This week’s Partner News is highlighted by Cendyn acquiring digitalhotelier; Access Point Financial introducing a permanent fixed-rate financing program; Maestro PMS integrating with RobosizeME; and more.
Cendyn acquires digitalhotelier
Cendyn, a catalyst for digital transformation in the hospitality industry, has acquired digitalhotelier, a provider of integrated distribution, demand generation, design, development and data intelligence solutions for hotels.
The acquisition of digitalhotelier further cements Cendyn’s commitment to driving digital transformation in the hospitality industry. With a focus on maximizing direct bookings and enhancing the guest experience across every touchpoint via an integrated solution, the further expansion of Cendyn’s distribution and eCommerce capabilities across the globe offers hoteliers the technology platform they need to meet the new expectations of guests as global travel rebounds.
“Our mission at Cendyn is to provide hoteliers around the globe with innovative technology solutions that enable deeper, more profitable guest relationships by empowering hotel staff with the data they need at every touchpoint in the guest journey,” said Tim Sullivan, CEO/president, Cendyn. “This acquisition enables us to double-down on that mission at a time when hoteliers are being forced to do more with less. We are excited to be working with the entire talented digitalhotelier team to rapidly integrate the companies and technology, so we can continue to grow the combined business together.”
APF introduces permanent fixed-rate financing program
Access Point Financial LLC (APF), a leading direct lender focused exclusively on the hospitality industry, has introduced a permanent fixed-rate loan program for stabilized hotels. APF will provide a 5-, 7- or 10-year fixed rate option with loan amounts ranging from $10 million to $50 million at competitive interest rates. The addition of this permanent financing option further augments the wide range of loan options currently provided by the Atlanta-based direct hospitality lender, which includes bridge, construction, mezzanine and preferred equity, as well as PIP and CapEx loans.
“Traditionally, APF has been known for providing financing for bridge loans that were ideal for transitional assets, hotel conversions or properties requiring additional time to stabilize following downturns, such as that recently experienced during the pandemic,” said Michael Lipson, CEO, Access Point Financial. “Those financial options are excellent for acquisitions or refinancing. However, our new permanent loan program opens up our lending ability to properties with stabilized assets and allows us to offer highly competitive rates that are comparable to those normally only available through traditional lenders, such as life insurance companies, CMBS and banks. We look forward to serving this growing need in the industry, now that the recovering travel market is becoming increasingly stable.”
Maestro PMS integrates with RobosizeME
Maestro PMS has teamed with RobosizeME to enable independent hotel operators to automate labor-intensive tasks—such as rate loading and credit-card payment processing—thereby freeing-up staff to provide more personalized experiences to guests.
By assigning repetitive data-entry duties to virtual robots, hoteliers can allocate essential responsibilities to staff, enabling them to be more interactive with customers and making them feel more valued and integral to operational success. The integration partnership leverages Maestro’s Open API and RobosizeME’s Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to simulate the manual path taken by a human through a variety of applications when performing certain tasks in a business process.
At HITEC Orlando in June, RobosizeME earned the “Judge’s Choice Award” at the Entrepreneur 20X competition, which recognizes ambitious entrepreneurs presenting breakthrough business concepts.
The first integrated robot developed by RobosizeME for Maestro will be used for rate loading. The robot will identify corporate negotiated rates in a contract and upload that data into Maestro’s API, eliminating manual labor processes and increasing accuracy. Development of a virtual robot for credit-card payment processing is underway, and more RPA applications will be identified and added over time. All Maestro API robots are built, maintained, supported and hosted by RobosizeME and include software licensing.
Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack and Hotel chooses Agilysys
Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel in Altoona, IA, which had already deployed Agilysys’ inventory and procurement (I&P) automation solution, has launched seven additional Agilysys solutions that work together across functions and operations.
Together, the additional Agilysys solutions automate the following functions: point of sale (POS); property management (PMS); mobile reservations for rooms and activities; mobile check-in; mobile keys; secure document management for identification scanning, electronic signature capture and electronic waiver archival; mobile housekeeping, maintenance and preventative services; and sales and catering for efficient conference and event management.
Adding PMS and POS to I&P means Prairie Meadows has all three Hospitality Core Solutions in the Agilysys Hospitality Cloud working together across the property. The additional five solutions are part of the Agilysys Hospitality Cloud Experience Enhancers collection of solutions that work with POS, PMS or I&P to deliver specific augmentations such as mobile capabilities, payment flexibility or digital efficiencies.
Coast Hotels signs UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge
Coast Hotels Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of APA Hotel Canada Inc., has joined UNESCO and Expedia Group in the global expansion of the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge. The brand and eight owned/managed hotels commit to adhering to responsible environmental and cultural practices, making a difference to the communities in which they operate.
The UNESCO Pledge promotes responsible practices such as environmental protection, community resilience and heritage conservation, with the goal of changing the nature and impact of global tourism. With 22 hotels already certified by Green Key Global with a Green Key Eco-Rating of two or more keys, Coast Hotels adds a further commitment to sustainability practices.
“Coast Hotels are nestled in magnificent mountain ranges and spectacular cities, in quaint towns and coastal retreats,” said Jin Sasaki, president, Coast Hotels. “We want to keep those places beautiful and be better stewards of the planet. An important factor in sustainable tourism is allowing the communities and cultures in which we operate to thrive. As part of this pledge, we commit to supporting our local communities through actions such as sourcing produce locally and hiring local people.”