This month:

Revenue services...

Also, latest events, new wins & much more!

December 2016

Inn on the Lake Hotel, part of Lake District Hotels

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03 04 05Welcome

Intro and contacts

Director’s Cut

Words from Phil Davidson

Best Western

Guestline install in 10th Best Western Premier

15 In the hot seat

Tori Ackling Legacy Hotels & Resorts

06 07 08Welcome on board

Some of our recent wins

Revenue Management

Robinsons Brewery

Meet the Team

Samantha Burrows Human Resources

09 10 11Now Live!

Some of our recent installations

Customer Spotlight

Lake District Hotels Group

Expansion

Guestline's latest recruits

12 13 14Connect Event

Clayton Hotel, Dublin

Events & Exhibitions

Guestline on the road

Revenue Management

Not just for Christmas!

Whats been happening this month...

Contacts

Sales

sales@guestline.com Tel +44 (0)1743 282300

UK Technical Support

support@guestline.com Tel +44 (0)1743 282700

Guestline HQ

Guestline House, Shrewsbury Business Park, Shrewsbury Shropshire, SY2 6LG

Freephone 0800 413557

Tel +44 (0)1743 282300 Fax +44 (0)1743 232213 sales@guestline.com

Guestline Asia

Pacific World Business Center973 President Tower Level 14Office 1401Ploenchit RoadLumpini, Pathumwan Bangkok 10330 Thailand

Tel +66 (0)2 656 1619 Ext 1401 internationalsupport@guestline.com

International Technical Support

Thailand Tel +1 800 1320 13907

Singapore Tel +65 315 88391

Australia Tel +61 2 9191 6544 internationalsupport@guestline.com

Welcome to Guestline Connect December 2016

Welcome to the last edition of the year and my last edition before I depart for maternity leave for a few months! I hope you’ve had an enjoyable and successful 2016 and are looking forward to ending it in style with a busy Christmas.

It’s also a time for reflection, to look back on what went well for you and celebrate the 'successes'. We’ve had an exciting year and some of our highlights include:

• The Riverside investment.

• Launching new products and services like revenue management, Price Assure, digital marketing.

• Award wins and nominations – the Serviced Apartment News award, the ASAP award nomination and inclusion in the '1000 Companies to Inspire Britain' report.

• New partners and interfaces with ResDiary, GuestRevu and Butlerpad to name but a few.

• New events like the pub round table and Connect events.

• Growing our teams and our presence abroad.

• Launching our new website and modernising our brand.

I’m sure you’ve all had an equally action-packed year in what has been quite an eventful time in the UK as a whole! We’re aiming to be at even more events next year, both here and abroad - and have some new product innovations in the pipeline to launch - all in all, quite a busy 2017!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

Kate Kate Fuller Marketing Manager

Would any of your colleagues want to be added to the distribution list? Send their details to marketingteam@guestline.com

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Director’s CutI’m sure you’re looking forward to your Christmas break and are busy with Christmas parties and various festivities!

Reflecting on a busy year, the Riverside investment in Guestline was a tremendous vote of confidence in our company and our suite of solutions. With their backing, we are already embarking on our plans to expand our product offering and increase our international coverage.

We have taken on more product experts in our development team to enhance the existing functionality of our products and develop new innovations. Our next product launch will be our Guestline Help tool, which will be part of the latest release of Rezlynx PMS (1.476) - this will provide users with a step by step walk through of the most commonly used features to help with day to day

tasks.

We have been lucky enough this year to win some awards both from the Hospitality and Technology industry that you will have seen in the Connect newsletter throughout

the year. I just wanted to thank everyone involved in nominating us as well as recognising our staff and customers who have been amazing in their participation and evaluation.

We’ve had some exciting installations overseas recently, taking us to countries such as Myanmar, Bangladesh and Kenya. Two properties in Myanmar went live in November and a Best Western hotel in Bangladesh went live in December. We have currently got a team (lucky for some!) at the luxury Tribe Hotel in Kenya who are having our full suite of solutions installed.

A little closer to home, the partnership with our Irish reseller, Tierney’s, has got off to a flying start – already with a few sales under their belts, we recently held a Connect event in Dublin where it was great to meet a number of Irish hoteliers and discuss their requirements.

To aid our growth plans, James Cannon has recently been appointed to drive our international footprint by establishing and expanding our reseller programme. We’re keen to drive partnerships with resellers and agents internationally and James will be best placed to forge these relationships and promote our solutions.

Next year, we will continue to organise our Connect networking events around the country as these events have proved invaluable in developing relations with our prospects and clients and informing them of new developments. I must say a big thank you to our partners that have joined us at these events, including the likes of TripAdvisor and Google, who have really contributed to their success.

This year with the Brexit effect and next year with the Trump effect, we had an uneasy feeling about the world economy however, we have still managed to grow at a substantial rate and look forward to the coming year with optimism. We look forward to working with you in 2017.

Best wishes,

Phil Davidson CEO

management and distribution platforms have allowed

us to become more efficient in operations and to

manage our rates and availability more effectively,

driving revenue and profitability.”

Joining an esteemed collection of Best Western Premier Collection hotels, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh will also be able to process payments and store credit card details securely with Guestline’s PCI compliant payment platform.

Ten Hill Place Hotel, one of Edinburgh’s premier city centre hotels, offers 77 bedrooms and is ideal for both leisure and business travellers alike. Opened in 2006, the hotel is owned by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, with all profits going back into training surgeons worldwide.

David Hunter, New Business Sales Executive at Guestline added,

“It is an exciting time with the hotel becoming the first

hotel in Scotland to be recognised as a Best Western

Premier member. The team are passionate hoteliers

and it is great to have them on board operating the

Guestline solutions and maximising the potential from

their luxurious hotel.”

To arrange a demonstration of Guestline please click here.

Guestline solutions installed in the tenth Best Western Premier memberGuestline have partnered with The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh to implement cloud hosted property management and distribution solutions in their four-star, award winning hotel, Ten Hill Place, in Edinburgh.

The hotel has recently celebrated becoming the tenth member of the Best Western Premier Collection making them the first in Scotland.

Guestline are already the largest supplier of hospitality solutions to Best Western properties across the UK with nearly half of all members operating their systems.

Scott Mitchell, Commercial Director of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh commented,

"Joining the Best Western Premier Collection is an

exciting prospect for us, and as such we required a

superior technology platform to enable us to manage

our bookings and hotel operations efficiently.

Guestline’s two-way interface to the Best Western

booking platform will allow us to reach a vast audience

and maximise our exposure. Their Rezlynx property

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Guestline Connect December 2016

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Guestline Connect December 2016

The Royal Beacon Hotel Exmouth

The Royal Beacon Hotel is situated in a quiet, elevated position on Exmouth’s finest Regency Terrace – once the home to Lady Nelson and Lady Byron. Products - Rezlynx PMS, EPoS, Channel Manager and PCI Manager.

Safehands HolidaysBlackpool & Llandudno

Providing unique holiday experiences with a specialist in house care team capable of offering a complete package of care, ranging from personal care through to social and leisure support. Products - Rezlynx PMS, EPoS, Channel Manager and PCI Manager.

BW Thousand Island HotelMyanmar

Located in Nyaung Shwe, the 48 room Best Western Thousand Island Hotel enjoys a commanding position in the sightseeing hub of Inle Lake. Products - Rezlynx PMS, EPoS and Channel Manager.

Welcome on board...We’ve recently secured new agreements with the following clients :

Tribe Hotel Nairobi

Tribe Hotel is located in the leafy suburb of Gigiri, ten minutes from the city center. Featuring 137 guest-rooms, lofts and suites, restaurants, roof top bar, spa and fitness centre. Products - Rezlynx PMS, Advanced Conference & Banqueting, Channel Manager and PCI Manager.

With 300 pubs, inns and hotels across the North West, Robinsons needed to understand the logic behind rate management. The team wanted insight into how they could maximise revenue and what they could do to drive more revenue throughout. Alex Bufton, Distribution Consultant at Guestline worked with Robinsons Brewery on a short term project which yielded fantastic results. After just a handful of sessions, Robinsons Brewery saw an increase in both revenue and occupancy.

“Being non-hoteliers, revenue management was a daunting prospect. We knew we needed to do something, but didn’t understand the process enough to implement changes ourselves. Having Alex on board was brilliant! She explained everything about revenue management and left us feeling confident with what we need to do, the reason we need to do it and how we can adapt and continue to manage our rates, customer journey and the opportunities we can tap into" said Simon Taylor.

Revenue management consultancy is the latest addition to Guestline’s suite of hospitality solutions, allowing properties the flexibility of purchasing either adhoc revenue management or a more tailored program on a regular basis.

To ensure hotels are reaching their full potential, it is imperative to have a rate

"I would highly recommend Guestline revenue management services, we are in a much stronger position now and in house understanding is at a high. The things we overlook with the day to day management of the brewery are the things that can make us the most money – things we were not putting enough emphasis on."

Simon Taylor Retail Operations Manager Robinsons Brewery

strategy in place to identify areas where revenue can be maximised and to highlight activity that can be utilised to increase occupancy, revenue and rates. Bufton works on a simple concept – ensuring hotels are selling the right room, at the right price, to the right guest, in the right place.

Alex Bufton explains “Working with Robinsons Brewery has been very rewarding. Highlighting areas in which effective changes can be made to drive the bottom line has allowed the team to increase rooms, revenue and occupancy. Revenue management is often neglected as hoteliers are focused on delivering service, but this needn’t be the case. We work with you and provide winning strategies that support your business objectives.

Guestline’s revenue management services are a brilliant way to ensure you are capturing the opportunities available throughout the customer journey – regardless of whether you are an independent hotel, a group, a pub, pub management company, serviced apartment or university. Guestline can tailor revenue management services to suit your property’s exact needs and help you manage your available capacity for profit.”

To arrange a consultation on Guestline’s Revenue Management services, click here.

Guestline Revenue Management services

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Guestline Connect December 2016

Meet the TeamSamantha BurrowsHuman Resources - Human Resources Manager

Been at Guestline since - June 2016.

Pet Peeves - People who don’t indicate at roundabouts.

Three items I would take to a desert island - My dog or son to keep me company, my phone so I can take pictures, use the internet and listen to music, lip balm.

My last supper would be - Number 15, 37 & 82 on Thai Arts in Bridgnorth menu (chicken satay, beef in oyster sauce and coconut rice).

Nickname in the office - Human Remains.

Hobbies - Managing my son's under 8 football team, music, cinema and films, photography, socialising.

Favourite film - So many films to mention, PS I Love You, Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption and most Pixar/Marvel films that Alfie makes me watch.

If I could have one super power it would be - Being a mind reader.

Likes - Long walks in the countryside, adventure days out, spending quality time with my son, nights out with family and friends.

Dream holiday - Travelling to South Africa and finding out more about my family tree and South African roots and then going on safari.

If I was a biscuit I’d be a - Jammie Dodger, the only biscuits I can eat a whole packet of.

Three words to describe me - Friendly, loyal, committed.

Hot-el-apartmentsEdinburgh

These apartments are set in the Leith area of Edinburgh, a vibrant and popular location with a great range of restaurants, pleasant woodland walks, shops and attractions Products - Rezlynx PMS, Rezlynx Mobile, Channel Manager and PCI Manager.

Saracens Head Hotel Caernarfon

Located in the Snowdonia National Park within the beautiful mountain village of Beddgelert you will find the 11 bedroomed Saracens Head Hotel. Products - Rezlynx PMS, Channel Manager, EPoS and PCI Manager.

Kairos CentreLondon

The Kairos Centre is a retreat and conference centre that caters for day visits and overnight stays. Products - Rezlynx PMS, Rezlynx Mobile and PCI Manager.

Wynn's HotelDublin

Wynn’s Hotel has been in existence since1845 and enjoys a prime location in the heart of the city. Products - Rezlynx PMS.

Now Live... Guestline are pleased to announce that we have recently gone live at the following venues:

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Guestline Connect December 2016

The Lake District Hotels group, a distinctive collection of seven award winning hotels and self-catering cottages in the Lake District, has increased direct bookings by 22% thanks to Guestline’s integrated hotel reservation software and by adopting revenue maximising strategies across the properties.

When reviewing their systems, Lake District Hotels wanted a partner that were experienced in delivering hotel reservation software, a solution that would drive bookings and revenue across the portfolio. The group needed a booking system that would provide a clear and detailed overview of the performance of each individual hotel along with a group-wide summary. Driving bookings via their own website was a major goal in order to reduce commissions to third party agencies.

Since implementing Guestline’s solutions, the group have seen fantastic results. Online bookings via their own website have increased 22% year on year, average room rates are up by £10 and occupancy over the last three years has risen by 9% due to new procedures, and functionality within the reservation system the team are able to access.

The group installed Guestline’s Rezlynx, a cloud hosted property management system with integrated EPoS, Channel Manager and the PCI compliant payment gateway, across their hotels.

Individual hotels can flex and manage rates easily to ensure they maximise revenue during peak season and drive occupancy during quieter periods. The front of house teams can process bookings for any hotel from a single screen and cross sell to another property if the booker’s first choice is unavailable.

“The hotel reservation software from Guestline has enabled us to implement group wide efficiencies by streamlining and centralising procedures to drive bookings and review sales effectively. As many of the processes are automated, we have reduced our admin and been able to concentrate on delivering exceptional customer service. The online booking module has really helped assist in boosting direct bookings and we’re delighted with the group wide increase of 22% year on year.” Daniella Hope, Marketing Director at The Lake District Hotels added.

"We are really pleased with the results the Lake District Hotels group are generating from using the suite of solutions from Guestline. We are continuously developing our software offering and keep our clients up to date with the latest innovations whilst supplying complimentary updates on a regular basis."

Emma Johnstone Vice President of Business Development at Guestline

Hotel group increases bookings by 22%

New Recruits

Following exceptional growth with our property management and distribution solutions, Guestline are delighted to announce three new appointments to serve the needs of our clients and grow our product range.

James Cannon - Head of Commercial Development

James will be responsible for meeting the growing demand for our solutions overseas and to develop our product portfolio. James will spearhead the key commercial relationships

with strategic partners to develop our range of applications, services and modules to ensure the product suite remains dynamic and meets the needs to today’s traveller. Additionally, James will develop our international reseller programme to grow our presence and product distribution internationally.

Cannon began his career in hospitality 13 years ago, starting at Micros Fidelio where he was responsible for transforming the project and programme management functions and managing the UK and Irish operational team of 80 employees. Cannon developed processes and controls which resulted in significant business growth.

More recently, Cannon worked at Quadriga where he went from managing the UK sales function to becoming Regional Director for UK and Northern Europe, with responsibility for sales, agents, resellers, operations and marketing.

Alex Wigmore - Regional Strategic Sales Consultant

Alex recently joined the Strategic Sales team to grow awareness of our solutions amongst corporate hotels, groups and hostels across the UK and abroad.

Alex previously worked for CMS Hospitality where he provided GuestCentrix PMS to independent and group properties throughout Europe including hotels, hostels and student accommodation. Alex held a number of roles in hospitality but as the ecommerce world evolved, he took positions with online giants Amazon and latterly, PayPal, before returning to the hospitality sector 3 years ago.

Outside of work, Alex is keen long distance walker and recently completed a 100km walk on behalf of Blind Veterans UK in under 21 hours. He has three similar walks planned for 2017 so if anybody fancies joining him!

Catherine Harvey – Strategic Account Manager

Catherine’s new role will see her managing our range of corporate accounts to assist them in growing their occupancy and revenue through our technology solutions.

Catherine has previously worked for Micros and Zonal working with major restaurant chains, account managing EPOS products. Prior to this Catherine worked for an outsourced Hospitality Recruitment agency account managing hotel chains and overseeing training.

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Over 40 guests recently attended our first Connect event in Ireland. Held at The Clayton Hotel in Dublin and hosted in conjunction with our Irish partner Tierney’s (a leading independent IT solution provider), hoteliers and consultants heard from a range of industry experts on the latest technological innovations on the market place.

We were joined by key partners, Google, Cadenza, Digital Alchemy and GuestRevu who demonstrated how hoteliers could convert their online presence into bookings;

"I found the event very informative and interesting... also it was great to mingle with colleagues over lunch. It was a great success and I wanted to say a big thanks to the Tierney's and Guestline teams for the invite!"

Alva Kenny Business Development Manager MindaClient

how to drive reviews to TripAdvisor; how to maximise business intelligence and how to effectively communicate with your guest after the reservation process. The event also included an opportunity for all guests to network and share best practice.

One of the guests, Alva Kenny, Business Development Manager at MindaClient, commented; ‘I found the event very informative and interesting... also it was great to mingle with colleagues over lunch. It was a great success and I wanted to say a big thanks to the Tierney's and Guestline teams for the invite!’

Rupert Gutteridge, Guestline’s Sales and Marketing Director added, ‘With today’s traveller embracing online and mobile platforms more than ever before, it’s becoming significant for hoteliers to be ahead of the digital curve and ensure they are capturing their share of mobile bookings and utilising their guest data more intuitively. Our partners helped delegates explore how hoteliers could stand out from the crowd online and understand guest loyalty and data analysis more effectively.

We have run a number of these events in the UK and we are delighted to celebrate our partnership with Tierney’s and host our first Connect event in Ireland.’

Connect Ireland 22 -23 Feb

2017

15 -16 Mar

2017

23 -25 Jan 2017

Travel Technology Europe

Whether you are a travel or hospitality IT professional, part of senior commercial management or a marketing specialist, you will benefit from seeing hundreds of the very latest products, services and solutions on show.

ScotHot

ScotHot is Scotland’s largest food, drink, hospitality and tourism trade show. Over the two days, key decision makers from hospitality come together to network with a wide variety of suppliers.

Great Hospitality Show

Celebrate the Best of British Hospitality at The Hospitality Show - the UK's largest foodservice and hospitality show.

Events & ExhibitionsWe attend several industry events every year. See below for details of our forthcoming events:

13 Jul

2017

National Hotel Marketing Conference

The National Hotel Marketing Conference is organised with the support of the Hotel Marketing Association, and is supported by industry associations including the BHA, Institute of Hospitality and VisitBritain.

28 -30 Mar

2017

HITEC Europe

Don't miss the unique opportunity to meet, negotiate and trade at this must attend 3 day business-to-business event.

For further details of Guestline participation at industry events and exhibitions or to book a meetings visit our website at: ww.guestline.com/about-us/events-exhibitions.html

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Guestline Connect December 2016

With the festive period just around the corner, we’re sure you’ve already pulled out all the stops to promote your wonderful festive packages and amazing food and beverage offering.

While you’re looking forward to the big day and of course all the joy it brings, there must have been a number of questions you asked yourself in the run up to the grand reveal of the “Christmas Package of the Century” – have we out done the competition? Will our offer be as eagerly anticipated as the “John Lewis Advert”? How will we let the wider world know about the tasty treats and fantastic seasonal offers we have in store for them?

Of course a lot of thought - not to say, blood, sweat and tears – will have gone into what you’ll provide and of course Chef is there, ensuring he receives every penny of his allocation as part of the divine packages you’ve set out for this year’s extravaganza. My question is simple: You’ll be pleased to know it’s not whether you’ve been naughty or nice! I’d rather know whether you dedicate as much time and thought to packages throughout the year? Have you mapped out a few options on how you can drive direct business over trough periods? And more over, how can you attract more guests directly without the reliance on increasing commissions and offering inventory to distress channels?

Whist we all may wish for World Peace – our owners and GM’s may also want great revenue and reduced commissions, fabulous feedback by happy guests with higher incremental spend and of course, all the joys the season brings; this should be the aim for every day of the year though – and not just for Christmas. Speak to us on how we can help you drive the three pillars of wisdom (see, what I did there? Not just Three Wise Men) of good distribution principles – Digital Marketing, Distribution and of course Revenue Management.

Guestline offers a range of revenue management consultancy services - Find out more here.

Revenue management is for life - not just for Christmas

In the hot seat Tori AcklingGroup Revenue & Distribution Manager Legacy Hotels & Resorts

Describe your job in a nutshell

Implement revenue management strategies and processes in our client hotels, in order to optimize and maximize its revenues.

Develop and implement sales and marketing strategies for the hotel to ensure revenue and room night sales goals are achieved, sales and marketing strategies are set, tactical plans are created and implemented, and results are monitored and achieved.

Assisting the Groups and Conference departments with enquiry handling to ensure the correct decisions are made when quoting and displacement analysis have been reviewed and considered.

What sets your hotel apart from the rest?

Legacy Hotels & Resorts is a collection of properties that combine the perfect blend of character, comfort and relaxation with great value for money.

Each of our hotels are so very different with regards to their style and character but all of them enjoy the service of great people.

What are the first 3 things you do when you come to work?

Turn the heating on, make a coffee and turn the heating up some more.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Watching back to back episodes of Poirot, whilst flicking through Heat magazine!

If money were no object what would you have at your hotel?

A gin bar along with its own gin distillery.

If you could describe yourself as a cocktail which one would you be and why?

Long Island Iced Tea – because I pack a punch! and I’m slightly bitter!

What’s your favourite thing to do in you local area?

Jump on a train to Bath and hit the cocktail bars!

What would you do if you won the Lottery this weekend?

Book a holiday to Disneyworld; take the kids and my parents. Then after 2 weeks in Florida I would send the parents’ home with the kids and go onto Hawaii and fly over all my friends for a further 2 week holiday!

If you weren’t working in the hospitality industry, what would be your dream profession?

Fashion designer.

If you could skip to the future what would you do?

I like to take each day as it comes so I would skip on that trip!

"Revenue management is often neglected as hoteliers are focused on delivering service.Guestline’s revenue management services are a way to ensure you are capturing the opportunities available throughout the customer journey. We can tailor revenue management services to suit your property’s exact needs."

Alex Bufton Revenue Consultant Guestline

Guestline Connect December 2016

GuestlineGuestline House Shrewsbury Business Park Shrewsbury Shropshire, UK SY2 6LG

Contact0800 413557 +44 (0)1743 282300 sales@guestline.com www.guestline.com

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Guestline Connect December 2016