Choice Hotels Gains Upper Hand In Technology Battle

Choice hotels Australasia rolls out a new cloud based property management system that is attracting new business across the hotel sector. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) February 07, 2013 - Choice Hotels Australasia is successfully attracting new business across the hotel sector by adopting technology focused initiatives to assist in growing Australia's largest hotel franchise group. The centrepiece of the technology roll out is a cloud based property management system, choiceADVANTAGE.

Allowing property owners to interface directly with the Choice Hotels global central reservations system, choiceADVANTAGE grants remote access to owners who aren't on site everyday but need to frequently monitor progress on the go.

With a third of the Choice Hotels property portfolio already committed to choiceADVANTAGE, franchisees have seen an almost instant benefit to the bottom line with RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) increasing by double digits year on year.

The new system is also fully integrated with the Choice Hotels loyalty program, Choice Privileges, which enables properties to recognise and reward their most loyal and frequent customers.

Commenting on choiceADVANTAGE, Choice's own proprietary property management system, Choice Hotels Australasia CEO, Trent Fraser, said, "We recognise the importance of driving business through our website and other online channels. choiceADVANTAGE has proved to be a stunning success for property owners and we anticipate having the new system installed and up and running across the majority of Choice properties by the end of 2013."

During his recent visit to Australia from the US last week, Patrick Pacious, Executive Vice President - Global Strategy and Operations, was adamant that capitalising on efficiencies in the digital realm was pivotal to growth in the local market, and that hotel owners didn't need to look far to see the results.

"Building on the success of choiceADVANTAGE worldwide, the system has been equally successful here. Properties using the system have enjoyed a 10 per cent Average Daily Rate premium when compared to the network average and RevPAR growth of 13 per cent in the six months post installation, the system is clearly delivering higher volumes of business for properties whilst also reducing the cost of distribution."

Surveying over 15 properties from Brisbane through to Adelaide, Pacious was impressed by the integration and willingness of Choice Hotels' partners to learn the ins and outs of how the system can help their businesses work smarter.

"It's no secret that with every technology advancement comes an 'adjustment' period for hotel owners yet it's been a pleasure meeting owners and hearing stories first-hand how these systems, often devised on the other side of the world, are making such a positive and lucrative difference to bottom lines. We're looking forward to every Choice Australasia property joining up and reaping the same rewards."

Choice Hotels has also recently rolled out a number of other technology initiatives in Australia specific to reservations which are greatly assisting property owners and customers alike. They include;
• Room Key: assists potential customers by directing them back to the Choice Hotels website to complete their booking, ensuring they get the best possible internet rate available
• Call Forwarding: allows properties to re-direct reservation calls through the main Choice Hotels call centre 365 days a year, allowing owners to focus on servicing their in-house customers without having to deal with constant reservation enquiries
• Medallia: a new guest survey system enabling property owners to view and respond to social media feedback via one central hub
• New Apps: a recently released android app along with an enhanced iPad app ensures maximum flexibility and ease of access to Choice Hotels for both new and existing customers

Choice Hotels Australasia has 270 hotels across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore with an excess of 14,000 rooms. CHA is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Choice Hotels International, a publicly listed (NYSE:CHH) company in the United States with more than 6,100 hotels and 459,000 rooms in more than 30 countries and territories. www.choicehotels.com.au

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