Author: Rabindra

Resort De Coracao migrates to the Cloud with Hotelogix and stays ready to manage peak season rush

While peak season brings many benefits for hotels, it also presents several challenges for hoteliers. Apart from the ever-nagging problem of labor shortage and changing guest demands, they have to handle daily operations, including reservations, check-ins and check-outs, payments, etc. To be precise, they must ensure the smooth execution of all these activities. But the big question is how will they manage all these? Manually? No way. With technology? Yes, but which one?

 The answer is Cloud-based Hotel PMS. Need more convincing? Then, hear it from Dev Kumar, AGM – Sales & Marketing, at Resort De Coracao.

Resort De Coracao is a hotel group with properties in Goa and Corbett, India. For loyal customers, the group’s properties offer elegant hospitality and modern sensibility. Now listen to him – “We ran our operations on a server-based PMS. Apart from not letting us manage group operations with central control, the solution couldn’t help us sell more online, and it restricted our operational capabilities and efficiencies during peak season business.”

Hoteliers with server-based PMSs across the globe are familiar with such issues, right? Then what makes this group so special, and why are we discussing it? Well, here is the answer. It migrated to the cloud with Hotelogix in 2020. However, we’re not discussing the group for that reason. Instead, we’re interested in the benefits they’ve experienced, such as increased sales, occupancy rates, and most importantly, improved operational efficiency.

 As the festive and new year season in India picks up, more and more travelers get ready to book their accommodations, and hotels face a significant challenge – increasing operational activities and managing the surge of guests while maintaining high customer satisfaction. In all these, one crucial thing that matters the most is the kind of hotel property management system they have in place. This is an essential piece of software that automates processes, streamlines operations, reduces errors, saves time, and allows for better guest services. Moreover, it helps hotel groups centrally manage operations across multiple properties with a single sign-on, leading to better control over business processes.

 Apart from centrally managing their properties from their Gurugram corporate office, they have been able to sell more online since migrating to the cloud. They sell rooms on about 10 OTAs, and real-time two-way integration with Channel Manager helps them with instant updates of rate and availability across all OTAs to maintain rate parity, sell more, and eliminate overbookings. Most importantly, this integration saves about 90% of their time daily allowing them to attend to guest needs.

 Another noteworthy point is that the group has almost 100% occupancy from mid-November through December due to improved advance bookings. But is it ready to handle the peak season rush? According to Dev Kumar, yes, they are prepared for it.

“We can now efficiently and effortlessly manage guest reservations, check-ins and check-outs, room assignments, and billing from any location and device. It means our staff can manage guest services and operations on the go without being tethered to their desks,” says Dev Kumar.

Also, during peak seasons, the management at Resort De Coracao can scale up their Hotel PMS infrastructure to handle the increased demand. With the cloud-based PMS, they can quickly add new users, workstations, mobile devices, etc., to manage rush hour operations. “It ensures that guests receive prompt and efficient service, resulting in a better overall experience,” says Dev Kumar. On top of everything, newly hired staff can get started quickly as cloud-based Hotel PMSs are pretty easy to use.

 Other important points we need to talk about are – flexibility and data security. Cloud-based Hotel PMS allows staff to access the application and data from anywhere, at any time. This means that they can work remotely and collaborate with each other seamlessly, even during peak seasons. Additionally, these solutions come with automated backups and disaster recovery features, ensuring their data, primarily guest data, is always secure.

Rush-hour hotel operations can be extremely hectic and challenging, with guests checking in and out, housekeeping and maintenance teams working to keep rooms clean and ready, and staff managing reservations and payments. In such a fast-paced environment, technology is crucial in streamlining operations across departments and ensuring everything is in tandem. In such situations, cloud-based Hotel PMS like Hotelogix is the only solution hotels across sizes and offerings need the most.

Transformative Women Entrepreneurs Shaping India’s Startup Landscape

As we celebrate Women Entrepreneurship Day, it’s crucial to recognize and applaud the indomitable spirit of women who are not just breaking glass ceilings but reshaping entire industries with their vision, tenacity, and innovation. From the thriving landscapes of wellness and agriculture to the dynamic realms of blogging and sustainable development, these women are making waves and inspiring change. Let’s delve into the incredible journeys of Shreedha Singh, Dhanashree Mandhani, Richa Sharma, and Pihu Jain, who exemplify the limitless possibilities for women in India’s entrepreneurial space.

Shreedha Singh, Co-founder, T.A.C – The Ayurveda Co.: Originating from the village of Karanda near Varanasi, Shreedha Singh’s journey—from earning ₹80 per day at McDonald’s at 14 to becoming an angel investor on Mukesh Ambani’s ‘Indian Angels’—is truly inspirational. Shreedha, the vibrant force behind T.A.C. – The Ayurveda Company and Khadi Essentials, is taking the wellness industry by storm. As a seasoned entrepreneur and a passionate proponent of holistic well-being, she is dedicated to bringing the benefits of the ancient science of Ayurveda to a broader audience. Shreedha’s success story encapsulates the limitless possibilities for women in India’s entrepreneurial space.

Dhanashree Mandhani, Founder & CEO, Salam Kisan: Dhanashree Mandhani is a 21 y/o entrepreneur who has rapidly emerged as a driving force in the Ag-tech industry. With a degree in Finance and Marketing from the esteemed Gies College of Business at UIUC, Dhanashree possesses a solid foundation in business strategy and entrepreneurship. At just 19 years old, Dhanashree founded PRYM Solutions in 2021, where she currently serves as the Founder and CEO of Salam Kisan, an end-to-end Ag-tech platform for farmers. Salam Kisan has garnered attention for its innovative approach to addressing critical challenges faced by farmers. Through the platform, farmers gain access to real-time information, gain market linkage, and optimize their farming practices with precision agriculture, ultimately increasing their productivity and profitability.

Richa Sharma CEO and Co-Founder at happinetz: Growing up in Lucknow, Richa was exposed to a rich culture of literature and writing which was further accelerated by her early adoption of the internet in the city. This led her towards a life of blogging and social media, helping her become one of the most popular bloggers in the country. Wanting to further this movement, she went on to create Blogchatter, India’s most active community of bloggers. As both a parent and a blogger, Richa acknowledges the internet’s polarizing nature, with the potential for both positive and negative impacts. She firmly believes that parents hold the responsibility to shape their children’s digital experiences using appropriate tools and technology. Happiness is a Safe Internet Playground that emphasizes on guidance rather than surveillance and helps parents trail-blaze the challenges of the digital age for children and themselves.

Pihu Jain, Head, Girnar Foundation, CSR arm of CarDekho Group: Pihu Jain is the Head of the Girnar Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of the CarDekho Group. Under her guidance, the Girnar Foundation has positively impacted over 10,000 lives through eco-friendly practices, sustainable urban planning, and green infrastructure initiatives. Pihu has pursued a BA from Maharani College, University of Rajasthan. During her academic journey, Psychology emerged as a captivating area of interest for her. With a passion for making a difference, Pihu Jain envisions the foundation’s continued positive impact over the next three years. Her focus is on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 4, 5, 11, and 13, covering gender equality, climate action, sustainable cities, community well-being, and quality education. She also aims to address all 17 SDGs in the near future, recognizing the interconnectedness of global challenges and opportunities.

Simplilearn is recognized by training industry in the top 20 IT& Technical training companies in 2023

Bengaluru, November 18, 2023: Simplilearn, a global digital skills training provider, has been named to the Training Industry’s list of the Top 20 IT and technical Training Companies. Training Industry, the leading research and information resource for corporate learning leaders, prepares their Top 20 reports on critical sectors of the corporate training marketplace to better inform professionals about the best and most innovative providers of training services and technologies. This award adds to Simplilearn’s multiple recognitions by the Training Industry.

Training Industry selected the top 20 companies based on the extent and quality of programs and service offerings, industry visibility, innovation, impact in the IT and technical training market, client and user representation, business performance, and growth. This recognition exemplifies Simplilearn’s commitment to providing a highly interactive and seamless learning experience to working professionals in the digital space and empowering them for career advancement.

 Speaking on the achievement, Anand Narayanan, Chief Product Officer, Simplilearn, said, “I would like to thank all of the folks at Simplilearn for their absolute focus on getting great outcomes for our learners. Awards like these are a recognition of the hard work that goes in day in and day out in delivering joy and success to our learners and when we fail, to learn quickly and improve. I express my gratitude to the Training Industry for bestowing upon us this honor and recognizing our efforts in bringing quality upskilling across the globe.”

“This year’s Top 20 IT & Technical Training Companies are leading innovators in the IT training sector,” said Jessica Schue, market research analyst at Training Industry, Inc. “These companies demonstrate high-quality content on topics and skill sets such as cybersecurity, data science/analytics, cloud computing, programming with a wide range of languages, and much more. Utilizing advanced technologies and modalities like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and virtual labs, these companies take an immersive approach to training and work continuously to adapt and keep up with the ever-changing IT market.”