Partner News

NATIONAL REPORT—Whether it’s celebrating an anniversary, receiving an award, earning a certification, debuting a new product or expanding the business, hotel companies and vendors achieve new milestones on a daily basis. Here’s a look at recent accomplishments:

Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Wins Awards
Seminole Hard Rock and its Guitar Hotel at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood won two top honors at the Global Gaming Awards 2020 held in conjunction with G2E in Las Vegas.

Seminole Hard Rock scored top honors as Land-Based Operator of the Year, winning the first-place award over nine other finalists, all leading casino operators from around the world. In addition, the Guitar Hotel at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood won first place as Property of the Year. Seminole Hard Rock opened the $1.5-billion Guitar Hotel expansion of its flagship Hard Rock branded integrated resort a little more than one year ago.

The Land-Based Operator of the Year Award recognizes the achievements of casino operators who have not only excelled in terms of financial performance, but also led the industry in innovation and enhancement over the past 12 months. It honors the company that has gone above and beyond to create the best possible customer experience.

Peloton, Kempinski Hotels Launch Partnership
Home fitness company Peloton, which launched in Germany about a year ago, has formed its first partnership in the hospitality & leisure sector with Kempinski Hotels.

After the Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin was the first hotel in Germany to start a cooperation with Peloton this summer, guests of the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich, Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski Dresden and the Kempinski Hotels in Frankfurt Gravenbruch and in Berchtesgaden can now, depending on availability, have a Peloton Bike brought to their room to access cycling and fitness classes.

The Peloton bikes in the hotels are equipped with software specially developed for the commercial sector which guarantees complete data security of the multiple users. In addition, they are equipped with double-sided pedals, so that guests can either click in with their own SPD-compatible cycling shoes or ride with sports shoes in the toe cages.

TraknProtect Appoints Petry to Board of Advisors
TraknProtect has appointed hospitality veteran Page Petry to the company’s board of advisors. In her role, she will work closely with the executive management team in providing her expertise and assistance as the company continues to expand, define and implement new offerings and assist in TraknProtect’s global go-to-market initiatives.

Prior to starting PDPetry Consulting in 2020, Petry served as the chief IT officer of the Americas at Marriott International in Washington, where she directed key initiatives for Marriott International hotels. During her 33-year Marriott career, Petry held a variety of roles allowing for a deep understanding of the hospitality industry. For 10-plus years as CIO, she led the Continent IT Organization, launched its Property Internet Program and oversaw the integration efforts for several major acquisitions including Starwood Hotels, the Autograph Collection, Gaylord Hotels and Delta Hotels and Resorts.

SiteMinder Launches Partner Program
Guest acquisition platform SiteMinder has launched the SiteMinder Partner Program to bring out the strength of the local advisory community for hotels. According to the company, the program forms the most extensive, global program for hotel advisors and property management system (PMS) vendors, who can now gain access to critical training, educational resources and dedicated online support from SiteMinder to provide a more holistic offering to their hotel clients.

The Partner Program is the latest major initiative from SiteMinder to address the fragmentation across the hotel industry worldwide. Its launch expands SiteMinder’s ecosystem to now comprise hotel advisors as well as more than 1000 system integrations, built over more than a decade, in the areas of property management, distribution, upselling and revenue management, marketing, reputation management and guest applications.

More than 100 hotel advisors—providing revenue management consulting, digital marketing, website design and development, and all-in-one consulting services—and PMS vendors have already opted into the SiteMinder Partner Program since it piloted in July. An estimated 2000 hotel consultants and all 400 SiteMinder-integrated PMS vendors are expected to qualify for the program, to benefit up to 100,000 hotels globally.

Zoox Smart Data Names James Director of Business Development 
Zoox Smart Data, an international provider of technological solutions that easily harnesses big data to build and monetize customer profiles from existing Wi-Fi networks, has named Sandy James director of business development. Her primary objective is to accelerate Zoox’s commercial growth in North America and to achieve a leading presence in the region as the go-to provider for guest behavior analysis that the company currently enjoys throughout Latin America and parts of Europe. She will work closely with hotel brands and travel organizations in advocating the value of the Zoox Smart Data and Zoox Media solutions, providing them with access to industry-proven tools capable of instantly identifying the specific preferences of each guest and matching them to available hotel offerings to ensure maximum satisfaction and revenue-earning potential.

Over the span of her career, James has obtained a diverse set of skills by serving in several notable roles, including a position as business and systems analyst with Wells Fargo. James joined Zoox in September after eight years as a service management manager with Radisson Hotel Group.