Charleston Place Hotel - This luxurious urban resort has replaced an aging, character-based property management system with LodgingTouch PMS, from Microsoft® Certified Solution Provider MAI Systems Corporation. Based on Microsoft Windows NT® Server and Microsoft SQL Server™, the LodgingTouch solution has enabled Charleston Place to improve productivity by over 35 percent, shorten training time by 71 percent, and reduce reporting-related costs by 20 percent.
Solution Overview
Company Profile
Located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina, the distinctly appointed Charleston Place Hotel is a 440-room flagship property in the Orient-Express portfolio of luxurious hotels, trains, and cruise ships.
Situation
Charleston Place wanted to replace their aging, character-based property management system with technology that would take them into the 21st century. In particular, they wanted a system that would increase productivity, reduce training costs, and open the flow of information among managers, so they could collaborate more effectively on revenue-maximizing business strategies.
Business Solution
Charleston Place decided that LodgingTouch PMS, running under Microsoft Windows NT Server and Microsoft SQL Server, was the best solution for their needs. A 32-bit client/server solution from Microsoft Certified Solution Provider MAI Systems Corporation, LodgingTouch is ODBC-compliant, scalable, and equipped with built-in modules for front office, group sales, packages, guest history, accounts receivable, central reservations, point of sale, and more. It also integrates smoothly with many third-party hospitality products and comes with an intuitive Microsoft Windows-based interface.
Benefits
Thanks to LodgingTouch PMS, productivity is up an estimated 35 percent at Charleston Place and training now takes four days instead of two weeks - a 71 percent reduction that has cut costs by $300 per employee. Meanwhile, by empowering managers to access data themselves, LodgingTouch has helped Charleston Place cut reporting-related costs by 20 percent and save over $10,000 in just the first six months. Best of all, managers now have easy access to the data they need to maximize revenue and exceed customer expectations.
Located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina, the Charleston Place Hotel is as romantic and elegant as the city it's set in. But it's not old-world charm alone that attracts guests and keeps them coming back, it's world-class service too.
To ensure that it keeps providing that kind of service, Charleston Place has replaced its aging, character-based property management system (PMS) with LodgingTouch PMS, from Microsoft Certified Solution Provider MAI Systems Corporation. The powerful, Microsoft BackOffice®-based system is helping Charleston Place exceed customer expectations even as it dramatically boosts productivity and slashes expenses.
In Search of Seamlessness
Charleston Place had several goals in mind when they decided to replace their existing PMS. First, it wanted to free up the flow of information among managers, so they could collaborate more effectively on revenue-maximizing business strategies. In addition, the hotel wanted to reduce training costs and increase productivity by deploying an application that was easy to learn and use.
After carefully evaluating their options, Charleston Place concluded that LodgingTouch PMS, running under Microsoft Windows NT Server and Microsoft SQL Server, was the best solution for its needs. Steve Grainger, Charleston Place's Controller, explains, "knowing a successful installation would influence future decisions throughout the Orient-Express group, executive management decided to buy a solution that would not only grow with our business and provide seamless exchange of information, but also increase productivity and reduce training expenditures."
Guest History on Demand
Today, LodgingTouch provides managers at Charleston Place with the comprehensive information they need to maximize revenue and provide outstanding service. The system collects data about each guest's preferences and activities from the moment they reserve a room until the moment they check out. Managers can easily query this data and export the results to any ODBC-enabled desktop application (such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, or Microsoft Word) for further analysis.
Knowing that they would have such easy access to detailed guest history information, both now and in the years to come, was a key factor in Charleston Place's decision to select LodgingTouch. "The availability and immediacy of guest information and the ability to have direct access is imperative for businesses interested in true customer service in the 21st century," says Madison Toms, Director of Marketing. Adds Grainger, "Charleston Place is a unique hotel that attracts a unique clientele. Our ability to drill down through this mass of information and define our client profiles, with their special needs, enables us to provide unsurpassed guest service while meeting our revenue objectives."
Bottom-Line Efficiencies
By allowing managers to access data themselves rather than submit a request to the hotel's IT department or an outside vendor, LodgingTouch has also helped Charleston Place cut reporting-related costs by 20 percent, savings worth over $10,000 in the system's first six months alone.
Meanwhile, productivity is up over 35 percent, empowering the hotel to consolidate operations and trim its payroll. For example, LodgingTouch's single-button night audit functionality, which closes out the business day and automatically starts a new one with the touch of a button, has enabled Charleston Place to reassign employees to more productive tasks. "We have reduced our night audit staff by 33 percent, which has enabled us to utilize these human resources more effectively in other departments and reduce costs in this one," says Grainger.
A Familiar Environment
Training is another area in which LodgingTouch has had a big impact. Thanks to the system's intuitive Microsoft Windows®-based interface, training now takes four days instead of two weeks, a 71 percent reduction that has produced savings of $300 per employee.
"Employees who are able to immediately adapt to the processes of their job without being on the training curve for an extended period of time are nine times out of ten happier, more customer-focused individuals," says Leon Scott, Director of Rooms. "LodgingTouch's Windows-based interface and user-friendly icons are familiar to many of our new employees who already use or have used Microsoft software outside the workplace."
Further adding to LodgingTouch's ease of use is its color-coding. Every screen within a module is color-coded the same way, providing users a concrete point of reference at all times. In addition, screens throughout the system look and function in the same basic manner. So, when users have mastered one module, they have essentially mastered them all.
Detailed Accountability
LodgingTouch is also helping Charleston Place keep a closer eye on group sales. "Because of the location and historic ambiance that abounds in Charleston, our group business is the backbone of our revenue stream," says Toms.
In fact, group sales account for a full 70 percent of the hotel's business. LodgingTouch's built-in group sales module provides detailed revenue and historical data, enabling management to track group business more accurately and make better group-related marketing decisions.
Another significant portion of Charleston Place's business comes from seasonal event and package programs, which are a consistent hit with customers. The ability to create packages easily, track their success, and provide detailed accountability is built right into the LodgingTouch packages module.
"Many of the packages that Charleston Place offers involve services and amenities that are not within the normal scope of hotel operations such as carriage rides, golf, tennis, bus tours, and river cruises," says Grainger. "Accounting for these services and crediting the revenue to the appropriate department or vendor is crucial. LodgingTouch helps us do that very efficiently."
Real-Time Connection
Charleston Place Hotel was the LodgingTouch PMS test site for the Orient-Express group. La Samanna in St. Martin will be the next property to install the system, beginning mid-September, 1998. When rollout there is complete, La Samanna and Charleston Place will be able to cross-book rooms and share real-time availability and guest history data via LodgingTouch's Central Information System.
"The successful implementation of LodgingTouch PMS and the Microsoft BackOffice family, combined with their proven ability to disseminate information easily, reduce costs, and increase revenue, will be the key decision factor in utilizing these technologies at other hotels within our group," says Grainger. "The ability to share guest profile information as specific as particular client nuances, for instance, between our property here in Charleston and our sister property, La Samanna, will empower us to provide top-flight guest service and maintain our market share."
For more information
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About MAI Systems
MAI Systems Corporation
9601 Jeronimo Road
Irvine, CA 92618
Tel.: 949-598-6000
Fax: 949-598-6324
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.maisystems.com
MAI Systems Corporation provides automation solutions to over 4,000 hotels in 75 countries worldwide. The company's LodgingTouch, CLS, and Paragon products offer fully integrated solutions for front and back end, point-of-sale, sales and catering, central reservations, and central information systems.
Microsoft Software Used
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft Windows 95
Microsoft Windows NT Server
Microsoft Word
©1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Microsoft, BackOffice, the BackOffice logo, Windows, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and company names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
