Clients See Revenue Optimized with Maestro PMS Modules

Partnership & Hotel Technology Investment Delivers Premium Support Services & ROI

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. October 14, 2008

MARCH 6, 2007 - How do hotel operators measure the ROI on a hotel software technology purchase? Three different property managers have their own answers. "Maestro Enterprise Yield Management has definitely increased our revenue. Our ADR is through the roof and we have had three years of record RevPAR increases since we installed the system. The Maestro hotel management system has more than paid for itself since we installed it in 2004," said Rich Newman, General Manager of the luxurious Gainey Suites Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Front Office Manager Guinevere Hobdy of the Cal-Neva Resort Spa & Casino affirms, "We have raised our ADR significantly with the installation of Maestro PMS and the fully-integrated Yield Management system. Our rates for all reservation channels are automatically linked to our seasonal strategy and to the daily demand, allowing us to maximize pricing. We manage our strategies more efficiently for all channels from one screen."

"Our Maestro Front Office, Sales and Catering and POS software uses one central database," said Matt Oliver, Assistant General Manager of the Highlander Inn and Conference Center. "As a result, our sales team is closing additional deals because they have access to accurate availability on their desktop and can respond instantly to prospects. Our front desk staff also provides better service to group members, allowing us to secure more repeat business and our Maestro integrated Yield Management system optimizes our rates and has increased our ADR."

A well engineered Property Management Suite can and should demonstrate a concrete return on investment on both sides of the profit equation, by increasing revenue and reducing expenses. By integrating a robust Yield Management system into its global reservation system, Maestro Enterprise users are maximizing rates across seasons, room types and days of the week for all booking channels - in real time.

"If operators do not use superior Yield Management tools to optimize rates, they are leaving money on the table," explained Guinevere Hobdy, at the Cal-Neva Resort Spa & Casino. "We know our double rooms are in demand during high season at Lake Tahoe, so we program our Maestro system to increase their rates at specific demand thresholds. The system then displays those optimized rates to all our reservation agents, call centers and online booking channels simultaneously so pricing is optimized consistently." The Cal-Neva Resort & Casino is planning to renovate soon and transition to condo ownership units, and it expects to implement the Maestro Condo Owner Management system because amongst other features, its online functionality enables owners to reserve their units and check their asset accounting remotely.

"Evaluating expected demand from corporate clients and groups is vital to maximizing property utilization and revenue," said Rich Newman, General Manager of Gainey Suites Hotel in Scottsdale. "Maestro's CRM system tracks all group and corporate usage, including block pick up and booking patterns. The information gives us a greater balance of transient and corporate rooms, and targets our marketing dollars for the greatest return."

Making money is only one part of a property's technology ROI. Lowering expenses is another, and many operators are leveraging technology to create a more efficient operation. "In the past, keying in contracts, rooming lists and detailed banquet and event invoices required a great deal of our sales staff's time that would be more valuable spent elsewhere," said Matt Oliver, Assistant General Manager of The Highlander Inn and Conference Center. "Corporate clients make up the majority of our business, so automating every step of our corporate sales and meeting business pays off in time saved - and that goes to the bottom line as more time on the phone with prospects." The Highlander Inn and Conference Center uses the Maestro Enterprise PMS, Sales and Catering and Point of Sale systems, which all utilize the same database. "Our team no longer wastes time verifying availability, guest postings or if deposits were received. All the information for our guests and corporate accounts is accurate because there are no interfaces involved, and it is accessible from any Maestro screen."

Effective technology also pays its way by reducing training time and providing best practices that reduce high staff turnover -- a reality in the hotel business. "The Maestro system comes with access to free training webinars where our new hires learn the system quickly," said Matt Oliver. "The webinars are attended by other Maestro users and one of the biggest benefits we receive is the exchange of ideas. NORTHWIND's webinars provide a forum where operators discuss how they use the system to address unique management challenges. The real payback, however, is that our new employees become productive very quickly and our property runs more efficiently."

"When you operate a busy conference center that hosts as many functions as we do, it is difficult to capture all the charges and extensions as they arise," said Matt Oliver. "Before we installed Maestro, missed charges were costing us money. Now our invoices and function sheets are automated, and all charges are matched against contracts and captured efficiently. Maestro's banquet forms are comprehensive, helping us look more professional and book more repeat business. This is a solid ROI from Maestro."

NORTHWIND will be exhibiting at HITEC 2007 June 26 - 28 in Orlando, Florida in Booth #325. Contact or visit us to find out what our service can do for yours.