Tech company Agilysys, a hospitality software solutions and services provider, will be on the floor with its latest offerings at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention at booth 906.
Georgia-based Agilysys provides point-of-sale, property management, inventory and procurement, workforce management, analytics, document management and mobile and wireless solutions and services to the hospitality industry, according to Luke Pfeifer, the company’s director of product management.
“Our solutions and services allow property managers to better connect, interact and transact with their customers by streamlining operations, improving efficiency, increasing guest recruitment and wallet share, and enhancing the guest experience,” Pfeifer said.
Agilysys serves several major market sectors, including tribal and corporate gaming. Others include hotels, resorts, cruises, corporate foodservice management, restaurants, universities, stadiums and healthcare. It operates in North America, Europe and Asia.
Agilysys’ Lodging Management System, or LMS, streamlines operations and enhances the guest experience while growing the bottom line by up to 25 percent in revenue with room upsales at check in, Pfeifer said. With LMS, guests receive a text on their personal device and use the link to check in prior to their arrival.
“Communicating in advance means you’re better prepared for guest arrivals,” Pfeifer said.
Guests can update their payment details through a secure pay gateway and can use the digital check in to get room upgrades and book dining reservations. They receive an automated text alert once their room is ready and, because payment information is stored within the guests’ profiles, they can then go straight to the expedited mobile check-in desk to pick up their room key.
Guests also receive a text that mobile checkout is available, Pfeifer said, and are able to view the detailed charges, including itemized receipts from outlets. They can leave the key and bypass the front desk, he said.
Agilysys also offers the hospitality industry’s first PCI-validated, point-to-point encrypted payment gateway, technology which helps reduce the risk of a data breach. The digital signature captures electronic guest signatures without requiring paperwork, he said. Guests can select package components when making online reservations, and guests’ gaming accounts are linked to hotel accounts to evaluate comp decisions.
“The LMS product has a rich history for the gaming market, and we continue to see it having a lot of strength moving forward,” Pfeifer said. “We are focused on a lot of initiatives right now. When you think about PMS (property management systems) in general with check-in and check-out and rates, they have essentially been the same since the introduction of the first property management system. The value for our customers, and all hoteliers, is in the greater eco-system that surrounds the PMS to integrate data across the property.”
With mobile check-in and check-out, Pfeifer said, it’s not only about building an experience for guests but focusing on “how these solutions drive revenue for our customers, which are gaming properties, hotels and casinos.”
“Today’s guests are sometimes looking to get into their hotel room without having to interact with a lot of people,” said Robin Adams, Agilysys’ senior manager of content marketing. “Mobile check-in and check-out make that happen.”
Driving upsales into mobile check-in and check-out process is important, Pfeifer said. He spent 10 years in hotel operations before moving to Agilysys nine years ago, and said one of the biggest tasks at the front desk was increasing incremental revenue.
“You did upsell programs where you try to upsell someone a suite, but it’s only as good as the agent working at the desk,” Pfeifer said. “We bring in technology where (the upsell) is self-service. At the show, we’re going to continue to show off that functionality… to people in the industry.”
The tribal gaming marketing is a big focus for the company, Adams said. NIGA offers an opportunity to have more in-depth conversations with tribal hospitality leaders to find out “what they are looking for with sales and gaps they may have,” she said.
Pfeifer said the company is continuing to bring other solutions to the marketplace. He said, for one, it’s important for customers to be able to go online and book offers.
“It’s amazing how many properties still (make the customer) call to book the offer… and don’t offer the option to book online.”
The Agilysys technology is also used for mobile housekeeping, Pfeifer said, noting that the use of tablets over clipboards increases staff efficiency and reduces labor costs.
Full service hotel operations integrate revenue, group and forecast information, Pfeifer said.
“Not only are we focused on the guest experience side and driving revenue, but we’re also focusing on cost efficiencies of how we (can best) bring solutions to help with staffing a property and operate the property.”
