Are Luxury Hotels in India Harnessing Right Hospitality Technology?

The luxury hotel segment in India is growing at a steady pace. The country is attracting an increasing number of foreign tourists as the government has introduced e-visa for 113 countries. The country has a large millennial population too, who are enjoying new found adventure in travel and sightseeing.

Here is peek into some numbers

India had received over 7 million foreign tourists by August 2015. According to the World Tourism Organization, the country will welcome over 15.3 million foreign tourists by 2025. Now let us take a look at the accommodation sector, or the hotel industry. Do they have enough high-end rooms to offer the growing number of foreign nationals? The answer is ‘Yes’ and here’s why – Around 29,000 luxury hotel rooms are under development and they will be added to the existing nation-wide inventory over the next 6 years. Metro and tier 1 cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune and Gurgaon will grow to 6,500 hotel rooms by 2016. Read More

Published in: IDS Next

By: Myra Allen

 

IDS Next Makes Impressive Growth Strides in 2015

For any company in the hospitality industry, each year brings new challenges and opportunities. The hospitality industry is currently bristling with innovation, and offers wonderfully interesting learning and insights to growing companies. These insights enable hotels to continuously set benchmarks of enhanced guest service. At IDS Next, we also go through the same process of improvement and enhancement.

In August, we celebrate our foundation anniversary and this year has been one of many achievements in terms of rolling out new products and initiatives. Here are some of the key highlights -

Acquired over 4000 customers

In FY 2014-15, we crossed the 4000 client’s milestone. We acquired new customers in all the geographies we are present in, namely South East Asia, Oceania, Indian sub-continent, Middle East and Africa. Armed with our world-class Hotel ERP and a seamlessly integrated Hotel 360 solution set, we look forward to aggressive expansion in the coming year. Read More

Published in: IDS Next

By: Lilian D'Costa

Does Your Hotel PMS Vendor Provide Quality Training & Support?

Buying a Hotel PMS is not an easy task, especially when the market is inundated with options. As an hotelier, you need to buy hotel software that best suits your need. Apart from reviewing the robustness of the hotel software and its in-built modules, you also need to ensure that you get ample training and quality technical support from your software provider.

Questions to ask your Hotel property management system vendor

While buying a Hotel property management system (PMS), you not only purchase software, but put your money on something that would help grow your hospitality business. Thus, it is necessary to ask these questions to your Hotel Software provider – 

• Will you provide training to our hotel staff as per requirement?
• How fast is your customer support / technical assistance?

According to a recent survey, over one-third of Hotel software buyers say that they would select a vendor if they get quality product training and post-installation technical support. Read More

Published in: IDS Next Middle East Microsite

By: Dinker Elayadath

Things to Consider Before Investing in a Hotel Property Management System

Hotel Property Management System (Hotel PMS) is a technology platform that has gained immense importance as hotel operation has become quite complex these days. Hotel management software automates operational processes from check-in to finance and inventory management, while assisting hotel staff to centrally track and analyze vital information real-time. Hotel PMS adoption has become a strategic necessity in order to offer quality guest service, too.

What Drives Hotels to adopt Hotel Property Management System?

Hotel PMS has become the central nerve system of hotel operations. However, many hoteliers use different parameters to gauge the usefulness of hotel software before buying. According to recent industry findings – Read More

Published in: IDS Next ASEAN Microsite

By: Sandeep Menon

Will millennials force hotels to menu price their services?

There’s a lot of buzz around  “unbundling” – from cable packages to financial services – driven by the demands of the notoriously budget-conscious millennials. In fact, one-third of millennials say they would stand on an airplane for a discount.

Indeed, the airline industry has proven that the strategy of unbundling can be hugely successful. Ancillary revenue for airlines almost topped $50 billion in 2014, the result of fees now collected on everything from baggage to extra legroom.

Following the success of unbundling, airlines such as American and Lufthansa have now begun to “re-bundle” their fees into “fare families.” These packages come with a range of benefits and restrictions such as priority boarding, different cancellation policies and opportunities to alter the itinerary. Read More

Published in: Tnooz

By: Gautam Lulla

There’s a lot of buzz around  “unbundling” – from cable packages to financial services – driven by the demands of the notoriously budget-conscious millennials.
NB This is a guest article by Gautam Lulla, president of Travel Tripper.
In fact, one-third of millennials say they would stand on an airplane for a discount.
Indeed, the airline industry has proven that the strategy of unbundling can be hugely successful. Ancillary revenue for airlines almost topped $50 billion in 2014, the result of fees now collected on everything from baggage to extra legroom.
Following the success of unbundling, airlines such as American and Lufthansa have now begun to “re-bundle” their fees into “fare families.” These packages come with a range of benefits and restrictions such as priority boarding, different cancellation policies and opportunities to alter the itinerary.
- See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/article/will-millennials-force-hotels-down-the-menu-pricing-route/#sthash.bSMuO51P.dpuf

There’s a lot of buzz around  “unbundling” – from cable packages to financial services – driven by the demands of the notoriously budget-conscious millennials.
NB This is a guest article by Gautam Lulla, president of Travel Tripper.
In fact, one-third of millennials say they would stand on an airplane for a discount.
Indeed, the airline industry has proven that the strategy of unbundling can be hugely successful. Ancillary revenue for airlines almost topped $50 billion in 2014, the result of fees now collected on everything from baggage to extra legroom.
Following the success of unbundling, airlines such as American and Lufthansa have now begun to “re-bundle” their fees into “fare families.” These packages come with a range of benefits and restrictions such as priority boarding, different cancellation policies and opportunities to alter the itinerary.
- See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/article/will-millennials-force-hotels-down-the-menu-pricing-route/#sthash.bSMuO51P.dpuf

Will millennials force hotels to menu price their services?

There’s a lot of buzz around  “unbundling” – from cable packages to financial services – driven by the demands of the notoriously budget-conscious millennials.
NB This is a guest article by Gautam Lulla, president of Travel Tripper.
In fact, one-third of millennials say they would stand on an airplane for a discount.
Indeed, the airline industry has proven that the strategy of unbundling can be hugely successful. Ancillary revenue for airlines almost topped $50 billion in 2014, the result of fees now collected on everything from baggage to extra legroom.
Following the success of unbundling, airlines such as American and Lufthansa have now begun to “re-bundle” their fees into “fare families.” These packages come with a range of benefits and restrictions such as priority boarding, different cancellation policies and opportunities to alter the itinerary.
- See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/article/will-millennials-force-hotels-down-the-menu-pricing-route/#sthash.bSMuO51P.dpuf

There’s a lot of buzz around  “unbundling” – from cable packages to financial services – driven by the demands of the notoriously budget-conscious millennials.
NB This is a guest article by Gautam Lulla, president of Travel Tripper.
In fact, one-third of millennials say they would stand on an airplane for a discount.
Indeed, the airline industry has proven that the strategy of unbundling can be hugely successful. Ancillary revenue for airlines almost topped $50 billion in 2014, the result of fees now collected on everything from baggage to extra legroom.
Following the success of unbundling, airlines such as American and Lufthansa have now begun to “re-bundle” their fees into “fare families.” These packages come with a range of benefits and restrictions such as priority boarding, different cancellation policies and opportunities to alter the itinerary.
- See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/article/will-millennials-force-hotels-down-the-menu-pricing-route/#sthash.bSMuO51P.dpufvv

There’s a lot of buzz around  “unbundling” – from cable packages to financial services – driven by the demands of the notoriously budget-conscious millennials.
NB This is a guest article by Gautam Lulla, president of Travel Tripper.
In fact, one-third of millennials say they would stand on an airplane for a discount.
Indeed, the airline industry has proven that the strategy of unbundling can be hugely successful. Ancillary revenue for airlines almost topped $50 billion in 2014, the result of fees now collected on everything from baggage to extra legroom.
Following the success of unbundling, airlines such as American and Lufthansa have now begun to “re-bundle” their fees into “fare families.” These packages come with a range of benefits and restrictions such as priority boarding, different cancellation policies and opportunities to alter the itinerary.
- See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/article/will-millennials-force-hotels-down-the-menu-pricing-route/#sthash.bSMuO51P.dpuf

There’s a lot of buzz around  “unbundling” – from cable packages to financial services – driven by the demands of the notoriously budget-conscious millennials.
NB This is a guest article by Gautam Lulla, president of Travel Tripper.
In fact, one-third of millennials say they would stand on an airplane for a discount.
Indeed, the airline industry has proven that the strategy of unbundling can be hugely successful. Ancillary revenue for airlines almost topped $50 billion in 2014, the result of fees now collected on everything from baggage to extra legroom.
Following the success of unbundling, airlines such as American and Lufthansa have now begun to “re-bundle” their fees into “fare families.” These packages come with a range of benefits and restrictions such as priority boarding, different cancellation policies and opportunities to alter the itinerary.
- See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/article/will-millennials-force-hotels-down-the-menu-pricing-route/#sthash.bSMuO51P.dpuf

There’s a lot of buzz around  “unbundling” – from cable packages to financial services – driven by the demands of the notoriously budget-conscious millennials.
NB This is a guest article by Gautam Lulla, president of Travel Tripper.
In fact, one-third of millennials say they would stand on an airplane for a discount.
Indeed, the airline industry has proven that the strategy of unbundling can be hugely successful. Ancillary revenue for airlines almost topped $50 billion in 2014, the result of fees now collected on everything from baggage to extra legroom.
Following the success of unbundling, airlines such as American and Lufthansa have now begun to “re-bundle” their fees into “fare families.” These packages come with a range of benefits and restrictions such as priority boarding, different cancellation policies and opportunities to alter the itinerary.
- See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/article/will-millennials-force-hotels-down-the-menu-pricing-route/#sthash.bSMuO51P.dpuf

There’s a lot of buzz around  “unbundling” – from cable packages to financial services – driven by the demands of the notoriously budget-conscious millennials.
NB This is a guest article by Gautam Lulla, president of Travel Tripper.
In fact, one-third of millennials say they would stand on an airplane for a discount.
Indeed, the airline industry has proven that the strategy of unbundling can be hugely successful. Ancillary revenue for airlines almost topped $50 billion in 2014, the result of fees now collected on everything from baggage to extra legroom.
Following the success of unbundling, airlines such as American and Lufthansa have now begun to “re-bundle” their fees into “fare families.” These packages come with a range of benefits and restrictions such as priority boarding, different cancellation policies and opportunities to alter the itinerary.
- See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/article/will-millennials-force-hotels-down-the-menu-pricing-route/#sthash.bSMuO51P.dpuf

Why Hotel Property Management System and Channel Manager Should Be Integrated

Unless you are a large or chain hotel, it is very unlikely that you will have a revenue or rooms division manager. As the number of distribution channels grows, the Front Office manager could well be burdened with a whole manual management of uploading rooms and rates to various channels, monitoring sales, managing bookings and more. When your front office manager is on leave, or over the weekend, your distribution system goes virtually un-monitored. This is when errors are most likely to creep in, leading to a dip in customer satisfaction. This is when a property management system can benefit from a channel manager.

Guests today are extremely sensitive about response speed and quality of service. Thus ensuring your room booking process is fast and error free, and accurate confirmations reaches guests is important. Read More

Published in: IDS Next

By: Myra Allen 

IDS Next Becomes Preferred Technology Partner of LAYA Hotels, Sri Lanka

IDS Next Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a global leader in providing Hotel ERP and software solutions to hospitality and leisure industries has announced that it will install their enterprise class Hotel ERP for Sri Lanka based hospitality chain, LAYA Hotels.  The group has 4 luxury resorts namely, Laya Leisure, Laya Safari, Laya Beach and LAYA WAVES.

LAYA Hotels, which gets its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Laya’ - a state of tranquility and peacefulness has earned the reputation for offering authentic Sinhalese hospitality. In the increasingly competitive hospitality industry in Sri Lanka, they have also emerged as the desired hotspot for travelers looking to experience an exotic holiday in an offbeat, calm locale. Read More

Published in: IDS Next

The Sharing Economy is Transforming Business Travel. Here's How

Sharing-economy companies such as Uber and Airbnb are starting to make serious inroads into the $300-billion business travel market, completely changing the way business travelers, well, do business. 

Last week, the house-sharing giant Airbnb announced a massive overhaul to its Business Travel program that was launched in July 2014, in the hope of increasing the visibility of an employee’s travel plans and spending. And today, Concur Technologies — which provides travel and expense management services to businesses across the country — is announcing new partnerships with Lyft and HotelTonight, expanding its already extensive offerings, which include Uber and Airbnb. Read More

Published in: Yahoo Travel

By: Sophie Forbes