Centrada Brings Outsourced Technology, Consulting to Hotels, Management Companies

From IT outsourcing and project management to consulting and customer support, Centrada Solutions is a hospitality-focused technology services group. Its associates are highly skilled technology professionals with a combined 40 years hospitality operations experience and the know how to minimize the costs associated with hospitality technology.

“Our mission at Centrada is to deliver the technology hotels need, when they need it, for a reasonable price,” said Steve Woodward, Centrada president. “Simply put, we assist our clients in making smart technology investments. We understand that each hotel is unique and each has distinctive technology requirements. Therefore as a true technology partner, we will create solutions which enable each hotel or management company to operate more efficiently and profitably.”

Woodward said as hotels and management companies forecast their 2007 technology budgets, partnership with Centrada will cut overhead costs and eliminate frustration associated with hiring in-house technology professionals to manage and oversee the day-to-day technology infrastructure. “There is no longer a need to add permanent IT staff to be able to select, implement, or upgrade systems,” he said. “Centrada is here to provide these resources when needed. Using Centrada has the added benefit of allowing your already over-stretched IT staff to focus on their core responsibilities.”

Woodward formed Centrada in 2004 following a 16-year career with Wyndham Hotels Corp. where managed the hotel company’s distribution technology and also held positions ranging from department manager to general manager at six hotels and resorts.

“Centrada is a contraction of two Latin words, Censum and Trado,” Woodward said. “Censum means to analyze. Trado means to deliver. Analyze and Deliver . . . that’s exactly what we do.”

Making technology fun

Franklin Gentry, vice president of technology at Centrada, said the company was founded to assist hospitality businesses fill gaps in their core competencies.

“In everything we do, our mission is to ensure that hoteliers understand the technology options that are available to them and feel comfortable making technology purchasing decisions that affect each property,” Gentry said. “Our clients find that our methods make buying and working with technology easier. Some even say enjoyable! Most are able to limit and reduce their overall IT expenses because they have a technology partner who is there when and where they need it. A partner who's priority is their satisfaction.”

Gentry said Centrada simplifies the implementation of systems within a hotel organization.

“We essentially help bridge the gap between the computer and the hospitality employee by taking the confusing jargon of technology and putting it into everyday terms that make sense to hospitality operators,” he said. “We provide options that will work in each specific environment. Then together we make the decisions that are the best fit for an operation.”

Gentry boasts more than 10 years of hospitality technology experience. His career began at the 1,000-room Buena Vista Palace Hotel in Orlando, working in the front office and in information systems where he was responsible for maintaining all property technologies and creating the hotel’s first intranet site. He then was promoted to Wyndham’s corporate office in Dallas, where he served as director of distribution systems. He left Wyndham to join Centrada in order to “help make technology simple for all hoteliers.”

Keeping guests happy

Jason Kippa, Centrada’s operations director, said when it comes to outsourcing technology, he believes Centrada will soon become a household – or hospitality – name.

“Hoteliers need to concentrate on the business of guest satisfaction,” Kippa said. “They don’t have time to weed through all the different technology solutions out on the market today. In addition, hiring and retaining qualified IT staff is extremely frustrating. Good IT people are difficult to find, especially when IT management is not usually a core business competency for hoteliers. That’s why outsourcing to Centrada is so successful. We do what we do best while hoteliers focus on their core business function – guest service.”

Prior to joining Centrada, Kippa served as Distribution Technology Manger for Wyndham International in Dallas. In that role, Kippa was responsible for managing more than 100 hotel property-management systems and related interfaces to peripheral technologies. He also held numerous positions within Wyndham International, including National Sales Manager and Quality Assurance Analyst. He began his hospitality career working at the property level for Wyndham Hotel & Resorts in front office services and accounting.

Working with top hotel companies

Centrada works with corporate offices, management companies and individual sites of all sizes to develop customized solutions. Recent hotel company clients include: Aimbridge Hospitality, FelCor Lodging Trust, Wyndham Worldwide, Phoenix Inns and Suites, Davidson Hotels, MGM Mirage and Noble Investment Group. For example, Aimbridge Hospitality, a hotel real estate and management company created to identify management opportunities throughout the United States, contracted with Centrada Solutions in 2005 to be their exclusive provider of technology services. Centrada works closely with Aimbridge to install and maintain systems at their corporate office and across their wide range of branded and non-branded hotels. From e-mail hosting to PMS selection and installation, Centrada assists Aimbridge with making smart technology investments. “We work with you and your system providers to make sure their products are installed per your requirements and that they meet your needs,” Woodward said.

Centrada also provides a wide array of consulting services, including: System Audits/Assessments, Standards Documentation, Report Writing, and System Planning,

“With industry turnover rates hovering between 50 percent and 100 percent, having easy to use systems is critical to an efficient operation,” Woodward said. “The bottom line is that we are only a phone call away. Hotels can call us at any time for a no obligation analysis of their IT needs. We will work with each client to satisfy their technology requirements for today and for tomorrow.”

Hotels interested in receiving a quote from Centrada Solutions LLC for a technology project or for general technology consulting should call (972) 746-4210 or email [email protected].

About Centrada Solutions LLC
Centrada Solutions was founded in 2004 by Steven Woodward as a Technology Services company which specializes in serving Hotels, Hotel Owners, and Hotel Management Companies. Their mission is to deliver the technology their clients need, when they need it, for a reasonable price. They assist clients in making smart technology investments. For more information visit .