and authorities are concerned that there may be a shortage of rooms.


For hotels in both these countries, it is the right time to grow their business by attracting more and more customers to their properties during this sporting extravaganza. A hotelier should promptly adopt a smart and robust hotel management software that would help them to streamline complex operations in order serve their guests effectively. Read More

Published in: IDS Next Oceania Microsite 
By: Jacob KI

New Solution Launched to Reduce Hotel Check-In Time

While check-in kiosks and other methods of avoiding the front desk have been around for a while, integration of mobile technology into check-in is seeing a speedy adoption.

IDS Next Business Solutions recently launched Easy Check-in, a mobile solution as part of their ‘Easy’ series. The app enables a hotel to drastically reduce check-in time for their guests. Easy Check-in enables your hotel staff to walk your guests directly to their rooms after a tiring journey. Read More

Published in: Voyager's World / IDS Next