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Microtel to Become First Budget-Economy Chain With Free Local Calls, Free Long Distance Calls and Free Wireless High Speed Internet Access |
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Wide-Sweeping Initiative to Include More Operating Benefits for Hotel Owners |
Microtel Inn & Suites has announced a wide-sweeping communications initiative known as ‘Project Reveille’ that will raise the bar on the scope of amenities that hotels in the economy-budget segment will offer to guests. At the same time, it will empower Microtel owners with a basket of management tools to streamline and enhance their operations, from the front desk to back-of-house.
According to Jon Leven, senior vice president of U.S. Franchise Systems, Inc. (USFS), franchisor of Microtel -- who made the announcement to more than 200 enthusiastic owners and managers at the Microtel Franchisee Conference this past weekend in Atlanta -- the initiative is a first in the budget-economy segment. “Both owners and guests will enjoy greater value,” he said. “Project Reveille will greatly extend the scope of complimentary telecommunications services and time-saving conveniences that franchisees can offer their Microtel guests, and further differentiate the brand as the leader in the budget-economy segment.”
Guests will enjoy free local phone calls, free long distance calls to anywhere in the continental U.S., free wireless high speed Internet access in every room, plus advance online check-in and check-out. This includes unprecedented access to Microtel online folio data, with guests able to pre-register online and head straight to their guestrooms when they arrive, and avoid the check-out process as well.
New tools for Microtel owners and managers will include:
• RezAssist: A service that will take pressure off the front desk and add incremental revenue by seamlessly forwarding reservation inquiries from the desk to Central Reservations at no additional cost to the property.
• Hotel Dashboard: A detailed management and reporting system with analytical tools to make key information easily available to owners and general managers, from night audit data, to top account production reports, forecasts and other relevant statistics.
• Trend Fx: An online competitive rate shopping program that will identify rates of five specified local competitors on brand websites, major consumer travel booking websites, as well as GDS through Sabre, allowing owners and operators the ability to maximize pricing and availability strategies, and save hours of research time.
To enable the services to be available to both guests and owners, Microtel will upgrade and standardize each hotel’s Property Management System (PMS) to a custom-designed software version of Platinum by Ramesys. In addition, Microtel will standardize data and telecom-munications networks at every hotel.
“All told, this is an enormous leap forward in Microtel’s development,” said Leven. “It will take the brand to a new level, separating it further from the current budget competitors and enabling it to more effectively compete for guests with properties higher up the rate spectrum.”
Project Reveille will be implemented in all Microtels nationwide by year end-2004. Hotels will begin marketing the services on an individual basis as they come online. A national brand wide campaign will begin the end of this year.
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