MIAMI, FL, March 19, 2008. MTech, a leading innovator in developing solutions to help hotels improve communications, increase productivity, and maximize guest satisfaction, has been selected by Greenville, S.C.-based JHM Hotels to provide the company’s 30 U.S.-based full- and limited-service properties with PMWorks, the first ASP specifically designed to handle the day-to-day needs of hotel maintenance.

“At JHM Hotels, we are committed to providing 101% guest satisfaction as we consistently exceed guest expectations,” said Darwin Brumley, Corporate Director of Engineering for JHM Hotels. “At each property, a team of highly motivated, empowered, guest-sensitive associates truly wants to help and welcome each traveler into their ‘homes.’ With that mindset, we need to ensure that our ‘homes’ are operating at peak efficiency. There’s no better way to do that than by implementing an automated preventive-maintenance program.”

JHM Hotels initiated PMWorks on March 1, anticipating its potential in maintaining property asset values after numerous major renovations. Several PM programs were analyzed by JHM, but PMWorks provided the most flexibility and functionality for the company’s multi-brands, Brumley said.

“All JHM Hotels have implemented PMWorks to create consistency in one uniform automated preventative-maintenance solution,” he said. “PMWorks provides weekly updates to our General Manager, Regional Director of Operations, and home office with a snapshot of tasks completed and any shortfalls, offering an immediate opportunity to resolve any deviations from our plan. We are quite pleased with the partnership.”

Gaining productivity, guest satisfaction
Clyde Edson, PMWorks National Account Manager, said more and more forward-thinking management companies such as JHM Hotels are realizing the importance of preventive maintenance to successful hotel operations. Applying PM comes in knowing not only what work needs to be done and when, but ensuring that the work does, indeed, get completed in a thorough and timely manner. PMWorks, powered by MTech’s award-winning HotSOS (Hotel Service Optimization System, pronounced hot sauce), delivers real-time tracking of work requests and guest incidents for sizable gains in productivity and guest satisfaction.

“When an award-winning hotel company such as JHM Hotels recognizes your technology as the best-of-breed for its best-in-class hotels, it’s quite an honor,” Edson said. “JHM recently was recognized by Marriott for its ‘Service Excellence,’ ‘Spirit to Serve,’ ‘Food & Beverage Excellence,’ and ‘Renovations Excellence.’ These honors could not have been achieved if JHM’s hotels were not in the very best possible condition.

“It has been proven that performing basic preventive maintenance helps to preserve the condition of a hotel—rather than fixing an item when it breaks or maintaining it before it deteriorates or fails,” he said. “It also saves engineers time, saves owners money, and saves guests from having a potentially bad experience or adopting a false first impression of the hotel. This consistency in maintenance instills employee pride, which translates into overall guest experience and prolongs the life of furnishings, fixtures and equipment.”

What many hotels may not realize, Edson said, is that an automated preventive-maintenance program also helps to organize the engineering department and helps individual engineers and maintenance workers to be better time managers.

MTech sites the following benefits as being associated with PMWorks:
--- It is very simple to set up and use.
--- It is very affordable — typically providing a complete payback in months with ROI being reaped for years thereafter.
--- It ensures ALL equipment is REGULARLY and PROPERLY maintained — enhancing efficiency and guest satisfaction, while protecting assets.
--- More than four years of development, and extensive focus groups involving top hospitality maintenance engineers and hotel architects, developers and designers, are behind the extensive PM tasks and scheduling utilities in this leading application.
--- It creates a balanced workflow, avoiding procrastination and potential crises.
--- It tracks maintenance records electronically to aid in future retrieval.
--- It helps limit negligence liability.

“These are just a few of the reasons why we developed PMWorks, and why leading hotel-management companies such as JHM Hotels are having it installed in their properties,” he said.